Post 19: Senge, The Fifth Discipline and Fullan, Change Forces

Motivational School Leadership with Michael Horton

                The first edition of Senge’s “The Fifth Discipline” is now over 20 years old.  Occasionally, it is mentioned in one of the books that I am reading and I am reminded of how much great information is in this book.  As this blog goes along, I will periodically take a tidbit out of The Fifth Discipline to write about.  In this post, I’ll talk about the ideas around Senge’s “metanoia” philosophy.  Metanoia is a transformative change of heart and Senge points out that this is the way that change takes place, not by adopting programs or piloting new acronyms.

                Senge guides readers to the conclusion that in order to institute change, it is not new reform strategies, better PowerPoint presentations, or more compelling speeches that are needed.  It is major systematic overhaul that is needed in schools.  Our systems are not set up for schools to institute major change.  To make teachers long for change in an organization that is set up to preserve the status quo is cruel and unusual punishment.  Before setting up any change movement, a principal must ensure that the organization is ready for and capable of change.

                One of the most frustrated feelings that I get is when someone asks me for my advice after their mind has already been made up or the time frame for making a decision has passed.  So, imagine how teachers feel when the principal gets the leadership team all fired up about (for example) changing bell schedules to provide more opportunities for intervention just to hear back that the bus schedule won’t allow for the bells to be changed or that all of the schools in the district must be on the same bell schedule.  How frustrating that would be!  That could drive an organization to just stick with the status quo.  This is just one example of how schools are not set up for change.

                One of the best ways to begin transitioning to an organization that can and does change is to start working on those things that ARE within the school's power to change.  Work on changing instruction, professional development, collaboration, assessments, grading policies, etc.  Eventually, things that were almost unspeakable before (grading policies, evaluation) will become open for discussion and the culture of change will begin to . . . umm . . . change.

                The book that sparked this blog post was Michael Fullan’s “Change Forces.”  In the book, he discusses 8 lessons that leaders should learn in order to institute change and become an organization open to change:

1) You Cannot Mandate What Matters (The more complex the change, the less that you can force it to happen.)

2) Change is a Journey, Not a Blueprint (Change is non-linear, loaded with uncertainty and excitement)

3) Problems are Our Friends (Problems are inevitable and you cannot learn without them)

4) Vision and Strategic Planning Come Later (Premature visions and planning blind are the result of moving too quickly in these areas)

5) Individualism and Collectivism Must Have Equal Power (There are no one-sided solutions to isolation and groupthink.)

6) Neither Centralization Nor Decentralization Works (Both top-down and bottom-up strategies are necessary)

7) Connection with the Wider Environment is Critical for Success (The best organizations learn externally as well as internally)

8) Every Person is a Change Agent (Change is too important to leave to the experts, personal mindset and mastery is the ultimate protection)

How have you set up your school to be open to change?  Please tell us in the comments section.

Here's a video of Peter Senge talking about "Systems Thinking"

Post 18: Influencer, Kerry Patterson et al

Motivational School Leadership with Michael Horton

Influencer by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, and Ron McMillan

                There are a couple of leadership books that I’ve read more than once because they are so dense with great information.  One of them is Daniel Pink’s “Drive.”  I blogged about that one here, here, here, and here.  The other one is Influencer by Kerry Patterson et al.  This one is full of ideas for how to influence an organization to work together to achieve the organizational vision.  As I’ve said before, not all of the ideas in the book are unique as leadership authors seem to read the same research.  This one also discusses deliberate practice (Talent is Overrated here, Outliers, The Talent Code) and studying the best (Outliers here and here, Good to Great).

                One of the simple ideas that stands out in “Influencer” is that in order to create change, the group must identify a small number of “vital behaviors.”  These are those behaviors that without which the change will certainly not be successful.  These vital behaviors are determined by studying those who have already solved the problems that your school is facing.  Although there is no perfect school out there, no matter what your problem is, someone has figured out how to solve it.  Whether it’s Long Term English Learners, a negative culture, parent involvement, or bullying, there are numerous schools who have already figured out the solution.  Go study them!

                When studying these outliers, boil down their solution into no more than three vital behaviors.  For example, Patterson points out that research shows that the vital behaviors that lead to weight loss are 1) Weigh yourself daily  2) Eat breakfast everyday  3) Exercise on home equipment.  Although these three behaviors alone will not solve a person’s obesity problems, it is highly unlikely that weight loss will be achieved without them.  Patterson also discusses the research done by Ethna Reid who studied the vital behaviors of teachers that lead to high student achievement.  Dr. Reid identified two vital teacher behaviors, 1) Use praise frequently and 2) Rapidly alternate between teaching, questioning, testing, and make immediate correction.  Again, it will take more than this for teachers to be successful, but without these two things, success is highly unlikely.

                Once these vital behaviors are identified, then it becomes the leader’s mission to do whatever it takes to ensure that they are implemented thoroughly across the school.  I’d be willing to bet that some researcher has already identified the vital behaviors of a leader who wants to begin a change initiative.

                The caveat here is to ensure that your vital behaviors are actually behaviors, not outcomes.  For example, “Improve test-taking strategies” is not a behavior, it’s an outcome.  Many researchers (Marzano and Hattie may be the most prolific) have already identified teacher behaviors that have a high effect size on student achievement.  Although I’ve seen many-a-principal put the Marzano chart up in a PowerPoint in a faculty meeting, that’s typically as far as it goes.  That isn’t going to accomplish much.  These vital behaviors must become part of the school improvement plan, the accreditation report, administrator evaluations, classroom walkthroughs, instructional rounds, faculty meetings, department meetings, and Professional Learning Communities.  Yes, they are THAT important.  This kind of focused movement in the same direction is how change is influenced around vital behaviors.

                Once you begin to boil complicated issues down to two or three vital behaviors, you’ll find that change will no longer be a 4-letter word (I know, I know).

                What are some vital behaviors that you’ve identified as being critical to highly effective instruction?

Here's a video of Joseph Grenny, Influencer co-author, talking about influencing behavior change: