Emma N. Ramos
PHDEL (Educational Planning and Management)
Assignment Blog Entry 1
March 25,2011
Why is there a need to change management and leadership styles in schools?
I would like to start my discussion by borrowing the famous phrase
“There is nothing constant in this world except change”.
As we advance toward the future, our entire society is changing in a changing global context. Major institutions, including government, schools, are seeking ways to restructure that will increase their flexibility and effectiveness in this climate of change. Education is often pointed to as the key sector of our society that can prepare us for this new world and ensure our success. Change is a common occurrence; change is the window through which the future enters.
Change is a continual improvement. It is a never ending quest to do better and you do better by changing. Standing still allows competitors to get ahead of you.
The answer to the question why is there a need to change management and leadership styles in schools is very obvious if we use the introductory phrase that I have cited from the very beginning and because change is continual. Today’s business world is highly competitive and that includes schools and universities. The way to survive is to reshape or change to the needs of a rapidly changing world, resistance to change is a dead end street … for the school or organization. Clients are not only demanding excellent service, they are also demanding more. If the school can not provide the demand then they will go the competitors. Change management is significantly important in order to attune to the signs of the times, in order to meet the needs of the clients and in order to become highly competitive.
What is change management? According to Klepper, (1997) change management is the process, tools and techniques to manage the people, to achieve the required outcomes and to realize the change effectively within the individuals, teams and organization. Change management is a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organization from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at empowering employees to accept and embrace changes in their current environment. Change can be threatening to individuals and organizations. Yet successful adaptation to change is crucial to the success of any organization.
Change is further complicated as it does not always produce a direct adjustment. Each employee's attitude produces a different response that is conditioned by feelings towards the change. In a classical experiment (Roethlisberger, Dickson, 1939) the lighting was improved in a factory on a regular basis. The theory was that better lighting would lead to greater productivity. As expected, productivity did rise. The lighting was then decreased to show the reverse effect — lower productivity, but instead, productivity increased further! It was not until the lighting was down to the equivalent of moonlight (0.06 foot-candle) that an appreciable decline in output was noticed. Of course it was not the change in lighting itself that caused the higher output, but rather an intervening variable. This variable was diagnosed as the employee's attitudes. That is, when you introduce change, each employee's personal history and social situation at work will produce a different attitude towards that change. You cannot see or measure attitudes, but what you can see and measure is the response towards that change.
Managing organizational change will be more successful only if thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation, and above all, consultation with, and involvement of, the people affected by the changes are taken into considerations. If you force change on people normally problems arise. Change must be realistic, achievable and measurable. (Klepper, 1997).
Studies conducted by Colleen Mills, Ph.D. show that employee resistance and a lack of proper training are key hindrances to organizational change. While no single change management plan or methodology fits every organization, there is a set of best practices that can be adapted to a variety of situations. Here are five best practices you can implement to create a solid foundation for successful change.
1. Involvement. Change is inherently unsettling for people at all levels of an organization. All eyes are on the leadership team for guidance and support when organizational change occurs. For change to be successful, the key stakeholders must model the way. The middle administrator must visibly embrace the new approaches to motivate and challenge the rest of the organization. Change is aborted when leaders do not demonstrate the same commitment they expect from others. Equally important is the need for the change efforts to include plans for involving leaders throughout the company in order to create a sense of ownership. Pushing responsibility for design and implementation down so that change “cascades” through the organization helps to ensure that all concerned feel they have a stake in the plan’s success.
2. Communicate. The leaders must focus on creating a communication plan that clearly articulates the vision of where they want to go and the benefits of doing so. Too often, leaders make the mistake of believing that others understand their vision as clearly as they do. Even when employees understand the vision and need for change, they often resist because change involves loss (loss of control, predictability, and often jobs). Leaders need to listen and acknowledge these feelings in order to reduce the level of employees’ anxiousness. The best change programs reinforce core messages through regular, timely communications that are both practical and inspirational. When creating a communication strategy, leaders should ensure that it is:
Timely - Prepare employees well in advance of possible merger, acquisition, downsizing or layoffs. Employees are better able to deal with negative information personally from their managers than from the news media.
Clearly Written - Communicate clearly and honestly with employees throughout the change process. Always keep the target audience in mind when communicating change information. Messages directed at investors should be significantly different than those targeted for first-line managers.
Business Necessity – It is critical that employees understand why the organization needs to make the change(s). In order for employees to buy into the organization’s change effort, they must understand why the organization is facing a period of change and potential benefits to them.
3. Training. Over-train whenever possible prior to start-up (using the new technology and work processes in simulations). Training early allows employees to build greater skills and confidence which in turn reduces stress and resistance. In addition to understanding the new technology or process, managers need to be trained on the skills that will help them manage resistance to the change initiatives. Skills that can help managers “manage change” include: team building, coaching, feedback, setting priorities, negotiating priorities, stress management, dealing with conflict, systematic problem-solving and effective delegation.
4. Feedback & Recognition. While it is always important to “inspect what you expect,” it is equally important to set up the change effort so that people in the organization experience some early wins. These early wins increase individual support for change while also having the benefit of helping to sway the attitudes of change-skeptical employees. It is also important to communicate how the employees’ work will change and how they will be measured during and after the change effort. Setting clear expectations and providing frequent informal feedback will help to build employee confidence and shape the key behaviors needed for positive results. Lastly, it is important to keep in mind that for recognition to be most effective, it needs to be personal, immediate, sincere and specific. Highly visible rewards are a great way to reinforce the organization’s commitment to the change. Likewise, disciplining people who stand in the way of change will reinforce the organization’s commitment to the change effort.
5. Stay the Course.
Study after study has shown that successful change demands more than plans and processes; it requires an understanding of the human side. Plans and processes themselves do not create the change. Organizational change occurs only through the sustained, collective actions of the employees who are responsible for designing, executing and living the change. Therefore it is essential that leaders model the way and communicate with exceptional clarity. Leaders must provide training to build new skills and they must pay greater attention than usual to what employees are doing.
Let me end my sharing with the phrase from David Lodge……
To prevent your organization from becoming
“Strandeed on the mudflats of an obsolete Ideology”
you must become a champion of change.
References:
Klepper, A. 1993. Management:Enhancing the Lessons of experience. Illinois,Richard D. Irwin, Inc.
http://www.sbs.oakland.edu/ispso/berg.html
