LEADERSHIP FOR A CHANGING WORLD SESSION #2 OISE/UT DR. LYN SHARRATT COURSE # 1048 THANK YOU ----------, VERY MUCH. I AM VERY PLEASED T BE ABLE TO JOIN YOU AT YOUR CONFERENCE, HERE IN VIRGINIA. IT SEEMS LIKE A LONG WAY FROM CANADA...AND CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION, WE DON’T HAVE SNOW ALL YEAR LONG, IT IS DEFINITELY BEEN UNSEASONABLY COOL THIS SPRING. I HAVE ENJOYED MANY YEARS OF ASSOCIATION WITH IRA, AT ALL LEVELS: INTERNATIONAL, PROV. AND OUR LOCAL LEVEL. IRA MEMBERS HAVE A VERY POWERFUL INFLUENCE ON WHAT HAPPENS IN LITERACY WORLD-WIDE. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CHANGES IN YOUR ORG. IN ORDER TO BECOME INFLUENTIAL AS AN ORG. I’M GOING TO LOOK AT WHAT WE KNOW AND MUST CONSIDER IN CHANGE AND LEADERSHIP TO CONTINUE TO HAVE AN INFLUENTIAL ORG.

FORMAT FOR THE EVENING Housekeeping: “Reflector” Attendance/Books/Cards etc. GETTING CONNECTED! Dr. K Leithwood: 6 approaches to Leadership Form groups and pairs for assignment #1 BREAK! What advice would you give Reflective Leaders? “Think-pair-share” to review last week’s session Group Activity: “jigsaw” to share reading Lecture: Leadership and Change Group Work re: First Assignment REFLECTOR!

CHANGE CONSIDER HOW HARD IT IS TO CHANGE YOURSELF AND YOU’LL UNDERSTAND WHAT LITTLE CHANCE YOU HAVE OF TRYING TO CHANGE OTHERS! WE MUST LOOK AT OURSELVES WHEN CONSIDERING WHAT KIND OF LEADERSHIP WE NEED IN OUR CHANGING, OFTEN TURBULENT ENVIRONMENTS.

The More Things Change ... “Students today depend upon paper too much. They don’t know how to write on slate without chalk dust all over themselves. They can’t clean a slate properly. What will they do when they run out of paper?” Principal’s Association, 1815

The More Things Change ... “Students today depend too much upon ink. They don’t know how to use a pen knife to sharpen a pencil. Pen and ink will never replace the pencil.” National Association of Teachers, 1907

The More Things Change ... “Students today depend on store bought ink. They don’t know how to make their own. When they run out of ink, they will be unable to write words or ciphers until their next trip to the settlement. This is a sad commentary on modern education.” The Rural American Teacher, 1929

The More Things Change ... “Students today depend on these expensive fountain pens. They can no longer write with a straight pen and nib (not to mention sharpening their own quills). We parents must not allow them to wallow in such luxury to the detriment of the learning how to cope in the real business world, which is not so extravagant.” PTA Gazette, 1941

The More Things Change ... “Ball-point pens will be the ruin of education in our country. Students use these devices and then throw them away. The American virtue of thrift and frugality are being discarded. Business and banks will never allow such expensive luxuries.” Federal Teacher, 1950

The More Things Change ... “Students today depend too much on hand-held calculators.” Anonymous, 1985

The More Things Change ... CAN YOU PREDICT WHAT TOMORROW’S ARGUMENT WILL BE? T. Seidenberg, Washington Mathematics, 1989, p.8

“ Nothing changes in an Organization unless people change” WE KNOW, AS LEADERS, THAT PEOPLE MAKE AN ORGANIZATION....AND THAT PEOPLE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE...ESPECIALLY IN A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION! ARE WE TRYING TO CHANGE OURSELVES AS WE EXPECT OTHERS TO CHANGE?

THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT CHANGE! GETS WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER TAKES TIME AND PERSISTENCE, AND IS MESSY! IS ONE STEP AT A TIME DEMANDS PRESSURE AND SUPPORT NECESSITATES SEEING A NEED FOR IT (LIGHTENS LOAD), AND BEING INVOLVED IN THE DECISION-MAKING ABOUT IT TALKING ABOUT IT TAKES TIME AND IS MOST IMPORTANT! Impediments to change, which have plagued researchers for 4 decades, are cruel reminders of the ever-present resistors to it. Impediments to change: increased demands with less time and fewer resources need for in-service stress insufficient personnel inadequate facilities lack of communication We have made amazing progress in spite of this list of impediments. WE KNOW A LOT MORE ABOUT CHANGE THAN WE DID 40 YEARS AGO! WE’VE TAKEN TIME TO UNDERSTAND WHERE RESISTORS ARE COMING FROM... DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS BEING RESISTED IN YOUR JURISDICTION?

RESISTANCE TO CHANGE UNDERSTANDING THAT VALUES ARE THREATENED...FIND OPPORTUNITY TO PRIVATELY ACKNOWLEDGE, RESPECT AND DISCUSS RESISTORS FEELINGS ... BUT DON’T ALLOW THEM TO OVERWHELM TAKE ANY STEPS TO RELIEVE UNNECESSARY FEARS; ASSIST WITH TIME MANAGEMENT THROUGH “PLANNED ABANDONMENT” OFTEN RESISTORS FEEL A LOSS OF POWER: FIND WAYS TO COME TOGETHER IN A POSITIVE WAY TO DEVELOP RAPPORT ... BREAKFAST MEETINGS, LUNCH AND LEARN ETC. ALLOW FOR ON-GOING REVISIONS DOUBTERS...DON’T BELIEVE THAT CHANGE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE: NEED TO BE SUPPORTED THROUGH RESOURCES, WORKSHOPS, VISITS, BUILDING A SUPPORT GROUP “INVITATIONAL” VS. “10% FACTOR” 40 years of change: 60’s: “temporary systems put in place: projects/task forces/workshops...fixes within the system, individuals were not considered 70’s: focused on knowing and capacity building...when theory first came into classrooms; teachers were conduits 80’s: moved from within systems to change of the system; a managed process, influenced by local context 90’s: capturing teachers’ knowledge about content and process; not unlike the 60’s!!! LOOK AT SLIDE WORDS DOES THE IRA STRUCTURE SUPPORT THIS RESISTANCE TO CHANGE IN YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL ARE THERE THINGS THAT ARE DONE BECAUSE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SO, OR ARE YOU LOOKING AT NEW WAYS OF DOING BUSINESS TO ADDRESS SOME RESISTANCE TO CHANGE YOU’VE RECEIVED?

LEADERSHIP FOR A CHANGING WORLD CENTRAL AND LOCAL DECISION-MAKING EVOLUTIONARY PLANNING PROBLEM-COPING Central and Local Decision-Making: in turbulent times, those who are in direct contact with clients, both internally and externally, are seen to possess special knowledge that is critical to informal decision-making. Therefore we must strengthen top-down and bottom-up forms of communication this demands redesigning structures and cultures to allow for support for new ideas, skill development, and access to resources pressure and support is provided through evaluation and reflection on what works, doesn’t work, and what can be done differently; therefore, dense communication networks need to be developed SO EVERYONE KNOWS!. Evolutionary Planning: vs. planned change; support for risk-taking dig beneath the surface congeniality to look at similarities and differences to uncover beliefs and values; happens during planning which is intensive/evolving as change is occurring. Problem-coping: some problems are so complex that they are not amenable to solution, some are yet-to-be encountered but our efforts to improve problems can be improved For today and tomorrow leaders will have to rely on INTUITION and on VALUES as problem-solving strategies when faced with unknowns, such as technology: VALUES will have to be used as substitutes for knowledge solutions must include leaders talking to practitioners, the informal leaders in organizatons conditions which support the development of “Learning Organizations” are important prob-coping

In a Learning Organization: people feel that they’re doing something that matters. individuals are growing/stretching. people are more intelligent together than apart. the organization continually becomes aware of its underlying knowledge base. visions of the enterprise emerge from all levels. employees are invited to learn what is going on at every level of the organization. people feel free to inquire about each others’ assumptions. people treat each other as colleagues. people feel free to try experiments, take risks, and openly assess the results. In a Learning Organization: a.) People feel they’re doing something that matters-to them personally and to the larger world. b) Every individual in the organization is somehow stretching, growing, or enhancing his/her capacity to create. IRA DOES OFFER PD OPPS FOR EVERYONE ...THIS KEEPS THE ORG. VITAL: DOES YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL DO THE SAME? c) People are more intelligent together than they are apart. If you want something really creative done, you ask a team to do it-instead of sending one person off to do it on his/her own. d) The organization continually becomes more aware of its underlying knowledge base-particularly the store of tacit, unarticulated knowledge in the hearts and minds of employees. e) Visions of the direction of the enterprise emerge from all levels. The responsibility of top management is to manage the process whereby new emerging visions become shared visions. ARE GOALS ALIGNED? f) Employees are invited to learn what is going on at every level of the organization, so they can understand how their actions influence others. g) People feel free to inquire about each others’ (and their own) assumptions and biases. There are few, (if any) sacred cows or undiscussable subjects: NB TO DISCUSS ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT LITERACY: PHONICS VS. WHOLE LANG. DEBATE IS A FAMOUS ONE: OFTEN WE FIND THAT WE CAN’T ALL AGREE, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO RESPECT ALL PERSPECTIVES! h) People treat each other as colleagues. There’s a mutual respect and trust in the way they talk to each other, and work together, no matter what their positions may be. i) People feel free to try experiments, take risks, and openly assess the results. No one is killed for making a mistake.

LEADERSHIP “... entails being a continual catalyst for the change process by formulating and updating a compelling change agenda, helping the organization envision the future, unleashing the energy and resources to fuel the change process and helping the organization experience change as success rather than failure” (Mohrman and Mohrman, 1993, 101) leadership...the formal leadership role, the one or ones who are seen as determining the direction of organizational improvement, and influencing staff and members to make improvements as Mohrman says: the catalyst for staff participation in evolving planning for continuous improvement; has a vision and the energy to secure resources such as, time, $, and materials etc. to propel improvement forward What kind of a catalyst is your org. for literacy? How do you envision the future? How are you planning for success rather than failure within your organization?

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT SHOWS PERSONAL INTEREST APPRECIATES LISTENS AND COMMUNICATES WELL GIVES FEEDBACK HAS CONFIDENCE IN INDIVIDUALS IS FAIR MAKES APPROPRIATE INTERVENTIONS IT IS NOT SIMPLY A QUESTION OF WHETHER A LEADER MEETS WITH STAFF WHO HAVE CONCERNS AND GRIEVANCES; IT IS THE MANNER OF THE INTERACTION THAT IS VITAL. MEMBERS REGARD LEADERS AS SUPPORTIVE WHEN THEY LISTEN WITH GENUINE INTEREST, MAKE EYE CONTACT, HELP THEM FEEL COMFORTABLE AND RELAXED, MAKE THEM FEEL THEY MATTER AND HEAR WHAT MEMBERS SAY EVEN IF THEY DISAGREE. IN THE SAME WAY, IT IS THE MANNER IN WHICH LEADERS COMMUNICATE WITH MEMBERS THAT IS CRITICAL; WHAT MATTERS IS, HOW THEY USE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF MEMBERS’ PROBLEMS AND HOW THEY PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR MEMBERS IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES. HOW DO YOU RATE AS A LEADER? IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU COULD BE DOING?

UNLESS MEMBERS OF AN ORGANIZATION ARE INVOLVED IN A MEANINGFUL WAY AS PARTNERS IN REFORM, VERY LITTLE WILL CHANGE, AND THE CHANGES THAT DO OCCUR WILL BE MISGUIDED OR SHORT-LIVED. IN A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION, WHAT PROMOTES GROWTH AND MOVEMENT FORWARD ARE: APPRECIATION, and celebrations of everyone’s contributions (the little ones are often the big things!) REAL and PURPOSEFUL WORK Everyone’s Learning, and THE DEMONSTRATION THAT MEMBERS HAVE BEEN LISTENED TO WHEN THEIR OPINIONS HAVE BEEN SOUGHT... THEN THE ACTIONS OF THE ORG. WILL BE OWNED AND SUPPORTED BY EVERYONE. AS MARGARET WHEATLEY SAYS: “ LEADERS ARE THOSE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO ARE THERE WHEN YOU NEED THEM, TO DO THE WORK OF THE ORGANIZATION.”

INFORMAL LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS ACCESSIBLE APPROACHABLE SUPPORTIVE KNOWLEDGEABLE PATIENT ALWAYS HAVE TIME DEMONSTRATE WILL AND PERSEVERANCE MOTIVATED TO LEARN AN INTERESTING FINDING IN MY RESEARCH WAS THAT: LEADERS INDIRECTLY INFLUENCED CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING IN THE ORG. SUCH AS ALTERING STRUCTURE, BUILDING CULTURE ETC....BUT IT WAS THE WORK OF THE INFORMAL LEADERS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION WHO HAD A DIRECT IMPACT ON MEMBERS INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE LEARNING IN GROUPS TAKE A MOMENT TO THINK OF THE INFORMAL LEADERS IN YOUR LOCAL ORG. WHO HAVE THESE QUALITIES...THEY ARE THE ONES WHO INFLUENCE AND TEACH OTHERS, AND ARE YOU MOST VALUABLE MEMBERS TO WORK WITH YOU HOW DO YOUR MEMBERS KNOW THAT THEY ARE APPRECIATED? WHAT REWARDS DO THEY RECEIVE?

REFLECTION “VIEW CHANGE AS A POSITIVE, LOOK FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES IT OFFERS, AND REMAIN FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM. CHANGE IS GROWTH, AND DESPITE THE ANXIETY IT CAUSES, IT CAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE YOUR LIFE”. LEADERS OF THE 90’S AND BEYOND WILL REQUIRE: new levels of perception and insight into the realities of the world and also into themselves; extraordinary levels of motivation to go through the inevitable pain of learning and COPING WITH change; CAN YOU LIVE WITH AMBIGUITY? emotional strength to manage their own and others’ anxiety as learning and change become more and more a way of life; new skills in analyzing and changing cultural assumptions (ROADBLOCKS TO CHANGE), SUCH AS TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACIES THAT ARE CHANGING AS WE SPEAK; the willingness and ability to involve others and elicit their participation; and the ability to learn the assumptions of a whole new organizational culture WHICH INCLUDES VOLUNTEERS.

When people barely know that he exists, A leader is best When people barely know that he exists, Not so good when people obey and acclaim him, Worse when they despise him. Fail to honour people They fail to honour you But of a good leader, who talks little, When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, They will say, “We did this ourselves”. LAO TSU, 604 BC Learning and change cannot be imposed on people. All leaders face the challenge of overcoming resistance to change. Effective leaders learn that there are better ways of overcoming this resistance which involves the achievement of voluntary commitment to shared values OR A RESPECT FOR OTHERS’ VALUES. OUR LANG. HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY FROM 604 BC, hasn’t it? May this conference, and the opportunities you have had to share your values and commitment with others, give you the energy necessary to lead in a changing world.