1. Alternative perspectives on the leadership and management of change
in educational settings
Kala Retna, John Davies,
Victoria Management School
Wellington, New Zealand
International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement
Singapore
Jan 8th – 12th January 2018

2. Overview Introduction & Background The Design Thinking Initiative
The Study project
Understanding and Managing Change
the use of alternative frameworks
Using Kotter’s & Lewin’s Descriptive Frameworks
sing Systems Thinking and Systems Representations
to illustrate:
how the tools of SD can be used
to develop a better understanding of the process of the management of change … and the processes embedded in the management of change
how an awareness and understanding of systemic structure … … can inform the understanding of the process of change
how the building of understanding and insight can be enhanced … … by recognising and building on the structures … identified as Systems Archetypes
Summary and Conclusions
Questions

3. Managing Change Initiatives
Too often, teachers/employees/workers will say that new processes … introduced by leaders/managers/change agents … will work for a while;
everyone will get enthusiastic as successes are achieved by picking low hanging fruit;
life will start to get difficult;
heads will drop as problems crop up elsewhere in the business;
teachers/workers and students/customers resent bearing the brunt of change;
employees run out of steam …demoralised and ending up “back where we started”;
and too fed up with change to try anything new!
Parallels with other fads! Yes – so, …
Much may be learned from the management literature, and from recognising the systemic structure … underpinning individual and organisational systems behaviours … associated with the use of such managerial practices Tjahjono, B. Ball, P. et al. (2010). Six Sx Sigma: a literature review. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 1(3):

4. Kotter’s Framework and Process for Organisational Change … relates to … Avoiding the Common Errors of Change Programmes that Fail
Common Errors
Allowing too much complacency
Failing to Create a Sufficiently Powerful Guiding Coalition
Underestimating the Power of Vision
Under-communicating the Vision
Permitting Obstacles to Block the New Vision
Failing to Create Short-Term Wins
Declaring Victory Too Soon
Neglecting to Anchor Changes firmly in the Corporate Culture
Process for Change
Creating a sense of urgency
Forming a powerful guiding coalition - the change leaders
Creating a Vision to …
Communicating the Vision
Empowering and encouraging others to act on the vision
Planning for and Creating Short-Term wins
Consolidating improvement and producing yet more change
Institutionalising new approaches
Adapted from:
Kotter, J.P. (1995), “Leading change: why transformation efforts fail”, Harvard Business Review, March‐April, pp. 59‐67.
Kotter, J.P. (1996), Leading Change, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA.

5. Kotter’s Process for Change
Creating a sense of urgency
Forming a powerful guiding coalition - the change leaders
Creating a Vision to …
Communicating the Vision
Empowering and encouraging others to act on the vision
Planning for and Creating Short-Term wins
Consolidating improvement and producing yet more change
Institutionalising new approaches
Managerial Applications Process of Organisational Change attributed to Lewin
Unfreeze existing behaviour, processes etc from past behaviours from the notion that they cannot be improved
Prepare the decision maker for change by clarifying the existence of specific judgemental and other deficiencies by explaining the roots of these deficiencies in a non-threatening way
Refreezing by continuing to examine decisions for bias Lewin 48 / Bazerman 91
Lewin, K Group decision and social change”, in Readings in Social Psychology, eds. EE Maccoby, Newcomb, TM and Hartley, EL. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, pp

6. Understanding the Management of Change
Understanding the Management of Change in the Singaporean School System
Understanding the Management of Change
Senge’s Approach to Systems Thinking
Using Senge’s Systems Representations
Causal Loop Diagrams - CLD models
Understanding the Systemic Nature of Change
Micro, Meso & Macro Levels of Change
Adapted from:
Senge, P.M. et al. (1999). The Dance of Change: The Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations, London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Senge, P.M. (2006). The Fifth Discipline, Doubleday/Currency: New York.

7. The Underlying Dynamics of Change- 1 Source: Senge, 1999: 69 The Individual Teacher or Micro Level A Simplified Systems Model
Individual
Teacher Benefits +S +S
Enthusiasm and Willingness to Commit R1
Teacher Learning Capabilities +S
Investment in Change Initiatives +S
This is an example of a reinforcing causal loop, denoted as R1.
In this case, it is a virtuous reinforcing causal loop generating continuing, perhaps, increasing benefit.
Adapted from:
Senge, P.M. et al. (1999). The Dance of Change: The Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations, London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

8. The Underlying Dynamics of Change- 2 Source: Senge, 1999: 69 The Teacher Network or Meso Level A Simplified Systems Model +S
Teacher
Networking and Diffusion +S R2
Enthusiasm and Willingness to Commit
People Involved =
Investment in Change Initiatives +S +S
This is an example of a reinforcing causal loop, denoted as R2.
In this case, it is a virtuous reinforcing causal loop generating continuing, perhaps, increasing benefit.
Adapted from:
Senge, P.M. et al. (1999). The Dance of Change: The Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations, London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

9. The Underlying Dynamics of Change - 3 Source: Senge, 1999: 69 The School or Macro Level A Simplified Systems Model +S
School-wide Educational
Benefits \\ +S
Credibility
New Educational Practices +S // +S R3
Enthusiasm and Willingness to Commit
Teacher Learning Capabilities =
Investment in Change Initiatives +S +S
This is an example of a reinforcing causal loop, denoted as R3.
In this case, it is a virtuous reinforcing causal loop generating continuing, perhaps, increasing benefit.
Adapted from:
Senge, P.M. et al. (1999). The Dance of Change: The Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations, London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

10. The Underlying Dynamics of Getting Results - 4 Source: Senge, 1999: 69
New Educational Practices
School-wide
Educational
Benefits
Credibility = +S +S R3
Individual
Teacher Benefits
Teacher Learning Capabilities = +S R1 +S
People Involved
Teacher Networking and Diffusion +S +S +S +S R2
Enthusiasm and Willingness to Commit
Investment in Change Initiatives +S
These interacting reinforcing loops, R1, R2 & R3, present an optimistic scenario of continuing benefits via virtuous change cycles.
But, several factors (already listed) may surface to inhibit change and to slow down benefits. +S +S
Factors inhibiting Beneficial Change
Not Enough Time
Lack of Help/Support
Inability to Walk the Talk
Fear and Anxiety
Believers and Non-Believers
Assessment and Measurement
Governance
Diffusion
Strategy and Purpose
Adapted from:
Senge, P.M. et al. (1999). The Dance of Change: The Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations, London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

11. Figure 1: The Underlying Dynamics of “Not Enough Time”
Factors inhibiting Beneficial Change
An Example of Senge’s Limits to Growth systems archetype
LtG
Not Enough Time
Lack of Help/Support
Inability to Walk the Talk
Fear and Anxiety
Believers and Non-Believers
Assessment and Measurement
Governance
Diffusion
Strategy and Purpose
Here, the Balancing Loop B1 acts to undermine learning capabilities, whilst …
Balancing Loop B2 acts to lower enthusiasm for change.
Figure 1: The Underlying Dynamics of “Not Enough Time”
Time Available
Time Flexibility +S
New Educational Practices
School-wide
Educational
Benefits
Credibility = +S +S R3
Individual Teacher Benefits
Learning Capabilities = +S R1
Frustration +S
Time Gap +S
People Involved
Teacher Networking and Diffusion +S +S +S +S -O R2
Enthusiasm and Willingness to Commit
Investment in Change Initiatives -O B2 +S
Effectiveness of Change Initiatives +S +S +S +S
Time Required B1 +S
“We don’t have time for this stuff!” -O
Senge, P. et al. (1999).The Dance of Change: The Challenge of Sustaining Momentum in Learning organisations. London: Nicholas Brealey, pp , ISBN

12. A Model of Generic Change
Summary
Understanding Change
The illustration demonstrates how, … a complex of individual actions and initiatives, cause-effect relationships, … mutual dependencies etc … … can be reconceptualised as the interaction of different level systemic structures ie as the interaction of causal loops, rather than just individual causal relationships. … can not only impact the behaviour of individuals and groups, … but effect behaviours and outcomes at the level of the wider system … in unintended and unanticipated ways … that may be described as the emergent properties of the system (Wolstenholme, 2004).
E. F. Wolstenholme, E.F. (2013). Towards the definition and use of a core set of archetypal structures in syst...
System Dynamics Review; Spring 2003; 19, 1; ABI/INFORM Global, pg. 7

13. Questions ?