Reflective Notes 1 Managing Change in Schools

Lowe, B (2013) Managing Change in School. Reflective Notes: 1 1

Reflective Notes 1

Managing Change in Schools The 5 questions you don’t want colleagues to ask

The 8 key components of successful change

Recognise the biggest mistake poor leaders make

[ Key words: leadership, management, change, schools]

Bill Lowe


Introduction

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‘Reflective Notes’ : a collection of resources and presentations

prepared for students on Initial Teacher Education programmes at

Newman University, Birmingham, UK.

I have compiled these so they can be accessed by students when

they have left the University. This will help former students find

references and resources they might otherwise find difficult to

source.

The sole reason for this is allow new and experienced teachers to

continue to develop their learning. Too often the pressures of school

life leave little time for the luxury of internet browsing and library

visits. I hope that ‘Reflective Notes’ will help a little.

Bill Lowe Newman University Birmingham UK

Comments in the brace brackets are mine or from

comments in seminars/ lectures


Managing Change 1.1

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There are hundreds of books on managing change. As is often

the case with a popular topic, sometimes things can be over-

complicated. Perhaps this is a way of justifying yet another

re-working.

One of the best books I have come across is :

Hannagan, T (2004) Management: concepts and practices.

Pearson.

The following pages are notes taken from this book.

I highly recommend you get a copy.


Managing Change 1.1

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An organisation’s culture can be defined as ‘the way we

do things around here’.

Leadership is an important element in managing culture.

Leaders can ‘set a good example’ in terms of their working

habits.

Can you think of times when you have suggested a new

strategy, only to be told “we don’t do ‘that sort of thing’”?

Effective head teachers are open to internal not just external influences.

The ones who only do things because of OfSTED or current fads will move

so quickly from one initiative to another that nothing will embed properly.

Those who react to what their colleagues suggest have the children at

heart, not just their careers.


Managing Change 1.1

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These ‘changing circumstances’ need to be understood by

everyone. John Harvey-Jones (1993) has stated that change is

easier to manage when there is an element of danger

present in an organisation and there is an obvious need for

change:

‘It is impossible to change organisations which

do not accept the dangers of their present

way of doing things.’

What are these dangers in school? Lack of pupil progress, OfSTED,

SATs, league tables, parent views, reports in local press…?


Managing Change 1.1

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People move from the familiar to the unknown and often

experience a feeling of loss when they struggle to accept a

new direction. This experience of loss can take a variety of

forms:

■ Security – people feel unsure of their position in the

organisation and how it will change;

‘we don’t know where we stand’.

■ Competence – they become worried about their ability to

carry out new tasks;

‘we don’t know what to do’.

The 5 questions you don’t want your colleagues to ask:

1. Where do we stand? 2. What do we have to do? 3. Who is taking charge of this? 4. Am I capable enough to do it? 5. Why are we doing this?


Managing Change 1.1

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■ Relationships – they may feel that familiar contacts will be

lost with other employees, with managers and teams and

groups;

‘we don’t know to whom we report’.

■ Territory – they may feel uncertain about their work space

or job responsibility;

‘we don’t know whether we can do this or not’.

■ Direction – they lose a clear view of where they are going;

‘why are we doing this?’

The impact change can have on individuals should not be underestimated.

Being unsure of ‘where I stand’ is quite common amongst established staff

who have become used to doing things in a particular way. The worry is that

their previous work is, in some way, being undermined and their status

threatened.

Colleagues need to be convinced that some level of training will be given.

There is nothing worse than not knowing if you will be able to carry out the

new project properly.

Losing sight of the chain of command can be daunting. New leadership

colleagues won’t always have the trust of older ones. This is where the ‘new

broom’ can hit resistance.


Managing Change 1.1

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The purpose of change is to move an organisation from its

present point to a different one which is more desirable in

meeting its objectives. In managing this process the gap

between the starting point and the desirable conclusion

needs to be identified.

■ Vision – a process of reminding everybody and

clarifying to everybody the direction of the organisation;

‘where we are going’.

■ Strategy – outlining how this is to be achieved

through the development of objectives and goals;

‘how we are going to get there’.

■ Monitoring change – progress is measured in order to

observe and encourage change;

‘this is how far we are now’.

The 8 key components of successful

change


Managing Change 1.1

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■ leadership – a person who provides a clear statement

of the vision and objectives;

■ coherence – agreement on the operational tasks and

goals consistent with the strategic view;

■ communication – the provision of clear and

appropriate information to the relevant people about

what is happening and why it is happening;

■ timing – decisions on when to take action;

■ structure – a structured approach which moves

logically through an understanding of the forces for

change to the agreement on the management of the

change process.


Managing Change 1.1

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Ignoring resistance to change or attempting to block it will

tend to encourage resistance being felt more deeply and

lasting longer.

This process is helped by involving people in planning for

change and monitoring its progress.

Active participation will help people to understand how

the change will affect them and to come to terms with it.

The biggest mistake a leader can make


Taken from: Hannagan, T (2004) Management: concepts and

practices. Pearson.

Available as eBook

Notes:

Documents

Reflective Notes 1 Managing Change in Schools