Leadership Lenses

Prepared by Nancy Stanford-BlairCardinal Stritch University

© 2005 NSB

Our assumptions You are here because you care about student

achievement

You are a leader and you work with leaders

Most of your teacher and positional leaders want to improve student achievement

Many of your leadership challenges related to improving student achievement involve change of the current state

Your Experience with Change

Think of a change that is underway in our district, your school or your personal life

What is the change? What is driving the change? What are the obstacles?

Share the change with a colleague

Reflecting on Change

So, what do your experiences about change tell us about the nature of change? Hard or easy to accommodate to change? What determines whether it’s hard or easy to

adjust to change? What can we conclude about the nature of

change?

© 2005 NSB

Current Research on Change

McREL (Mid-Continent Research on Education & Learning) has completed a Meta-Analysis on the impact of leadership on student achievement.

A key finding focuses on what McREL calls: The Magnitude of Change.

Change has personal and organizational implications.

© 2005 NSB

McREL’s Definition of Change

A change is defined by

the implications it has for the people expected to implement it and/or those who

will be impacted by it.

The same change can be perceived

differently by different stakeholders.

Source: Balanced Leadership Participant’s Manual, McREL, 2005

© 2005 NSB

Magnitude of Change

Incremental, Linear

Extension of Past

Consistent with prevailing norms and paradigms

Marginal/limited impact

Focused, bounded

Complex, non-linear

A break with the past

Outside of norms and beyond paradigms

System disturbance

Emergent, unboundedSource: Balanced Leadership Participant’s Manual, McREL, 2005

© 2005 NSB

First Order Second Order

Order of Change

Definition: Order of Change

Order of change is the magnitude & implications of change for the people

expected to implement them or those who will be impacted by them.

Source: Balanced Leadership Participant’s Manual, McREL, 2005

© 2005 NSB

First-order Change

Definition: First-order Change

First-order change implies a logical extension of past & current practices

intended to make incremental improvements in the current situation. First-order changes

can be implemented with current knowledge and skills.

Source: Balanced Leadership Participant’s Manual, McREL, 2005

© 2005 NSB

Heifetz calls this technical change

Technical change is the application of current knowledge, skills and / or tools to resolve a situation.

Second-order Change

Definition: Second-order Change

Second-order change implies a fundamental or significant break with past & current

practices intended to make dramatic differences in the current situation. Second-order changes require new knowledge and

skills for successful implementation.

Source: Balanced Leadership Participant’s Manual, McREL, 2005

© 2005 NSB

Heifetz calls this adaptive change

Adaptive change is called for when the problem cannot be solved with one's existing knowledge and skills, requiring people to make a shift in their values, expectations, attitudes, or habits of behavior.

Change in Your School

Think about something in your school/district that you would identify as 1st order change: What characteristics made it 1st order

change? Now, think about something in your

school/district that you would identify as 2nd order change? What characteristics made it 2nd order?

© 2005 NSB

If we desire second order change, we

require highly skilled leadership behavior.

Leadership

A process of influence to achieve a goal

More importantly….

a goal of compelling moral value

Research About Leadership

Michael Fullan: Researcher from University of Toronto, wrote Leading in a Culture of Change

Mid Continent Regional Education Laboratory (MCREL): Marzano and others conducted a meta-analysis of school leadership correlated with student achievement, wrote School Leadership That Works

Leadership Lenses

Lenses are ways we see the world. As leaders we act on the world in various ways. The leadership lenses offer the perspective of five important ways that leaders lead second order change to reach high levels of student achievement.

Five Leadership LensesThe Leader As…..

Facilitator of Shared Moral

Purpose

Leadership for Learning Change

AgentTechnical /Adaptive

Relationship/Culture Promoter

Governance

Coherence MakerSystems

Capacity Builder

Talent Management

Fullan- Moral PurposeMcRel- Culture of Shared

Purpose (.29)• Focuses on making a positive difference• Holds strong, personal beliefs about

schools, teaching, and learning• Creates a shared vision of what a good

school looks likeAdministrator Standards 2,3,6

© 2005 NSB

Leadership Lens One: Leader as Facilitator of Shared Moral Purpose

Vision is the power of dreams in action and one of the most powerful

human motivators. Vision allows leaders to create a compelling future for themselves and others, inspiring

transformational results.

The Purpose of VisionThe Purpose of Vision

Vision sees what must be tomorrow, beyond what is today

Vision inspires

Vision is clarity

Vision is a worthy commitment

Vision generates supportive actions

How Vision WorksHow Vision Works The right vision attracts commitment

and energizes people. The right vision creates meaning in

workers’ lives. The right vision establishes a standard

of excellence. The right vision bridges the present

and the future.

How You Know You Need a VisionHow You Know You Need a Vision

Is there evidence of confusion about purpose?Is there evidence of confusion about purpose? Do employees complain about insufficient Do employees complain about insufficient

challenge?challenge? Do employees say they are not having fun any Do employees say they are not having fun any

more?more? Is the organization losing market share or Is the organization losing market share or

reputation for innovation?reputation for innovation? Are there signs of declines of pride in your Are there signs of declines of pride in your

organization?organization? Is there excessive risk avoidance?Is there excessive risk avoidance? Is there an absence of sharing?Is there an absence of sharing? Is there a strong rumor mill?Is there a strong rumor mill?

Vision: A Place to Start

What are you core values and how were they formed?

How do your core values translate into your purpose as an educational leader?

What are your non-negotiables? What is your aligned vision for yourself as a

leader within your district? What is your aligned vision for your district?

Organizational Vision

Conventional leader conceives the vision and convinces followers to adopt the vision.

Exceptional leaders cultivate the emergence of a vision- an organizational vision must have a life of its own. Leaders may originate a vision but there is power in group discovering the vision

A vision has to have accuracy, and not just appeal and imagination. Articulating a vision for an organization or community has to start with an awful lot of listening, a lot of stimulating of debate and conversation, and then listening - to distill, to capture, the values. It has to start, as well, with carefully diagnosing the current problematic environment to which one needs to adapt.

Ronald Heifetz

Critical Actions to Promote a Shared Collective Vision

Facilitate and encourage dialogue that lets the vision Emerge

Write down the shared vision Articulate the vision on behalf of the group convert

the shared vision into actionable tasks Encourage and showcase champions of the vision Empower and support Action that Moves the Vision

Forward Influence the culture to embrace and align with the

vision

Fullan:Understanding ChangeMcRel: Change Agent (.30)• Challenges the Status Quo• Systematically considers new and better ways• Respects resistance and the implementation

dip• Creates a culture of change• Understands change as complex and uncertain and is comfortable with ambiguity

© 2005 NSB

Leadership Lens Two: Leader as Change Agent

Fullan: Building RelationshipsMcRel: Culture, Relationships,

Affirmation (.29,.19,.25)• Understands/promotes collaboration in an alliance of external & internal partners• Creates positive relationships; a sense of well-being and cohesion• Appreciates diverse partners• Systematically acknowledges and affirms

Accomplishments…Standard 3,5© 2005 NSB

Leadership Lens Three: Leader as Relationship and Culture Promoter

Fullan: Creating & Sharing KnowledgeMcRel: Intellectual Stimulation (.32)• Generates & increases knowledge both inside & outside your school• Creates a collaborative culture that encourages knowledge sharing• Systematically engages staff in dialogue about current research and theoryStandard 3

© 2005 NSB

Leadership Lens Four: Leader as Capacity Builder

Fullan: Making CoherenceMcRel: Flexibility, Focus, Input (.22,.24,.30)

• Works through and is comfortable with ambiguity that is present in the change process

• Recognizes that creativity results at the edge of chaos and encourages others to express unconventional or contrary opinions• Creates coherence through the collaborative alignment of

policies, assessments & professional development• Keeps the focus on concrete goals and high expectations

that all students meet themStandard 3,4,5

© 2005 NSB

Leadership Lens Five: Leader as Coherence Maker

Coaching

Coach the coach is a guide the coach listens for

the problem, helps to separate fact from interpretation, identifies barriers, and leaves the client committed to action

Mentor the mentor has a

difference in expertise the mentor listens, but

often takes the lead in suggestions and solutions

leaves the client committed to action