discussions
Read the following information on the Kotter International website:
Have you ever experienced resistance to change in your life, either in personal or professional experiences? Explain a situation in your life where you encountered resistance to change. How did you address it? Discuss how you could have more effectively handled or understood the resistance by understanding how to get buy-in to the change, as well as how you could speak to the head and heart to influence individuals involved in the change.
Guided Response: Review your classmates’ posts and respond to two about any similar experiences you have had in regard to resistance to change. Offer advice or suggestions you might have to influence change in the situation.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your discussion.
Review one of the following articles by Dennis Sparks:
- Leaders relate, repeat, and reframe.
- Match words with deeds to establish trust
- The Leader’s Role in Cultivating Positive Emotions
- When leaders speak their truth
- Find the core of an idea
- Leaders first change themselves
Summarize the article you chose and explain any personal relevance in your own development as a change agent in education (or in any organization). Discuss some of the characteristics and actions that Dennis Sparks encourages for leaders and change agents in schools. How could you use some of these strategies to impact change and reduce resistance in your school or organization?
Personal Reflection #2
“Resistance is thought transformed into feeling. Change the thought that creates the resistance, and there is no more resistance.” -Robert Conklin.
Consider the quote above by Robert Conklin. In our endeavors that bring change, it is likely that we will encounter resistance, from others or within ourselves. Discuss your personal strengths and potential weaknesses in managing resistance in others or in yourself. How can you overcome or address your own weaknesses to improve your skills as a change agent? How might you leverage your strengths in any situation that involves change?
Use one of the following options to create your journal entry:
- Create a written reflection journal
- Use Jing reflection using a Screencast
- Use Voki to create a reflection using a talking avatar
- Participate in a peer dialogue reflection (where you discuss the questions above with a peer or colleague and write a reflection based on your discussion.
another
Many organizations that plan and implement change strategies disseminate information about their wins and results to organizational and community stakeholders. As we read in Step Five, this is an important part of the change process and in demonstrating the value of the proposed change. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has developed an executive summary on one of their change plans, College-Ready Education. Review the two-page executive summary of this change plan and write a critique of their plan that includes the following:
- How they have established shared value
- Cost vs. Benefit
- Tangible and observable results
- Data-based planning
Cite specific examples from the executive summary to substantiate your assertions of strengths and weaknesses. Discuss additional ideas you have for improving the executive summary or ideas that could be useful to you in your own change endeavors.
Disseminating Wins and Results |
Read Edutopia’s Schools That Work article, The Jefferson County Public Schools Empower Educators. In this example, what are your insights on how empowering teachers and staff impacted change in this school district? Discuss a time when you felt empowered. How did you feel? How did it affect your actions and perceptions? How do you think empowering stakeholders in your own organization could impact change?
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Diverse Perspectives |
Read the article by Holland (2007), How Diversity Makes a Team Click. How can diversity in organizations and planning groups lead to greater success with change in a school or organization? What do you see as the most challenging aspect of working in diverse groups? How will you ensure you have created teams of people with diverse perspectives in your change plan?
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Am I An “Animateur?” |
Read the article Anatomy of Inspiration by Senge, Smith, Kruswitz, Laur, & Schley (2008). In this article, the authors discuss what it means to be an “animateur” and how leadership is strongly associated with inspiration. Reflect on and discuss your own experiences in demonstrating your ability to be an animateur. Discuss the future efforts you could make in leading change in this role. Further, discuss how you will sustain change in your organization through inspiration and collaboration.
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Communities of Continuous Inquiry and Improvement |
Read the articles by All Things PLC as well as the resources by Hord (1997), Professional Learning Communities: Communities of Continuous Inquiry and Improvement. As you reflect on professional learning communities and continuous improvement in an organization, what big ideas or insights have you discovered? What ideas have you learned related to professional learning communities that could be applied to your own organization for creating sustained, continuous improvement?
Personal Reflection #3
“If you want to make enemies, try to change something.” –Woodrow Wilson
Consider the quote above by Woodrow Wilson. Based on our readings, our discussions, and your personal/professional experiences, do you agree or disagree with this quote? Why? What experiences do you have that support or refute this assertion? What does this mean to you in your own development as a leader in change?
Use one of the following options to create your journal entry: