Leading change

Leading a school development or redevelopment project requires a detailed understanding of change processes. In this article we share some key ideas related to this theme as well as a recently curated resource kete. This is an excerpt from the 2023 Tārai Kura Change Kete.

Leading the development of a new school or significant redevelopment requires a detailed understanding of change processes, as well as an understanding of the kind of leadership needed for navigating through an entire change process. Small changes and dilemmas are usually addressed by leaders through offering quick solutions and decisions. This is done by providing technical solutions and exercising influence. Whole system-wide change, on the other hand, requires a different leadership approach and framework. 

Adaptive leadership and systems change leadership are approaches to leadership that focus specifically on change contexts. Adaptive leaders, as well as systems change leaders understand the complex processes of change, as well as the key drivers for enabling effective growth. It is essential for school leaders undergoing significant change to consider the following question…

How effectively is your school managing and leading complex change?

Key Ideas | Whakaaro

• Significant change is unsettling, emotive and risky, as ‘solutions’ are unknown, and change requires a letting go.

• Leading school-wide (or systems) change requires a different leadership approach.

• Adaptive leadership is a framework that includes helpful principles for navigating change.

• Systems change leaders foster collective responsibility, generative conversations, and the co-creation of a future.

• School leaders recognise that ākonga need to be at the centre of all change and are consultative and collective in their approach to journeying with mana whenua, whānau, and all key stakeholders.

Interested in learning more? We have curated some recent resources for you on this important kaupapa. Click on the attached pdf Change Kete excerpt: Leadership of Change. 

Attachments

Change Kete_Leadership of Change_Tārai Kura 2023   PDF, 182.5 KB