Every morning, I start the day reading the local paper, albeit on my iPad. I do this because I have an interest in what’s happening locally, but I also really enjoy reading the editorial page. It always gives me a moment of pause when I come across some opinions that are vastly different than what I may believe, see, or have experienced. I recently read a person’s editorial where they were longing for the “simpler” times back in the 1950s. It got me thinking about how leaders work with people and how we all tend to look back longingly to the “good ole days.” Were they simpler, or the “good ole days?” Why is that, and how does that impact work that board members and school leaders must do?
We know when we live through uncertain times, our human nature is to search for certainty. The easiest way for us to do that is to look to the past. The power of looking to the past is that we know the outcome, bringing us the level of certainty we seek. It may also cause us to romanticize or reflect in an overly positive manner. William Bridges speaks to this in his outline of the phases that people must work through when facing adversity that results in changes. The transition phases Ending, Neutral Zone, New Beginning put leaders in different phases at different points in time. Despite that challenge, these phases help leaders create a path towards change.
So, what are the phases and how can we use them as educational leaders?
Ending
The first transition is characterized by people grieving for what has been lost, eventually taking stock of what will have to be left behind, then trying to understand how the past will fit with the future.
Current enrollment trends are a fantastic example to help put the Ending in terms of what we see with public education in Kansas today. Many communities continue to see declining enrollments, which result in dwindling resources. They are left with too many rooftops or square footage for the enrollment that exists. Many leaders within these communities see what the future holds and the needs of students that need to be addressed. Yet, too many resources are tied up in an infrastructure that is not appropriately sized to maximize the resources necessary for student success. So, leaders push for the necessary changes to find those efficiencies while the community pushes back. Some in the community see the vision and immediately connect the changes to improving opportunities for students. Others hear about the changes and immediately begin grieving what will be lost, taking stock of what “used to be,” and struggle with how the past will be maintained with the new future the leaders are trying to create. All these feelings are happening with groups of people within your community at the same time. Leaders must continue to push the vision for the future.
Moving people through the Ending phase requires leaders to be strategic and consistent in their approach. Bridges outlines four areas that must be developed and communicated to support people as they work through their transitions with the changes they are facing.
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Define the Purpose for the Change- Leaders must continually communicate the purpose or why the changes are needed.
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Create a Picture of the intended outcomes- Leaders must skillfully help people within the community see or experience what the desired outcome will look or feel like.
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Develop a Plan- Leaders need to use a transition team to assist with mapping out possible steps that can be taken to get from where they are today to where they want to be.
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Define the stakeholders Part- Leaders must articulate the plan and how the stakeholders have a part in accomplishing the original purpose.
Going back to our example of a district with a declining enrollment with too much square footage:
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The Purpose of the changes- Need to find efficiencies within the current system to improve educational opportunities for all students, so they are prepared for their next step. Communication around this purpose must be continually shared as the change is proposed and continued until the change has been fully implemented. The purpose is defined by the board of education, which then sets the following steps into motion.
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Create Picture- Multiple scenarios are developed and defined, using a transition team consisting of stakeholders and district leaders. Creating the picture with stakeholders requires time to meet and discuss, research the feasibility of ideas, and then consistent communication back out to a larger group of stakeholders around the ideas that are being considered. Examples of the pictures created by the transition team could include closing a building, redefining within district boundaries to better utilize spaces, or reconfiguring grade levels to maximize the use of staff throughout the district.
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Develop a Plan- Feedback from stakeholders is used by the transition team to outline how the picture can become a reality. This example would include a timeline of when key actions will be taken, the cost associated with the ideas proposed.
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Define the stakeholders Part- Leaders need to help stakeholders understand how the proposed ideas will impact them directly. Here is another area where strategic, specific, consistent communication is required. For example, if the board chooses to reconfigure grade levels within the district, many people will have a part in that change, students, teachers, parents, community supporters, and district staff. Each one of these groups needs to have clarity around the part they will play in the reconfiguration of grade levels.
As leaders support individuals through the Ending phase, these four actions must be simultaneously developed and communicated. Remember, people are moving through the Ending phase at different paces, so they need different pieces at different times.
Neutral Zone- The second phase individuals work through when facing change is characterized by a slight dip in productivity, some minor setbacks, and moments of chaos along with amazing creativity.
The Neutral Zone can be very unsettling for some stakeholders, yet at the same time very exciting for others. Those experiencing dips in productivity due to learning new skills or differing perspectives to accomplish the different outcomes will likely look at the past and wonder if this change is worth it given the dip in productivity. At the same time, there will be individuals who are energized by trying the new approach and the creativity they apply to achieve the different outcomes.
Leaders should be ready to address the following aspects of their organization to support individuals on their journey through the Neutral Zone:
Culture
Communication
Order
Input
These four areas were identified by McREL as those that suffer the most within an organization when changes occur. As leaders, we must continuously work to address these areas to support people and the organization through the Neutral Zone phase.
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Culture is not a static component of an organization, but a byproduct of people’s interactions with one another as they go about trying to accomplish, a common (hopefully it is common) goal or outcome. As leaders, we must have established methods for “taking the temperature” of the culture. As some experience stress and frustration, their interactions with others often suffer. Those who are experiencing success with the change can be resentful towards those who appear to be lagging. Here is where using a transition team consisting of both internal and external stakeholders can help to “take the temperature” of the culture as folks are experiencing a culture that is shift due to simultaneous chaos and creativity.
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Communication has already been emphasized through the Ending phase of the transition. However, within the Neutral phase communication must be continued both internally and externally around successes, challenges, barriers, and next steps.
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Addressing Order through a change is extremely challenging because change requires people to act differently, which disrupts the traditional order of how outcomes were accomplished. Order is where the plan that has been laid out can be used as a grounding point for folks to bring them back to what has gone as planned what has not, and how we adjust. This phase provides some direction as to how the change is unfolding and helps individuals understand that there is a path forward.
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Input from the people living or experiencing the change is a part of the communication process described above. Leaders must proactively define how input will be sought when they are communicating with stakeholders about their part in the change, which was done to support those same stakeholders through the Ending phase.
Supporting individuals through the Neutral phase cannot simply be done by the leaders of the school district. School district leaders should seek out both internal and external stakeholders to address cultural shifts, challenges with communication, disruptions to the order, and gather input around the plan as it is implemented. In a school district having a defined transition team specifically related to the desired change can assist with all these aspects. The transition team becomes the eyes and ears for the board and district leadership as they work to implement the changes. This group helps to identify trouble spots with communication, ways that order can be enacted, and they bring back input to assist the leaders within the system with defining the next steps. That transition team should have representatives that engage with other circles of stakeholders within your community and school district, both internally and externally.
New Beginning-This phase is characterized by individuals developing new understandings, new values, new attitudes, and new identities. There begins to be a broad commitment to the new way of doing things, and individuals are more willing to take a risk related to the new way.
Much of the success of leading changes can be attributed to communication. I often say that the root of all success or failure starts with communication. We often talk about strategies, ideas, and people, but fail at communicating in ways that connect with the people that are living the changes we desire. As a leader, it is critical to continue to frame the change through the purpose, the picture, the plan and the part that people will play or have played. Find ways to specifically point out along the way those successes that align with the intended outcomes, and publicly acknowledge the challenges and barriers. The fancy terminology for this is Targeting and Framing. Target the message to the purpose that you originally intended, then frame the message within the context of the current situation.
Example of Targeting and Framing related to our school district with the declining enrollment mentioned earlier:
Our purpose for this reconfiguration of grade levels across the district was to increase student opportunities to support their preparation for their next step. This reconfiguration allows us to better utilize staff and offer more courses, which has increased the number of educational experiences for students. Teachers became more creative with how they structured their courses and classes, which led to some innovative approaches for the delivery of content. We will continue to use our transition team to work on some challenges related to how teachers and students are using technology in this new environment.
In this message, the original purpose is connected to the successes, key stakeholders, and challenges identified with plans for addressing the challenges. This type of communication connects with individuals exiting the Neutral phase and entering the New Beginning. You will note that the purpose continues to be a starting point with communication to help those that may be entering the Ending or Neutral phases.
Regardless of which phase you're experiencing, the framework and tools can help you strategically lead through adversity in the multitude of changes you face as educational leaders. The next time that you read that editorial in the local paper, see if you can identify which phase that person is in, and how you could support them with the changes they are facing.
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