Accelerating change in schools: Leading rapid, successful, and complex change initiatives

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-506
Author(s):  
Tiffany Bastin
Keyword(s):  
Change Initiatives ◽  
Complex Change

Rejuvenating, Reconstituting, and Transforming Physical Education to Meet the Needs of Vulnerable Children, Youth, and Families

1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hal A. Lawson
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Change Initiatives ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Design Models ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Local Neighborhood ◽  
Complex Change ◽  
New Directions ◽  
The U.S

The U.S. has a children’s crisis. A crisis also looms for physical education. Physical education is becoming a plowed out, decimated, and disappearing field because of its design flaws, selectivity, and silences. The children’s crisis provides opportunities for physical education to rejuvenate, reconstitute, and transform itself. New visions, missions, and conceptions of competent practice can be developed in response to the multiple, interdependent needs of poor and vulnerable children, youth, families, and their local neighborhood communities. Opportunities are emerging to develop new change theories and design models in conjunction with emergent complex change initiatives in school communities. Different kinds of change theories are identified. Possibilities for new design models are sketched. Together, these change theories and design models provide new directions for research and practice. They signal a change in paradigms.

Leadership and Strategic Planning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Detterman ◽  
Jenny Ventura ◽  
Lihi Rosenthal ◽  
Ken Berrick
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Development ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Change Initiatives ◽  
Sustaining Change ◽  
Complex Change ◽  
Order Change ◽  
Principles Of Practice ◽  
Second Order Change

Researchers within the field of organizational development have made a concerted effort to distinguish between two types of change organizations experience: first-order change, in which individual parameters shift but the system itself stays firmly in its place, and second-order change, in which the system itself undergoes meaningful transformation (Watzlawick, Weakland, & Fisch, 1974). The unconditional education (UE) approach shares the four common features of complex, or second-order, change: …change that involves multiple processes and tools being introduced to multifaceted human service systems, thereby requiring a certain level of trial and error to determine how the intervention best “fits” within each adoptive organization; change that involves a shift in stakeholders’ work roles and responsibilities, including how individuals coordinate and communicate; change that introduces new skills and knowledge; and change that requires a fundamental paradigm shift that may conflict with prevailing values and norms, including shifts in how participants are supposed understand and think about their work (Bryk, 2016; Waters & Grubb, 2004). … Acknowledging the complexity that exists in change initiatives is often the first step in understanding how to promote their successful implementation (Bryk, 2016; Waters & Grubb, 2004). Chapters 5, 6, and 7 have introduced the framework behind the UE model and its core principles of practice. This chapter will explore some of the essential strategies that promote successful implementation within a wide range of school and district settings, including (1) the role of leadership in initiating complex change, (2) the common developmental stages that begin UE transformation, and (3) the financial drivers capable of sustaining change over time. Initiating a complex change process requires an intentional approach. Successful implementation of UE hinges on the ability of leaders to inspire a unified vision across all stakeholders while simultaneously connecting this vision to concrete actions that create a clear path forward. Rather than assuming an overwhelmingly positive response, successful UE leaders anticipate skepticism and resistance. They celebrate early adopters, but also make plans to ensure the voices of dissenters are included in decision-making.

scholarly journals Exploring Local Initiatives to Improve the Work Environment: A Qualitative Survey in Swedish Home Care Practice

2021 ◽  
pp. 108482232098693
Author(s):  
Christofer Rydenfält ◽  
Roger Persson ◽  
Inger Arvidsson ◽  
Charlotte Holgersson ◽  
Gerd Johansson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Care ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Work Organization ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Change Initiatives ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Local Initiatives

Home care for the elderly constitutes a large and growing part of the social welfare system. Though, home care work is associated with a number of work environment-related challenges, including an increased risk for injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, high levels of sick leave and staff turnover, as well as stress and high workload, research is sparse. The present study explores local initiatives to improve the work environment initiated by the home care organizations themselves, and asks whether or not these initiatives affected gender equality. A qualitative web survey was sent to Swedish home care organizations, with open questions about change initiatives intended to have a positive effect on the work environment. There is an impressive amount of local work environment-related change initiatives going on. 80 categories of change initiatives were identified in answers from 178 units. However, these change initiatives were seldom evaluated or made accessible to stakeholders outside the organization. Main themes were concerned with work organization, digitalization, and planning, which largely follows trends in society (ie, digitalization, teamwork), rather than the actual needs identified by research (eg, musculoskeletal disorders). Despite apparent gender-related challenges, little of the work was associated with gender equality. The results indicates that there is a huge learning potential as the identified initiatives can serve as inspiration for others. However, to fully take advantage of these type of initiatives, more systematic evaluations are required.

The BOHICA syndrome: a symptom of cynicism towards change initiatives?

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 347-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Connell ◽  
Peter Waring
Keyword(s):  
Change Initiatives

scholarly journals Using Participatory Approaches to Enhance Women’s Engagement in Natural Resource Management in Northern Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7072
Author(s):  
Peter Cronkleton ◽  
Kristen Evans ◽  
Thomas Addoah ◽  
Emilie Smith Dumont ◽  
Mathurin Zida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Change Initiatives ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
Multi Stakeholder ◽  
Multi Phase

From 2016–2019, the West African Forest-Farm Interface (WAFFI) project engaged with smallholder farmers in northern Ghana to explore mechanisms to improve the influence of under-represented peoples, particularly women, in decision-making processes and platforms that affect their access to natural resources. Through a multi-phase process of participatory activities, including auto-appraisal, participatory action research (PAR) and facilitated knowledge exchange, villagers and researchers worked together to document and develop a better understanding of the challenges and changes facing women and men in the region to generate social learning. Among these challenges, the degradation of forest resources due to over exploitation, weak governance and conflict of use over shea trees (Vitellaria paradoxa) were particularly important for women. The WAFFI approach created a scaffold for social learning that strengthened the capacity of local stakeholders to share their perspectives and opinions more effectively in multi-stakeholder forums and dialogue related to resource use and land use change initiatives.

Changes in commitment to change among leaders in home help services

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Westerberg ◽  
Susanne Tafvelin
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Change Initiatives ◽  
Commitment To Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Meetings ◽  
Home Help ◽  
Home Help Services ◽  
One Year ◽  
Over Time

Purpose – The purpose of the this study was to explore the development of commitment to change among leaders in the home help services during organizational change and to study this development in relation to workload and stress. During organizational change initiatives, commitment to change among leaders is important to ensure the implementation of the change. However, little is known of development of commitment of change over time. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews with ten leaders by the time an organizational change initiative was launched and follow-up one year later. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the interviews. Findings – Commitment to change is not static, but seems to develop over time and during organizational change. At the first interview, leaders had a varied pattern reflecting different dimensions of commitment to change. One year later, the differences between leaders’ commitment to change was less obvious. Differences in commitment to change had no apparent relationship with workload or stress. Research limitations/implications – The data were collected from one organization, and the number of participants were small which could affect the results on workload and stress in relation to commitment to change. Practical implications – It is important to support leaders during organizational change initiatives to maintain their commitment. One way to accomplish this is to use management team meetings to monitor how leaders perceive their situation. Originality/value – Qualitative, longitudinal and leader studies on commitment to change are all unusual, and taken together, this study shows new aspects of commitment.

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