Critical Thinking

Spring 20n • Models of Leadership 33

Facing the Challenge of Change: Steps to Becoming an Effective Leader By Margaret A. Trybus

T his position paper makes the case that all leaders need to become agents of change. The stepsto becoming a change agent are analyzed, including knowing one's organization, assessing one's leadership skills, gauging people's reaction to change, learning the process of change, and

making a commitment to change. The author analyzes Fullan's model of the phases of change

to provide a guideline to create the change process in a variety of settings. Current and future

leaders will become reflective regarding how they can develop the skills necessary to meet the

challenges of change from both an organizational and individual point of view.

The ability to lead change has become a valuable skill as organizations, including schools, are required to transform in order to meet higher expectations for success. The pace of change is rapidly increasing, and the conditions to foster change are more demanding. The learning curve to become a change-agent leader, therefore, is steep and may pose challenges for individuals who seek to have organizations benefit from change even as they recognize the barriers that exist for individuals to change. How, then, does a leader prepare to be a change agent, and what steps might he or she take to become one?

Know the Organization Leaders know the sense of urgency to change and respond to the pressure to change (Reeves, 2009). One of the first steps they must take is to assess why the change is needed and how quickly the leader must produce the change within the organization. Accountability to federal and state mandates and local district requirements to meet adequate yearly progress and improve student learning are key factors to consider. Other forms of organizational change might be localized, such as accepting a new leadership team when a new superintendent or principal takes charge. Whichever form of change is anticipated, the organization as a system has to move from what it is to what it will become, and the leader needs to anticipate how the current reality must be moved to formulate a new vision.

Senge (1990) introduced the concept of a"mental model" (p. 8), which is an assumption or a picture that influences how a leader might see the change and envision the steps necessary to take action to bring it about. "Organizations shift to a new state as a result of the new interactions and ideas" that are inherent in the change (Fullan, 2004, p. 166). Accordingly, leaders who want organizations to change must create a vision that is shared before it is implemented. "Vision refers to a picture of the future with some implicit or

34 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin

explicit commentary on why people should strive to create that future" (Kotter, 1996, p. 68). The vision helps to make the change more coherent, understandable, and valuable to the organization. It sets the direction of change. Therefore, an important step to becoming a change-agent leader is to create a vision for change with those within the organization who will be charged to implement it.

Know Oneself and Self-Assess Leadership Skills Leaping into or sustaining change also requires introspection as to what leadership qualities and skills will be necessary to reach the desired outcome. Today's leaders may not have positional power or the title of change agent, but they do possess the courage and passion to lead the change initiative simply because they believe in the need to change and have the skills to bring it about by working with others. They see change as a necessity and also an opportunity to experience both personal and organizational growth (Evans, 2010). Accomplishing such growth means being skilled at developing relationships of trust, communicating the change vision effectively, and empowering others to take action toward change (Fullan, 2001).

Effective change agents, in addition to being visionary, know how to stimulate people by modeling risk taking and by providing intellectual and emotional stimulation and support when followers face the challenges inherent in change. Fullan (2007) called this "leveraging leadership" (p. 44), which means paying attention to developing leadership in others for the good of the organization. Change-agent leaders do not succeed by working alone but rather by building a culture of shared leadership where ownership is distributed—i.e., where "everyone has the right, responsibility, and the ability to be a leader" (Lampert, 2002, p. 38). This belief is critical to bringing about change and works to minimize resistance to change. Leaders develop skills to facilitate change by working with teams where collaboration is essential. Administrators, teachers, parents, and students then play critical roles that determine if the change will be successful (Fullan, 2008; Hall 8C Hord, 2006).

Know How Others React to Change Because change is complex, a leader must understand resistance to change. Inherent in the change process is the anticipated ĴMÍ/J back that change provokes. The readiness to change varies within individuals, even when the organization desperately needs to change. This means the change-agent leader may have to make compromises to meet the needs of the organization while still being responsive to the needs of the individual.

When people believe change is imposed upon them and they cannot make meaning of the change, they will resist it (Evans, 2010; Fullan, 2007). This resistance causes change-agent leaders to feel overwhelmed because their leadership may be threatened and their competence challenged. Successful leaders are cognizant of the inherent fear of change and do not minimize the human factor that must be managed.

Margaret A. Trybus, Ed.D., is the president of Iota Chapter, Lambda State j (ii..), where she has been a member for 30 years. A past recipient of the I

liEnima Reinhardt International Scholarship and Lambda State scholarships, ! .she has presented at state leadership workshops on the topic of change |

riind- leadership, wliicli she teaches to doctoral and master level students at j Concordia University Chicago. As a change-agent leader, Margaret strives to j

' ehipowcr women educators through DKG by actively recruiting her graduate students to become future chapter leaders. Margaret.trybusifficuchicago.edu

Spring 2011 • Models of Leadership 35

Change-agent leaders know how to apply pressure with support, while being sensitive to what appear as /o55e5 rather than gains. Rather than just suggesting what will be changed and how the change will occur, such leaders must take an approach to answer the why change question in a way that will help people envision personal gains along with the organizational ones. This will help people maintain their identity and integrity while in the change process.

Evans (1996) captured this idea of helping followers when he suggested creating psychological safety:

The change agent must make clear his caring and support, his commitment to working with people to take the difficult steps toward new learning. He must reaffirm connection and help make the change meaningful to people by finding the familiar in the new and strength amidst the weakness, (p. 58)

Helping people develop coping skills through change will require the leader to be compassionate even when facing the most resistant colleagues. This means developing patience, humility, and the belief that each individual is of value and worth in order to develop a collaborative approach to change.

Learn the Process of Change Fullan's (2007) model of the phases of change will help the leader design a process that makes sense of planning, implementing, and monitoring change. These three phases require an understanding of the necessary amount of change, which may be either first or second order. First-order change may work to improve the effectiveness of what is already in existence and may only involve select groups of individuals. Second-order change is more systemic in nature and requires large-scale alterations to organizational structure, norms, and beliefs (Evans, 1996). Change-agent leaders are astute at assessing the capacity for first- or second-order change and may strategize an approach that determines if the change process is at the beginning stage or initiation. During Phase 1 initiation, leaders need to determine whether the change is feasible or desirable and whether it builds on what may already be in existence (Fullan, 2007). This is a critical component that assesses support for the change and the resources needed to implement the change.

Phase 2 of Fullan's model is the actual implementation of change, which can last from 2 to 3 years depending on the clarity of the actions that need to be taken. Often implementation starts with piloting an initiative and measuring its outcomes. Such field testing of implementation before going to a larger scale allows the change-agent leader time to work with implementation teams of willing volunteers. This strategy helps develop the shared leadership needed for implementation and can produce data (not just beliefs) that are used to build acceptance for the change.

Phase 3, "called continuation, incorporation, routinization, or institutionalization"

The challenges of

change encourage the

development of a new

kind of leader who

understands that change

is complex and brings

about uncertainty—but

is the cornerstone of growth

and improvement.

36 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin

(Fullan, 2007, p. 65), is where the change either becomes part of the system or is discarded. To make such a decision, change-agent leaders need to use a combination of closely monitored data and a normative belief that the change will help the organization improve over time. The leader must use judgment to determine whether the individuals in the organization will continue to grow while the change is sustained. At this phase, the leader needs to articulate professional development, resources, and a reasonable timetable that builds a critical mass of implementers who are not totally dependent on the change-agent leader alone.

Making the Commitment One cannot be a change agent without being a leader. Likewise, a leader without a vision for change will be ineffective and short-lived. Together, leadership and change are needed for the future of schools, classrooms, and systems that strive to improve. Being committed to creating a plan that relies on the strength of an organization and the individuals within that organization will require the leader to have knowledge and skills related to the change process. The challenges of change encourage the development of a new kind of leader who understands that change is complex and brings about uncertainty—but is the cornerstone of growth and improvement. Facing this challenge and reflecting on the necessary steps to becoming a change agent will improve the performance of all current and future leaders.

References

Evans, R. (1996). T7)e human side of school change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Evans, R. (2010). Seven secrets of the savvy school leader. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Fullan, M. (2004). Leading in a culture of change personal action guide and workbook. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Fullan, M. (2007). Tbc new meaning of educational change (4* ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Fullan, M. (2008). ITje six secrets of change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hall, G. E., & Hord, S. M. (2006). Implementing change (2"'' ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education.

Kotter, J. (1996). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Lampert, L. (2002). A framework for shared leadership. Educational Leadership, 59(8), 37-40.

Reeves, D. (2009). Leading change in your school. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Senge, P. ( 1990). The fifth discipline. New York, NY: Doubleday

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