Change Management Requires a Changed Mindset Case Study

Summary Every organization of every size struggle with change in some way. While educational organizations are no exception, their unique organizational structure and adaptable nature offers a competitive advantage. However, they too can be saddled by bureaucracy or this is how we do it norms. Educational organizations are in the sweet spot for rethinking how to relate to change and uncertainty effectively. Helping your team develop and strengthen their change mindset should be a priority. Team discussions about ones orientation to change could unlock hidden superpowers and create new pathways for internal mobility. This case study discusses how to integrate scenario mapping into your strategic planning process to boost your capacity (your tolerance for change) and contribute to the kinds of futures youd like to see.

Case Picture yourself as the Principal/Executive Officer of an educational institution in 2019 who had a crystal ball and knew that a global pandemic would turn the world upside-down within months. What would you have done differently for your school at that time, given that knowledge? You also had a crystal ball with a view of the future. How might you have persuaded them otherwise? In retrospect, these seem like excellent questions to have wrestled with early. Now its 2023, and more unknowns than ever demand your attention, leadership, and wisdom. Of course, you want to do the right things, but youre not entirely sure what next week will bring, much less next year or the next decade. In this environment of uncertainty, leaders who lead educational institutions around the world are asking the same questions: What do we do about change? How do we triage uncertainty, hedge our bets, and stop fearing the future? In your school, you are driving the use of technology at every level. Though there is a national mandate to get it done by 2027, you have decided to engage your teachers in a dialogue on the full use of technology in their classrooms by 2025. Some argue that this is not a sustainable model for our school, others postulate that we do not have the technological infrastructure to roll out such a project by that set date, it is too soon, where as a percentage of educators have given up on you and your leadership style. Based on the unmotivated atmosphere that exists at your school with this new technological thrust, you are preparing your teachers for implementation by expanding their focus from change management to a change mindset. The concept of change management is frightening to some. Behavioral change, redesigning of systems, expansion of human resource capacity all form part of a systemic overhaul. Our ability to manage change hinges on our ability to manage ourselves, including our fears and anxieties. These factors drive everything else in business and in life. The damaging effects of fear on decision-making are well documented. As the Principal/Executive Officer:

A. Explain theoretically or using diagram, the first steps you will take in moving your teachers from change management to change mindset. (100 Marks)

B. Develop a brief organizational training program for your teachers look like? (10 Marks)

C. Describe the five steps you will take in implementing this new technological thrust. (10 Marks)

D. Develop a strategy using a diagram to engage those members of staff, who are still at the 20% mark in moving forward with this new mandate. (10 Marks)