Professional Documents
Culture Documents
26 of January 2015
Introduction
primary school in Athens, Greece. The change was implemented during two periods
of time and its aim to propose methods of initiating and sustaining educational change
The above change was introduced for first time in the school and was conducted
through observations of the teaching process by the Leadership Team (LT) and
through questionnaires that were completed by the students. It is admitted that it was
well organized by the principal and the LT, and finally successful.
This essay, firstly, will represent some relevant theories of leading and
managing change and improvement, as well as some successful strategies which can
be implemented. Then, will be depicted the context of this effort of school change and
improvement, and the connection of this case study with the literature review.
Ultimately, after the analysis of the characteristics of this successful process, will be
There has been a great controversy over the last years over change and reform as
inevitable notions in our world that constitute an integral part of schools ,yet Senge
(1990) underlines that the Greek word metanoia means “a fundamental shift of mind”.
This notion is fundamentally important for any educational change. Therefore, there
knowledge bond between school structure and culture in the process of implementing
a change .The review will focus on different approaches through the aforementioned
From the 1960s there were theories that were greatly developed about chaos and
complexity that capture the spirit of change, openness and unpredictability. According
to Gleick (1987, cited in Morrison, 1998) there are several principles in the chaos
Very similar initial conditions that can produce very dissimilar outcomes
If something works once, there is no guarantee that it will work in the same
“technically simple and socially complex” (Fullan, 2001a, p.69). Many theorists use
words such as: intricate, confusion, disruption and distress to describe the change
management. This illustrates the sense that any change is non-rational, non-linear and
complex (Miles et al, 1988 in Busher & Harris, 2000). As Bubb and Early (2004)
Many schools have tried to introduce a reasonable model of school planning and
change either from within teacher faculty or from their management team that has led
system. “The logical style is really forceful and attractive, proposing that the shift can
give a true notion of change, as human rationality is subjective, personal and most
times contradictory.
From the mid-1970s the characteristics of change have been identifies as:
1990)
1994)
the areas of highest leverage often the least obvious (Senge, 1990:
63;Hargreaves, 1994:10)
The main lineament that connects these characteristics is that change concerns,
above all, the people. “Change changes people, but people change the change! The
best laid plans stand or fall, when the people are involved”(Hoyle, 1975; Dalin et al.,
1993). Therefore, some members of the teaching faculty within may welcome the
intention of a change, while the rest may be negative to any change. Furthermore,
some may demand more information about the plan of change, because they may be
anxious about how this change will affect them personally with any forthcoming
that the vision has value, 30 percent is trying to understand the change, 20 percent is
very confused, 10 percent is mistrustful, but not rival and, finally 10 percent is totally
compatibility, clarity, nature, the amount of the change and the contribution to the
overall vision of the organization that the change will bear (Morrison, 1998).
A many great formula equations of driven approaches have been formulated and
proposed in order to guarantee a positive impact and strategic thinking and a clear
vision to promote a successful understanding change and avoid any unnecessary
inessential steps.
C=change
From the above, we can understand that there is a set of factors that can radically
influence change and determine realistic change. The cost of change is the most
significant variable, which has to be overwhelmed in order to have a goal oriented and
positive change. Clarke( 1994) views this formula as a strategic step of planning and
monitoring the practical cost of change , considering the pragmatic targets and
purposes , while others view it as purposeless and disorganized plan and express their
However, this lack of desirability is more or less depending on the approach that is
implemented, as the resistance is always an innate reply to the existence and the
Bubb and Earley (2004) present different approaches to overwhelm the negative
mood of a change and the resistance with clear knowledge of the strategy of change,
its consequences, the consultation with neglected people, the supplement of the
4. Power barriers (if the future allocation of power is not the desirable).
development.
Managing Change
One more equation, (see Figure 1.3) significant to understand the management of a
change, is as follows:
R + V + P = C, where
C= the change
Figure 1.3 Change Equation of Reasoning
The above equation presupposes that a change can be accomplished with the existence
of purpose to change, a lucid insight for the future and of course, an intricate outline
formulation and existence of the three terms above aforementioned is hard to find as
there must always be a preference, resistance, readiness and a reason for change
(Garrett, V (2005).
Many a great theorists’ claim that a change is a steady and gradual process, even
consecutive procedure which shows sequel with the past and current situations
caring for the needs, broadening comprehension and knowledge of the present
situation and necessities; controlling the disinterest, the impendence and the dangers
There are important strategies that need to be examined before implementing and
1) Directive strategies, which point to out leader’s power to enforce change to others.
The advantage of this approach is that the change can be realized rapidly.
2) Expert strategies, which face the change as a situation that requires solution by an
4) Educative strategies, which comprises people with “winning hearts and minds”, in
order to evolve a set of morals that individuals are able and ready to support with a
those who are included in the changing plan. Another name for this strategy is
“distributativ"e.
Figure 1.4-Strategies for effective change
All mentioned strategies for change have to be examined for pros and cons .The
leadership team has to decide which method is better to choose, taking into
consideration that nature of the change, the culture, the background of the school and
Furthermore, as Earley (2008) identifies there are ‘zones of acceptance’ that can
be recognized as more suitable approaches for each case, guaranteeing success for its
to foster but confines the opinion of others people involved in the change. This
strategy can cause crucial barriers and obstacles in the process of transformation,
Moreover, Bubb and Earley (2004) stress that” the formation of a collaborative
way of thinking, deciding and acting is probably the most important element of an
feeling of belonging (Chapman, 1990). On the contrary, the rest styles of change have
been criticized that underestimate human sentiments and perspectives, and as a result
Therefore, Kanter et al. (1992) identifies the necessary elements for the
implementation of a change:
the detailed knowledge of the society and the recognition of the requirement
for change
institutionalized.
it is not necessarily required to endeavor and impose one particular style for each kind
of change as each one has its own distinctive and personal style.
The next step is for the leader to determine the change, and identify the obstacles
that may exist, because in this way they can be eliminated or restrained. There are
many implements that can help leaders to point out what barriers may they have to
come up with, such as power ties examination, SWOT analyses, devotion outline in
Last but not least of the change procedure is the institutionalization. It is when the
leader embodies the innovation into the school and into the learning process.
Therefore, the novelty turns out to a component of the school function. Constant
coaching and assessment should be directed to assure that there is success at all levels.
The outcomes will show the degree of effectiveness of the effort that was made
(Busher & Harris, 2000). It is leader’s duty to consider and review if the outcome is
It has been remarkable that the parts of change are strongly reliant on each other.
As James & Connolly (2000) have stated “attentive examination, organization and
consultation are vital for its evolution, since change is not simple and is associated
with the feelings “(pg. 221). Researchers claim that teachers want to incorporate the
change, but they don’t have enough time and vigor to implement it. Hence, the
innovations that they apply are not big and probably are not transmitted to their
Lastly, it is necessary to mention a table with four frames of a change, which are:
benefits to our academic institutions .We need to change and evolve new
Technology (ICT) field may be useful, even if that will mean compelling
with a case, as they can contribute and justify a clear sense of purpose
4) The research, when the change affects the investigation process as this
will contribute to the key points for a successful change to flourish filling
up and completing all appropriate recourses and spaces as that grants for
way to adopt educational change (Glaser and Strauss, 1999; Glaser, 2010)
According to Krüger (1996) some of the most important obvious and hidden
barriers to change in an institution, are such as: price, fundamental time and expected
obvious barriers, neglecting strong points as conceptions and politics. Another aspect
is that people involved in change can dramatically lead to believe others with their
a) Issue Management,
Supporters, who are positive about the change and anticipate to earn rewards
Eventual Supporters, who have positive mood for the change, but they are not
Concealed Rivals, who give the impression that they want the change, but
Rivals, who have a clear negative opinion for the change and in order to
have a choice for examination, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and document
review The policy frame in my case study has provided an excellent different vies and
over time.
The Case of Study
Context –
My case study took place in a mixed primary private school in Athens two years
ago from November 2012 .Indeed, the change was introduced and implemented by the
Principal and the four members of the leadership team of the school (LT). The
introduced change was to inspect and evaluate the level of the teaching applied in
change and access the conditions of the approach in that faculty. In other words, the
idea was to assess the performance of the teaching staff, conducted through
observations of the teaching process by the Leadership Team (LT) and through
initiating and sustaining educational change at a level through the processes of policy
The change was introduced by the principal in a meeting with the LT and the
teaching staff, where everyone was informed prior about the change. The
implementation of the change took place in two periods of time; the first was in
November 2012 and the second one was in May 2013. In both cases, the assessment
was implemented by the Leadership Team (LT), with observations and evaluation of
the teaching process, as well as with questionnaires provided to the students, in order
to assess their teachers in teaching and learning in a systematic and coherent way. The
whole process each time lasted one week, with the LT evaluating the teaching staff,
with grades from 0 to 10, in a sum of categories, such as the transmissibility, the
organization of the teachers and the discipline of the students. Moreover, there were
Form that gave the ability to students to grade their teachers from 0 to 10, discreetly
additional support that teachers offered to their students within academic hour lessons.
In the first place students were very ambitious to fill all questionnaires as that would
reflect their own opinion towards teaching faculty .The results were later collected by
the LT, who conducted an introductory various final grade ranking for each teacher
such as Excellent, Competent, Poor, Very poor, Not observed , I don’t know .(see
Appendix 1.1)
The grades that the LT had evaluated through analyzing the questionnaires are the
results that have been gathered in association with the grade that reflected with the
opinion of the students. Indeed, the framework of questions was able to provide
plan.(Figure 1.5).
However, the purpose of the case study for a second period of time, when the
research was conducted twice as mentioned above, was mainly introduced and
implemented to investigate if any change in findings and evaluation had occurred that
time and had never occurred again in the school. The main objectives of this case
study was for the principal and teaching faulty to have an overview of the teaching
process that was transacted within the school, as well as to be informed about the
perception that the students have about their teachers and how to sustain a successful
Nevertheless, during an emergency meeting that happened one week before the
research had originally started for the first time, many concerns and misconceptions
arose on behalf of the teachers. Their main anxieties were based on understanding
why this inquiry was carried out and how the final outcome with the results should
affect the whole case.. They were anxious about if their grades were going to be
announced to their colleagues, the parents, and so on. Of course, all of those concerns
vanished when the principal explained them that the results would be absolutely
confidential, and the teachers could be informed privately about their score, without
be announced in any case. None else except the principal and the four members of the
LT could have access to the findings and only the teachers could request to be
Furthermore, the principal explained the reason of this research, which was the
deep knowledge of the learning processes that took place inside the school and the
level that the students felt happy and convenient with their teachers inside the
classroom. The research had carried out important information about the grade that
teachers have engaged a learning environment that students are contributing and are
active members of their academia how much tied they feel with them. Therefore, the
objectives of this study were much informative about the standards of the teaching
approaches within the school and the sentiments of the students about their teachers
The above meeting never occurred for a second time, as teachers were fully
knowledgeable of the research process and convinced about its confidentiality. They
were convinced that the results are not going to provoke any changes in their position,
status or academic image and any information will be kept in discrete to anyone,
except of them. The grades from the observations and also from the questionnaires
were kept by the principal in a secret locked place, were absolutely no one else could
have access.
take action and provoke change. The first stage was to introduce the change, and the
principal achieved that through a meeting with the leadership members and the
teaching staff. It was a good choice to gather all faculty target board of teachers to
enable them to use all appropriate information involved in the change process,
because in this way everyone could have a clear focus on specific areas that need to
be targeted for improvement and developmental change directly from the principal
about its rights and its responsibilities, and simultaneously could create a personal
relationship with the others. Therefore, a good climate of mutual help and respect was
developed. It is necessary to remark the significant role of the urgent meeting that
process and its aims. The principal made it absolutely understandable that the results
are not going to be published and that they will not affect any of teaching staff
position. It is true, that especially in the beginning many teachers were anxious and
distressed about this process that would take place and the possible outcome and
effects of the achieved score on them. However, the objective of the assembly was
The next stage of implementation had shown that the LT was really well
organized and disciplined. One week before the outset, the main observations were
announced with a plan in the classrooms that would have daily visits and this schedule
key plan was to be implemented periodically. There was a common opinion that LT
would not provoke any inconvenience and that both the teaching staff and the students
Furthermore, the LT had arranged a specific day and time to distribute the
responsible teacher of each class. The day that the students had to fill up the
questionnaires the LT explained them in detail what they should do and what for was
asked to fill in the questionnaires. The LT stated to the students that they are not
going to write their name, in order for the results to be anonymous. This was a very
good approach used as the students could complete the form with trueness, without
being afraid that their teachers will criticize and blame them afterwards. They felt free
to write what they believed and felt, with no fear or anxiety of any further
consequences. Afterwards, the LT collected the questionnaires and put them in a safe
Overall, there seemed to be a little resistance from some teaching members, which
was normal, particularly at the stage of the introduction of the idea, but finally
diminished and didn’t grow as to be an obstacle for the implementation of the change.
Few of the teaching faculty remained a little bit of conscious about the process of the
change, even after the emergency meeting, but they didn’t provoke any problem in the
planned from the principal and the LT. Therefore, regards the barriers that Garrett
(2005) mentioned we can identify that the personal morals of the people involved
were not bothered, the innate resistance reduced to the minimum, the formation of the
change was enough flexible, as there was dialogue and communication with the
teaching staff and ultimately, the power barriers were absent since the results were
One of the applicable mentioned strategies used is that of negotiating approach for
an effective change, where the principal was willing to induce a change, taking into
account the sentiments of the people involved in the change and trying to diminish
any negative feelings or concern. This was the key theme for the success of this
change and its smooth realization. Everyone was meticulously informed about the
process and the LT followed the original plan, without swifts and misunderstandings.
Concerning the institutionalization of the change and the innovation that was
applied, both the principal and the LT were very enthusiastic about the change process
and tried to inspire the teaching staff. The second time that the assessment was
prompt , scores were a slight higher for the majority of the teachers, probably because
they were less stressed about the process and the outcomes, since they were aware
In addition, this change is now institutionalized in the school, even if the LT is not
constituted exactly from the same members, and it is scheduled to take part twice per
year; usually, once before Christmas and once after Easter. This innovation became an
integral part of the school and its principal’s responsibility to keep on this novelty.
We need to motivate, inspire and stimulate the LT on its eagerness with fervor as to
be responsible and liable, avoid losing its reliability and trustworthiness and motivate
accomplishment change.
How has this study altered my views about the change process and about
leadership and about change?
Having inventive ideas and motivation can never bring the change process in the
same level. It is the role of the principal and academic leader that has to go far as to
concentrate and boost our sights for a school improvement and boost our insights
through a new sustainable revolutionized change as to meet the demands of our rapid
complex society. While the evidence of my case study showed little signs of
support that we need strong leadership skills existing in schools in Greece to avoid
any successful change and as the case study has shown the existing results in
troubling schools can hardly exist without a prompt change. In my case study that
took place in a school in Athens , Greece there was an urgency for a reform and the
change boost its targets to enhance teaching and learning as well as the relationship
between teachers and students .Although there were answers that indicated huge
differences , we have come to discover that some changes can improve the school ,
while at times can influence the overall approach to teaching and learning , by
one teacher at a time. The results, therefore, have highlighted that there is a need and
urgency for changing for under performing schools as well as urgency to improve all
that many of the teaching faculty development approaches are essential once they lead
Finally, my suggestion is that a change .I have arrived at so far is that there is always
a good chance for reform and change as long as the teaching faculty and leaders agree
with its purposes and appreciate all required changes with equal respect and concern,
References
Bubb, S and Earley, P (2004) Why is managing change not easy? Chapter 3 in:
Busher, H. & Harris, A. (2000) ‘Managing change within the subject area’, in Busher,
H & Harris, A with Wise, C. Subject Leadership and School Improvement, London:
Sage.
Chapman J, (ed) (1990) School based decision making and Management, Bristol:
Falmer Press
op. cit.
Earley, P (2008) Leading and Managing Change and Improvement, Lecture Notes,
Falmer
and Bowring-Carr, C (eds) School Leadership in the 21st Century (2nd edition),
London: RoutledgeFalmer.
M.Prescott (eds) Curriculum Innovation. London: Croom Helm and the Open
University Press.
Kanter, R.M., Stein, B.A. andJick, T.D. (1992) The Challenge of Organizational
Kotter J., Rathgeber H. (2005) Our Iceberg Is Melting, London: Pan Macmillan Ltd
Chapman Publishing.
(eds), op.cit.
Senge, P. (1990) The fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the learning
Web-links:
http://www.data-group.com.au/change-management-iceberg
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC61464/
Appendix 1.1-Questionnaire