Strategies

Strategies


Overview:


Imagine you have just taken on the role as leader of an educational program in your
specialization and have been told to implement a change process that is part of a district
initiative. As a new leader, you have yet to establish trust with your colleagues, so that when you
start to implement the initiative, you are surprised to get immediate push back from your
colleagues.

How might you work to shift your colleagues’ dissatisfaction and disengagement and
support them in their roles as change agents? What leadership strategies would win the trust of
your colleagues and help them see the merits of the initiative? Analyze evidence-based
strategies to establish stakeholder trust and buy-in for change and counteract resistance to
change.


To prepare:


Consider the difference between adopting an innovative program, the complexity of actually
implementing it, and why stakeholders resist change.


Read the Gurley, Peters, & Collins (2015); Day, Gu, & Sammons (2016); Covey (2009); and
Adams & Miskell (2016) articles. Think about the process of initiating and implementing
change, the influence of leadership on change, and how to gain buy-in and trust from
stakeholders throughout the change process.


Reflect on experiences you have had in your professional practice where staff were resistant to a
change in your specialization. What attempts were made by leadership to establish trust and buyin for the change? What strategies were (or were not) used when staff members refused or
pushed back during implementation? As a leader, what strategies would you have employed?
Research evidence-based strategies for establishing trust and buy-in from staff prior to
implementing change and for supporting staff when they resist changes during implementation.


Objective:


Give an explanation of the following:
Background information on an experience from your professional practice where staff were
resisting a change in a program or practice in your specialization.
At least two strategies you would have used to establish trust and buy-in from the staff prior to
implementing the change. Provide a research-supported rationale for your selected strategies.
At least two strategies you would have employed when staff members refused or pushed back
during implementation of the change process. Provide a research-supported rationale for your
selected strategies.


References:


Any of the below are possible references:
Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change (5
th ed.) New York, NY: Teachers
College Press

Strategies
Gurley, D. K., Peters, G. B., & Collins, L. (2015). Mission, vision, values, and goals: An
exploration of key organizational statements and daily practice in schools. Journal of Educational
Change, 16(2), 217–242.
Day, C., Gu, Q., & Sammons, P. (2016). The impact of leadership on student outcomes: How
successful school leaders use transformational and instructional strategies to make a difference.
Educational Administration Quarterly, 52(2), 221–258.
Adams, C. M., & Miskell, R. C. (2016). Teacher trust in district administration: A promising link
of inquiry. Journal of Leadership for Effective and Equitable Organizations, 52(4),1–32.
Covey, S. (2009). How the best leaders build trust. LeadershipNow. Retrieved from
http://www.leadershipnow.com/CoveyOnTrust.html
Giancola, S. (2014). Evaluation matters: Getting the information you need from your evaluation.
U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/sst/evaluationmatters.pdf