Leading Change
Step-by-Step
Tactic, Tools, and Tales
SAM National Conference
February 1-2, 2013
Bert Hendee
Today’s Objectives
• Take away some new perspectives on leading change
Be intentional!
• Demonstrate the benefits of approaching change
through multiple perspectives (school teams,
breakouts)
• Identify a high leverage change strategy and an
“early win” to start toward success
• Determine how to use the book as a resource for
further analysis/planning, implementing and
continuously evaluating change
- Leader self-reflection questions in every tool
The Eight Steps
Step 1: Determine your change strategy.
“Before one can lead change, it must be clear what
strategy is being pursued.”
Step 2: Assess readiness.
“We have learned the hard way that members’
readiness is crucial to the success of the work.”
The Eight Steps
Step 3: Analyze the stakeholders.
“Stakeholders will often see themselves as winners
or losers – even after benefits become apparent.”
Step 4: Minimize resistance (and increase your
resistance tolerance).
“We were able to determine what we needed to do
to get the change strategy accepted.”
The Eight Steps
5. Secure a small, early win.
“It is so important that people see that we are on
the road to something – and that isn’t going
away next year.”
6. Engage the key players in planning.
“Collaborative planning is the antidote to
‘Groundhog Day’.”
The Eight Steps
7. Scale and sustain the change strategy.
“Planning for sustainability at the beginning of the
strategic planning process was the most
important thing we could have done.”
8. Build in ongoing monitoring and course
corrections
“You need a team of people who will continuously
assess progress and share their perceptions and
lessons learned.”
What you will find in the book
• Essential elements
“There are common dynamics to leading change.”
• Mistakes to avoid
“Contains not only effective practices, but
also what can go wrong and how to avoid common
mistakes.”
• Field-tested tools
“You have to keep using the tools continuously. We
use them over and over.”
• Stories of struggle and success
“Providing…tales of the adventures of
organizations that have realized systemic change.”
Identifying the most effective strategy
to solve your problem
• Context: What is your vision and mission?
• What problem are you trying to solve?
• What strategy will give you a domino effect
to lead to further improvements?
• What won’t you do?
• Do you have the resources (money, people,
time?) or can you reallocate?
• Are you sure you have a
 strategy (overall approach)
 not actions (specific activities)?
Here’s An Example…
• Problem: Student performance in mathematics needs
improvement
• High leverage strategies:
– Develop and implement a transformational vision
– Lead the professional learning community to study
the issue and propose solutions
– Develop and use data systems to inform decisionmaking
• Low leverage strategy(what we won’t do):
– Principal teaches a mathematics class once a week
– Teacher observations without post-observation
feedback and discussion
– Principal personally investigates new approaches to
teaching mathematics; holds focus groups with
students
What is your high leverage change
strategy?
1. What problem are you trying to solve?
2. What is the strategy you will work on? Why?
3. What won’t you do? Why?
Readiness
Three Readiness Rubrics:
• Leader
• Participants
• Organization (culture)
Matching Readiness with Process
•
•
•
•
Low readiness = high structure
Medium readiness = medium structure
High readiness = low structure
Adjust the structure as the readiness changes!
Resistance
• Prevent
• Minimize
• Tolerate
“My staff is embracing the change instead of
resisting it as ‘one more thing.’”
MEETING & FACING RESISTANCE
WHAT IS THE RESISTANCE
FOR
YOUR
CHANGE STRATEGY?
Early Win
• Is considered important by most – meets the
common definition of “success”
• Is urgent – advances mission
• Is tangible and observable
• Can be achieved in the timeframe
• Perceived as having more benefits than costs
• Helps deal with loss
• Non-threatening to opposing groups
• Symbolic of shared organization values
• Is widely publicized
• Leveraged for momentum
Post Your Early Win
WHAT IS YOUR
PROPOSED
EARLY WIN?
Share Your Early Win
GALLERY WALK
Use the Book as a Resource
Tactics, Tools, Tales
The Eight Steps
1. Determine Change Strategy
2. Assess Readiness
3. Analyze Stakeholders
4. Minimize Resistance;
Maximize YOUR Tolerance
5. Secure Small, Early Win
6. Engage Key Players
7. Scale & Sustain
8. Monitor; Continuously
improve
Actionable Tools
1. Strategy/ Action Aligner
2. 3 Readiness Rubrics
3. Stakeholder Strategizer
4. Resistance
Reducer
5. Early Win Wonder
6. Collaborative/Action Planners
7. S & S Score Sheet
8. The 3 R’s: Review, Revise,
Repeat
Review of Today’s Objectives
• Take away some new perspectives on leading change
Be intentional!
• Demonstrate the benefits of approaching change
through multiple perspectives (school teams,
breakouts)
• Identify a high leverage change strategy and an
“early win” to start toward success
• Determine how to use the book as a resource for
further analysis/planning, implementing and
continuously evaluating change
Leader self-reflection questions in every tool