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LEADING ORGANIZATION CHANGE

EDLD-5304

Through this course, students develop a deep understanding of the dynamics of organizational change and how to effectively lead it. In a rapidly changing business landscape, the ability to lead organizational change is an essential skill. This course provided me with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively lead change in an organization. The course begins by examining the different types of organizational change and the factors that contribute to successful change initiatives. Obtaining a deeper understanding of the different approaches to leading change and the role of resistance in organizational change was thought-provoking. The course culminates with a project in which I was to apply what I learned to a real-world organizational change situation.

Creating Significant Learning Environments: List
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A Change Proposal to Implement Innovation Into K-12 Education

Before delving into the Leading Organization Change coursework details, please take a moment to review the innovation proposal I submitted, which aims to help stakeholders understand the importance of my intended innovation plan. The K-12 educational experience has long relied on traditional methods of communication which, unfortunately, fail to engage many students. For example, auditory learners may not benefit from morning announcements spoken over the loudspeaker, and those who are non-English speakers or have hearing disabilities may struggle with understanding. Therefore, I propose innovating the delivery process by implementing video-based announcements to reach a broader range of students within our campus community, from ELLs (English language learners) to individuals with listening impairments. Through this approach, we can work together and innovate what it means for modern education innovation.

Contribution to Learning

I am more confident in my newfound abilities when facing resistance from stakeholders inside or outside the educational institution. I attribute my increased confidence to the various strategies and techniques I was introduced to during this course. Through exploring case studies, analyzing different stakeholder perspectives in real-world scenarios, and engaging in class discussions, I acquired a wealth of resources that informed practical tools for approaching future confrontations. Additionally, having an experienced instructor as our guide throughout this process enriched my understanding by demonstrating how effective these approaches can be in educational settings or beyond.

PROJECTS

To effectively lead organizational change, you must first develop a deep understanding of the dynamics involved. The projects below lay out my plan to do just that.

Why, How, What

Successful change starts out with understanding why you need to change. We set out to define and understand “the why” to incorporate video-based morning announcements into elementary learning environments. We followed this by researching how such a plan can be successfully implemented and outlining what is needed regarding resources/technologies/training to support it all. To summarize, understanding theoretical background knowledge on leading change within organizations alongside key project management methods and logic models provided us with the insights necessary for pitching our innovation plans to incorporate modern technology-based solutions into educational settings today.

Influencer Strategy

We then focused on creating an Influencer Strategy that leveraged the six sources of influence to convince stakeholders and open up dialogue about incorporating video-based morning announcements into the elementary learning environment. Again, we utilized techniques ranging from education, financial incentives, coercion, and collaboration to effectively create a strategy targeting potential influencers who can help us reach our goal more efficiently.

4DX Strategy

We then set out to dramatically improve student engagement and achievement by implementing the renowned Four Disciplines of Execution methodology to ensure that all stakeholders – administration, teachers, staff, parents, and students – were on board with this newly proposed system from both a planning standpoint and the execution thereof. Finally, by assessing the data collected in each step, we moved one step nearer to effecting meaningful transformation at these schools that would foster greater availability of resources for many marginalized populations too often overlooked.

Self-Differentiated Leader

Lastly, we discussed Self-Differentiated Leadership and Crucial Conversations needed to pitch our innovation plan. By exploring, we gained insight into what makes a strong leader: self-awareness, emotional understanding of all parties involved in conversations, replacing demand statements with questions, and courage to address complex topics respectfully and compassionately. By utilizing skills like these during presentations about implementing their game-changing ideas into educational environments, organizations can efficiently combine disparate elements (elements that usually have conflicting values) while maintaining an influential culture within their organization.

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References

Grenny, J., Patterson, K., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2013). Influencer: The new science of leading change. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

 

McChesney, C., Covey, S., & Huling, J. (2012). The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals (1st ed.). Free Press.

 

Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2012). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high (2nd ed.). McGraw Hill.

Video Resouces

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