Implementing an Imposed Change

Board Report: Implementing an Imposed Change in the Kelsey Unified School District
William A. Childress
University of Phoenix
Board Report: Implementing an Imposed Change in the Kelsey Unified School District
Resistance to change by the staff in an organization is one of the leading causes of the failure of a change process. Miller, G. and Deis, P. (2006) noted, the ability to create buy-in from the organization’s staff will often determine whether a change succeeds or fails. A previously written research article highlighted on-going problems at the Kelsey Elementary School (KES). It has come to the attention of District administration that there are similar experiences throughout the entire Kelsey Unified School District (KUSD).
In the pages of this report to the KUSD Board of Directors, an exploration of three deficient areas requiring change will be presented. Following that will be a presentation of an eight-step model for organization change, the Kotter Eight Step Change Model (as cited in Anderson, 2015, p. 89). Following that, the implementation and evaluation plan will be presented. Last, Strategies for assessing the success of the change and implications for future change are presented.
Deficient Areas: Classroom Management, Teacher Preparedness, and Teaching Effectiveness
The first area to be explored is classroom management. In the original article, teacher one, according to KUSD (2011), has been a teacher for eleven years. She appears to be unprepared as an elementary school teacher. Several written complaints were recently filed by parents with both the teacher and the principal, asking for their assistance.
Teacher one appears to have several classroom management issues. She received a disciplinary report for consistently sending students to the office, inability to engage with her students, and a lack of learning in her classroom. According to Johnson, Musial, Hall, Gollnick, and Dupuis (2008), teachers should appreciate the importance of displaying considerate behavior and communicating professionally. Student self-esteem is enhanced when teachers treat students with respect. Creating a healthy learning environment and reducing class interruptions promotes positive student behavior.
An investigation into the allegations by parents at the Kelsey Elementary School has brought a much larger problem to the surface. Several teachers in the school demonstrate the same issues as teacher one. This is a district-wide problem that could paint the wrong picture to the stakeholders. This issue must be addressed with a heightened sense of urgency to preserve the school’s good reputation with the local public, the parents, the teachers, and the students.
The Kotter Eight Step Change Model: The Process the Organization Should Experience
According to RapidBI (2007), the most critical aspect of change is the people within the organization. Change usually fails because management failed to account for the psychological impact on the people involved. To assist the KUSD in implementing the necessary changes, the Kotter Eight Step change model is the suggested method to obtain the necessary buy-in from the teachers. As noted by RapidBI (2007), KUSD leadership must remember that some teachers will accept the changes, some will reject the changes, and a few will embrace the changes. 80 percent will be negative or can go either way. The targets of the changes are this 80 percent of the teachers. What follows, as noted by TIE575ChangeModel (2014), are Kotter’s eight steps:
Step one: Establish a sense of urgency This is creating a sense of need for forward progress of the needed change. With no sense of urgency, the people who the change is directed toward may not put their time into changing. In the case of the targeted teachers at the KUSD, this step may be THE most important step. These teachers may be so resistant to change that without a sense of need, told to them the correct way, the change may fail. In a school setting such as the KUSD, this sense of urgency can be demonstrated through test scores. If scores are typically low in one area, it can be seen as an area that is overdue for a change.
Step two: Create a guiding coalition
Kelsey teachers have several classroom management issues, including the lack of effective teaching in their classroom. This is indicative by the physical look of the classrooms, the students’ behavior, and the lack of learning. These issues exist because teachers have created an environment where there is a lack of effective teaching. As noted by Pilcher (2010), the teacher is the most important factor that influences student learning.
As noted by Anderson (2015), creating a guiding coalition is the building of a team to lead the change. This team must be energetic – they have to exude enthusiasm about the change so their enthusiasm trickles down through the entire organization. The coalition members must be capable – they need to understand the problems and have demonstrated expertise in the area to be changed. The coalition members must then take charge and lead the change. Last, as noted by Tanner (n.d.), the coalition must be given delegated authority to accomplish their mission. The coalition within the KUSD should be the in-place schoolwide team to prevent overlap of teams and loss of continuity if other teams are working on the same projects.
Step three: Develop a clear, shared vision
Based on the current problems faced by the KUSD, the vision must be to help the teachers to recognize their problems and encourage their participation in changing the affected behaviors. This will most likely be slow to occur, and may last well into the following school term. It is suggested that the coalition should work with the targeted teachers during the summer break, and when the new school term begins there should be a marked improvement in teacher behavior noted by the administration. If more than one year is required for change to occur, it is an indicator there may be too much resistance.
Complexity, as noted by Tanner (n.d.), is not good in this step. For the vision and strategy to be successful, areas of change are identified, and the vision and strategy will offer clear, realistic targets for measuring successes. A successful vision and strategy will appeal to stakeholder long-term interests, in this case the administration, faculty, parents, and students.
Step four: Communicate the vision
To communicate the change vision, Tanner (n.d.) noted, senior leaders and the coalition will ensure that the teachers understand the desired new direction. Leadership establishes a foundation so that faculty will buy-in to the new direction. In the case of the KUSD, the coalition must call together all of the targeted teachers. After developing the change strategy and a vision, these are then communicated to the faculty. Explain why the change is needed in order to get the necessary buy-in to ensure the change occurs smoothly and on-time. Communication is done smoothly, without jargon and buzz words, and must be simple, including repetition. This is not just a top-down effort, it is also bottom-up, allowing all participants to contribute to the process.
Step five: Empower people to act on the vision
Barriers must be removed to empower people’s actions. This goes directly to the ability of the senior leadership to choose members of the coalition who have power, expertise, credibility, and leadership responsibility. Removing the barriers will allow the processes, structures, procedures, and the reward systems to be put into place and aligned with the now-changed vision. According to Tanner (n.d.), this is accomplished through an investment in training and development. This is a requirement, not an option. Through training, the resistance to change that humans often display is reduced. Training and development should be used to make employees feel that a change is in their best interest.
Step six: Generate short-term wins
To generate short-term wins, first begin by creating awareness with the teachers whose behaviors are sub-par and have a negative impact on the students’ learning and the outlook of the school’s stakeholders. As improvements are made, communicate positivity to the entire staff. Celebrate these successes; show to the teachers that their sacrifices are paying off.
Step seven: Consolidate and build on the gains
Every small change for the better, as per the change plan, can be celebrated. According to Anderson (2015), this overcomes complacency and promotes even greater change. Celebrating small changes tends to gather momentum for further, more encompassing changes. It spurs other staff to look at themselves as well, and assess their performance. Soon a cascade of good change has occurred, and KUSD daily operations are more in line with the mission statements.
Step eight: Institutionalize the change
This last step is every bit as important the preceding seven. This step involves sustained change, resulting in the change of the school’s culture. Step eight demands striving constant improvement; it validates the sacrifices the teachers have made through their hard work and dedication. In this step, the targeted teachers, if they have chosen to accept the change, are operating as improved performers as evidenced by reports from the students and parents.
An Implementation Plan, Including Steps to Manage the Implementation Efforts and Create Buy-In from Resistant Staff According to the Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice (CECP) (2001), an effective way to implement organization change is through the formation and use of a schoolwide team. The schoolwide team is responsible for assessing school performance as a whole. This team is composed of members of the school staff (to include principals, teachers, and other school staff), students, parents, and school resource officers (typically deputies or other law enforcement personnel). The schoolwide team advances activities to plan, implement, monitor, and maintain the school’s change processes. The team also uses their expertise to assess the school. This assessment should include the climate of the school, the school’s behavioral programs, and the academic programs. From this assessment, development of both short-term and long-term goals are key factors in ensuring the recommended changes are having an effect. The quality of the learning experience for the students is also determined in this assessment. According to CECP (2001), some further steps that KUSD should implement in order to reduce resistance to change by faculty and other staff are to use a referral, problem-solving, and intervention process. This should stop problems when (or before) they occur and align the change efforts with applicable services in the surrounding community.
Develop an Ongoing Evaluation Plan that Measures the Effectiveness of the Implementation Efforts The schoolwide team is responsible for the operations of the school. It is, therefore, the team’s responsibility to develop an ongoing evaluation plan. At a minimum, the team should monitor the success of the changes through weekly verbal questioning of students and parents. The interim progress reports and report cards of students should be monitored (this should be four times each for a full school term). The principals and district superintendent should meet with each of the teachers and review their progress. This needs to occur no less than three times every school term and must be documented in their professional development plan.
Strategies for Assessing the Success or Failure of the Plan
Effectiveness can be measured by simply listening to what the students say. This can be measured by simple off-the-cuff interviews with a student or two every day; an affirmative nod from the students indicates this plan is working. The absence of complaints from parents is another metric. Meetings with teachers to review professional growth plans, formative evaluation, and summative evaluation can also measure the effectiveness. Examining interim progress reports and report cards each quarter is helpful. If student grades improve over the terms, then it is an indicator that the plan is working.
Implications for Future Change Efforts
The success of this plan will yield much-needed knowledge for future efforts. The schoolwide team, working with the principals of the schools and the district superintendent, must keep good working notes on what went right AND what went wrong. In this way, when the next change process needs to be implemented (certainly there will be another need for change in the future), these notes can be referred to for a smoother process.
Conclusion
In the pages of this report to the KUSD Board of Directors, an eight-step model for organization change was presented. As noted by Anderson (2015), the eight step model is: sense of urgency, assembling a coalition, develop shared vision, communicate the vision, empower people for action, generate short-term wins, consolidate wins and produce even more change, and institutionalize the change. Institutionalizing is easily accomplished through hiring new employees that already have the desired culture in their repertoire. As employees who resist change give up and move on to new frontiers, the new employees that are hired to replace them should have the ideals of the desired culture in place. The process may take time, but the benefits will be worth the wait, in better test scores and the happiness of all who are involved with the District.

References
Anderson, D. (2015). Organization development (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications.
Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice. (2001). Chapter 5: Creating and implementing a comprehensive plan. Retrieved from http://cecp.air.org/guide/actionguide/Chapter_5.asp
Johnson, J., Musial, D., Hall, G., Gollnick, D., & Dupuis, V., (2008). Foundations of American education: Perspectives on education in a changing world (14th ed.). Boston, MA:
Pearson Education.
Kelsey Unified School District (2011). General Information. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Education/CentAdm/CentAdmHome.asp Miller, G. & Deis, P. (2006). How to manage a business systems implementation plan.
Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/how-to-manage-a-business-systems-implementation-plan-47136.html
Pilcher, J. K. (2010). Who’s engaged? Climb The Learning Ladder To See. (1st ed.). Gulf
Breeze, FL: EducatorReady, Inc.
RapidBI. (2007). Managing change in organizational development. Retrieved from https://rapidbi.com/changemanagement/ Tanner, R. (n.d.). Leading change (step 3) – develop a change vision and strategy. Retrieved from http://managementisajourney.com/leading-change-step-3-develop-a-change-vision-and-strategy/
TIE575ChangeModel (2014). Kotter’s 8-step model. Retrieved from http://tie575changemodel.wikispaces.com/Kotter%27s+8-step+model

References: Anderson, D. (2015). Organization development (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice. (2001). Chapter 5: Creating and implementing a comprehensive plan Johnson, J., Musial, D., Hall, G., Gollnick, D., & Dupuis, V., (2008). Foundations of American education: Perspectives on education in a changing world (14th ed.) Kelsey Unified School District (2011). General Information. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Education/CentAdm/CentAdmHome.asp Miller, G. & Deis, P. (2006). How to manage a business systems implementation plan. Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/how-to-manage-a-business-systems-implementation-plan-47136.html Pilcher, J. K. (2010). Who’s engaged? Climb The Learning Ladder To See. (1st ed.). Gulf Breeze, FL: EducatorReady, Inc. RapidBI. (2007). Managing change in organizational development. Retrieved from https://rapidbi.com/changemanagement/ TIE575ChangeModel (2014). Kotter’s 8-step model. Retrieved from http://tie575changemodel.wikispaces.com/Kotter%27s+8-step+model