Leadership Dialogues E-Book

John West-Burnham

• Herausgeber: Crown House Publishing
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Designed to provide stimulus materials for school leaders to support their personal development, Leadership Dialogues encourages personal reflection, dialogue with a coach or mentor and conversations in leadership teams. It includes short think pieces, case studies, diagnostic reviews, selected quotations on a particular theme and questions for discussion and reflection. The book is a valuable and practical resource for leadership teams. Much of the content is included on a free CD-ROM of printable resources. Education Resources Awards finalist - Best Educational Book 2016.

Leseprobe

Contents

Title PageIntroductionAEffective leadership1 Leadership vs. management2 Moral leadership3 Brave leadership4 Leadership learning and development5 Creating school cultures6 AccountabilityBThinking Strategically1 From improvement to transformation2 Leading through vision3 Developing future scenarios4 Exploring alternative futures5 Spiral thinkingCLeading innovation and change1 Leading through creativity2 Creating a research and inquiry based culture3 Organisational change and personal change4 Encouraging risk taking5 Structure vs. freedomDLeading teaching and learning1 Equity, fairness, vulnerable students and closing the gap2 Leading dialogue about teaching and learning3 Securing learner engagement4 Models of learning5 Models of teaching6 Improving teaching and learningELeading and managing resources1 Prevention is better than cure2 Procedures and systems3 More for less – making tough decisions4 The school as a social resource5 Making a development plan realF Leading people1 The school as a community2 Leading through trust3 Challenging conversations4 Effective continuing professional development5 Shared leadershipGCollaboration1 Reconciling autonomy and collaboration2 Strategies for collaborative working3 Sustaining the school while working in the system4 Pupils as partners in learning5 Working across the agesHEngaging with students, parents and community1 The family effect – improving understanding to improve collaboration2 Securing parental and community engagement3 The community as a resource4 Win-win models of collaborationReferences and further readingWebsite menuCopyright

Introduction

The purpose of this book is to provide a range of materials and resources to stimulate and support dialogue and conversations between leaders. Leadership work in schools is made up of countless conversations – some brief and fleeting, others far more significant. While we value these conversations as a significant element in the development of all staff, we argue that there is a need for a more structured approach that involves seeing dialogue as a crucial resource in leadership development and learning. In particular, we would stress the importance of leadership teams moving their meetings from the operational to the developmental.

Meetings in school can become focused on the urgent and important. This is perfectly proper and understandable. The danger is that the operational drives out the strategic and, in particular, the team fails to develop as a team through shared learning and professional dialogue. One of the defining characteristics of highly effective teams is that they have a common language based on a shared vocabulary, agreed definitions and mutual understanding. The best way to achieve this is through regular, structured dialogue.

Too often, leaders are side-tracked by the urgent yet mundane. Hours of invaluable leadership team time is taken up with conversations about practicalities and systems, rather than issues that have the potential to make long term differences to the pupils and their communities. This book provides leaders with questions, research, ideas and printable resources around which to base the work of their team. Each resource can be used as it is or adapted to your own personal circumstances. There is no perfect answer, just the right one for you and your context.

This is not a typical book. We don’t expect you to start at page 1 and read it in numerical order. This book contains over 40 questions, grouped into eight themes (A–H), that are important to school leaders. Turn to a theme that is relevant to you, identify one of the questions as your focus and you will find that this, in turn, has six elements:

Question

Focus on the full wording of this question.

Why is this important?

Here we include reasons why this is a question you should answer.

Key quotes for the section

Sometimes a few thoughts from another point of view will help you.

Section discussion (also available at crownhouse.co.uk/featured/Leadership_Dialogues)

Our thinking on the topic (available in printable format at crownhouse.co.uk/featured/Leadership_Dialogues), provoking you to decide what you and your team think on the topic.

Key questions

Some questions for you to answer as a leadership team.

Resources (also available at crownhouse.co.uk/featured/Leadership_Dialogues)

A list of the materials available at crownhouse.co.uk/featured/Leadership_Dialogues (these are linked to the discussion and will support your thinking on the topic).

Possible ways to use the book

Put aside half of every meeting to cover a topic from the book.

Dedicate one meeting each month to a theme of key importance.

Use the contents as a voting form for the team to make decisions.

Choose a topic at random for the team to work on (dart not included).

Focus on a combination of themes to fit your situation, which you will need to prioritise – for example:

A new leader: F, A, D.

Wanting to improve Ofsted grade: D, B, E.

Wanting to maintain high grade: B, C, G.

Needing to regenerate community: H, G, E.

Helping the staff improve: F, D, A.

Instructions for use

To get the maximum benefit from this book, choose a topic from the contents list and print out the dialogue (there is a printable version at crownhouse.co.uk/featured/Leadership_Dialogues), asking the whole team to read this in advance of your meeting (none will take more than five minutes). Print out the associated resources beforehand and, where indicated, distribute particular ones in advance. This will ensure that your meeting time is used purely for discussion. Prioritise this time. Dialogue is not the icing on the cake – it is the very material from which an effective school is made.

Some thoughts on dialogue

Preskill and colleagues (2000: 88) identify a range of qualities or dispositions that are necessary for effective dialogue and therefore model the essential attributes of shared leadership learning:

Hospitality: Inviting, engaging and welcoming.

Participation: The expectation that all will contribute and become involved.

Mindfulness: Sensitivity and awareness.

Humility: The recognition that no one individual can have a monopoly on truth or insight.

Mutuality: Recognition and respect for others.

Deliberation: Careful and deliberate thinking based on evidence.

Appreciation: Recognition, acknowledgement and celebration.

Hope: An optimistic and positive outlook.

Autonomy: Balancing the needs for individuals to retain their personal integrity while working interdependently.

These qualities and dispositions seem fundamental to any effective relationship, but they are particularly significant in the context of the social relationships that need to exist in order to nurture successful leadership. Although it would be naive to pretend that leadership teams are not highly complex social entities with competing priorities, multiple perceptions and the potential for micro-politics as robust as any Renaissance court, the performance of the team is directly correlated with the quality of its relationships.

It is very difficult to contemplate any team development strategy that does not involve sophisticated levels of dialogue as a key leadership strategy and essential behaviour. Dialogue is more than effective communication; it is about developing significant relationships and enabling effective learning:

“Dialogue … is an art and a discipline that deepens and grows more meaningful the more we engage in it. Dialogue also gets better the more we try out different moves and experiment with a variety of ways to listen more fully, speak more fluently from the heart, communicate more coherently, affirm more generously and learn more lastingly from those around us.

(West-Burnham et al., 2007: 89)”

“Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits. When minds meet, they don’t just exchange facts: they transform them, reshape them, draw different implications from them, and engage in new trains of thought. Conversation doesn’t just reshuffle the cards: it creates new cards … It’s like a spark that two minds create.

(Zeldin, 1998: 14)”

Dialogue is characterised by genuine reciprocity. It is a two-way process in which there is a shared and equal commitment to respect the dignity and integrity of each of the participants. The classic form of the Socratic dialogue is the posing of a question, the identification of a problem or the expression of a disagreement. The purpose of the dialogue is to achieve a mutually acceptable resolution by the testing of alternative hypotheses, the exclusion of inappropriate arguments and fallacious conclusions and the generation of possible solutions.

There are countless ways in which the nature of dialogue might be understood, but one way in is to think in terms of different types of dialogue which have certain characteristics in common but where the context will determine the precise nature of the dialogue. Broadly, dialogue might be understood in the following ways:

Personal dialogue. This is the inner dialogue that is the basis for every other dialogue. It is the reflection, the meditation, the artistic exploration, the creative muse at work, and the personal attempts at making sense through analysing, processing and synthesising. This is the way that we internalise issues to make sense of them. Most importantly, this form of dialogue is about reflection and making meaning.

Professional dialogue. This is the discourse of work and public interaction; the discussion between doctor and doctor, the master instructing the apprentice, the academics debating, the engineers problem solving. In one sense, dialogue in this context is characterised by closed ‘expert’ language, a specialist vocabulary – jargon to the outsider. But this is also about public communication – the writer, the journalist and the professional communicator. This is also the language of leadership – the dialogue about values, the discourse on purpose, the questioning of technique and professional practice.

Some rules for your dialogues

The protocols for good leadership dialogue dictate that it should:

Be open and supportive of questioning and challenge.

Be respectful and inclusive.

Build, extend and develop each contribution.

Employ analytical and synthesising strategies and techniques.

Use regular feedback to confirm mutual comfort with content and process.

Focus on the problem, not the person.

Assume and reinforce parity of esteem between participants.

Promote mutual positive affirmation and reciprocity.

Encourage the sharing of anxieties and doubts.

Focus on evidence based review and planning.

Be accepting of silence, ambiguity and paradox.

Appreciate and celebrate outcomes and process.

Dialogue is most likely to be a developmental and learning process when these protocols are used to create an appropriate culture which is then open to a range of stimuli – such as this book.

A

Effective leadership

A1

1 Leadership vs. management

Question

Are leadership and management different, and does it matter?

Why is this important?

One way of understanding the debate about the differences between leading and managing is to think of it in terms of a school’s capacity to change. Effective management will lead to incremental improvement that is useful but may not be sufficient. Leadership, by contrast, offers the possibility of transformation.

Key quotes for the section

“The evidence suggests that many school leaders are too involved in operational and delivery matters and that this has been, to some extent, at the expense of embracing their more strategic imperatives … But these ties to the operational space also seem to be related, based on our interpretation of the evidence, to a mindset amongst some school leaders which is often more comfortable with an operational than a strategic role.

(PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2007: 6)”

“Determined and resolute leadership from the headteacher is crucial to improving schools that require improvement. Those headteachers with a successful track record of leading schools from being judged ‘satisfactory’ to becoming good or better, share some common leadership characteristics. They are absolutely clear that improving teaching and learning is at the heart of what needs to be done, they communicate their high expectations of staff and pupils effectively, and they lead by example, modelling the behaviour they want from their staff.

(Ofsted, 2012: 4)”

Section discussion (also available at crownhouse.co.uk/featured/Leadership_Dialogues_A)

This is not a semantic debate. There are many nuances in the definitions of leading and managing. The debate is all-important because it provides a key indication of the relative significance attached to the two elements. The classic distinction belongs to Bennis and Nanus (1985: 21), who distinguish them in terms of leadership being about the right things and management about doing things right. Covey (1992: 101) differentiates between path making and path following. Leadership is thus defined in terms of values, vision and the future. Management is concerned with making the present work.

Which is worse – a school that is well managed and badly led or a school that is badly managed but well led? The answer is, of course, that both scenarios are potentially dysfunctional. There needs to be a balance between leadership and management that is appropriate to the school’s context.

A more specific distinction might be found in the comparison between the strategic and the operational. Leadership is about the long-term vision and values of the school; management is about making the school function on a daily basis – the balance between sprint and marathon. Resource A1(i) provides a simple chart to help you to open up debate among your team, beginning by identifying your own position and viewing this in the context of the team.

Schools are complex organisations. Managing them is a sophisticated and challenging process, but that does not make it leadership. Simplistically, the strategic dimension of leadership might be understood in terms of three things: principle – the values informing the organisation’s culture and priorities; purpose – the dominant view as to the raisond’être of the school; and people – the engagement, motivation and performance of people in securing the principles and purpose. Use resource A1(ii) to consider the balance your leadership team has struck over the past month of meetings. It is not necessarily desirable to have an even split in each dimension, as each school and each part of the journey will require a different focus, but this act of considering the leadership of the organisation is of great potential value for the team.

The operational aspect of leadership, by contrast, is concerned with the routines, systems, structures and procedures that translate principles and aspirations into actual practice. Leadership and management work in a symbiotic relationship, but this should always be with leadership driving management. One issue for leadership teams is to develop a vocabulary that enables effective dialogue about leading and managing. Use resource A1(iii) to analyse the minutes from your last four leadership team meetings, tally the use of the key words (or synonyms) identified and calculate the balance between leadership and management that your team are demonstrating. Are you happy with your findings? It is common for teams to find that they are focusing more time on management than on leadership. By using tools like this one, it is possible to chart your progress over time.

Key questions

What is the balance in your team between management, leadership and administration (with administration defined as work that could be done by an intelligent 16 year old, i.e. routine procedures)? How would you describe your position on this continuum? Might it be explained by the current context of the school, the expectations of staff, the prevailing school culture or a lack of debate in the school about this issue?

How do your school policies, job descriptions and performance management criteria distinguish between leading and managing? Is this distinction understood and acted on by all leaders and managers?

Do you accept the view put forward in the quotation from PricewaterhouseCoopers?

Resources (also available at crownhouse.co.uk/featured/Leadership_Dialogues_A)

A1(i)Finding the leadership/management balanceA1(ii)The strategic dimension of leadershipA1(iii)Finding the language of leadership and management

A2

2 Moral leadership

Question

How far is your school a moral community committed to securing equity for all?

Why is this important?

Education is essentially a moral activity. Morality is a crucial factor in educating the next generation, so schools, given the nature of their professional and social responsibilities, need to be moral communities.

There also appears to be a very high correlation between schools that have a clear consensus about their values and those that achieve high performance for all.

Key quotes for the section

“The high quality and performance of Finland’s educational system cannot be divorced from the clarity, characteristics of, and broad consensus about the country’s broader social vision … There is compelling clarity about and commitment to inclusive, equitable and innovative social values beyond as well as within the educational system.

(Pont et al., 2008: 80)”

“[For] the majority, the values based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and ‘guide to life’ provided by the RRSA [Rights Respecting Schools Award] has had a significant and positive influence on the school ethos, relationships, inclusivity, understanding of the wider world and the well-being of the school community, according to the adults and young people in the evaluation schools.

(Sebba and Robinson, 2010: 8)”

Section discussion (also available at crownhouse.co.uk/featured/Leadership_Dialogues_A)

Moral leadership is often described as the challenge of converting principles into practice; abstract into concrete; the aspirational into actual experience. Moral behaviour and leadership are about behaviours that focus on complex decision making. In the final analysis, leadership is, often described as ‘doing the right thing’. This immediately raises questions about what the right things are and how they are to be agreed.

Decisions imply choices, and it is in the process of choosing between options that leadership will be most clearly manifested as a higher order activity. Indeed, it could be argued that one of the most significant indicators of the transition from management to leadership, and one of the defining characteristics of highly effective school leadership, is the growth in the range and complexity of decisions that have to be taken. This implies that leaders are morally confident (i.e. they know what they believe) and that leadership teams have developed a consensus (i.e. they agree on the key principles by which they work collaboratively).

Think of a tree. Leaders have deep ethical roots – they are very clear about the fundamental principles by which they live their personal and professional lives. They convert these deeply help principles into personal values – the trunk of the tree, the basis of decision making. Finally, the branches are the day-to-day engagement with the world where ethics and values are converted into action. If the roots are shallow the tree will blow over; if the trunk is not developed the tree will not flourish; if the branches are weak they will break. Resource A2(i) represents this concept on a tree outline. Use this diagram to test the strength of your own ethical leadership.

Although there is very strong agreement about the importance of values in leadership, there is not always the same agreement about what those values should be. UNICEF identify the following core rights for every child in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child:

The right to a childhood (including protection from harm).

The right to be educated (including all girls and boys completing primary school).

The right to be healthy (including having clean water, nutritious food and medical care).

The right to be treated fairly (which includes changing laws and practices that discriminate against children).

The right to be heard (which includes considering children’s views).

Underpinning these principles is the principle of equity, which is perhaps best understood as all children not only having a right to go to school (equality) but also the right to go to a good school (equity). It is therefore a key function of leadership to ensure equity, consistency and fairness. Few schools would claim any issue with nailing their flag to the UNICEF mast, but many do not necessarily appreciate the full implications of this.

Use resource A2(ii) to consider the extent to which your own school walks the talk. In other words, are principles simply words to please the inspectors or are they really at the core of all you do? Answer the 10 questions by indicating where you honestly feel the school is on each issue. Once you have completed your own analysis, share this with the rest of your team. If you are unhappy that this questionnaire identifies areas where your actions do not match your words, make rectifying this a priority.

The fundamental issue for leaders and governors is whether, and the extent to which, principle informs practice. Don’t assume you are a fair and equitable school just because you say so on your website!

Key questions

To what extent does principle inform practice? For example:

Are the most vulnerable children taught by the most effective teachers (e.g. members of the leadership team)?

Have banding and setting been abandoned because of the negative impact they have on most learners?

Are resources deployed to maximise the impact of intervention strategies?

Do you make maximum use of any ‘spare’ money?

Resources (also available at crownhouse.co.uk/featured/Leadership_Dialogues_A)

A2(i)The effective leadership treeA2(ii)The values system for your school

A3

3 Brave leadership

Question

What part should bravery play in the role of a school leader?

Why is this important?

Education is frequently the tool by which government tries to make political and social change. Is it the role of a school leader to support the plans of a democratically elected government regardless of personal belief? Or should they fight against changes they believe are not in the best interests of pupils?

Key quotes for the section

“The opposite of bravery is not cowardice but conformity.

(Robert Anthony)”

“Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.

(Dwight D. Eisenhower)”

Section discussion (also available at crownhouse.co.uk/featured/Leadership_Dialogues_A)

Are you happy with the direction in which you are being asked to take your school? Do you wake up in the morning fired up by the excitement of doing the job you trained for? If the answer to either question is no, maybe bravery is needed. However, before you attempt to repel the forthcoming inspection team by building and arming a 10 metre high barricade, bear in mind that the bravery we need may be something much more subtle. Perhaps, in this case, the bravery is not accepting that your only measure of success is jumping your school through the latest set of government hoops. Perhaps the bravery we are talking about here is more akin to the little boy who points out that the emperor is not actually wearing the finest set of clothes in the land, but is in danger of arrest on a public decency charge.

It is important to decide who owns the direction of travel for your school. Is it the government? Sponsors? Local authority? Governors? Leadership team? Community? Pupils? Or a balance between all of these? This is the vital first step for bravery because if you decide it isn’t you, and that you have no part in the process, you have no need for courage. Simply turn up for work every day and do what you are told – and tell the emperor he looks divine. If, however, you accept part of the responsibility for the direction of your school, where do you think it should be going? And what makes you believe this to be the case?