Blazing New Trails - Connexions

Educational Change
Navigating the Politics of Change in a Suburban School District: A Phenomenological Study 231
LITERATURE REVIEW
Living in the current conditions of economic crisis, cultural struggles, and complex
circumstances, leadership that promotes change becomes an increasingly challenging topic in
the world of education. Understanding the change process was identified as one of Fullan’s
(2001) components essential for leaders. He explained that successful changes, no matter how
big or small, are based on the improvement of relationships. Purposeful interactions between
people that are concerned about an issue stimulate efforts toward problem solving (Fullan,
2001).
Hargreaves (2007) explained that long-term educational change is based in five central
factors beginning with educational leaders putting learning first, even before achievement and
high stakes testing. Second, leadership should be distributed to promote professional
responsibility and avoid top-down control. Disseminated leadership roles ensure that the third
factor is in place, that is, to sustain the change effort even when leadership is altered. The
fourth and fifth elements necessary to experience educational change are collaboration among
schools to raise the achievement standards, and, finally, to connect future changes to past
achievements. In essence, Hargreaves (2007) stated that all educators should be involved in
the change effort and should understand the change process as connected and relevant to the
individual needs of the students, teachers, and campus.
Because change efforts in schools are often the work of the teachers, educational
change leaders must take into consideration the perspectives of the teachers to gain trust and
buy-in to the innovation or new idea (Mitchell, 2008). As part of an on-going change effort
that requires a leap of faith on the part of experienced teachers, coaching and communication
are necessary to deeply integrate new ideas into their regular practice. Small-group dialogue is
also essential to teachers feeling supported through a change (Mitchell, 2008). Teachers are
consistently dealing with change in their worlds of education, and it is the job of educational
leaders to identify models of leadership that are more democratic in thinking and to create
collaborative work environments where teachers and administrators alike are striving together
to respond to the diverse needs of the students in their schools (Beachum & Dentith, 2004).
School improvement and educational change through leadership often rests on the
ability of a leader to utilize power and influence for the purpose of gaining support for the
desired outcome and the change process. The terms power and influence are often used
interchangeably; however, in the educational system and in other formal organizational
structures, the ability to influence change does not always reside in those with powerful
positions. In order to understand this concept more fully, it is essential to identify the
differences between power and influence and to clearly link leadership to both ideas.
Power and Influence in the Change Process
Power and influence are closely related within the change process, but cannot be
confused especially when related to educational systems and political frameworks. Power and
influence have been broadly referred to as the capacity to change the actions of others toward
an intended purpose (Mowday, 1978). Researchers have used the terms synonymously
(Mechanic, 1962; Mowday, 1978); however, even in these instances, writers refer to their
definitions of power being about force (Mechanic, 1962). More recent definitions in research