Blazing New Trails - Connexions

Navigating the Politics of Change in a Suburban School District: A Phenomenological Study 247
Table 1 (continued). Choice T-chart with all Themes and Factors of the Research Study
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Themes
Personal Motivation: One chooses what does or does not
motivate actions. Motivations stemming from group
consideration rather than personal gain are a choice.
Personal Agenda: An underlying personal agenda is only the
choice of that person. Often no one else knows another’s true
personal agenda and at times it is difficult to admit to self, but
it is a choice.
Informational Resource Control: Access to information
within the organization often is related to position or power;
however, if personal connections are made and collaborative
communication is a utilized characteristic, many times the
amount of information is based on choice.
Perception of Self: Self perception is always a choice. If you
believe you can or you believe you can’t, you’re right.
Perception of Others: One chooses how to look at others
related to their power and influence. The more facts and
information one is armed with, the more a person is able to
create a more targeted perception of others.
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It is evident that choice determines one’s ability to impact change. Purposefully, there
is a dotted line in between the two sides of the T-chart above. The reason for this is that,
ultimately, there is choice in everything. One could choose to quit working in certain
situations or, on the other hand, decide not to make that choice because of extenuating outside
circumstances. We are in control of our actions in the workplace as much as we wish to be.
The change process is challenging and often causes unrest in the organization. For this reason,
it is imperative to be aware of the choices that are made within that change process. It can be
concluded that a district leader must make intentional decisions related to all of the categories
listed on the T-chart in order to effectively negotiate a district change. If attention is paid to
each of these areas, the political environment of an organization is manageable.
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