Design. Learn. Solve.

Collective Action

The video below is of Marshall Ganz, an community expert and a key player in developing the 2008 Obama campaign. In his talk, at the Berkman Center in 2008, he spoke about how to create collective action. While he may have been referring to the political world, the same principles apply now when we look at creating action in the world of education.

In particular, Ganz focuses on how to use organizing, collective action, and mobilization to initiate change. He mentions that change comes when individual preferences are turned into common focuses, which can lead to the capacity to act upon them. When we look at making changes in our schools, we must find a common thread among the teachers and administrators. This does not mean we must have mandates, rather it means we must find a common idea or belief and give individuals in this group the ability to take action as a group.

How do we make this happen?

Leadership

It is the “practices that enable others to achieve purpose in the face of uncertainty”. In other words, leadership is comprised of practices that enable groups to work effectively. This could mean creating teams, or Personal Learning Communities, that bridge departments to enable this to happen. These groups could be run by seasoned facilitators to ensure success. This role of facilitator would rotate after others were trained on how to run the groups.

Community

In addition to strong leadership, a community rises from a stable entity capable of exercising collective agency. If this is the case, teachers will feel empowered and not isolated; they will be willing to make a change.

Power

The power of a community rests in its ability to use resources (time, energy, materials) purposeful to take change. We must evaluate how we, as schools, use these recourses to create change.

Key Factors

Along with the previous three factors, Ganz mentions that the following are necessary conditions for effective collective action.

Shared values

Values are broader than interests and sources of motivation. Values are communicated emotionally. To achieve this we need narrative and empathy not just metrics and data.

Shared interests

To build this collective capacity, we must create relational interests (1 on 1 meetings are key for this to develop). Is there a basis for working together? Are we able to commit to one another?

Shared structure

We must have common purpose and shared norms. There must be trained leaders and structures for our initiatives to succeed. Structure leads to ability to create change.

Shared strategy

“Turn what you have into what you need to get what you want.” Adapt based upon real time information and needs. It is the purposeful and most creative part of organizing. Any strategy will shift but as long as the group buys into the common goal, it will happen.

Shared action

Resources are time, material items, and energy. The mobilization and deployment of resources are essential to make change. Resources can only be effective when “the outcomes are clear, … specific and…can be learned from”.

Finally

While technology can be at the center of making this all happen, Ganz reminds us about carpenters and tools. Investment in skilled carpenters allows the tools to be used in effectively. We must spend our time in developing the human capital in schools. We must understand the community and determine the human needs before we blindly invest our time or money in technology.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhCoz5hMhTI[/youtube]

Photo credit: mike.bendetti

Requirements for change

The word change has different connotations depending upon who you are. For some, it incites fear. For others, it is thrilling and the focus of their work. In my experience, leadership is about harnessing an ability to be visionary and anticipate change while also being able to understand your colleagues, their predispositions towards change, meet them where they are and be persistent in the support of your vision in order to successfully implement that change.

Vision

For many leaders, this is the easy part. Vision is an ability to see possibilities, to envision a better school through certain changes, understanding that like every other industry, your world changes and to stay relevant you must be able to adapt to that change. When a leader is able to look forward and has a clear vision to what school must include, she is taking the first step. There are many school leaders that embody this idea but a couple that stand out are Chris Lehmann and George Couros. If you want to understand why vision is so important, read up on these men. They are true visionaries.

Understanding

Almost more importantly, understanding your faculty and their inclinations towards change is vital to a successful implementation of a clear vision. While you should not limit your vision because your faculty may not all be supportive, you must understand where your faculty are and be able to find a path for them to reach your vision on their own terms. For a school leader to be able to implement her vision, she must be able to find methods that meet their faculty half way. Understanding and acknowledging  their biases while giving them incentive to think forward will lead to a greater chance of success.

Instituting mandates to create change will not work. Ensure that you create a cohort of supporters who will readily test your vision in order to provide you data. In addition, provide your reluctant adopters the time and support to explore your vision on their own terms. They may not value your vision at first but that’s where persistence comes into play.

Persistence

To ensure a successful change in a school, a leader must be persistent. When a leader does not give up and makes an idea the cornerstone of her success, the faculty will understand that it will not simply go away. That being said, keep the idea manageable. Ensure that your faculty will not be biting off more than they can chew at one time. If the vision is powerful yet manageable and your support for it is persistent, the faculty will understand that they cannot simply avoid it. In turn, the vision will begin to receive traction, data will begin to be collected to validate and if successful, the idea will become accepted by the community.

Change will initially be met by challenges but a leader who has a clear vision, understands her faculty, maps out a clear path to meet them half way and is persistent in continuing to stick to the vision will ultimately find success.

Photo Credit: Scott McLeod