Effective Change Management Based-on Existing Theories and Interviews with Experts

According to Cisco (2018), leaders who still believe that slow, incremental change is best, could miss the next generation of teaching and learning.

By Ashley Breton Posted on: January 2022 Updated on: August 2022

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Image taken from Wix.com

Success or failure? Adapting to change is necessary for any educational institution with high aspirations to succeed in today's rapidly evolving world (Shenigner, 2019; Weiner, 2009; Weller, 2013). Leaders who still believe that slow, incremental change is best could miss the next generation of teaching and learning (Cisco, 2018). Yet, even forward-thinking leaders who lead change efforts have trouble doing so for a variety of reasons. Overcoming barriers to change requires a systematic and participatory approach.

While there are many paths to successful change, some aspects of the change management process are critical for leaders working in digital learning environments (DLE). The change management process suggested in this post borrows heavily from existing theories and models, and uses insights collected from interviews with experts working in DLE. The results generated four interlocking stages for leading change in DLE: 1) Preparation, 2) Transmission, 3) Inclusion and 4) Resilience (see Figure 1).

Definitions

● Change management (in education) - is a process that prepares an educational institution for future change, which involves creating a plan and organizing efforts to implement and sustain a change (Airiodion, 2020).

● Stakeholder - is any person or group of individuals (e.g., leaders, employees, teachers, students, parents) who will be impacted by the change or who may have an impact on the success of the change (Smith, 2020).

Figure 1.

4 Stages of Change Management in Digital Learning Environments

Stage 1: Preparation - Create an environment for change

This stage requires the most time and energy, as it involves creating an environment conducive to change. Change in digital learning environments can be rapid and highly disruptive. Although, responses to change are usually slow or incremental (N. Hubert, in-person interview, February 11, 2022; H. Lee, in-person interview, February 18, 2022).

Feldstein (2017) explains that many individuals working in these environments still cling to traditional values and beliefs about teaching and learning that involve practices that impede change (Weller, 2013). For change to happen, the whole institution needs to 'want to' commit to the process (Weiner, 2009). This requires leadership to create a sense of urgency around the need for change (Kotter, 1995) and persuade stakeholders to adopt the change mission as their own (O'Toole, 2008). Considering this, the role of the leader at this stage is to "lay the groundwork before the introduction of the change effort can begin" (Biech, 2007, para. 25).

Action items for leadership:

● Pull apart old practices and beliefs (Lewin, 1951) and examine opportunities to improve the institution (Kotter, 1995);

● Assess organizational readiness in terms of tasks demands, resource availability, and situational factors (Weiner, 2009);

● Identify the area(s) where change should take place, such as structures, processes, technology, people, or culture (Biech, 2007); and

● Select a change method that aligns with the organization's core values and culture (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015).

Yet, Al-Haddad & Kotnour (2015) heed caution and state, "organizations have to realize that the drivers of change are all connected and affect each other; any change action has a chain reaction that impacts the whole organization." (para. 8). Therefore, change initiatives require a lot of careful consideration before they should be carried out.

Stage 2: Transmission - Communicate the vision

The next stage addresses one of the most significant barriers to successful change management: communication. Communication can mean the difference between success and failure (Biech, 2007). When an educational institution is ready to transmit change, leaders should be prepared to deliver a powerful strategic vision for how technology can better meet the needs of learners (Kotter, 1995; O'Toole, 2008). Weiner (2009) states consistent leadership messages and actions that convey the vision are essential throughout the change process to remind stakeholders why change is being pursued. Jones (n.d.) adds repetition via multiple channels significantly increases the probability that the message will reach those it is meant for.

One of the experts, a postdoctoral fellow in the Youth Mental Health and Technology Lab at the University of Montreal, suggests those working in DLE use "a combination of online and offline strategies" to present information to stakeholders in a simple, inclusive, non-threatening way, as "some individuals may feel uncertain of how [the] change will impact them." Considering this, the leader's responsibility is to implement a clear communication strategy to improve information flow, which can alleviate uncertainty while increasing individual and collective buy-in (Kotter, 1995; Weiner, 2009).

Action items for leadership:

● Create a compelling vision for the desired outcomes (i.e., goals) of the future change (Kotter, 1995; O'Toole, 2008);

● Establish a change coalition or leadership team to guide and support individuals and the collective through the change process (Kotter, 1995); and

● Enhance awareness of the technology and practices involved in the change (Bellantuono et al., 2021).

Stage 3: Inclusion - Empower and engage stakeholders

This stage stresses the power of engaging participation. Effective change management requires empowerment and involvement at all levels. Both experts agreed that change management is only sustainable if all stakeholders are given the power and autonomy to participate in the change process. Weiner (2009), Udas (2008), and Hiatt (2006) support this claim, stating when everyone is included in the decision-making and problem-solving process, commitment to and ownership of the change mission increases. This simultaneously sends stakeholders the message that all opinions are important and all comments and suggestions are valued. At this stage, the leader's role is to continue to communicate the vision to stakeholders, securing commitment to the initiative.

Action items for leadership:

● Co-create a change plan with stakeholders that can translate the vision into action (Hiatt, 2006);

● Establish open and transparent communication with stakeholders that encourage information sharing and feedback of the change process (Jones, n.d.),

● Provide guidance and support for new technology and practices, and identify any performance gaps (Hiatt, 2006);

● Design education and training programs to empower and give stakeholders confidence that they are capable of making the change successful (Hiatt, 2006);

● Scan the organizational structures and processes and ensure they align with the new vision (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015); and

● Remove all barriers to change (Kotter,1995).

Stage 4: Resilience - Create lasting change

Resilient institutions are made up of resilient people. They learn fast and rebound from change stronger than before (Weller, 2013). Long-lasting change will only be successful if stakeholders possess the practical knowledge needed after the change, they engage in opportunities to demonstrate their abilities, and they can sustain efforts through methods of reinforcement (e.g., rewards and incentives) and the evaluation of their new skills and behaviour (Bellantuono et al., 2021). Udas (2008) believes this to be a strong predictor of future success. All previous stages have been building resilience among stakeholders to prevent, prepare for, and respond to future change. However, leaders need to institutionalize whatever was intended to be changed to create lasting change. This is what Lewin (1951) referred to as 'refreezing new mindsets' or what Kotter (1995) describes as 'setting the changes in stone'. By embedding the change vision within the organization's culture and practices, it becomes harder for backsliding to happen.

Experience from one expert, a senior learning designer for the federal government, suggests that doing so establishes a strong connection between the new behaviour and the change mission's success, ensuring they continue until practices become strong enough to replace old habits. The role of a leader at this stage is to maintain an organizational culture where members are excited to get to work, celebrate their wins (big and small), and acknowledge their power as part of a collective (Kotter, 1995).

Action items for leadership:

● Implement the change across the DLE;

● Create a code of ethics to establish standards of behaviour that are in the best interest of the organization (Biech, 2007);

● 'Celebrate small wins' and recognize and reward 'champions' who are making change happen to encourage them to keep following the new process (Hiatt, 2006; Kotter, 1995);

● Assessment of the change outcomes (Hiatt, 2006); and

● Adjust change management process as necessary, and repeat the process (Hiatt, 2006).

Overall, effective change management in DLE is identified as a four-stage process that employs a holistic set of tools to drive successful individual and organizational change. Each stage is supported by enduring change management theories and models, yet the overall process borrows primarily from Kotter's eight stages (Biech, 2007) and the ADKAR change management method (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015). These methods support the lived experiences and views of the experts interviewed for this post, and underpin the implementation of a systematic and participatory approach to change management.

However, I acknowledge there is "no one size fits all strategy" (Weiner, 2009, para. 29). Most leaders working in DLE will need to adapt a change management model or process to meet the specific needs of their context (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015; Biech, 2007; Weiner, 2009). In the end, for organizational change to be effective, it must be continuously driven forward by strong leaders and a competent workforce. While steps such as maintaining the 'right' organizational culture and sustaining acceleration through incentives show the need for persistent effort to see the change management process through to the end.

References

Airiodion, O. (2020). Understanding and leading change management in schools [Website]. Airiodion. Retrieved from https://www.airiodion.com/change-management-in-education-guide/

Al-Haddad, S. & Kotnour, T. (2015). Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 234-262. https://doi-org.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/10.1108/JOCM-11-2013-0215

Bellantuono, N., Nuzzi, A., Pontrandolfo, P., Scozzi, B. (2021). Digital transformation models for the I4.0 transition: Lessons from the change management literature. Sustainability, 1-40. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/su132312941

Biech, E. (2007). Models for change. In Thriving through change: A leader's practical guide to change mastery. Chapter 3: Models for change. ASTD [Books24x7 database]

Cisco (2018). The next-generation digital learning environment and a framework for change for education institutions. Retrieved from https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/solutions/industries/docs/education/digital-learning-environment.pdf

Feldstein, M. (2017, May 28). A flexible, interoperable digital learning platform: Are we there yet? [Blog post]. eLiterate. Retrieved from https://eliterate.us/flexible-interoperable-digital-learning-platform-yet/

Hiatt, J. (2006). ADKAR: A model for change in business, government and our community. Prosci Learning Center Publications. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237035168_ADKAR_A_Model_for_Change_in_Business_Government_and_Our_Community

Jones, C (n.d.). Introductions, role and leadership focus [Audio]. In Voices of Leadership. Royal Roads University. Retrieved from https://malat-coursesite.royalroads.ca/lrnt525/schedule/voices/

Khan, N. (2017). Adaptive or transactional leadership in current higher education: A brief comparison. Athabasca University. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1142294.pdf

Kotter, J. (1995). Leading change. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/1995/05/leading-change-why-transformation-efforts-fail-2?registration=successPress.https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=xpGX1EWL_EMC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=John+Kotter+eight+stage+model&ots=TdX4QeOqFA&sig=6N79aAqEsI4N2rmXkplw71DaEQM#v=onepage&q=John%20Kotter%20eight%20stage%20model&f=false

Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social sciences. Harper & Row. Retrieved from https://ia802905.us.archive.org/4/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.138989/2015.138989.Field-Theory-In-Social-Science-Selected-Theoretical-Oaoers.pdf

O'Toole, J. (2008). Notes toward a definition of values-based leadership. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 1(1). Retrieved from https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/vol1/iss1/10

Scholkmann A. (2021). Resistance to (digital) change. In Digital Transformation of Learning Organizations. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55878-9_13

Sheninger, E. (2019, December 19). Pillars of digital leadership. International Centre for Leadership in Education. Retrieved from http://leadered.com/pillars-of-digital-leadership/

Smith, L. (2000). Stakeholder analysis: A pivotal practice of successful projects. Project Management Institute. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/stakeholder-analysis-pivotal-practice-projects-8905

Udas, K. (2008, June 30). Distributed learning environments and OER: the change management challenge [Blog post]. eLiterate. Retrieved from http://mfeldstein.com/distributed-learningenvironments-and-oer-the-change-management-challenge/

Weiner, B. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation Science, 4(67).DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-4-67

Weller, M., & Anderson, T. (2013). Digital resilience in higher education. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning.16(1). 53-64. The Open University. Retrieved from http://oro.open.ac.uk/36988/1/Weller_Anderson.pdf