This document discusses leadership challenges in education and strategies for addressing them. It suggests that the current education system is stuck in variability and narrow accountability. A wise approach is needed to resolve conflicts through reframing accountability as embedded system-wide change with peer-led support. This involves distributed leadership, greater school autonomy, and sharing innovative practices across schools. Building professional capital through communities of practice and leadership development programs can increase coherence in the education system. Treating schools as complex adaptive systems rather than complicated machines allows for self-organization and sustainable improvement. Maintaining hope and renewal is important for leaders in challenging times.

1. Inspiring Leadership In
Challenging Times
Are We Brave Enough?
27th June 2014
#MKInspiringLeadership

2. So What is The
Challenge ….
…. Our Education
System is Good but
Stuck ….
…. Whilst the System is
Good Overall it is
Too Variable

3. The 17 Camel Conundrum
A Father left his seventeen camels to his
children. The Will gave half to the eldest, a
third to another & one ninth to the youngest.
After many years of squabbling & fighting they
went to see a Wise One to resolve the issue…
…. You are that Wise One. What would you do?

4. The 18th Camel
Reframing the Leadership Challenge
Thanks to Bolton Association
of Secondary Head Teachers
for my 18th Camel Mug

5. Is Your School Like This? Should It Be?
Photo Credit: Sergei Golyshev (https://www.flickr.com/photos/29225114@N08/2778223048/) via http://compfight.com

6. Photo Credit: Douglas Brown (https://www.flickr.com/photos/11556508@N00/9465142412/) via http://compfight.com
Is Your School Like This? Should It Be?

7. Imagine There’s No Ofsted
It’s Easy If You Try
The Changing Face of Accountability

8. Ofsted 1990s Ofsted 2000+
Acknowledgement:
www.change-management-coach.com

9. The Emperor’s New
Clothes

11. Narrow Accountability
Tail Wagging the Dog
“Keep Ofsted Happy”

12. I’m Not Just Part of a
Broken System…
… I’m Perpetuating It

13. What Do We Think?
• Aping Ofsted
• Schools’ Predicted Grades
• Students’ Projected Grades
• Lesson Grading
• Performance Related Pay for
Teachers

14. Reframing
Our
Thinking
(18th Camel Thinking)

15. Accountability
•What
•Who
•When
•How

16. McKinsey Report (2010)
How the World’s Most Improved
School Systems Kept Getting Better

17. Embedded System Wide Change
• Peer Led Support & Accountability
• Greater Pedagogical Autonomy
• Rotates educators throughout the system in
order to spread learning
• Sponsors and identifies examples of
innovative practice within schools
• Develops mechanisms to share these across
schools
McKinsey Report (2010) How the World’s Most Improved School Systems Kept Getting Better

18. http://www.jarche.com/2010/03/pkm-a-node-in-the-learning-network/

19. Carpe Diem
I believe that up until now we have been
dabbling in system leadership. It is now
time for the profession to take charge as
we move into the next phase … Educational
leadership includes but should not be
limited by locality or groups of schools.
The next phase in system leadership is
leadership of the education system itself.
Brian Lightman (2014) ASCL Debate

20. Imagine All the Teachers,
Working Successfully
What Can You Do More Powerfully Together?
Building Professional Capital

22. From On Distributed Communications by Paul Baran, 1964
The Changing Face of Professional Development
From Known Nodes to Wild Networks

23. Create Opportunities for People
to Grow
• Go outside of the school’s structure
– Build a little Babylon (Wild Places)
• Innovation Fellows
• System Redesign TLRs (use TLR 3)
• R&D Communities
• Voluntary INSET #OutstandingIn10Plus10
• Leadership Development Programme
– Getting Better Project

24. We Need to Increase Stickability in
Knowledge Transfer
• Knowledge Transfer Involves a “sender” and a
“receiver”
– No shortage of sending!
– Are people increasingly deaf to the node?
– More “Wild Network” PD is Appearing
• From Sharing Good Practice to Joint Practice
Development
– NMP Joint Primary/Secondary Mathematics
Project

25. BEB CMAT
• Executive Headteacher
– Chief Builder of Professional Capital
• Assistant Headteacher – Maths & Numeracy
– AHT Literacy & English to Follow
– Professional Development Department
• In-house CPD Programmes
– Leadership Programme
– #OutstandingIn10Plus10
– Maths KS 1-3 Group

26. Imagine There’s No Chaos,
Coherence is the Key
Clockwork & Ecosystems.
Complicated or Complex?

27. Is Your School Like This? Should It Be?
Photo Credit: Sergei Golyshev (https://www.flickr.com/photos/29225114@N08/2778223048/) via http://compfight.com

28. Photo Credit: Douglas Brown (https://www.flickr.com/photos/11556508@N00/9465142412/) via http://compfight.com
Is Your School Like This? Should It Be?

29. Complexity Theory
Quantum theory and complexity science remind us
that our world is unified. Many problems with
school reform stem from continuing to use
mechanistic views to examine parts of problems
rather than the whole and the context. The
concept of self-organization gives us a new
perspective. Self-organization refers to how an
organization looks within itself to find self-
supporting dynamics.
Bower, D. (2006) Sustaining School Improvement. Ohio University (USA)

30. Complex change is not linear
but holistic
• Complicated systems may be understood by
examining their parts. They are “predictable
sums” of those parts.
• Complex systems, however, may not be
understood by examining parts; they exceed
their parts and may only be understood in
relation to the parts.
• Complex systems are “self-organizing, self-
maintaining, dynamic, and adaptive”
Bower, D. (2006) Sustaining School Improvement. Ohio University (USA)

31. Acknowledgement:
www.docstoc.com

32. Beyond Powerful Reform with
Shallow Roots
The core of the organization, characterized by
principles, philosophy, and values, influences
processes like feedback, communication, dialogue,
sense making and relationships.
These processes in turn support what emerges
from the organization - ownership, renewal,
creativity, a safe and trusting environment,
engagement and self-organization.
Bower, D. (2006) Sustaining School Improvement. Ohio University (USA)

33. Beyond Powerful Reform with
Shallow Roots
Wheatley (1992) explains that freedom and order,
while seeming to be a paradox, actually are
partners. Allowing autonomy at the local level
creates freedom that finds a natural order through
self-organization. The result is more coherence
and continuity.
Bower, D. (2006) Sustaining School Improvement. Ohio University (USA)

34. Acknowledgement:
http://mckennasgoogleearthproject.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/tropical-rainforest-food-web.html

35. Photo Credit: incurable_hippie (https://www.flickr.com/photos/49503155381@N01/4914098416/) via http://compfight.com
How’s Your Reservoir of
Hope & Joy?

36. Photo Credit: Eustaquio Santimano (https://www.flickr.com/photos/25509772@N00/5211134786/) via http://compfight.com
How Will You Refill Your
Reservoir?