What are the levers for change?
As you think about opportunities for change in your own community, what are the three most
important levers that could be utilized to mobilize for such change – e.g., are
there particular funders who could be engaged, institutions that are looking to
make changes, individual educators or lay leaders who have the credibility to
lead change, events taking place in the wider community that could catalyze
change in the Jewish community, etc.?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Adrian A. Durlester on -
Jonathan:
You talk so much about empowering learners to be part of shaping their educational experience-and I think that this is one of the biggest potential levers-the learners, i.e. the greater community of people seeking familiarity, wisdom, knowledge, etc. They are by far the largest constituency-and they vote with their feet and their dollars. They have only to overcome the obstacle we place before them-that self-defeating attitude once so sadly prevalent that "we know what's best for them."
Social Media is also a big potential lever-and it ties in to the previous lever, in that it is an agent of empowerment for the learning community.
Finally, I believe the philanthropists among us-those who are willing to support projects that think outside the box, and even outside the extant institutional framework, they are the third lever that comes to mind.
I know your post is asking us to think more locally than I have, but I wanted to first consider this more globally.
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Permalink Reply by Steven Kraus on -
In my work travels I have encountered situations in which there were absolutely no effective levers that could be utilized to mobilize change. These are/were situations in which the head of a school had arrogated to himself or had been given almost absolute power by everybody in the community, including funders and lay leaders. Either out of a sense of respect or because they were too tired to continue to fight, all potential change agents stewed silently or complained among themselves. It was only when the head of school decided to leave on his terms that anything happened.
Sometimes we just can't help to facilitate change.
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Permalink Reply by Richard D Solomon, PhD on -
In the work I have done in organizational change of schools and school syterms I offer these thoughts.
1. People are open to change in general, but not in particular.
2. People are open to change, when the change is perceived to personally help them.
To facilitate organizational change it is best to understand that the innovation what ever it is must be supported and encouraged by these dimensions:
1. Top down: i.e. policy makers
2. Bottom up i.e. implementors
3. Inside out: i.e how the implementors convey the change within and outside of the organization
4. Outside in: i.e. The institutions outside of the organization that supports the innovation
When these forces work together innovation will be expedited. This is the challenge.
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