Working At The Edge

Make School Different: Digital leadership & Transformation

#49 of 60: Structures and mindsets…which system structures and individual mindsets should we focus on for transformation? 🤔

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I have to admit I’ve not been all that drawn to the work of Michael Fullen over the past few decades, but his recent whitepaper, The Right Drivers for Whole System Success, is worth the read and has me intrigued.

I connected to his call for a new paradigm — a human-centered paradigm — in response to the current “bloodless” paradigm.

I  connected to his call for this new paradigm to be driven by an integration of two of the UN Sustainable Development goals — Goal #3 (good health and wellbeing) and Goal #4 (education).

I connected with the sense of urgency. We have a window of opportunity over the next ten years to rewrite a number of societal systems, including education. He terms it the “battle of the decade.”

In brief, Fullan argues that over the past four decades we have prioritized the “wrong drivers” leading to a lack of care, empathy and civic awareness among learners and graduates:

  • Academic obsession
  • Machine intelligence
  • Austerity
  • Fragmentation

He proposes that the above drivers are the “wrong drivers,” especially in isolation, but still have some value in the transformation process. Now transformation needs to be led by four new “right drivers” to “propel the human spirit”:

  • Wellbeing and learning
  • Social intelligence
  • Equality  investments
  • Systemness 

And the leadership for this change? It will have to come from bottom, middle and top of the organization. In other words, everyone in the system is a leader. (That’s the idea behind the “systemness” driver.)

Fullan doesn’t offer details on the “how.” The “how” will emerge within each context as leaders and organizations deepen their understanding of the drivers individually and in concert with one another.

The whitepaper goes into much more detail and the relationship between the “wrong drivers” and the “right drivers.” 

I’m intrigued. And interested in exploring the intersection between the drivers, systems thinking (particularly (1) the intersection of economic and political systems; and (2) the balance between changing system structures and mindsets), the NGLC Transformation Design framework shared in post #25, and spiral dynamics. 

Much to explore!

—–

âť“ Provocations:

Are we in the midst of a window of opportunity? Might we see a transformation of our education system within the next decade? How does the idea of “right” and “wrong” drivers resonate with you? Which “right” driver would be a good entry point in your learning environment?

đź’Ž Resource:

Education Reimagined: Leadership for a New Era – Michael Fullan presentation on the Right Drivers (13:00 – 30:00)

🧠 Mindsets:

Transformation

đź’ˇ Areas:

Leadership

Learning

📣 Drop your thoughts in the comments, or in the Facebook group, and feel free to share resources. 🔥🔥🔥

Randy Ziegenfuss
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