In education, change management is a standard process of moving people, teams, organisations, or systems from a current state to a desired future one in order to enhance the outcomes. On an educational level, this involves strategic planning, communication, engagement with stakeholders, and leadership in order to integrate reforms successfully. With demands on digital transformation, inclusive education, and ultimately, the competition from global educational institutions, change management approaches must be adopted by educational institutions to ensure relevance and effectiveness.
Understanding Change Management in Education
Change management in education is systematic efforts transforming improvements by programmed interventions. Preparation for change, inclusion of stakeholders, ongoing communication, and application of established frameworks are key premises for successful educational transformation. These principles give sustainability and ownership of the change process as a whole among all involved in education.
Adjustments in curricula, teaching strategies, administrative processes, policies, and infrastructure could all be part of when a school would likely experience changes. To manage such transitions effectively and build systematic reliability in institutional operations, the British Academy for Training and Development offers the Maintenance and Reliability Masterclass (CMRP exam preparation) course.
Regardless of introducing new technology, using new types of assessment, or moving to student-centred learning, change and any associated transitions call for deliberate strategy and attention. Change has many affected people, such as students, teachers, administrators, and parents, and all must take coordinated action.
Why is change management in education important?
There are countless reasons why ensuring appropriate change management is important to a successful education and an invaluable learning experience.
1. Change management in schools
The years spent in school are the most formative years of anyone's life. They are the starting point, the building block for what we go on to do. Recently, Sage pointed out that these are the formative years when we build relationships, manage the interactions we have with others, and start to have experiences and process disagreements and struggles together. There are many reasons why effective change management is vital for the continued development of our children.
Cognitive development is vital, but so too is (or should be) the attainment of appropriate grades. The New York Times recently published the article entitled "The Incredible Shrinking High School Resume", showing that a year of terrible grades can make it hard for a high school student to find any college worth applying to. Manoeuvring change management is central to this problem.
Just recently, a study was conducted on teaching styles in schools that surveyed 540 teachers in 100+ secondary schools. The study determined that successful leadership results in continual improvement in schools. This translates into great teachers driving change.
It is worth acknowledging the study also mentioned that good leadership, which involves supervision of curriculum and timetable management, is correlated with academic achievement. Great teachers bring about change. In addition, the study pointed out that strong leadership associated with curriculum supervision and timetable management correlates to academic success.
2. Change management for higher education
Higher education may not be an avenue for all, but it does provide for the proper functioning of society. It creates a workforce that meets the changing demands for labour, driving innovation and economic growth. Since the early part of the new millennium, students pursuing higher education have been saddled with an almost insurmountable debt.
Tuition costs have risen 16 times since 1980, while consumer prices have increased only four times. Lately, there has been consideration for the growth of tuition coordinated with the growth of student loan debt, accumulating $1.6 trillion in the United States.
Now, student debt should not come as a surprise, but current rates raise concern. After all, colleges and universities are businesses. And for students to get the education they paid for, they better adapt. They need to implement change management in their strategic direction, including all stakeholders, from staff to students.
3. Enhancing Educational Quality
With the successful implementation of change management, instructional practices have improved, resulting in better student achievement and conducive learning environments. This is beneficial for the adoption of contemporary tools and methods by educators in the maintenance of sustainable high standards of excellence and engagement in serious competition on the world educational stage.
4. Conformity with Technological Change
The education field is undergoing rapid change owing to digitisation. Change management allows the implementation of technologies like learning management systems (LMS), artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and web-based platforms seamlessly, keeping them modern and delivering quality digital education.
5. Policy and Curriculum Reforms
Frequent policy reforms emerge from governments and educational boards. Change management enables the school and college systems to be aligned with the new legislation with a high degree of efficiency. It is useful for curriculum revision, staff retraining, and institutional strategy adjustment.
6. Empower Teachers and Administrators
Change is often a new skill and mindset demand. Change management gives priority to the professional development of staff members, whereby they may fit in with confidence. Engaged educators are more inclined to support and engage in change and improvement and create a culture of continuous improvement.
Best models for managing change in education
Navigating change management can feel overwhelming, but there are many different models to follow to enact change effectively.
1. Lewin's Model
Lewin's model for change management involves three steps: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. Unfreezing is the step that prepares stakeholders for change by creating understanding and urgency. Changing is the step where the desired change is taking place through the training and management of resistance. Refreezing is the reinforcement of the changes and ensures that new behaviours become institutionalised.
Through three prescribed steps, Lewin's model is helpful for guiding educational organisations through unfreezing old ways of thinking, integrating new ways of practising, and embedding change into the culture.
2. The McKinsey 7-S Framework
With the McKinsey 7-S Framework, a more comprehensive view of managing change in education can be taken. The 7-S Framework investigates the seven elements of strategy, structure, systems, shared values, skills, style, and staff, and the interdependence of these elements.
The model can pinpoint where things are aligned and gaps exist, as well as create action strategies to effect change. It emphasises the significance of shared values in the organisation, as well as continual communication and attending to all aspects of the organisation, particularly for the purpose of sustainability in change management in education.
3. Kotter’s 8-Step Process
The focus of Kotter’s 8-Step Process is on a variety of different aspects. Kotter’s process includes the following incremental stages, unlike other models:
1. Create urgency
2. Forming a guiding coalition
3. Develop a vision
4. Communicating the vision
5. Empowering action
6. Short-term wins
7. Consolidate gains
8. Anchor in changes
The model is extensive and needs to be interpreted in context to the educational environment, as it is not prescriptive.
4. The ADKAR Model
The ADKAR Model is another strategy that provides a structured approach to change management in education. It focuses on five key goals:
Awareness of the need for change
Desire to support it
Knowledge of how to change
Ability to implement new skills and behaviours
Reinforcement to sustain the change
The model stresses building change through clear communication. It provides training for new knowledge and uses reinforcement mechanisms like rewards and feedback to institutionalise changes over time.
5. Nudge Theory
Nudge theory proposes small changes to the environment to encourage people to behave in a preferred direction without limiting their choices. In education, nudging involves designing nudges that promote good behaviour, such as greater engagement, better study habits, or the adoption of new methods of teaching for students and teachers.
Best Practices for Improving Change Management in Education
Engage Stakeholders at All Levels: Engaging teachers, students, parents, and administrators throughout allows them to develop a sense of ownership in the change process, from design to implementation. Early engagement leads to greater buy-in, ownership, and implementation success.
Prioritise Small Wins: Celebrating small wins early in the implementation process creates a sense of achievement and keeps morale and motivation high. Small wins show that change can be effective, larger changes can be achieved, and will build confidence over time.
Be Flexible and Adaptable: Education is not one size fits all. Good change management involves listening to feedback and adjusting plans that meet the real-time needs of all stakeholders. Flexibility ensures that the change remains relevant and sustainable.
Frequent and Clear Communications: Communication is the best practice for engaging all stakeholders about timelines, roles, and their progress at every stage. Communicate incessantly and variably, and if needed, not just in print but also in digital channels to ensure good access. Stay in touch through meetings, emails, digital dashboards, newsletters and any way that provides adequate access for all interested stakeholders.
Create a Change Leadership Team: Identify a team of champions representing all roles and functions to lead the process. This team will motivate stakeholders, work through issues, and constantly renew the vision for change.