Running Head: LEADING IN A CULTURE OF CHANGE 1

The British Council

Leadership Programme
Workshop 6: Leading Effective Change Management
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Leading in a culture of change

Leading subordinates through change to create an encouraging positive culture to foster

students’ learning and adults’ grow were challenging tasks for me as an “Academic Director”

who accepted a challenging job in a newly established school known with its closed culture, as

well as their traditional teaching approaches. Establishing “Professional Learning Community”

(PLC) was my magic key to change teachers’ traditional mind set to foster learning and inspire

curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking within their students. Interactive teaching methods can

help transform the classroom into an environment where students enjoy the learning process, and

teachers can effectively nurture their talents , as I believed in Kotter’s statement “ Leadership

defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make

it happens despite the obstacles” (Kotter, 1990.) I enrolled in “Leadership Programme” to be my

compus while leading my organization to implement the best practices. Thus the 6th Workshop

was as a shining star in my dark sky it guided me through my journey for change.

To reach my goals to establish “Professional Learning Community” PLC, I followed the

“Situational Leadership” approach as well as implementing the change cycle to decrease conflicts,

uncertainty, and obstacles. In January, 2022 after Term 1, I was able to collect all the required data

about the students learning through; the clinical observation reports, students’ formative and

summative results, parents’ feedback, students’ surveys (KS2&3students) as well as teachers’

surveys concerning the adults learning and development. Data analysis showed how much teachers

suffered inside classes, as most of them Beginning Teachers and don’t trust Mid- Career / Veteran

teachers to reveal their fears while other teachers followed the easiest solutions regardless of its

effectiveness, even students asked for more interesting learning environment. By following the
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“Transformer Leadership” approach I communicated my vision assuring it is delivered and well

communicated to all the school personnel to energize, motivate, mobilize and inspire them about

the importance of self- learning as the researchers stated “The goal of their actions is to enhance

their effectiveness as professionals for the students’ benefit.” ( Astuto , Clark, Read, McGree &

Fernandez, 1993), and its impact on students’ engagement in learning . Communication was my

first step to change, addressing both sides’ teachers and school Top Management Team, I

succeeded to align them under one goal “To Grow”. During Term two; through following the

“Coaching” approach practices like “Peer Visits” to observe and to learn new teaching methods

from colleagues were effective, similarly, sharing new ideas or activities that are useful to our

goals on the staff bulletin board and giving the feedback about them helped in establishing

collaboration among teachers, delegating tasks to teachers and sharing in decision making by

following bottom – top policy were very useful as well. Believing in Kotter ( 1996) “Without an

appropriate vision, a transformation effort can easily dissolve into a list of confusing, incompatible,

and time consuming projects that go in the wrong direction or nowhere at all” (p. 7),

By May 2022, the school culture was opened and ready for the “Professional Learning

Community” through the four phases action plan framed with fixed timeline ending in May

2023. During this phase I was adapting the “Transactional Leadership” practices, as I was more

involved in managerial and observance tasks.

Phase one: Creating three committees with clear objectives “What I want to change? And Why

?”, assigned roles, and success criteria to follow up teachers’ development and its impact on
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improving students’ learning, to analysis students results, and social practices, to follow up

teachers’ and parents’ feedback. (Ongoing observation)

Phase two: May 15th 2022, Holding Departmental Meetings to discuss the department vision, the

teaching practices, and their action plan to enhance learning and the needed teaching resources

with HODs. Inviting top-teachers to use both the “Developmental, then the Feedback

Observations” to avoid conflicts, judgmental, and toxic workplace, as well as encouraging the

internal CPDs.

Phase three: June 1st 2022, in cooperation with the school Human Resources, The academic team

reviewed the teachers’ evaluation forms to identify their points of strength and the required

development areas, years of experience, and their previous trainings (if they had). HR Department

distributed Teachers Professional Development Forms to write their needs, and to assure bottom–

top decision making (Appendix 1)

Phase 4: June 15th 2022, the most important step, holding a faculty meeting with teachers to openly

discuss their teaching practices and the obstacles which faced them and how together we can grow

and develop through the designed training programme. The academic team listened to the opposing

opinions who were depressed, having doubts, resisting change. The discussions gave them insights

about important points the team missed, hence depending on their self – Confidence, social and

emotional intelligence they succeeded to lead their followers through the uncertainty. As Ethical

leaders, we act what we say to assure integrity, we provided their needs;

- Assign fixed dates in the school calendar for Internal CPDs instructed by “Veteran

Teachers” to share their expertise. (Appendix 2)

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- Decrease the workload for the engaged teachers; decrease the sessions from 24 classes to

12 classes, break duties, and afterschool programmes to provide time during the school day

to attend their on-line Diplomas.

- Be more open by providing external workshops and trainings to meet teachers from other

schools to exchange experiences.

To show support from the academic team, we convinced the school board to share with

25% of the external paid diplomas to maintain the teachers’ wellbeing and to encourage

them to learn. During July and August the school was able to provide professional paid

diplomas; TEFL – Teaching Young Learners – STEAM- ADHA Students in Classroom

from our partners; the British Council, NottingHill Collage, in addition to enrolling our

teachers and school personnel in the British Council “Teaching for Success” & “Child

Protection” programmes. October 15th 2022, most of the teachers were willing to share,

enthusiastic to learn, and we launched our eight month programme which ended in May

15th 2023. (Appendix 3 & 4)

During the development programme the committees observed the teachers practices to monitor

progress, provide feedback, ensure teachers have the support, and facilitate any problem. They

assess how teachers are implementing the content of professional development, and the impact of

professional development on student performance. It was clear that the teachers’ mindset changed

gradually and they were able to exceed the expectations by attaining (A & A*). It was noticeable

that teachers who engaged in the trainings, their self –confidence increased and become more open

to hear constructive feedback and embrace more challenging teaching methods; integrating
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learning with On-Line Applications, apply project-based learning , teachers’ subject-matter

knowledge increased , a greater understanding of learning, and a greater appreciation of students’

needs were the teachers’ target through reconstructing their short – term plans to address the

students learning styles. Training, Coaching and Support are very important tools in the change

cycle. The Academic Team assigned “Veteran Teachers / Change Champions” who attained high

grades in the professional diplomas to train their teams. Our goal was to follow up to ensure that

new practices are being effectively employed and all team members are on track to the desired

outcomes. This is most effectively done by ensuring that coaching is provided. Coaching is regular,

embedded professional development that helps the practitioners to move from training to the

actually sustained adaption of the new practice. Though Change is a complicated, long-term and

non-linear process, continuing change to happen, people’s attitudes, values and beliefs, and hence

the culture of the organization need to be reformed. Change, is often threatening for individuals

and groups involved, and therefore often involves conflict. There is no recipe with a list of

ingredients and simple steps, no detailed blueprint for leaders to follow for success. Thus by

following the traits of the sixth workshop, change cycle stages , and Situational Leadership style ,

I was able to maintain change by establishing PLC , even though we are still in the fourth stage

“Discovery”; working as the change is fully implemented, making adjustments and spreading best

practices, celebrating and Praising change champions, who Promote new ideas for change,

supporting the vision and motivating others by giving them the opportunities to then lead by

example. I believe that within three years I will be able to have a “Professional Learning

Community”.
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In conclusion , I am aiming to go further as I worked on changing the Teachers’ mind set and

supported them to grow , I have to work on improving the Students’ wellbeing, it is essential

because their well-being and academic excellence are intertwined. Schools should, therefore, not only

be a place for students to learn. They should also be a place where students’ wellbeing are prioritized,

while still delivering excellent instruction and learning activities.

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Appendix
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Appendix 3

Appendix 4
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References

Kotter, J. (1990, May-June). What leaders do. Harvard Business Review, p. 103-111.

Astuto, T.A., Clark, D.L., Read, A.-M., McGree, K & de Fernandez, L.K.P. (1993).

Challenges to dominant assumptions controlling educational reform. Andover, MA: Regional

Laboratory for the Educational Improvement of the Northeast and Islands.

Kotter, J. (1996). Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School.

Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.