3 Establishing a change team

Ownership of change is critically important. Leaders cannot make change happen themselves. They must work through others and influence them to cooperate. This is best achieved where there is a climate of positive teamwork and commitment to learning together and making improvements.

One technique that has proved very useful is to establish a change team. It is important that changes are not wholly dependent on the leader and that there is wider ownership from those who will be responsible for its implementation.

Figure 5 You will need to establish a change management team.

Composing the change team and determining its brief will depend on your context. However, there are some key factors to be considered:

1. Champions: Some staff and stakeholders will be more enthusiastic than others and/or be more able in terms of understanding what is involved. It is important that some of them are involved in driving the change forward. This may challenge assumptions often held that power and influence derive from seniority. Younger staff may well be more able to address change.
2. Representation: If the change is significant it will affect all stakeholders, and your change team needs to be representative of all aspects of the school community. It might include staff with responsibility, younger staff, staff from different subject areas and SMC members, as well as parents, community members and students.
3. Challenge: Although tempting to consider including only those who support the change, there can be merit in including some who are unsure of the change or oppose it. This allows issues to be addressed during planning and shows that the views of all are considered.
4. Size of team: Do not make the team too large or it will become hard to manage and secure agreement. The size may depend on the school size, but six to eight is probably a good number and there will be problems if you go much above ten.
5. Organising the team: You need to decide whether team members are representing different groups and, if so, how they share information with their colleagues or peers and ensure that they reflect the views of those they represent. It may be that the members are not expected to be representatives of a group, and that communication to the wider groups will come from the team as a whole and/or you as a leader.
6. Role of the team: You will need to determine the extent of the team’s brief; what are the limits of their power? Are they advising, recommending or making decisions? If they are making decisions, within what limits?
7. Your role: Delegation is a sophisticated skill and there must be clear understanding of what the team can and cannot do. This will depend on your involvement. Nothing can be more frustrating for a group than to spend much energy on determining what will happen, only for a leader to dismiss its suggestions completely. It is likely that you will want to attend some meetings and, even more importantly, get regular feedback from the group about progress being made. Resist any temptation to take over the group while you are there!
8. Chair of the group: Your role with the change group will be simplified if a chair is appointed (and you can decide whether you appoint the group or allow the group to choose its own chair) so that you can liaise regularly and influence ongoing activity and ensure communication with the wider staff and stakeholder groups.
9. Subgroups: If the change is complex, then at some stage you may wish to establish other small groups to examine particular aspects of the proposed change in detail.
10. Timescale: You should be clear about timescales but be prepared to review these regularly. Most changes take longer than originally thought and it is better (within reason) to ensure understanding and thorough planning rather than start too soon without adequate preparation.