Strong Schools, Strong Leaders: What Matters Most in Times of Change

Citation

Kurland, S. (2011), "Strong Schools, Strong Leaders: What Matters Most in Times of Change", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 49 No. 1, pp. 107-109. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578231111102126

In Strong Schools, Strong Leaders, Perry P. Wiseman presents a roadmap for progressive school leadership. In this book, he sets about creating a workable plan that enables school leaders to construct strong educational environments in amorphous and chaotic times. Four foundations, or goals, are the basis of Wiseman's design for enlightened leadership: Listening to People and the Environment, Building Agreements, Co‐creating Purpose, and Fostering Effective Teams. Additionally, Wiseman offers practical advice in the form of (p. 8) “models [that] illustrate the relationship among ideas, the school, and the real world”. These explanations demonstrate the application of these Foundations within a school environment and present examples for implementation. The book is designed to guide the reader down the pathway to becoming a foundational leader, one who diverges from the traditional autocratic way to create a more cooperative and sustainable community, able to meet the challenges of increasing economic woes and global competition.

The first Foundation presented is Effective Listening. Wiseman divides this skill into two equally relevant parts, which are similar to the changing visual perspectives viewed through a microscope versus a wide‐angle lens. The close‐up version involves listening intently to individuals and groups within your organization. People who are not involved in the change mechanism may be more reticent to buy into the process. To increase the chance of success, Wiseman offers methods of eliciting input from everyone tasked with implementing change. The longer view entails taking in the entire picture. The foundational leader must be able to discern whether all parties are expressing their points of view or if only the strongest voices are being heard. Supportive guidance for giving credence to all the opinions and gleaning the big picture from the disparate pieces is provided.

Wiseman reminds the reader that (p. 25) “Relying on the group, whose collective intelligence surpasses the brainpower of any single individual, creates wisdom”. To assure this, Wiseman imparts five specific methods for eliciting participation. The Nominal Group Technique; Mind Mapping; Storyboarding; Spend a Dot; and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT), all require group participation. Another method, Open Space Technology (OST) is explored in detail. Wiseman explains that (p. 30) “although uncomplicated, [OST] is designed to tackle major issues, which increase in complexity [and] is appropriate for urgent and important issues”. This method requires that the leader relinquish control of a meeting but results in the creation of a variety of ideas and solutions. Wiseman cautions that following through with this plan is crucial to preserving trust and on‐going commitment from the community.

Building Agreement is the second Foundation, which addresses the inherent problems of transformation and the need to establish norms to combat them. Clearly defined norms produce a framework for achieving a common goal. Managing, and not eliminating, conflict is the desired result. Some conflict is necessary to avoid stagnation within the fluid environment of a school. What the functional leader aims to achieve is the creation of a school culture that (p. 44) “promote[s] trust, respect, inclusiveness, openness, and effective decision‐making”. To attain this, Wiseman presents a cyclical model. This continuously self‐assessing process allows for reforming norms based on common values and principles, while maintaining a solid foundation in the face of internal and external challenges. A scenario demonstrates its application. In this way, the reader is able to understand how one might guide staff through the evolution of behavioral guidelines amid the interpersonal flux inherent during organization change. Wiseman reminds us that all behaviors can be modified through persistence and incremental adjustments.

The next Foundation, Co‐creating Purpose, involves the development of a group rationale. A three‐step process provides a guide by which to move a school community from a myriad of individual intentions to an overarching school purpose. Finding points of convergence is the key. Self‐assessment affords a vehicle for finding common ground. This (pp. 75‐6) “interconnection between individual purposes [evolves into a vision of the] core values of the school [and, ultimately, into the] shared purpose of the school”.

Collective purpose is evolves out of effective communication. Two distinct methods provide the practical application. The first, “Future Search Meeting Design,” is a multi‐day meeting plan, which enables participants to focus on the future to find their points of agreement. The World Café, the second strategy, (pp. 86‐8) “move[s] individuals toward collective awareness … [by engaging them in] meaningful conversation”. Both appear to be effective methods for evolving common goals between the disparate individuals within a school community.

Wiseman introduces the final Foundation by reminding us that, (p. 89) “with the ever‐changing economy, accompanied by so many external pressures, the success of schools stands on the shoulders of effective teams”. He examines the interconnectivity of the Foundations and emphasizes employing all of them is necessary to arrive at the ultimate goal of building (p. 89) “institutionalize[d] synergetic teamwork”. Several well‐established teambuilding methods are outlined. Wiseman suggests using them in tandem, as each targets a different element of this complicated process. “A Proverbial Process” is a general, multipurpose method. It not only provides a process by which (pp. 93‐6) “teams [can] balance their tasks and relationships productively,” but also endows the foundational leader with insight into dynamics of teambuilding. “Seventeen Characteristics of Effective Teams” is another all purpose teambuilding model. It is uncomplicated and affords a conceptual framework for teams to follow (p. 98‐101). “Survey of Team Characteristics” is a method for determining common links between individuals, an essential step in developing teams (p. 101‐105).

Application guidance for the busy, school administrator is given through a detailed examination of “The Five Most Essential Characteristics of Effective Teams” This final method is an expeditious means of blending team members and a simple, first step in the teambuilding process (p. 105). Each of the five characteristics is explored, and explicit strategies for applying each one are provided. Wiseman cautions that strategies may be more or less effective, depending on the environment in which they are employed, and suggests a trial and error mentality is mandatory. According to Wiseman (p. 119) “The only way to become at teambuilding is to try new things” and not to be discouraged when things do not work.

The final plan for putting the ideas of Strong Schools, Strong Leaders into action takes the prospective foundational leader through four implementation steps: Frame, Assessment, Diagnosis, and Planning and Action. Once more, Wiseman shows us how these concepts might work within a functioning school environment. He ends with an idealized vision of a school environment led by proactive, progressive leader, who understands what is necessary to make a school community viable and sustainable.

Many of the ideas expressed in this book can be found in other works about leadership, teambuilding, and conflict resolution. What Perry Wiseman manages to achieve is a useful synthesis of multiple ideas and strategies, presented in a compact, readable form. He imparts his ideas clearly and backs them up with ample examples, which ably move the reader from theory into practice. This book contains information that would be of interest to any school administrator, regardless of length of tenure in that capacity. It would be especially valuable to a novice school leader or anyone needing an easily comprehensible roadmap for guiding and molding a fragmented school into a functional, unified community.