Do you know the difference between "technical change" and "adaptive change?" Most change in schools involves technical change, making small tweaks to "improve" what we're already doing. On the other hand, adaptive change, as defined by Harvard’s Ron Heifetz, is more about changing culture, worldview, and self-worth. Adaptive changes  are hard to make, and they require a reimagination of work at the most basic levels. Instead of “playing around the edges,” we atempt changes that really get to the core of our beliefs and values.

The work of leadership is to constantly keep redefining the destination.

In many ways, it arguable that we're not doing the right thing for kids in schools today. But when we suggest that, people get defensive with anger, confusion, and uncertainty. That's what happens when we challenge their deeply-held beliefs. Doing the right thing in schools means more than adding a piece of technology here and a change in curriculum there. The goal is to go FROM a traditional teaching culture TO a modern learning culture. That requires letting go of much of our legacy practice and our entrenched notions of learning. And it requires being committed to rethinking and examining what we do. Creating an environment of inquiry, of creation, and connection is a great place to start.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

The Human Side of School Change: Reform, Resistance, and the Real-Life Problems of Innovation by Robert Evans

The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World by Marty Linsky and Ronald Heifetz

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