Sheninger's (2014) Six Elements of Change

This week, I chose to take on option 1, which is to discuss the six elements that Sheninger suggests drives change. Sheninger (2014) talks about six secrets of change, which consists of: loving your employs, connecting peers with purpose, prevailing through building capacities, learning is the work, being transparent, especially when it comes to rules and policies, and having effective learned systems. Sheninger (2014) writes, “Loving your employees is about helping them all find meaning, increased skill development, and personal satisfaction by making contributions that simultaneously fulfill their own goals and the goals of the organization (Fullan, 2008, p.25)” (p. 54-55).

An organization is nothing without its members. A leadership team is nothing without its members. Positive outcomes are not possible without members that feel appreciated and cared for. An organization must have a purpose. Leadership teams must ensure their purpose in developing their members, which consists of being transparent in everything they do. When it comes to policies, systems in place, rules and guidelines. Expectations must be shaped with purpose in mind and members must know that learning is challenging and takes hard work and effort. Effective organizations connect their peers with purpose in mind where their teams are able to collaborate with others in the district or field that influence positive change on their members and organization.

Kim and Frick (2011) state, “Fostering motivation to learn is one of the key principles for effective instruction (American Psychological Association, 1993; Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000)” (p. 2). As a leader in technology, team members must be motivated and eager to develop and grow. Such motivation comes from knowledgeable leaders who implement constructive and transparent systems that assist with daily practices and policies.

Knowing the six elements of change and how my district runs, I could change the overall practices related to teacher attrition, connections throughout the district, adult education, policies, and systems used.  Sheninger (2014) states, “The effectiveness of distributed leadership resides in the human potential available to be released within an organization, an emergent property of a group or network of individuals in which group members pool their expertise (Gronn, 2000)” (p. 55). My district needs to do more collaborative work that is concentrated on our staff members and teacher happiness, development, and future. My district is amazing at using data to analyze student achievement; therefore, I would concentrate most of my time ensuring teachers are challenging themselves when it comes to technological opportunities and ensuring they are seeking advice from leading, successful teachers. When teachers expose their peers to what works in their classrooms, especially related to technology, they are not only collaborating effectively, but improving teacher knowledge and helping their peers implement effective lessons using technology that advance students achievement.

Resources

Kim, K. J., & Frick, T. W. (2011). Changes in student motivation during online learning. Journal

of Educational Computing Research, 44(1), 1-23.

Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand

Oaks, CA: Corwin.