Thirteen Tips for Managing Change

Dennis Sparks, Executive Director of the National Staff Development Council, offers these 13 tips for managing the complex and difficult change process (Sparks, 1993):

1. Educate the leaders of change, including both principals and teachers.
2. Use a "systems" approach to ensure that all aspects of the school organization are considered when planning and implementing change.
3. Use a team approach that involves many stakeholders in the change process.
4. Share power with teachers and others to encourage the implementation of the change efforts.
5. Make plans, but "hold your plans loosely." Develop plans, but know that they will have to be adapted to change as needs change.
6. Realize that there is a tension between establishing readiness for change and the need to get people implementing new approaches quickly. While getting people intellectually ready for change is something to be considered, it should not take so much time and effort that people lose interest and motivation.
7. Provide considerable amounts of training and staff development for those involved. These activities can include everything from holding study groups to "on-the-dash" coaching.
8. Choose innovative practices for and with teachers that are research-based and "classroom friendly." Picking approaches that have been used or researched can help the implementation of those approaches.
9. Recognize that change happens only through people. The emotional effects of change on educators need to be considered and understood by all involved in the change process. Understanding resistance and working with it is key.
10. Be prepared for "implementation dip." Fullan (1993) and others note that things often get worse temporarily before improvement begins to appear.
11. Help educators and others develop an "intellectual understanding" of the new practices. While the outcomes are important to assess, people also need to understand the underlying meanings and functions of the practices.
12. Seek out "paradigm shifters" and "idea champions" who are interested in making substantial changes in practice.
13. Take the long view; realize that change takes time and should not be forced to occur too quickly.