Managing change in education: Put staff at the center

People are one of the most critical and unpredictable aspects of managing change in education.

Providing the right support during a change initiative can make all the difference in whether your staff can adapt and stay engaged. And it’s even more crucial for education staff, who are often already overwhelmed by new initiatives and the increasing pressure of their daily responsibilities.

To fight change fatigue and burnout on your next initiative, place people at the center. Data-driven insights into your staff and effective change leaders can help transform how your institution navigates change.

Take a data-based approach to support

You’re already leveraging test results and other forms of student data to gain insight into progress and how you can improve student outcomes. But what about your staff?

Talent assessment tools such as the Predictive Index can give you a deeper level of insight into your staff’s fundamental operating style and what motivates them. And with that data, you can make informed decisions about retention, efficiency, development and how to support them through change.

Leveraging your people data can help you: 

1. Build change resilience

Building change resilience, or the ability to adapt to changes, is a crucial part of helping your staff navigate the new initiatives they face each year.

When you have people data at your disposal, you can better understand how staff members may react to change. You’ll know where they’re most likely to be successful and where they’ll need the extra support, both on an individual level and on a larger scale.

And when your staff has the support they need to operate at their best, they’re more likely to feel resilient and approach change with confidence instead of resistance.

2. Address change fatigue

When implementing any initiative, you’re fundamentally asking staff to undergo an adaptive response.

People data can reveal how comfortable staff will be with those adaptations. It can also help you predict how those adaptations may impact energy or engagement levels, so that you can plan for how to sustain active involvement.

Develop effective change leaders

When leaders ask their teams to undergo major changes or adapt to something outside their comfort zones, leaders also need to provide the appropriate level of support to guide people through the process.

Leaders who are effective at supporting people through change know how to:

1. Focus on people

The most important role of a leader is to develop other people.

Leadership should be focused on enabling the success of their teams so that team members feel validated in their roles. If your leadership fails to consider the impact change may have on their team and operates more like individual contributors instead, then they’re not executing their leadership role effectively. 

2. Lead with vulnerability

Effective leaders should be leading from a position of vulnerability.

Leaders who are open about their struggles and challenges with change allow staff to share their own concerns, helping build trust.

Trust is critical for staff retention during times of change, especially for teachers. It’s easy for teachers to feel isolated if administrators and other leadership aren’t open to hearing their questions or challenges. And without the appropriate change support, they’re more likely to feel overwhelmed by new initiatives and leave.  

Leaders may not have all the answers to help a team member adapt to change. However, providing space for people to voice their concerns helps keep them engaged and provides an opportunity for leaders to coach people as they work through potential solutions. 

3. Enable open communication

Leading with vulnerability also makes it easier to open valuable feedback loops. Feedback loops let staff share their concerns about a change initiative’s unintended consequences, helping leadership identify concerns before they become implementation obstacles.

How Wipfli can help

Wipfli offers comprehensive services delivered by a dedicated team that includes former educational staff. We understand the challenges you face in navigating change, regulations, talent and technology, and we’re ready to provide tailored solutions.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help support your institution.