Reduce Change to Increase Improvement

Know your worth. Find your voice. Spread your wings - three sentences written into the inside cover of Viviane Robinsons latest book recently given to me by my course facilitator. With the spotlight on the impact on the learner – the relevance of this particular book was evident to each and every leader in the room.

Reduce Change to Increase Improvement is written by Viviane Robinson, a professor in the faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and academic director of the Centre for Educational Leadership.

“What do leaders need to do to improve outcomes?” and “How do they do it?”…The central focus of this book is based on 15 years of research and development work with leaders, based on detailed observation and analysis of coaching conversations and real situations in schools drawing out the types of leadership that are more likely to make a positive difference to students than others.

At the heart of this book is a comparison between two approaches to improvement – the bypass approach and the engagement approach and how leaders understand theories of action. There is some very practical advice on how to drill down into the beliefs and values that inform practice to get that deeper understanding of the forces that sustain the practices and outcomes that leaders wish to change.

As you read the book you engage with the thinking, understanding, planning, professional learning, action, and evaluative processes presented through a series of powerful reflection and action questions. This learning is supported by illustrations and extracts from actual cases of aspects of change.

For me, the greatest strength of the book is the highlighting of working with and through other people and the interpersonal and cognitive work this requires. There are chapters on understanding single and double loop thinking and how the use of respectful coaching skills can support engaging with and understanding the theories of action.

Change can be thrust upon school leaders or pursed through our own choice. It feels like a good time to be reminded that the very motivation that drives a shared sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo also drives a determination to reach for something better that has an impact on learners.

This book is a reminder about how complex change implementation is and if there is a way that planned change is undertaken less frequently and when it is, more successfully then as change leaders, we need to interrupt and transform that process.

Jasmine Miller Coaching works with schools and other organisations to guide them through this process. Get in touch to find out more.