Change Facilitator Styles

I have recently had a chance to participate in a District level initiative called Leadership Academy.  The Leadership Academy is a set of professional development modules based on a variety of important themes for administrators.  For example, there is a module of resolving conflict, a module for building positive relationships etc.  Altogether there are 10 modules.  There is planning in place to extend these modules. 

The module I had a chance to work on is called Module 5 and it has to do with technology and how teachers implement and use technology and how administrators can move teachers across the implementation bridge quickly and smoothly.  I was lucky enough to be chosen to be a member of the design team.  Being on the design team involves attending planning meetings, debating the merits of the ideas discussed at the meetings, formulating the module and then facilitating the PD session for District administrators.  Then coming back together as a team to edit and revise the modules based on the feedback we received from participants.

I had the opportunity to help facilitate a session on December 9 with all the assistant principals in Calgary Catholic.  In order to do this I developed a website with the materials from the module embedded within it.  All in all, it was a good experience to do this.  Although we did encounter some technology glitches, (connectivity issues) we were more or less able to proceed as planned.  It did give us food for thought however on the direction of future modules and how they would involve or make use of digital technology. 

Anyway, my point to all of this is that the material I am currently reading on Hall’s Change Facilitator Styles really speaks to the development of professional development activities for administrators.  One of the criticisms of the Leadership Academy that has come to light from my reading is that although we have thought about differentiation we have not considered it from the perspective of various leadership styles.  This becomes significant because in a roomful or administrators there is bound to be a variety of overlapping leadership styles.  An activity might respond well to the needs of an initiator type of administrator however it might not meet the needs of a responder type administrator. 

All in all, my experience on the design team has been very beneficial for my future development as an administrator and professional development leader.   Gaining a perspective on change facilitator styles will be invaluable as I sit on future committees charged with planning PD interventions.