The model of Continuous Improvement Process and Sustaining Educational Change comprises eight essential steps that guide school leaders during the change management process. They include the identification of the current situation (where we are?), needs assessment, focus development, planning, professional development activities, implementation of interventions, evaluation, and reformulation of objectives (Speck, 1996). When applying this model, different process tools can be used at each of the outlined stages. In this discussion, I would like to talk about the Cause-and-Effect Analysis tool (also known as the Ishikawa Diagram or the Fishbone Diagram) that can be of great help throughout the needs assessment and planning stages.
The selected tool allows evaluating a single problem from multiple angles and identifying a variety of causes that contribute to it. Therefore, the Cause-and-Effect Analysis assists in choosing the right and the most effective solutions to an issue that requires changing (Slameto, 2016). The process tool has four steps: identification of the problem, detection of the major factors involved, finding of causes, and collected data analysis (“Cause and effect analysis,” n.d.). For instance, knowing that the school aspires to achieve greater performance excellence, I would explore personnel, administrative processes, workplace culture, and other factors that may interfere with change. Consequently, I would try to find specific causes contributing to the problem in each of these areas by drawing the cause-and-effect diagram and then would analyze it in detail. Noteworthily, this tool may also be utilized to assess the organizational readiness for change – individual factors that prevent participants and stakeholders from engaging in the process of changing successfully and willingly (Spiro, 2011). Factors and causes that may be evaluated in this case include lack of knowledge, low perceived benefits of change, and so forth.
It is possible to expect a positive reaction to this introduced process tool from the group since it fosters an easier and comprehensive analysis of challenges faced by schools in their endeavors to realize their visions, missions, and goals. As stated by Slameto (2016), it allows getting a deep insight into the root causes of the problem by examining a multitude of its layers, starting from the most evident symptoms and then specifying the tiniest details. For this reason, both the group and fellow colleagues will likely find the Fishbone Diagram extremely beneficial.
References
- Cause and effect analysis. (n.d.). Web.
- Slameto. (2016). The application of fishbone diagram analysis to improve school quality. Dinamika Ilmu, 16(1), 59.
- Speck, M. (1996). Best practice in professional development for sustained educational change. ERS Spectrum, 14(2), 33-41.
- Spiro, J. (2011). Leading change step-by-step: Tactics, tools, and tales. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.