Strategies for Sustaining Improvement

Force Field Analysis Force Field analysis is based on the idea that there are forces that drive change and forces that resist change. First one must understand the reasoning for the proposed change. Next there must be a clear idea and a clear understanding of what the proposed change is. After that the forces driving the change and the forces resisting the proposed change must be identified.  Once they are identified, points can be assigned to those forces in order to ascertain whether the change is reasonable. If it is decided that the change is reasonable and needed, then one must work toward reducing the strength of the forces resisting the change and strengthening the forces driving the change. Delphi Method The Delphi method is frequently used by principals in order to provide a deeper understanding of ways to identify what is working for the school and to look at future changes the school might need. In the Delphi method participants are asked to respond to surveys or questionnaires usually conducted through email. After each correspondence the facilitator summarizes the answers and sends those summaries to the participants. The participants in this way are able to view the answers of other participants and learn from those answers. As the process continues and the understanding of the group deepens, the number of responses decreases as the participants work toward an agreed-upon understanding Nominal Group Technique In the nominal group technique participants are broken up into small groups with one facilitator. Each group participant silently writes down his or her perceived issues. No discussion is allowed. Then each participant shares with the small group what he perceived as the issue. The facilitator writes these on if on a flipchart with no discussion other than the explanation of the participant. Next the facilitator leads the group in discussing the perceived issue in order to clarify the subject. Participants are then asked to rewrite all the perceived issues from the group and rate them. All of these strategies are viable tools that could be effective for sustaining improvement.  However, I think the success of the strategy depends on the leader understanding the possible perceived issues as well as the attitude of the participants. The Force Field Analysis, which leans on being able to overcome the resistance to change, requires a group knowledgeable about district or school regulations that would be needed in order to overcome resistance to change.  For example, how much time could be allocated to teacher training, or how much of the budget could be allocated to a new parent communication system? The second system, the Delphi Method, allows participants some modicum of anonymity, so would be effective with participants who would be reluctant to speak up in a large group.  The third method, the Nominal Group Technique, relies on participants who are comfortable with working in small groups and contributing their opinion while being open to other opinions without feeling pressured to change their own.