Thriving in Complexity

CORE Education Breakfast Seminar
Jennifer Garvey Berger
22.08.2017

• Cynefin Framework
  Predictable vs. non-predictable (Complex, complicated, Chaotic, Obvious)
  
  How do we act in these unpredictable ways
• Teaching ebs and flows with the moment

Take-away:  We take things that are working in one school really well and think we can apply this to another school in order to create success.  This doesn't work - context, clientele etc...  Over simplified solution.  REFLECT ON THIS.

Leaders job in these complex situations is to calm the nervous system - stop the panic!

GAP analysis (future we want, figure out how far away we are from it, make a plan) great if you are in a predictable world.  In our unpredictable world this doesn't work and narrowing in on a target can be detrimental.  Mind the Gap, vs, Nudge the System.

1. Ask different questions (what's not being said?, if things were improving what would I hear more of?  What stories are people telling?)
2. Take multiple perspectives.  Listen.  Two types of listening (formulating a defense, trying to fix someones problem).  Who are you listening to?  How are you listening to them?  Even if you don't agree, you will learning something.
3. Look at systems not individual events.

“In study after study, researchers find that if people are unclear about where they are going, they’ll just default to their old patterns and habits.”

1. “if you’re not failing, you’re not actually being particularly experimental).” 
   
   “The point isn’t to be the hero and solve things; the point of the leader in a complex world is to enable and unleash as many heroes and as many solutions as possible.”

These above quotes help to focus on delegation in my team and the tension between leadership and management that is subtly an issue in all of Learning Communities that I have lead.  In teaching there is often the teacher who is a great events manager.  We need to make these individuals feel incredibly important whilst teaching them how this is one important aspect but not 'leadership' in its entirety.

The above listening points need to guide me in the video appraisal process that we have undertaken.

Looking at systems in Ararau, communication around tidbit information is really important.  However, systems for delegation and teacher voice work well for most.