On 24th May 2006 Michael Fullan, an international expert on educational change and school improvement, gave the R Priestly Lecture in the School of Education. His lecture entitled “Beyond Turnaround Leadership” was introduced by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Michael Sterling. The following is a review by a member of staff of the School who specialises in educational management and leadership.

In an inspirational lecture Michael Fullan reviewed his internationally-recognised work on leading and managing change. He spoke of developing a ‘bias for action’ underpinned by building capacity in schools and colleges that is focused on improving results; by learning in context, that is ‘on the job’, and so changing the culture to one that will welcome and embrace change; and by learning with and from each other, reflecting the current emphasis on schools working together in local partnerships. Most of all, Michael emphasised the need to capture the hearts and minds of those we work with, developing their sense of ownership of the difficult and often problematic changes that need to be implemented, remembering that people’s behaviours tend to change - consequent on success of course - before their more deep-seated values. Nevertheless he went on to argue that change is a complex process that requires a clear vision or sense of direction. However he warned against producing over-elaborate and long-term written plans, of the ‘implementation dip’ in that short-term failure tends to precede medium and long-term success and that too many changes produce overload and fatigue. Michael talked about the key role of leaders, emphasising their humility, their commitment and their key role as “energisers” to build up leadership capacity in others, so as to ensure succession and to secure long-lasting change. Importantly, he warned of the dangers of charismatic leaders as being negatively associated with the sustainability of change. Michael’s website at www.michaelfullan.ca is accessible for those who wish to explore his ideas further, in particular click on ‘UK and Ireland Pre-read’.

Des Rutherford
June 2006

Michael Fullan, Professor Michael Sterling, Vice Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, Professor Clive Harber (Head of School)