It is always GREAT to see proof that expansive design-based thinking leads to tangible change. Last June I was honored to spend nearly three days with the faculty and staff of several schools in Winnetka School District 36. Winnetka has a decades-old commitment to progressive education rooted in the legacy and presence of none other [...]
How long does it take to really change a school? I have previously written that "organic" percolation of ideas might require 12-15 years before we see true system-wide change. Even highly intentional processes need 3-5 years to really take root. What if we shortened our horizon to 6 months? Is it possible? Have courage; it's [...]
Innovation takes time; it can be messy and uncomfortable, and there are times when even the keenest designer-thinker might well ask "are we ever going to get 'there'?" And then there is that moment of "ah-hah!", when the expansive thinking, discovery, research, brainstorming, and idea maps snap into focus. At the Tilton School, I am [...]
This is the final post of my five-part review of the state of innovation, prompted by a year-end summary by Paul Hobcraft. In "Innovation: the New Competitive Equation", The Business Performance Network published data from a survey of 200 CEO's about what they felt are the keys to successful innovation in their organizations and industries. I [...]
I am engaged in several year-plus design thinking efforts with schools and districts that are sincerely committed to finding and implementing user-centric solutions that create lasting value. The basic processes are those developed by the Stanford d.school and the Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation, along with others. At the Tilton School in New Hampshire (HT Kate Saunders [...]
Every school serious about change will struggle with the use of time. After our people, time is our most precious resource. Reimagining the use of time is one of the most impactful discussions your school will EVER have. Get it right and all sorts of innovation are possible. Make a few modest tweaks and almost all [...]
“How do we know that our innovation strategy is effective?” This question freezes many organizations, including schools, from creating an intentional, systematic approach to changing traditional practices. Organizations with effective innovation strategies have a portfolio of programs that spread resources (time, people, ideas, money) across a range of projects with varying levels of risk and [...]
What can the ricochet of an elusively aimed volleyball teach us about effective innovation in schools? Plenty. How an elite group of athletes and coaches deal with new ideas, growth mindset, organizational vision, leadership, uncertainty, and stress is a near-perfect analogue for other team-based groups, including schools and school districts. Fortunately, I have a window into one [...]
In his year-end summary of innovation best practices, Paul Hobart references discussions and key questions from the annual executive innovation summit held by consulting firm Innosight. The five key questions below are theirs from "Leading Transformation: 2015 CEO Summit"; the commentary on how these manifest in schools is mine. Is our balance of exploitation vs. [...]
What are the common obstacles to innovation in a school? What are the characteristics of a leader who can routinely overcome those obstacles? In my book #EdJourney, I identified fear, inertia, silos, and college admissions as some of the key obstacles to innovation and school. Now we can drill down into, and learn lessons from, similar studies [...]