THE CHALLENGE OF CULTURE CHANGE:

EMBEDDING RESTORATIVEPRACTICES IN SCHOOLS

Based on presentation by Margaret ThorsborneManchester, 2005

andpaper by Blood and Thorsborne - IIRP website www.iirp.org (follow links to IIRP conference papers “Building a Global

Alliance”, Sydney, 2005)

Organisations with a traditional culture no

longer produce anywhere close to the results required….and these cultures are extremely resilient…….highly resistant to change

Lee, 2004

Culture is the result of messages that are received about what is really valued. People align their behaviour to these messages in order to fit in. Changing culture requires a systematic and planned change to these messages, whose sources are behaviour, symbols and systems.

Taylor, 2004

MESSAGE MANAGEMENTMESSAGE MANAGEMENT

• Messages from behaviour:

The management team and those considered important are watched by others

• Messages from symbols: Actions, decisions and situations visible to a large

number of people - and to which they attribute meaning• Messages from systems: How your organisation rewards, measures, manages

and communicates what is important Taylor, 2004

TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGETRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE

The most significant determinant of your organisation’s culture will be the leadership style

of managers at all levels

Lee, 2004

TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESSTRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESS

….will change mind-sets, target values and build

a culture which can truly support new strategies and organisational aspirations.

However it can only be driven by passionate and persistent leadership at the top.

Therefore, transformational change begins with transforming the mind-sets of managers.

Lee, 2004

STAGESSTAGES

1. Gaining Commitment

2. Developing a Shared Vision

3. Developing Responsive and Effective Practice

4. Developing a Whole School Approach

5. Professional Relationships

MAKING A CASE FOR CHANGEMAKING A CASE FOR CHANGE

Building the case for investing in cultural improvement requires a thorough

understanding of the cost of the current culture

Taylor, 2004

FIVE FUNDAMENTAL FIVE FUNDAMENTAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICESLEADERSHIP PRACTICES

• Challenging the process

• Inspiring a shared vision

• Enabling others to act

• Modeling the way, and

• Encouraging the heartKouzes & Posner (1997)

BUILDING A CASE FOR CHANGEBUILDING A CASE FOR CHANGE

Identifying the need (the cost of current practice):

• Qualitative data - wide dissatisfaction with the ineffectiveness of current practice - conversations in staff rooms and staff meetings, student and parent feedback, school reviews, union involvement

• Quantitative data -survey data e.g. bullying, student safety and well-being/mental health; exclusion and suspension rates, detention rates, overuse of time-out facilities, student absences, staff absences, stress/sick leave, measures of student engagement/disengagement, academic results, retention figures………need to unpack data for meaning

ESTABLISHING BUY-INESTABLISHING BUY-IN

• Share school data and RJ research with senior and middle managers, student support services, governing bodies, parent bodies, local government and other agencies

• Engage senior levels in the department (at state, regional and district offices) professional bodies e.g. principal’s associations, unions

• Identify schools which are ready to take up organisational change - negotiate an MOU regarding obligations, accountabilities, support mechanisms

• Identify dedicated leadership team within the school to anchor the change program

DEVELOPING A SHARED VISIONDEVELOPING A SHARED VISION

Key people must be clear about the organisational goals - what the organisation will look like when they get there - and being very clear about what they want to measure and how that will happen and why it is important

But more than anything, they must understand that this will mean, in all likelihood, a change in the culture - that is, “how we do things around here” or “how we do everything around here”

PREFERRED OUTCOMESPREFERRED OUTCOMES• Shift towards positive relationship

management• Balance between prevention, intervention and

crisis management• Improvement in statistics (detention, time-out,

suspensions, exclusions, absenteeism,) & increased options for managing behaviour

• Staff who are struggling with discipline are identified early and supported in meaningful ways

• Quality and nature of the dialogue about kids is supportive

PREFERRED OUTCOMES PREFERRED OUTCOMES (CONTINUED)(CONTINUED)

• Case management approach to problem-solving

• Classroom teachers solve more issues themselves

• Students are self-regulating and better problem-solvers

• Survey data shows improvements over a variety of measures (e.g. safety, wellbeing, school connectedness, staff morale and stress levels, parent satisfaction)

• Greater engagement in curriculum, increased retention rates

TRAINING, MAINTENANCE AND TRAINING, MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORTSUPPORT

• What model of training is to be used (given adult learning needs)?

• Who gets trained and in what order?• Costs of training? Funding sources?• Managing staff turnover and relief teachers, and

induction for new students and their families• Collegial support and supervision• Ongoing CPD and access to latest research• Increasing the range of options• Networking

MONITORING FOR QUALITY MONITORING FOR QUALITY STANDARDSSTANDARDS

The acquisition of new skills requires coaching in a climate of encouragement, honest

feedback and support particularly when we are shifting from ingrained traditional approaches………….data collection, continuous improvement loop and

professional dialogue

MONITORING AND SUPPORTING MONITORING AND SUPPORTING BEST PRACTICEBEST PRACTICE

• RP coordinator - staffing implications• Integrity of practice amongst senior and middle

managers• Collegial support and resourcing for preparation,

facilitation and debriefing for high level interventions e.g. conferences

• Supportive approach to supervision of Restorative Practice

• Access to latest research/reading• Provision of high quality ongoing PD

Whole School(Big Picture)

Preferred Outcomes

Whole School(Big Picture)

Preferred Outcomes

Best Practice

System and SchoolImperatives

Hierarchy of Responses(proactive-reactive)

Relational/RestorativePhilosophy

Behaviour Mgt PolicyReview & Development

VERTICAL CONSISTENCYVERTICAL CONSISTENCY

• PHILOSOPHY

• POLICY

• PROCEDURES

• PRACTICE

MANAGING THE TRANSITIONMANAGING THE TRANSITION

• Identify core group to lead• Keep up the dialogue • Take a long term strategic approach (3-5 years)• Understand the tensions• Work first with interested staff• Leave old structures/processes in place in parallel• Involve as many staff as possible in restorative processes• Explain decisions, share improvements in data, stories • Use a restorative approach for staff matters• Walk the talk and hold steady in the face of criticism• Participate in professional forums and networks

TIMEFRAME & INDICATORS TIMEFRAME & INDICATORS OF CHANGEOF CHANGE

12-18 12-18 monthsmonths

Changing dialogue. Pockets of practice. Improved statistics. Gaining Commitment. Increased options for managing behaviour.

12-24 12-24 monthsmonths

Altered dialogue & processes. Alignment of policy & procedure. Increased skill development. School community commitment.

TIMEFRAME & INDICATORS OF TIMEFRAME & INDICATORS OF CHANGE CHANGE (Continued)(Continued)

24- 36 24- 36 monthsmonths

Embedding of practice at all levels. Altered operating framework. Reviewing policy and procedure.Creative solutions emerge.

4-5 years4-5 years Best Practice. Behaviour change embedded. Cultural change across school

community.

WIDENING THE LENSWIDENING THE LENS

By thinking more broadly

within a whole school approach

it becomes possible to see where else restorative philosophy can be applied

PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPSPROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Promote openness, honesty, transparency and fairness

• Use Restorative Approaches for managing staff issues

• Challenge practice & behaviour in a supportive way

• Engage whole staff and wider school community• Management walking the talk

DIFFUSION MODEL OF DIFFUSION MODEL OF INNOVATIONINNOVATION

3% 34% 34%13% 16%

EarlyAdopters

Innovators LaggardsEarlyMajority

LateMajority

Rogers, 95