Effective School Management

Figure 17.6
Facilitator roles

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Transition Management
TRANSITION MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
The important point to appreciate in managing the change process is that the
management structures, style, etc., needed are distinctly different from those
that work best in managing the status quo. Separate arrangements are needed
for the two tasks, although the same people are usually involved in each,
albeit in different roles. Failure to provide an adequate structure for managing
a complex change programme is frequently the reason for an unsuccessful
programme. For example, a major extension of a school into another building
could involve the creation of a middle and lower school, affecting both the
subject departments and the pastoral system. The transition management
structure would have to secure the necessary changes in the work and roles
of the operating managers and to co-ordinate the new arrangements. If this
were delegated to the day-to-day operating management of the school, the
change would not be likely to be smooth.
A suitable transition management structure is likely to need
(1) the authority to mobilize the resources necessary to keep the change
moving;
(2) the respect of the existing operating leadership and of the proponents of
the change;
(3) the interpersonal skills needed to persuade people rather than coerce
them; and
(4) the time required to do the necessary planning and implementation.
The choice of a suitable structure depends on the nature of the change to be
managed. Some of the possibilities for managing the transition state are as
follows:
(1) The head could become the project manager, possibly assisted by an
external adviser or consultant. This may be particularly helpful if the
change will have an impact on many external boundaries, since it is
usually the head who manages the school boundaries. On the other
hand, he or she may not have the time to invest in managing the current

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state, preparing to manage the future state, and managing the transition
which could easily take 50–100 hours out of the working year.
(2) A project manager could be appointed, such as a deputy head. This is
appropriate when there are many internal boundaries to be managed.
(3) An existing group of managers, such as a committee of heads of house,
can be given the transition management task, in addition to their normal
operational roles. This is only likely to be effective if they operate as a
well-knit team.
(4) A group of representatives of constituencies could be chosen, such as
representatives of unions and management. This may be useful for
changes that are politically charged.
(5) A group of natural leaders could be selected. This might be done, for
example, if the formal leadership was lacking in credibility, and it
provides an excellent opportunity for staff development. However, they
would need to be assured of the necessary clout and to earn the respect of
the operating leadership.
(6) A diagonal slice of people at different hierarchical levels in different
departments could be used. This structure might be chosen, for example,
in cases where the existing hierarchy was the main source of resistance to
the change.
(7) A special task force can be set up, selected from staff whom the head feels
he or she can trust – a sort of ‘kitchen cabinet’, responding to him or her
informally and candidly. This may be the best structure when it is
important for the head to exert direct control, but is unable to devote the
necessary time personally to the transition management. However, it
may give rise to political problems.
Sometimes a combination of these possibilities is best, with the structure
changing at various stages in the change programme. For example, an
interservice group formed at a local conference called to improve
implementation of the Education Act 1981 considered its own composition at
its first meeting and changed it, bringing in two parents. Interestingly, it was
chaired not by the most senior official in the group, or even someone from the
education service, but by a social worker with good process skills.
A sure recipe for failure in a school is for the head to exclude him or herself
by failing to display active interest and support: he or she must maintain a
close working partnership with the transition management team, if not a
member of it.
One general point is that it is very difficult for a stable organization to
change itself, i.e. for the regular structures of the organization to be the
structures used to manage the change. The creation of networked temporary
systems using novel approaches is more likely to be effective, as an example
from BCLP shows.

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