Academic Leadership

Chapter 11 – Innovator

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11.1 Introducing and Managing Change

(click the activity index number to take you back to the activities index)

The role of Innovator is critical to the regeneration and success of university courses and
programs which must respond to changing contexts such as the changing needs of
students and industry in a complex global business environment. The ability to introduce
and manage changes to content as well as teaching and learning arrangements is an
important part of the role of an Academic Coordinator.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this activity is to develop your ability to

introduce and manage change.

It is important to remember that change is a process, not an event. The transition
from what exists now to a future state takes time and different people will react differently
to change proposals. This can create challenges for the Academic Coordinator who is
seeking to lead and manage the introduction of change with minimum fuss and minor
disruption to staff and students.

Stages of Change

Carlopio, Andrewartha, and Armstrong’s (2005) stages of change are useful for
Academic Coordinators seeking to introduce change. It enables us to understand where
in the change process we sit, how we are progressing and what intervention strategies
are needed to move forward.

Stage 1: Unlearning: Before change can occur people have to believe that the change
is necessary. They will want to know why what was working in the past is no longer
working now (or will be unsustainable in the future). They will need the motivation to
pursue a change effort which may require a lot of physical, mental and emotional energy.
This is especially the case if they already feel like they have enough to do! It is
important, therefore, that as Academic Coordinator you support the change process by
identifying a clear rationale for the change, identify clear goals and provide accurate and
regular information updates. This is best done through the establishment of an open
communication strategy – regular meetings, email updates or a website with links to
supporting data, minutes of meetings and background papers.