Challenges and Resistance

Champaign Unit 4 Social Justice Committee

Technical vs. Adaptive

Single-Loop vs. Double Loop Learning

First Order vs. Second Order Change

Transactional vs. Transformational

Technical Challenges

Require Routine Management

Current Know-how is Applied

Authorities do the Work

Adaptive Challenges

Require Leadership

Require New Learning/New Ways

The People w/Problem do the Work

Leadership Failure “….the single most common source

of leadership failure we’ve been able to identify – in politics, community life, business, or the non-profit sector – is that people, especially those in positions of authority, treat adaptive challenges like technical problems” (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002, p. 14).

Adaptive Challenges Require…..

Experiments, new discoveries, and adjustments

The changing of attitudes, values, and behaviors

People to internalize the problem

Adaptive Challenges

“People cannot see at the beginning of the adaptive process that the new situation will be any better than the current condition. What they do see clearly is the potential for loss” (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002, p. 13).

People Resist LossWhen people are confronted with

loss, resistance becomes stronger.

What types of loss occurs in a school setting when people are

confronted with adaptive change?

Adaptive Change Stimulates Resistance“Habits, values, and attitudes, even

dysfunctional ones, are part of one’s identity. To change the way people see and do things is to challenge how they define themselves” (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002, p. 27).

Deeply held loyalties

Forms of ResistanceMarginalization

DiversionAttack

Seduction

“When people resist adaptive work, their goal is to shut down those who exercise leadership in order to preserve what they have” (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002, p. 31).

Marginalization

Have you seen school leaders/initiatives marginalized? If so, how?

Diversion

Have you seen diversion used to thwart progress on initiatives in our district? If so, how?

Have you seen leaders/initiatives attacked in our district? If so, how?

Attack

Seduction

Have you seen seduction used to thwart progress on initiatives in our district? If so, how?

Adaptive Work

Changing habits of the heart is adaptive work that will take time, understanding, focus, and individual growth and collective growth.

Challenges What challenges and types of resistance are ahead of us as we work to create a definition for social justice and a framework for approaching Unit 4 initiatives/processes from a social justice lens?