Managing Change: a middle leader perspective

[From Introduction] There are at least three different sorts of change that have to be managed by leaders whether or not they are in middle ranking positions. These can be crudely divided into those which are imposed changes and those which are preferred changes. The former can be subdivided into two categories: authority-enforced changes, whether that is by central government, local government or, for middle ranking leaders in schools, whole school policies generated by the headteacher and senior staff; and changes required by shifts in the socioeconomic environment of an educational organisation. The latter arises when, for example, there are socioeconomic changes in a school's catchment area or in the demographic profile of its student intake, or in the availability for whatever reason of staff with particular knowledge. The loss or gain of a particular member of staff from a department can engender the need for radical change in the way in which a department or year group in a school operates, a situation which the relevant middle and senior leaders in a school need to manage.