Introduction – In most organizations, effective leaders understand and make use of the 4 Frames to initiate change, and institutionalize effective practices to ensure high performance. When leaders are ineffective, it is usually not because they are not competent technically – it is most often for lack of effective human relations skills. In urban institutions, an additional factor is very often present – the lack of longevity because of naivete or inability to read and act on the political environment of the organization. Any leadership preparation program which is serious about improving the quality of urban leadership must address this critical issue. The average tenure of a large city Superintendent is 2.1 years (1.9 years if a female) – not even the life of the employment contract. Change and improvement is impossible with these conditions. Strategies and techniques for understanding the sources and uses of power are central to this unit. Unit Learning Goals – when you finish this unit, you will be able to:Understand and describe the sources and uses of power in organizations, with special attention to the organization of which you are a part.Identify and describe the barriers to change and improvement in educational institutions, using tools of description of culture, Deal’s Political and Symbolic Frames, and articles from the Readings.Reflect upon these issues, propose a strategy to addressing the major barriers from a power/political/coalition perspective.Analyze these issues in case studies appropriate to your current responsibilities (K-12, Higher Education, non-traditional) in urban organizational settings.
Questions to be answered before class as you complete the reading assignment:What are the reasons that urban schools, and many other urban organizations, experience so much difficulty in achieving their missions?What role should leadership play in addressing these reasons?What policy changes would be most productive in helping organizations address barriers to improvement in urban organizations?
Summary of Key Points:Knowledge and skill in the political frame is essential to success as a leader in today’s urban organizations.Effective leaders take great care in analyzing the larger environment surrounding their organizations, and making careful moves based on what they glean from that environment.Leaders can reshape the culture of their organization through careful attention to symbolic actions – what is done, and what is not done.Coalitions need to be built to address major policy issues which, if successful, will free urban organizations from unnecessary and obstructive barriers currently in place. click for download