Knoster’s Model for Managing Complex Change: An Introduction

If you’re a leader in education, you know that the one constant is change. Knoster’s Model for Managing Complex Change provides a framework for understanding why change efforts sometimes fail and how to set them up for success. We’re bombarded with new initiatives, materials, and strategies, and this often occurs with little or no support or context. Just as you feel you are making progress and seeing gains, something changes, and the rug is being pulled out from under you. 

In this series of blogs, our team will use Knoster’s Model for Managing Complex Change to break down the key leadership moves for effectively managing and leading change in your educational organization. 

Before we dive into the five elements of change, take a moment to review Knoster’s Model using the guiding questions below:

1. What surfaces for you as you look at the elements of change and feelings and behaviors associated with each element, or lack thereof?
2. Think of a time (personally or professionally), when you went through a significant change, what elements were present or not present? How did that impact the ability for this change to be successful?

If you have a space to jot down a few thoughts, take a moment to do that. We’ll come back to this reflection throughout our blog series!

Change takes many forms. One thing we want to distinguish is the difference between leading and managing change. Change management is comprised of the tools, resources, processes, and techniques that a leader might employ to navigate change. These are the technical components. Change leadership has more to do with the attributes, values, and behaviors of the person who is leading the change. Leaders must be able to integrate leadership and management to hit each element of change from the model.

Let’s take a closer look at each element of effective change!

Vision

A clear vision helps stakeholders understand what will change and why. Additionally, it creates urgency, defines outcomes, and connects the change to broader goals. When the vision lacks clarity, stakeholders become confused.

“A good change leader never thinks, “Why are these people acting so badly? They must be bad people.” A change leader thinks, “How can I set up a situation that brings out the good in these people?”

― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

Skills

One of the best ways to ensure a smooth change is to plan for intentional skill-building of involved stakeholders. Capacity building ensures that everyone engaged in the change has the skills and competencies to support the change. When skill building is not part of organizational change, stakeholders feel anxiety and uncertainty around their ability to effectively engage in the work.

Motivation

This element may be different for everyone, and it is important to know your team and what drives them to engage in the work. A few key moves for motivating teammates are to help them see the value and benefits of the change and how it connects to broader systems and goals. 

“And that’s the first surprise about change: What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem.”

― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

Resources

As a leader, it is crucial to ensure that all team members have sufficient resources to engage in the work. The most valuable resource in education is time (and money). Effective change requires an audit of current systems and practices. Therefore, organizations must align them with priorities or remove low-value tasks to free up leaders’ time.

Action Plan

The final ingredient for smooth change is a clear action plan. Leaders must develop a detailed and concrete action plan that outlines the steps required to achieve the vision for change. Leaders must effectively communicate and monitor action plans so that all stakeholders can celebrate progress and make adjustments along the way.

Since we can’t control the changes that will most certainly continue to bombard us, let’s take them head-on with the help of Knoster’s Model. With the right took, change can start to feel doable, less stressful, and more rewarding.

Follow our blog series, The Constant, as we break down each component of change. In our next blog, we’ll dive deeper into Creating a Vision for Successful Change and explore how Introduction to Knoster’s Model for Managing Complex Change lays the foundation for sustainable transformation.