Leadership and Culture: Hunger Games or Ubuntu?

We are all feeling a mix of emotion given the recent elections in the USA. Not only the country, but the world is reeling. The results offer up many questions. One key question is that of leadership. What is good leadership? Does character matter? What are the values of a good leader? Does that even matter? If the leader defines the culture what kind of leadership is required to create a winning and humane culture? Is it a Hunger Games culture or an Ubuntu culture?

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, so mesmerized my teen daughter that I decided to have a closer look. I cheated and watched the movie of the first book and could see why young people would love the series. The novel describes a community and its struggle for self-preservation. The culture is one of control from the top and survival of the fittest. Ego is king (or queen) and drives behavior. People are pitted against each other in a conflict that mostly results in death. There is a constant desire for revenge, and a pervasive sense of fear and judgement. The characters have to call on their very best survival skills in order to stay alive. Some do, some don’t.

Is it a ‘Hunger Games’ culture leaders should create so that team work, prosperity and innovation can thrive in their organization? Or, perhaps is it culture of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu means "I am what I am because of who we all are." It is an ancient African philosophy. Archbishop Tutu says, "A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, based from a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole …." An Ubuntu culture has a strong foundation of moral decency, fairness and goodness.

Mandela describes it in this way, “In Africa there is a concept know as Ubuntu – the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will be in equal measure due to the work and achievement of others.”

When Mandela was released from 27 years in prison, he invoked the spirit of Ubuntu by not seeking revenge but reconciliation, not violence, but peace. He expected people to be held accountable for their actions and frowned on sub-standard behavior. He called on people to be respectful, to promote and value the wellbeing of others.

Ubuntu is the ultimate winning strategy. There is competition, but in essence it is a cohesive, supportive culture where people strive to collaborate. It is open and not divisive which fosters communication and support of others enabling a free flow of ideas. With this comes a confidence to air opinions, examine processes and critique old ways of doing things. And, with this comes solutions to massively complex problems and previously unseen opportunities growth and improvement are revealed. There is a culture of continuous improvement.

In an Ubuntu culture there is an absence of ego in the leader. Ego brings with it a feeling of lack. If you have a good idea and I don’t, then I am lacking in good ideas and may want to diminish you. Ego is win-lose. The Ubuntu leader celebrates good ideas and supports team members (which may include forthright feedback) because the leader knows “together we are better”. Ubuntu is win-win. Ego stirs a sense of separateness because ego isolates. It draws you into a protectionist zone where you feel the need to fiercely defend your turf. My ego does not my weaknesses to be exposed I will cover it up or bring you down. This is indicative of a scarcity mentality. Ubuntu promotes an abundance mentality gratefully accepting feedback (even though it may sting a little) as an opportunity for growth.

Imagine how effective teams, communities and families (and countries) could be in an Ubuntu culture. A culture of accountability, not blame; one of desire to get the very best out of each person and not to belittle or hurt; to affirm the goodness in others, not to belittle their humanity. Where high standards of interaction and work ethic are upheld, where people respect one another and seek to build relationships. This creates a healthy culture of respect and generosity of spirit, and inspires and motivates people to be their best. They become filled with confidence in self and others. They play to their strengths and encourage others to do the same. This is a culture of excellence and one where people and ideas thrive.

Where do you see your team’s or company’s or country’s culture? What is your role as a leader? Is it not time now to invoke this spirit of Ubuntu so that we can lead with moral courage and love for the sake of our people, our organization and to model for our children, that in spite of what they are seeing and hearing, there is a righteous way to lead?

Right now, the world has need of leaders. Leaders who are men and women of character, who are courageous, grounded in universal values of love, honesty and who seek to find and release the good in others. The world has need of such leaders now more than ever before. The spirit of Ubuntu leadership that emerges from an ancient African philosophy enables a leadership culture that is values driven and that inspires success through collaboration and compassion.

By Peter Dry 2016

What is the role of a leader in sparking innovation? Part 1

We all know organizations need to innovate or they become irrelevant. Schools are no different. Take a peek into classrooms and you see on the faces of students just how irrelevant schools are. Those which are not, are vibrant, dynamic and attuned to the needs of the 21^st century learner. Those which are, are lumbering their way through the daily schedule teaching students content that has no connection to their lives and is outdated and of little use to them. In spite of the best efforts of remarkable teachers across the country, this is too often the case.

Can a leader make a difference? What can he do to spark an innovative mindset in the teachers? How can she create a culture where teachers not only feel safe, but also inspired to create new and fresh ways to reach our students? Teachers will imitate the school’s culture in the classroom so it is the leader who needs to establish a culture of innovation.

To create an innovative culture, you’d be surprised at how much you already have at your disposal!

·       Reward and stimulate cross-departmental collaboration

Rewarded behaviours are reinforced. It sends a clear message to teachers the kinds of things leadership want them to do. A school that breaks down the silo mentality between departments and teams by setting up opportunities to collaborate will find that cross fertilisation of ideas enriches the school and provides rich connections and ideas not usually available.

      i.         Celebrate teachers and departments who collaborate on integrated projects. Have the teachers sharing with their colleagues. Not only does it highlight good practice, these sessions are also empowering for those presenting and gives confidence to their peers to stretch their practices.

     ii.         Celebrate teachers who find ways for students to connect with students in other grade. levels/schools/buildings.

   iii.         Pick a school-wide pedagogy. This common language for planning and assessing makes it easier for teachers to communicate. Communication speeds up when common frameworks and approaches are used. Understanding by Design, Teaching for Understanding, Habits of Mind are all examples of powerful frameworks.

·       Be willing to let teachers (and students) fail while trying something new

The culture of allowing people to make mistakes is often absent. Celebrating successes are a crucial part of any school’s building of a positive culture but it can lead to people being overly concerned with success and avoiding risk. Giving people space to fail often and fail early will develop a less of a risk-averse culture. By establishing a growth mindset in your people, they will be more open to feedback as they see it as providing opportunities for development encouraging them to continue to learn and grow. The school with teachers (and leaders) who have a fixed mindset will see failure as an indictment on their talent and ability.

      i.         Openly celebrate teachers trying something new even if it didn’t work out perfectly. This means the leader needs to have his ear close to the ground and visiting classrooms daily. A weekly email of magnifying the innovative practices go a long way to fill teachers with confidence, excitement and a willingness to try new approaches.

     ii.         As a leader, model risk-taking. Be open about it, saying, “This could fail...” “I’m going to give this a go…”. Learn something new and share (or even show) what it feels like. This is a key element of leadership. When people see the leader openly learning and improving it creates an environment of enthusiasm around innovation.

   iii.         Say “Yes, and…” instead of “No.” In Australia we had an incredible Year 9 program that disrupted schooling as we know it. In this integrated year, students competed in triathlons, attended school in the city center, inquired into juicy problems and looked deeply into issues of poverty and social justice. With the commitment to “Yes, and …” we grew the program yearly pushing the team and students to be more innovative.

    iv.         Encourage teachers to allow students to fail. They won’t do this if a grade is attached so schools need to create ‘safe classes’ where students are held accountable but not graded. We tend to think that students won’t care if there isn’t a grade related (what a sad indictment on our system), but when the topic is relevant and has intrinsic meaning for the students, they will be motivated. We have Integrated Studies classes, basically problem-based classes, where we give teachers the space to try audacious projects and because there are no grades, students are given the space to really stretch their thinking and not be too worried about making mistakes.

These two simple culture pieces have the power to create a school where at least attempts at innovation will occur. It is in these schools that the leader will be able to create an environment that will be more relevant and stimulating for students and teachers alike. If you as a leader want innovation in the classroom so that students are thinking deeply, creating, solving problems and asking huge questions, then create that culture with your faculty. The culture you create will be exhibited in the classroom!

Peter Dry October 2016

It’s Time to Disrupt Schools

I was sitting in an Uber, listening to music on my iPhone while booking accommodation on the Airbnb site. No big deal right? Right! It’s a very natural way of doing things. Yet on closer examination, the three applications I was using have all radically altered their industries. Apple linked the iPod with iTunes and the music business became virtual. Uber has partnered with a platform that allows agility and a high degree of personalization. Airbnb platform technology to create an entirely new business model that has radically altered the hotel industry globally

As the world undergoes radical changes on a daily basis, schools remain content to deliver a 20^th century style education. Could schools learn something from these business models and begin the now critical task of transforming the educational industry? Let’s look at just 3 keys to success in business and consider if they could hold true for education.

1.     A more personalized product or service. These are tailored toward the customers’ individual needs. They are hyper-individualized.

·       Schools could use technology to create a personalized online playlist of learning tasks or projects for students so that they can test out of core concepts and engross themselves in areas of interest. These would be long term hands-on projects and expeditions (not limited to the 4 walls of the classroom) that would be individualized to connect to a student’s passion. (AltSchools and Big Picture Learning follow this model to an extent). Engagement would spike and behavior issues would diminish.

2.     A closed-loop process that replaces a “linear consumption process” where “products are made, used and then disposed of”.

·       Take students off the bullet train of linear learning which is the antithesis of how learning actually occurs. Create opportunities for students to loop back into learning. Students set learning goals for the week, take assessments when they are ready to show evidence of mastery, and even get to jump ahead to take the test if they believe they already know the concepts. If they fail, they can loop back in to revise these before retaking the test. The shortened feedback loop means students can quickly measure progress, easily take ownership of and reflect on their learning. They can have access to review of key concepts and make adjustments accordingly with a mentor teacher. (The learning platform Activate supports this approach).

3.     Asset sharing allows innovations to succeed because the sharing of costly assets is enabled. (e.g. “Airbnb allows homeowners to share them with travelers, and Uber shares assets with car owners”).

·       Schools have huge assets that lie dormant for many hundreds of hours a week. Stronger community partnerships could mean schools remaining open in the evenings for adult learning to take place. This is an extra source of revenue and promotes learning in the wider community. Furthermore, schools typically have access to technology that local families may not have. Keeping schools open beyond the usual hours would give students and their families access to a library, the internet, and other technology (e.g. film studio).

·       Design experiences that cater to the needs of families. Schools should stay open in the evening for students to study. For some families, the children need to work during the day to support the family, or work late into the night. Having school stay open for longer hours would make school more accessible. Using online learning platforms (like Laurel Springs offers), students can move at their own pace without a subject matter expert in the room, needing a facilitator or teaching mentor only.

By adopting an innovative mindset and leveraging technology, we can re-imagine schooling and begin the important steps of transforming schools so that they better meet the needs of all students as they enter a world so different to the one the current system is preparing them for. New technologies can disrupt the educational status quo and create a more compelling and relevant proposition for the students.

By Peter Dry (October, 2016)

References:

Kavadias, S., Ladas, K. & Loch, C. (2016). The Transformative Business Model: How to tell if you have one. Harvard Business Review, October 2016, pp. 90-98.

Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2014). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand.

Photo source:

http://www.cccis.com/era-disruption-whos-making-change-happen-organization/