Operating in a VUCA World
August 01, 2020
Appears in August 2020: School Administrator.
Managing tactically and adaptively in K-12 education when the pace of change outside our system is faster than the internal ability to adapt
Since mid-March, our daily routines have been ruled by a public health crisis unlike anything most of us have seen. We feel frustrated, annoyed, overwhelmed, afraid, concerned and unsure of what to do next.
Welcome to the VUCA world, characterized
by the Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. The term originated with the U.S. Army War College to describe the state of the world after the Cold War. The concept has come to characterize the rapid pace of change in every sector of society and
the new skills required to lead organizations effectively.
In K-12 education, successful leadership in a VUCA world requires systems to manage two types of performance simultaneously: tactical and adaptive.
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An AASA Collaborative with a Firm Future Gaze
Superintendents and their leadership teams from 11 districts are engaged in the Future-Focused Collaborative, a yearlong commitment to study and action. The program is a partnership between AASA and the Successful Practices Network.
The participants
are studying best practices, applying principles of innovation to their districtwide plans, and collaborating with like-minded leaders. Bill Daggett and Ray McNulty, both affiliated with the Successful Practices Network, along with AASA’s Valerie
Truesdale and Mort Sherman and other national thought leaders, are guiding each district team in developing district-specific plans for a blended teaching and learning model that includes face-to-face and virtual resources.
The current cohort
is beginning this summer with rolling startups throughout the fall. Follow-up sessions are scheduled during AASA’s national conference in February with a virtual gathering in summer 2021. More details will be available in the Leadership Network
section of the AASA website.
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