Incremental, Systems-focused Actions

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Incremental, Systems-Focused Actions

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Incremental Systems Change: A systems approach or a systems-change paradigm (see below) cannot be implemented, maintained and sustained by orders from senior managers or elected officials, especially in loosely coupled, large, complex, professional bureaucracies such as education or other ministries. Several planned and purposeful changes need to be incrementally added or infused into the systems. These changes can and should occur at all levels and across several ministries. The goal of these changes should be to change the flow or work, structures, organizational cultures, reward & recognition systems, rituals, and routines. Formal reporting and other types of relationships as well as informal communications networks within the organization can also be changed
This summary was first posted in June 2018. Currently it has been posted as a"first edition" version. The following individuals or organizations have contributed to the development of this topic.Daniel Laitsch,Lauren Herlitz,Scott Rosas, Doug McCall We encourage readers to submit comments or suggested edits by posting a comment on the Mini-blog & Discussion Page on Ecological Analysis, Comprehensive Approaches & Systems Change for this section or posting a comment below:

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This summary was first posted in June 2012. Currently it has been posted as an "excerpt/adaptation", "first draft" or "revised draft" and "first or revised edition" version. The following individuals or organizations have contributed to the development of this topic.
We encourage readers to submit comments or suggested edits by posting a comment on the Mini-blog & Discussion Page for this section or posting a comment below:
Due to the length of Handbook Sections (similar to a book chapter) prepared for this web site and knowledge exchange program, we post these documents as separate documents. Click on this web link to access the draft or completed version on this topic. Come back to this page to post any comments or suggestions.

Bibliography/Toolbox on
Key research, reports and resources on this topic are highlighted below. Many of the topics in this web site also have extensive bibliographies/toolboxes (BTs) published as separate documents. Click on this web link to access the full version of our Bibliography/Toolbox on this topic. These lists use our outline for these collections that we have developed over several years of curating these materials.

Research	Reports, Resources
Understand the Approach/ Program & Its Effectiveness in Different Contexts on Different Aspects of HPSD, Populations How to Implement, Maintain, Scale Up, Sustain, Build Capacity, Leverage to Support Core Components. How to integrate within Education Systems Use of Ecological/ Systems Approach Research Questions/ KDE Agenda	Understand the Approach/ Program & Its Effectiveness in Different Contexts on Different Aspects of HPSD, Populations How to Implement, Maintain, Scale Up, Sustain, Build Capacity, Leverage to Support Core Components. How to integrate within Education Systems Use of Ecological/ Systems Approach Research Questions/ KDE Agenda

The following additional resources are posted on this web site or published by other credible sources. Please send any suggested additions to info@internationalschoolhealth.org

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The number of summaries completed or drafted in this section are listed below.

Understand the Paradigm

Introduction to this section
Overview
Incremental, Systems-focused Actions
Key Definitions
Key Concepts/Insights

          - Ecological Approaches
             - Systems Thinking
             - Systems Science
             - Organization Development Models
             - Wicked Problems vs Artificial,
   Specific Programs or Vague Goals
             - Management/Change Models
             * Total Quality Management
                 * Coherence Building
                 * Continuous Improvement
       - School-Based Management
Education systems are “open, adaptive, complex, loosely-coupled, professional bureaucracies that must work across, with and within other large complex systems”

Open, Adaptive, Complex Systems

           · Stasis
           - Resilient systems
           - Feedback loops
           · Boundaries
           · Contexts
    · System-environment interactions
          - Size, complexity, fit of the change
            · Innovations vs Reforms
     - absorptive capacity

Loosely Coupled Systems

            - Policy Levers
            · Ecology/micro-politics of schools
          · Role of senior leaders/managers
             · Role of middle managers
             · Role of Front-line Managers
             · Role of front-line staff
     · Change Agents/Coordinators
             - Employee Agency/Efficacy

Professional Bureaucracies

            · Multi-level systems
            · Structures
            · Internal communications
            · Social networks within organizations
            · Non-rational decision-making
    · Routinization and key routines
          · Knowledge as power & influence
    · Organizational culture
            · Readiness for innovation
            · Adopter Concerns
    · Professional norms
            · Professional identities
            · Sociology & work lives of employees

Working Across Multiple Systems

   · Degrees of cooperation
             · Cooperation Across & Within
· Nature of Partnerships
        · Whole of Government Approaches
- Research Questions/Knowledge Development

Research Programs/Knowledge Centres
Impact on Student Learning
Cost Effectiveness, Cost Benefits

Research Methods & Data Collection Issues