You are here: Wiki-Summaries >> From Ecological Analysis, Comprehensive Approaches to Systems Change  >> Systems-focused Actions
This Section:

Incremental, Systems-Focused Actions

  • Glossary Term (GT)
  • Encyclopedia Entry (EE)
  • Handbook Section (HS)
  • Bibliography/Toolbox (BT)
  • Additional Resources (AR)
<
>
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:
Text

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:
Text

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 i[email protected]
For updates and reader comments on this section, go to our Mini-Blog on Ecological Analysis, Comprehensive Approaches and Systems Change

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

Understand the Paradigm           - 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