Change That Lasts - Why Systems Thinking Matters in School Leadership

The fifth in a short series on managing change and reviewing the problems associated with changing established routines and procedures.

The first four of this short series on change management were fairly generic in nature, referencing the problems and opportunities confronting us all when faced with leading or experiencing a change initiative.

This time, I’d like to zoom in on a topic that’s especially relevant for schools – the aspect of Systems Thinking, and it’s especially relevant now. Peter Senge, writing about leadership skills,  famously referred to this as The Fifth Discipline. 

Change is a constant in schools, whether in the form of new curricula, new students, new staff or new expectations. But with the advent of digital tools, AI-driven platforms and remote learning capabilities, classroom activity has transformed almost overnight; changes that once took decades now occur within a single academic year.

Today’s accelerated pace of change is driven by exponential advances in technology, global connectivity and the more or less instant flow of information creates. This brings with it enormous opportunities but also increases the associated risks. Decisions made hastily in response to emerging trends or crises can trigger cascading ‘unanticipated’ effects across interconnected systems whether they are financial, social, technological,or environmental. There is a real danger of reacting too quickly without considering the wider consequences.

Peter Senge, wrote over 30 years ago that: “Today’s problems come from yesterday’s solutions”, implying that if we want to do a better job at leading change, we need to understand the systems within which we are working. His core insight was (and still is) that schools, like all organizations, are made up of interdependent parts - people, policies, culture, routines, values - interacting in complex, systemic ways. 

But schools are particularly people-intensive and relational. Unlike profit- or product-driven organizations, schools exist primarily to promote human growth and learning. Complex relationships are central to that ethos and form a kind of living system that is constantly evolving (more organism than organization) and the discipline of systems thinking helps leaders understand how changes in one part affect the whole. Everything is interconnected.

Compared to other organizations which may serve one core customer, schools always serve a multitude of stakeholders, from students to parents, to staff, governing bodies, community partners, policymakers and more. Their needs are complex and may overlap or be in conflict with one another. Yet, changing just one part of a system without fully understanding its connections to everything else, can lead to unintended consequences or more often, to short-term compliance without real commitment. Systems thinking can equip school leaders to balance competing demands while keeping the bigger picture in view. Senge emphasizes that lasting change can be understood as a shift of mental models, not just behavior. 

Think of a common example: implementing a new assessment tool. By focusing primarily on the tool itself and not considering teacher workload, data use policies, existing practices or parent communication, we risk resistance, fatigue, or (more often than not) a kind of tacit acquiescence that leads to superficial adoption. 

Let’s say a school introduces a new LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, Microsoft Teams or the like) to improve digital teaching and streamline communication. On the surface, it’s a tech upgrade and a better tool for the job (that would be ‘event’ thinking). And yet:

• If the LMS is unintuitive, teachers may resist or underuse it. Potentially interpreted as “teacher resistance to innovation”, a systems view might show that poor training or a lack of planning time was the real cause.

• A multitude of impacts need consideration: Because new tech tools affect lesson planning, assessment timelines, parental expectations, device access and student screen time; each links back to values, schedules and allocating precious resources.

A systems approach would always involve the staff early on in the process and surface assumptions before building a shared narrative around purpose. If we allow ourselves the luxury of stepping back, and taking a little more time up-front to look at the system as a whole, then we can design the changes in a way that aligns with the bigger picture and the school’s future direction (aligned with vision and purpose).

This systems thinking approach encourages us to see patterns, relationships and feedback loops rather than isolated events. Asking not just “What happened?”, but “What’s causing this pattern to repeat?” and “How do our actions contribute to the results we’re getting?” , is what is needed. Such an approach promotes a move from blame towards understanding and from short-term reactions (events) to long-term learning (systems).

Event thinking often has more to do with responding to symptoms vs structured systems thinking, where we focus on the underlying forces that shape behavior. If staff morale is low, the answer might not be a motivational speaker or a pizza lunch. The better place to start might be: “What is it in our routines, leadership behaviors and/or communication structures that is eroding trust or purpose?”

To use a gardening analogy, our role as leaders is to cultivate the conditions for change, but we cannot (nor should we) control every outcome. Just as gardeners prepare the soil and wait for growth, leaders create the environment for change without controlling the details of the final result.

Systems thinking encourages us to see how culture, leadership, professional learning and infrastructure all interact. It also helps us determine the pace of change in a realistical way. Schools are not machines to be reprogrammed: they are first and foremost human systems and the process of change travels through relationships, and cannot be simply mandated.

So… how do we apply this systems approach? 

1. First, be curious about the system before trying to change it. Try to understand it. Talk to those most affected as well as some of those who are closer to the fringe of impact. Map out how a change might ripple through teams. 
2. Second, focus on learning, not just performance or efficiency. What are we learning from what is working, and what is not? 
3. And third, connect every change to your school’s shared purpose and vision. If people know why a change matters, they’re more likely to commit to it, not just comply.

With so many interconnections, even a small change in one area can ripple through others, producing unintended consequences, such as policy changes that strain resources or undermine collaborative practices. particularly when silo-like barriers exist between departments. In the urgency to “keep up,” it’s all too easy to prioritize quick wins over coherent, sustainable strategies.

To avoid these pitfalls, educational leaders should be encouraged to reflect deeply on systems thinking, stepping back to consider not just immediate benefits but second and third-order effects. Maybe from your own recent experiences, you can look to examples where you wish you could start the process again with deeper pre-analysis and forthought. Or maybe you have a success story to tell?

Asking questions like, “How is this likely to affect teaching culture, student engagement, equity and other key impact areas?” is essential. In an era where rapid change is inevitable, slowing down just long enough to plan thoughtfully should never be seen as resistance, but as responsible leadership.

Real change will never stick because we command it to do so; it sticks because we understand the system within which it exists. We are only human after all! And when we lead with that understanding, we can build schools that not only adapt, but improve, grow and thrive.

References: 

Senge, P. M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization (Rev. ed.). Doubleday. (originally published in 1990. The revised edition in 2006 is more commonly cited today.)

Senge, P. M., Cambron-McCabe, N., Lucas, T., Smith, B., Dutton, J., & Kleiner, A. (2012). Schools that learn: A fifth discipline fieldbook for educators, parents, and everyone who cares about education (Revised and updated ed.). Crown Business.

Side Box

You may well be familiar with the old English proverb, “A stitch in time saves nine”. It literally refers to sewing up a small clothing tear immediately (with one stitch), thus preventing it from becoming a bigger rip later (which might require nine stitches). In the context of school leadership, it reminds us that a little extra thought and planning before adopting new technology or policies can save months of frustration, costly fixes and cultural disruption. 

(5 of 6 part series - Change Management)