In this final research piece, John Bray, Director of Learning at @iArticulate reviews the benefits of being receptive to outside voices.
'Not infrequently, minority views turn into novel solutions’ T.R. Clarke
The first two articles in this series examined the benefits of outside voices for organisations and some of the psychology behind their impact. I am finishing this series by reviewing some successful examples, exploring what made them effective, and establishing takeaways that can guide leaders in engaging an outside voice in their organisation.
Before though, I want to acknowledge something that might frustrate some readers. I have talked a lot about outside voices, yet there are ‘inside voices’ too. Developing voices in your community creates powerful outcomes, sometimes unexpected effects that go beyond initial projects.
What is ‘inside voice’? I relate it to an organisation's ongoing cycle of ideas and feedback, subjective and non. Timothy R. Clarke argues that deliberate leadership actions can develop their organisations' internal voice. There are two primary outcomes of doing this successfully. Employees speaking up might start as disagreements in a meeting, but as Clarke states ‘not infrequently, minority views turn into novel solutions’ (Harvard Business Review).
We encourage this of teachers all the time. When leading students in exploring fibonacci, a math teacher might seek advice on a particular piece of music or performer to use as a basis, they might invite their colleague to class to demonstrate the music. These collaborations are generally seen as positive; an outside expert in their space. Comparatively, we tend to stratify leadership of certain school activities, particularly leadership of vision, mission and values. Is the voice of an experienced group of educators less valuable to developing school strategy? It is likely not considered an ‘expert’ opinion. And yet, outside of board meetings and senior leadership groups, expertise most certainly exists.
A powerful example of utilising outside voices while harnessing that of your community is found school accreditation. CIS, NEASC and IB Accreditation all require collaborative processes, inviting all members of a community to reflect and guide the organisation forward. I will not evaluate accreditation as a whole here; I simply point to the example of using community voices in a systematic way.
Of course, I spent two articles focused on outside voices, those of people external to organisations. An outside voice can create space to engage in collaborative discussions. This is essential when leading change. How can you do this for your organisation?
1. Understand your needs as an organisation.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Madelaine Jones, founder of Jackafal, an organisation championing diversity and inclusion through learning design and facilitation.
"Discussing inclusion can often be much more fruitful coming from an ‘outside voice’. Learners rarely feel comfortable questioning and challenging trainers from their own organisation because of the politics at play. Still, when an outside voice like Jackafal instigates a discussion, they’re much more likely to delve into trickier topics and start meaningful conversations.”
Learners can often feel bound by organisational processes and procedures, and it hampers their ability to push boundaries. As an external facilitator, you can start with ideal scenarios and then peel back to what’s realistic…your vision isn't shaped by logistics: it just flexes to accommodate them."
Diversity and inclusion are increasingly common focuses for professional development in schools, yet many leaders still need to build the requisite skills or experience to facilitate these discussions. Establishing that your team will make greater progress if you employ an outside voice is an important first step towards progress.
2. Be open-minded and imaginative.
An outside voice working in the capacity of a mentor provided the perfect sounding board for the team. The effect can still be seen today, 7 years later.”
Discussing pedagogical change can also feel challenging in a team. Middle leaders such as department heads or curriculum coordinators are often tasked with that role. This next example was led by Adam Bradford, at the time, Head of Science at Leysin American School. Adam is passionate about the student experience and keen to engage his team in discussions around pedagogy and best practices.
As Adam describes, “Some were initially reticent, not that they weren’t great teachers, it was more that everyone's ‘to-do list’ was always more pressing. Neil Atkin was recommended as a consultant with interesting ideas and a fresh perspective. Initially, I invited him to conduct a day of in-house professional development for the department. A fresh voice with different experiences and a bag of tricks to try out was an amazing injection of energy. Neil came back a few times a year for the duration of my time as department head, conducting informal observations, providing physics training, team teaching, developing other days and our local elevation transect study. An outside voice working in the capacity of a mentor provided the perfect sounding board for the team. The effect can still be seen today, 7 years later.”
A member of that department, Rachael Passant-Coy, explains further. “One of the most impactful outcomes of our collaboration was the evolution of our "group 4 day" now ‘collaborative project’ into a scenario-based learning experience. What made this approach exceptional was the fresh perspective. Neil's creative insights allowed us to think beyond traditional boundaries.
It was cost-effective. Instead of sending a single individual to external training, we designed our own in-house professional development day, tailored to our specific needs and budget-friendly.
Adam had a strong vision for his department and found a facilitator who was a good fit for that vision and also for his team. He and his colleagues saw the benefit of working with Neil and developed it into a longer-term mentorship. This was possible because Adam and other leaders created conditions for it. Adam prioritised pedagogy and put a small part of the department budget towards it. Senior leaders ensured that the whole department could benefit, making time available for their collaboration.
3. Build around a vision and concept
'...many outside voices provide opportunities for reflection and learning.'
School of Humanity is a new school offering a progressive view of what school can be and a pedagogy built on individualised project-based learning and design thinking. Learning is directed towards improving the future of human civilisation, based firmly in the real world. Mentorship is a key part of the learner journey, and expert voices from relevant industries provide guidance and feedback, bringing that real world into the school.
Returning to Switzerland, in exploring examples of the outside voice in action, I have to include Paul Magnuson and the Visiting Scholar Programme at LAS, part of LAS Educational Research. Over a number of years, Paul and his team have developed a culture of collaboration by inviting scores of visitors to Leysin American School. Each aims to share expertise, conduct research, support extracurricular programming, and deliver or collaborate on professional development for faculty and staff.
I saw this in action while working at LAS and have been a part of the programme since moving on. What stands out to me are the many and varied outcomes of the programme over time. This includes collaborations with universities to support Masters and PhD programmes, effecting change within the wider school, encouraging entrepreneurship, and publishing many academic papers and magazine articles over the years.
The vision underpinning this is of educators leading and taking charge of their professional development. The concept is a sharing of knowledge and practice. The visiting scholar programme brings together people from varied disciplines and backgrounds; a melting pot might sound cliche, but that is accurate—many outside voices provide opportunities for reflection and learning.
iArticulate was, in part, born within that. iArticulate is an organisation with a mission to assist school communities in embedding Core aspects of the International Baccalaureate, such as Theory of knowledge, Approaches to Teaching and the Learner Profile. As a visiting scholar, I presented to peers and was able to discuss ideas with fellow visitors, faculty and, of course, Paul. I was introduced to people who have become mentors and collaborators. Chingyu Tsai, for example, is a leader of international education who has become a champion of our work and impact at her school and more widely in Taiwan.
Thankyou Paul, iArticulate is stronger for it.
A final few thoughts.
Prioritise your needs, and make positive choices about your critical resources, time being upmost.
Most schools do not have boarding facilities. Leaders at all levels may read this article and think, ‘I just don’t have the time’ or ‘Our resources won't stretch to that’. It is essential to consider what successful collaborations have in common. Is it all about money or personnel?
Leaders need to consider the 3 points made in this article.
- Understand the needs of your organisation.
- Be open-minded and imaginative.
- Build around a vision and concept.
You also will need conviction, grit and determination. My call to action is for leaders at all levels to consider the potential benefits of an outside voice.
You can do a lot with a small budget. Examples shared here were not ‘expensive’ in the context of professional development today. Try sending a whole science department to a significant conference for example. Prioritise your needs, and make positive choices about your critical resources, time being upmost.
The thread that connects the highly successful examples of an outside voice in this article is the building of a long-term process. The examples in this article involved building long-term relationships, collaborating and sharing knowledge over time. These observations drive iArticulate’s model of mentoring for IB leaders and faculty. We believe it should drive yours, too.
Links and connections
John Bray
www.linkedin.com/in/johnwilliambray
iArticulate Mentors
https://www.iarticulatementors.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/iarticulatementors
Building a Culture Where Employees Feel Free to Speak Up
https://hbr.org/2023/08/building-a-culture-where-employees-feel-free-to-speak-up
Leysin American School Educational Research
https://www.las.ch/about/educational-research
Jackafal
https://www.jackafal.com/what-we-do
School of Humanity
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