Executive Summary and Main Points
The landscape of business, and by extension education, is witnessing a paradigm shift from episodic transformations to continuous, agile change. Conventional change models, like Kurt Lewin’s “unfreeze, change, refreeze,” are becoming obsolete in the face of dynamic external environments. The key components for successful modern transformation involve adopting an agile approach (“rethink, reshape, repeat”), leveraging aspirations to propel the organization forward, and integrating transformation processes into the company’s operational cadence. Examples from State Farm, Ørsted, and Dell Technologies illustrate the application and success of these principles.
Potential Impact in the Education Sector
Higher Education can greatly benefit from the outlined framework. Institutions may adopt an agile mindset, allowing for continuous curriculum development and pedagogical improvements. Similarly, further education programs might engage with ongoing employee upskilling and reskilling, becoming centers for lifelong learning. For micro-credentials, this approach stimulates innovation in credentialing and enhances their alignment with industry needs. Strategic partnerships between educational institutions and technology firms may thrive under this model, fostering digitalization and jointly creating new learning platforms and tools.
Potential Applicability in the Education Sector
AI and digital tools can be catalysts for continuous transformation within global education. An agile mindset could advance adaptive learning systems, customizing education experiences in real-time. Aspirations might manifest in global collaborative projects that extend beyond current international standards. By integrating transformation into operational rhythms, education leaders can systematize the assessment of emerging technologies and integrate them into institutional practices, such as blockchain for credential verification or AI for student support services.
Criticism and Potential Shortfalls
Continuous transformation models could face pushback in different education systems due to cultural resistance and ethical considerations. For instance, Western models of agile transformation may not easily translate into institutions in parts of Asia or Africa with differing pedagogical traditions and infrastructure capabilities. Additionally, challenges include ensuring equity in access to digital tools and addressing concerns about data privacy and AI bias in student assessment and learning paths. Comparative international case studies, like the digital divide in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlight these potential shortfalls.
Actionable Recommendations
Educational leadership should consider establishing Change Centers of Excellence, akin to State Farm’s model, tailored for academic environments to drive continuous innovation. Leaders should set ambitious yet attainable goals, akin to Ørsted’s renewable energy targets, but focused on educational outcomes and global competencies. Finally, just as Dell Technologies integrated transformation into its daily practices, educational institutions should build regular, systematic reviews of technology integration and curriculum development into their operational rhythms, ensuring responsive and contextually sensitive adoption of relevant educational technologies.
Source article: https://hbr.org/2024/06/a-new-model-for-continuous-transformation