Re: Scottish Education

[Bob Adsett <bob.adsett@blueyonder.co.uk>]

Ron

Sadly I believe that our governing bodies are as short sighted as you say.
Why, when they are I believe truly committed to improvement? It is a shame
that politicians don't take the Hippocratic oath and commit themselves to
'First do no harm'.

Well, to start with they don't know what they don't know, the understanding
of systems thinking on the DEN may seem to many of us like common sense, but
in the rarefied corridors of power in the Scottish Assembly and their
advisors (and for that matter in the rest of the UK) it is not common
practice.

The question is more about how do we get to these people and influence their
thinking, this is not easy. To start with because their lack of
understanding of systems means that they clearly believe that they are
outside the system which is failing. The problem is ALWAYS with someone
else, not with those on positions of power. As a result a blame culture
rules and a belief in a behaviourist approach to improvement will work.
By which I mean that those in power have a belief that they can bribe or
punish people to perform better. They would only have to read some of Alfie
Kohn's work to see the error in this type of thinking.

How do we get these influential individuals to reconsider why their
approaches are ineffective, when in doing so it will show for all to see
that those with authority don't actually know what they are doing. It is
going to be a rocky road, as very few in power are courageous and willing
enough to engage with a different way forward because they will have to
condemn the status quo - a high risk strategy, especially if you have been
part of the very structure who for a number of years has been trying to do
the wrong thing better.

But if those in government at whatever level lack the skill, insight and
most importantly the self confidence to try different rather than try harder
then I fear all we will see is more draconian measures being trotted out as
yet another 'solution' to the malaise of our orgainsations. It never ceases
to amaze me why (so far at least) no one in government has had the courage
to see that with their current thinking they too are part of the problem and
not part of the cure.

To return to Berkhart's equation on change management, it is not that
governments lack a 'vision' of a better future, or that they are
'dissatisfied' where they currently are - that is self evident by the weekly
proclamations we see in the media. But they certainly don't have the
'capability' to make the changes necessary, and because of this weakness
they have no idea of what the 'first steps' should be.

On that point maybe our efforts should be going to highlighting what the
alternative First Steps need to be - letter on a post card to ....  Or
failing that the DEN !



Bob