by Elaine Gallagher
As we start a new school year, and we continually talk about school leaders and teachers being «change agents», or we say that our goal is «transformation», have we truly given thought to what this implies?
Based on extensive surveys of its work force and performance data, Google discovered that its most innovative workers “are those who have a strong sense of mission about their work and who also feel that they have much personal autonomy.”
Google’s findings have a strong congruence with bestselling author Dan Pink’s work, that the «source of human motivation and our best work comes from the drive towards autonomy, mastery and purpose.»
This can clash with high-prestige and credentialed individuals who are driven by external recognition and rewards, not curiosity and craft. This can clash with bureaucratic entities, with rigid, inflexible lines of command. This can clash with agencies that look at written reports, detailed planning, or grades instead of what’s actually being implemented, produced, or exhibited by great teachers, creative employees, or challenging students.
Until we can get to the humanistic point where the personal autonomy of our employees is valued and expected, what we might end up with is people who can follow the rules, but not necessarily those who are after moon-shot innovation with extreme dispatch, passion, and verve. Conformity kills creativity.
Those few, passionate, autonomous people are the real change agents of the world! Provide the atmosphere that innovators need…otherwise, transformation will elude your workplace!
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