026: Spark! Leading change with Professor Julie Hodges, Durham University Business School

In this episode, I talk to Professor Julie Hodges of Durham University Business School about how school leaders can lead and sustain successful organisational change within their institutions. Professor Hodges is a worldwide expert on change in organisations, particularly in the role and impact that people play during transformations.I start by asking Professor Hodges for her definition of organisational change and about the different types of change, planned and emergent.We talk about how the global pandemic has driven emergent change within organisations and how some institutions have coped with change better than others. We discuss how the culture of an organisation has an impact on how quickly change can be accepted.I then ask Professor Hodges about challenges with engaging stakeholders, both staff members and individuals in the community, in change. We discuss her tips for encouraging people to become involved in the decision making process. These include giving people the space to voice their opinions, involving people at all levels of an organisation in discussions on change, giving stakeholders ownership of the changes and being transparent about the practicalities of the change.  Finally, we discuss creating trust within an organisation when implementing sustainable change, and Professor Hodges outlines the five principles of engagement: inclusivity, connectivity, transparency, equity and empathy. Spark! episodes of The Independent School Podcast are designed spark fresh insights and innovation, by introducing you to ideas from other sectors.Episode highlightsIntroducing Professor Julie Hodges (01:15)A definition of organisational change (06:04)Emergent change and why we’re seeing more of it at the moment (08:00)Tips for engaging stakeholders (10:15)Creating trust through the five principles of engagement (20:30) References and resourcesEpisode 18: Spark! Innovation with Lucy Gower, Founder, LucidityEpisode 21: Embed a culture of strategic thinkingBooks by Professor Julie Hodges: explore them all‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ research reportSign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.ukThank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!