Leading innovation - a leadership education on innovation in school

An openness to new possibilities

Anders Wikström is a senior researcher at the User-Centred Digitalisation unit at RISE in Västerås. Besides researching what it takes to increase organisations’ capacity for innovation, he puts his knowledge into practice by helping businesses and the public sector boost their innovation efforts.  

“It is increasingly important to understand and be able to hasten changes that affect business. An organisation, therefore, needs to be open to new opportunities and take advantage of knowledge and creativity in a system-wide way. This requires management to have the knowledge and skills to lead and organise such development.”
 

A baseline analysis of the innovation climate in the organisation is the first step. The next step is to work on the obstacles and opportunities that have become visible and improve the conditions for thinking and acting in new ways. The work usually starts at the top, but it is essential to involve the entire chain of command in the renewal process.

Innovation management is crucial - and it can be learned

Last autumn, Anders Wikström took part in a meeting with RISE school partners to give them new insights and perspectives on innovation and school development.

“They got an insight into what innovation management is and what they need to do to succeed. We also explained the crucial role that management plays when an organisation needs to develop and change. They became interested in working further with this in their organisations. RISE, therefore, developed a training course for school leaders, which we are currently running online.”

Each partner formed a team to attend the training together. They worked based on their organisation and the challenges it faced. Teamwork makes it possible to go deeper into what they need to systematically and successfully increase the innovation capacity of their operations, says Nathalie Gustafsson, Innovation and Process Manager at the User-Centered Digitalisation unit at RISE.
 

“Traditional training is not enough to rethink and lead innovation. Each team needed to learn how to develop the organisation’s ability to plan and apply ideas that develop and improve the business based on today’s conditions. It was therefore important that they worked actively to define concrete challenges and problems. They also needed to find solutions that would enable them to overcome the obstacles.”

ISO standards for innovation management set the framework for training

Anders Wikström is participating in the ongoing international work to develop a series of ISO standards for innovation management. Two of the published standards, ISO 56000 and ISO 56002, describe and explain the principles and processes required to manage innovation in an organisation systematically. They serve as an overall framework for training, says Kristina Björn, Senior Project Manager and Training Strategist at the Lifelong Learning Unit at RISE.

“The teams analysed and used the distinct elements highlighted by the two ISO standards based on the conditions in their respective organisations. It is exciting to see how the science-based standards can support school development through their structure and systematic approach. There is more to explore here!”

An education in two parts

The first part of the training comprised four two-hour seminars, focusing on a different theme: future-focused leadership, planning and implementation, context and support, and systems. The second part was a masterclass, divided into two half-days. It summarised the outcomes of the seminars and gave coherence and direction to the teams’ further work in their organisations.

Zoom was being used as a common meeting place during the training. Mural, a virtual whiteboard that makes it easy to organise and share ideas and thought flows, served as a team working tool.

“Flipped classroom” with continuous feedback and reinforcement

Before each seminar, the teams would watch a short film or read a text that summarised the topic at hand. They then ranked some statements about their own organisation’s capability in the theme. The different themes then worked with the three areas they felt had the most significant potential for development in their own organisation, says Anders Wikström.

“We prepared a workspace in Mural for each team, based on the three prioritised areas. During the seminar, the teams worked out what needed to be prioritised in the short and longer term to strengthen the organisation’s innovation capacity. My colleague Natalie Gustafsson and I provided continuous help and guidance to the teams in breakout rooms in Zoom.”

At the end of each seminar, the teams shared their discussions and conclusions. They presented the prioritised areas and gave an insight into how they intend to improve their organisation’s ability to develop and innovate, adds Natalie Gustafsson.

“It turned out that the teams had made quite similar priorities. In each seminar, the overwhelming majority had at least two areas in common. There is a general level of challenge that many school leaders recognise and need to learn to deal with.”

After each seminar, Anders Wikström and Natalie Gustafsson went through the work of all groups in Mural and gave feedback with suggestions for in-depth material. It could be reflection questions or tips on films or texts. As they gave the teams feedback, they also gave them new material for the next seminar. To move ahead, it is crucial to both look back and forward.

From best practice to next practice

For a long time, school development work has primarily been about adopting best practices and applying ready-made solutions to general problems that the school leaders have identified. Today, it is increasingly about discussing the next practice. What could happen in the future? How should school leaders think and act to meet it? We have to learn to understand and manage a constantly changing world, says Stefan Anderman, Head of Primary School at Lidingö.

“The management team of the municipal preschool, primary school and upper secondary school in The City of Lidingö took part in the training with a joint team. We could work with real-life examples, and the teams could use their insights in practice immediately. It was good that we worked in a team with those we also work with daily. It was important to learn from the thoughts and experiences of other teams. There are quite similar processes going on among school principals. We need to benefit from each other in this work.”

Stefan Anderman notes that the fact that the training was online was a clear advantage. They saved travel time, and the training managers had created a digital learning environment that worked well and facilitated teamwork in the seminars. During all seminars, the Lidingö team was together in the same room, allowing for physical communication.
 

The participants from Lidingö also met between the seminars to discuss what they had done last time and what could be essential to think about for the next occasion,” says Stefan Anderman.

“They did not require this, but I am sure that it helped us get further in our thinking and development work than we would otherwise have done. It was time well spent. There is an obvious risk that everyday issues will drown out the work of change and renewal. Therefore, it is crucial that we give them the space they need and that there is a plan for the discussion.”

An overall systemic picture to serve as a map and guide

The final masterclass of the training combined the areas covered in the seminars into a Mural systemic picture, showing each team how to think and act to transform their organisation’s innovation capacity at a systemic level. It was about creating an understanding of the different details and the overall context, says Anders Wikström.

“Innovation management is a complex domain to research, but it is just as complex to lead the actual change process. There are many elements to consider and manage, from the structure and leadership of the organisation to the people, the resources available and the additional support required to innovate working methods and approaches.”

The work on the Mural system image led to the drafting of a playbook that addresses what the different teams will work on after the training. It provides a map for the journey ahead and points to what they need to strengthen the organisation’s capacity for innovation and create a flexible approach to development, says Kristina Björn.

“During the training, we explored different aspects of innovation management, picking apart each of them and looking at what the different teams need to develop in their respective organisations. It gave several complementary perspectives on what innovation method is. The teams had to practice looking at their organisation from different perspectives and with a different focus. It’s far from easy, but it provides valuable insights that are important to carry with you. Such an approach allows participants to learn more. They also gain a more complex and composite view of the organisation and its operations.”

Renewal has never been more critical - and it’s not getting any less important

Much evidence suggests that the need for innovation has never been greater than it is now - and it is unlikely to diminish. That’s why organisations must start working systematically on development and innovation. In a society characterised by rapid and sudden changes, organisations must be ready to think differently,” says Anders Wikström.

“The Corona pandemic has taught us that change can sometimes be extremely radical, but it also shows how an organisation can experiment and try things out to meet the new conditions. It’s the only way to deal with the new normal and what will become the next normal. Many organisations in different sectors of society have dared to try different ways of working, learned from the experience and adapted to the new situation. We should see changes in terms of opportunity, and then it is a matter of taking the next step. This education gives the school leaders the tools and methods they need to do so.”

Stefan Anderman agrees it is vital to capture the changes taking place and build on what can benefit the organisation. It is a crucial part of innovation work.

“During the pandemic, we learned we can just as easily conduct parents’ evenings and developmental talks online. Those of us who attended this education learned that competence development can work perfectly well online. It saves valuable time, which we can use for other things. The rapid changes have also boosted the culture of sharing between school leaders and between teachers. Rather than each reinventing the wheel on their own, helping each other to move forward becomes a matter of course.”

School activities must follow the evolution of society

Plenty of examples from the business world show that organisations that do not see change as an opportunity to run into problems when new players jump in from the inside. Schools are not as exposed to this kind of threat, but there is still an obvious need for renewal. For schools to fulfil their mission, they need to adapt to societal change, which requires innovation.

One objection to this is that various governance documents regulate the school’s activities. Is it possible to innovate under these conditions? Kristina Björn believes it is undoubtedly the case.

“Renewal happens all the time, but on a small scale in everyday school life. But the knowledge and skills needed to stimulate, harness and benefit from the new are lacking. I believe schools would do a much better job than today if their decision-makers and leaders had more knowledge about how to lead to enable and harness innovation. And the good thing is that they can learn how.”

The systems perspective is crucial for schools to change. Innovation means a systematic approach to innovation. This is something that can be learned, but a traditional education is not enough. The reason, of course, is that there are no ready-made solutions that schools can use immediately, says Anders Wikström.

“The teams that took this training have learned the approach they need to lead the renewal work. They have developed an overall understanding of what they require and have the tools and methods. We have given them a jigsaw puzzle in a box that shows the complete picture. Now they have to build the puzzle themselves. No one else can do it for them.”

Training that goes deep into leading innovation

The first education was successful. Now RISE plans to make it available to school leaders who have extensive experience in development work and are ready to take the next step. It will probably be a hybrid education, with online seminars and a final masterclass where all participants meet physically.

This education addresses teams of school leaders who want to go deeper into what they need to work systematically and successfully to increase their own organisation’s capacity for innovation. It will cover 16 hours, but they must be ready to spend at least as much time on their own work. Throughout the course, there will be access to professional innovation leaders who will provide feedback and support, concludes Kristina Björn.

“Senior school management should learn this first. They need this knowledge and experience to continue the work of change together with their principals. And they also need to learn more about this. One principal has taken this on board and has all the school principals attend the training. It will be exciting to follow their renewal work in the future. Innovation requires an overall system perspective involving the entire chain of control. Effective renewal work needs to be linked throughout the organisation.”