What will it take to address the issue you identified? What are the expedient solutions and the best possible solutions? What resources will be required to address the issue and develop a solution? What benefits will accrue from implementing the solution? Who would the stakeholders be? Who would you need to enlist for support with a solution proposal?

Innovative Trends in Education

Write a 3-5 page analysis, speculating on how your organization might react to implementing the proposal you created in the first assessment, Innovative Trends in Education. Concentrate on understanding how, as a leader, it would be best for you to position the proposal for successful stakeholder acceptance and cooperation.

Introduction
For this assessment you will consider how the mindset of a leader is a key determinant in successfully leading innovation and change. You will remember studying mental models in your previous courses. These mental models are elements of a person’s mindset, are usually deeply ingrained and long held, and influence a person’s decisions and responses to external circumstances and events. Leaders hold mental models that can help or hinder them in their roles. If long-held beliefs and opinions support progress, the leader can succeed; however, the converse may also be true. For example, would you rather be trusted or managed?

When change occurs within organizations or institutions, those in leadership positions can lead that change by influencing employees to be involved in the change process and guide them through it or to manage it by demanding acceptance and compliance. While it may seem to be obvious which approach would be more effective in the long run, both are still used to lead changes and innovation initiatives. A leader who influences employees creates a stronger working relationship and sense of trust, which in turn may lead to greater acceptance and productivity in the long term.

How a leader adapts to change influences their ability to lead others. How adaptable are you when faced with change? How adaptable are you when faced with rapid change?

When changes such as societal and technological changes occur rapidly within the external environment, many people do not quickly adjust their internal mindsets to keep pace with these advances. As an educational leader, you must be aware of your mental model or your internal state of mind, and the need to adapt, if you are going to successfully lead an institution into the future.

Instructions
Think through the following prompts and write 3–5 pages capturing your thoughts. You will apply this thinking to your work in the remaining assessments of this course.

Identify and describe the issue you are working on from the first assessment. Identify possible solutions, impacted stakeholders, and necessary resources to accomplish your proposal. This is a more in-depth look than you took in the Innovative Trends in Education assessment. You will want to be clear of your proposal’s scope and the resources you will need to accomplish it. Consider:
What will it take to address the issue you identified?
What are the expedient solutions and the best possible solutions?
What resources will be required to address the issue and develop a solution?
What benefits will accrue from implementing the solution?
Who would the stakeholders be?
Who would you need to enlist for support with a solution proposal?
How would you characterize your institution’s reaction to the change you are suggesting?
Is your institution quick to adopt innovation, or is it lagging behind and in need of an update?
Describe any institutional changes that might be needed to implement the solution.
Will there need to be any organizational restructuring of people, policies, or processes?
What resistance might you encounter in your workplace if you attempted to implement this solution?
Who might be its biggest supporters?
What specific actions will be needed to address these issues and leverage the opportunities?
How will you begin to build a shared vision?
Assess your mental model and preparedness to lead this initiative and exercise positive influence in an institution.
What mindset is required to address this problem and exercise positive influence?
What leadership skills will be necessary for you to employ?
As an educational leader, are you prepared to lead this implementation?
How will you use influence and other leadership skills (such as shared vision or teamwork mentality) to address the problem?