Introduction

Innovation is the development of customer value through solutions that meet new, undefined, or existing market needs in unique ways. Solutions may include new or more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are more readily available to markets, governments, and society.

Have you ever wondered how some schools have made the jump from a 20th century mindset to innovative institutions? It’s no secret that these schools have to deal with the same standardized tests, the same new education policies and laws, and the structures that we all have to overcome…yet they’ve been able to move forward instead of treading water.

Make no mistake, this is not the easiest task, but it can be accomplished by embracing a few “habits” that set the course for real change.

1. Innovative schools aren’t afraid

I have come to realize that one of the most fearful people are school administrators and the reason is not far fetched. They are afraid of parents’ reaction to innovation, afraid of teachers response to change, afraid of the reputation of the school and even the fear of poor performance.

These fears have made them unable to implement innovative ideas that help the school transit from 20^th to the 21^st century.

What is your school afraid of? Is your school afraid of doing poorly on standardized tests if they move to a project-based curriculum? Is your school afraid of losing a higher ranking when they push for more internships and less AP placements? Is your school afraid of parents complaining, school board questions, and teachers struggling to keep up?

It’s normal to be afraid of “what is going to happen” when making a change. But we need to remember that change is constant, and the only way our students and teachers can be innovative.. is if they are allowed to step out and do something different.

Innovative schools aren’t afraid of change, they embrace it.

2. Innovative schools are transparent

What goes hand in hand with “not being afraid” and “making mistakes”? Transparency.

According to Sheninger, she said one of the most important “small changes” his school made was being transparent:

Another small change was becoming a more transparent administrator and sharing the innovative practices taking place within the walls of my school. With Twitter I have been able to give my stakeholders a glimpse into my role as an educational leader, Facebook has been an incredible tool to share realtime information, student achievements, and staff innovations. Both of these tools combined have given my stakeholders and the greater educational community a bird’s eye view into my school and the great things happening here.

Transparency is making sure all stakeholders are involved and understand where you are headed as a school. That way, when you make a change (or make a mistake) everyone will be aware of what is going on and the reasons behind moving forward. Again, this may seem scary to many schools, which is why #1 is “don’t be afraid”!

3. Innovative schools use technology the right way

Technology is a tool. It’s a great learning tool when used properly, but can also serve as a distraction when used poorly.

A teacher gave her experience and it goes thus; “When I taught high school English I would often have to check myself on whether or not I was using student laptops as “teenage pacifiers”. Put them in front of students and sit back…”

It is a tough trap for any teacher. I can fool myself into believing students are actively working, when really they could be watching a YouTube music video or playing a game. However, because I was aware of this, I focused much of my tech integration around “active lessons”.

• Active research where students were sharing their results and resources in real time
• Active collaboration between students in class online
• Active creation of digital products and media artifacts

I could pop in and view what they were doing online, or I could walk around and work with small groups (or 1-on-1) on specific problems. Once the class was over I could use tools like Google Revision History to “actively” see what students were accomplishing in class.

Technology can be used for many learning purposes, but innovative schools make sure the tools are used the right way.

4 Innovative schools are connected

Eric made it clear in our interview that this was the most important piece to the innovative school equation. You can’t be innovative while living in a bubble. Sure, you can do some great work, but if it is not shared with the world, and if you are not actively learning from the world…then you’ll reach just the tip of the iceberg.

Does your school have social media accounts? Are your teachers actively connecting with other teachers online? What about your administrators? Are you sending various stakeholders to conferences or refresher course? Are you comparing your data to thousands of other schools with a tool.?

What can you do today, this week, this month to get more connected as a school? Whatever it is, it will help move you forward.

5. Innovative schools make mistakes

If a school can make a mistake and learn from it, imagine what type of message that sends to the teachers and students. Innovative schools continually push the envelope of teaching and learning, and sometimes this leads to mistakes. Mistakes with technology, mistakes with curriculum, and mistakes with training.

But, that doesn’t hold innovative schools back from moving forward. They get back up, and keep going. Notice, this isn’t one person making a mistake, it is the organization…and the entire school can learn and improve from mistakes if that is built into the culture.

Innovative schools make mistakes and learn from them.

Create a Culture of Innovation

You will likely find that you need to generate hundreds of ideas to find ten good ones that will create value for your school. This is part of the creative brainstorming process, and it should be encouraged. It should be the responsibility of every individual in the school to come up with ideas, not just the proprietor or key staff. Here are some suggestions to encourage the flow of ideas.

1.   Encourage Creativity

Encouraging creativity helps keep staff happy. If they think something is important and has the potential to create a financial payoff or student satisfaction for the school, let them follow their idea.

People perform best when they are driven by inspiration and encouraged to push their boundaries and think outside the box. But employees cannot do this when they are being micromanaged.

Employees need to feel independent enough to own their innovative thinking and to pursue the ideas they are passionate about. In fact, if management effectively fosters a creative and open environment, innovation will happen naturally.

2.   Encourage Participation

Teamwork enhances people’s strengths and mitigates their individual weaknesses. Effective teamwork also promotes the awareness that it is in everyone’s best interests to keep the business growing and improving. Creating a participation-based environment means creating smart teams, encouraging open dialogue, and minimizing authority. Criticism is productive and should be encouraged, but it must be used constructively.

3.   Provide Recognition and Rewards

One of the most powerful tools for promoting employee creativity and innovation is recognition. People want to be recognized and rewarded for their ideas and initiatives, and it is a practice that can have tremendous payoff for the organization.

Sometimes the recognition required may be as simple as mentioning a person’s effort in a newsletter. If a staff member comes up with a really creative idea, mention them in the school newsletter or on the news board even if their idea can’t be implemented immediately. Make it clear that compensation and promotions are tied to innovative thinking.

4.   Enable Employee Innovation

You may have an innovative culture in your school, but you also need to familiarize staff with some of the hallmarks of continuing innovation. For example, you could educate employees at regular training sessions on topics such as creativity, entrepreneurship, and teamwork.

Each session might conclude with the assignment of an exercise to be performed over the next few working weeks that will consolidate lessons learned. Your aim here is to give employees a taste of innovation so they will embrace the process.

Conclusion

From a managerial perspective, innovative employees tend to be more motivated and involved in the organization. Empowering employees to innovate and improve their work processes provides a sense of autonomy that boosts job satisfaction.

From a broader perspective, empowering employees to engage in broader organization-wide innovation creates a strong sense of teamwork and community and ensures that employees are actively aware of and invested in organizational objectives and strategy.

Proprietors who promote an innovative environment can see value through increased employee motivation, creativity, and autonomy; stronger teams; and strategic recommendations from the bottom up.

Thank you.

Abiaeme Johnson

Project Manager Wizzyhub Technology Ltd.