Governance corner
Practical tips from our MIG faculty
Governance in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous times
Governance in the 21st century is about transformational leadership in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, or VUCA, world. The term VUCA was first created in the military context to establish defense protocols amid uncertainties. A statistical measure, volatility is the quality of being subject to frequent, rapid and significant change. Uncertainty reveals a lack of clarity to properly evaluate a situation to identify opportunities and challenges. An environment that is volatile and uncertain becomes complex and ambiguous.

Leading in a VUCA world requires strategic planning and interventions. Shifting one’s mindset from reactionary to appropriate responsiveness provides the perfect opportunity for growth, strength and success. Governing during these uncertain times must focus on a shared vision, requiring development and implementation of new and sustainable ideas and supportive frameworks. School district and county office of education governance teams must align long-term vision with short-term action focused on decisions that respond to the needs of students. Leading in times of VUCA requires transformational governance that creates hope and is inspiring and encouraging. Afterall, governance teams set the tone for effective leadership by filtering out distractions and demonstrating healthy dialogue and a commitment to success and achievement for every student.

illustration of person standing on a ladder adding a pink circle to a tower made of various shapes
As locally elected public officials, school district and county board members are trusted with governing their districts effectively, which can be challenging given that board members are elected individually, yet the individual board members become part of the governance team expected to work well together. What do highly effective school boards have in common? Perhaps the most important factor is identifying and focusing on unity of purpose. The unity of purpose serves as the driving force for working together as a governance team with the superintendent to make decisions that best serve students.

The focus on unity of purpose is particularly vital during turbulent periods when there are differences of opinions, value systems, political views and societal norms around particular issues. The following are recommendations to establish and strengthen unity of purpose and bring focus to success and achievement for every student:

  • Establish meetings to connect on a personal level:

    • Schedule regular one-on-one meetings to check in with your superintendent and colleagues on your board to establish a working relationship that is grounded in trust
    • Plan for routine board workshops to discuss your unity of purpose, develop shared values, gain clarity on roles and responsibilities and establish norms to further strengthen the foundation of trust
  • Foster a positive and collaborative culture by:

    • Onboarding/welcoming new members by a formal orientation process that ensures understanding of roles and responsibilities and procedural steps of school governance
    • Approaching uncomfortable and unfamiliar topics with curiosity. Ask clarifying questions to understand the intent
    • Creating psychological safe environments for healthy dialogue. While the governance team don’t all have to agree on items brought before it, discussions and deliberation processes set the tone for the district/community on acceptable behavior
    • Focusing on the shared core values guiding your district
  • Demonstrate and ensure accountability by developing processes for evaluation of:

    • The superintendent: A superintendent’s success depends on a clear and fair evaluation process that is aligned with all district-related goals
    • The board: The board must hold itself accountable as the visionary body setting the direction to achieve a common vision
    • Staff: At every level, processes must be in place to have fair and consistent evaluations that are aligned with the organizational vision, mission and core values

Transformational governance in times of VUCA takes time, intentionality and dedication on behalf of each and every governance team member setting the tone for the rest of the members of the district/county and the community.

Back to Newsletter