Date of Submission

8-8-2023

Document Type

OIP

Degree

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

Keywords

relational coordination, adaptive systems, relational leadership, collective leadership, anti-colonial, wholistic systems

Abstract

The impacts of historical inequities continue to limit access to quality outcomes for all learners in British Columbia. Organizational structures that separate and isolate efforts to create equity persist in BC school districts. Riverstone School District has attempted to disrupt the norm of siloed and discoordinated efforts by merging several central office support departments to offer increasingly wholistic and effective support to schools and the families they serve. However, despite the best intentions and despite now sharing physical space with one another, the departments have not yet merged effectively; isolated, conflicting efforts persist. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) offers a vision for an interconnected and coordinated support services unit, one better positioned to offer wholistic and effective support and leadership to schools as they strive to create environments where every learner thrives. Through the collective leadership of meso-level leaders, members of the Learning Services Collective (LSC) will focus efforts on increasing their relational coordination—that is their mutual respect, shared knowledge, shared goals, and accurate communication and problem solving. The change implementation plan follows the relational model of organizational change which embeds a monitoring process throughout as members co-construct their way forward, checking in periodically with an evaluation tool. Throughout, LSC members mobilize their knowledge through a collaborative inquiry process. This OIP serves Riverstone School District’s goal of enabling all students to thrive and the district’s core values of collective responsibility, integrity, connection, well-being, and diversity.

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