The Doctor's Mis-Take on Change

Yertle the Turtle - Where Change=Grief
Do you believe change is good, or change is grief? In the Dr. Suess tale, Yertle the Turtle, a nice, little pond quickly changes into grief for the turtles of Sala-ma-sond.

Here we use Maxwell and Fullan in our analysis of Yertle the Turtle, and what he teaches us about change.

Change= Grief when:

- the change proposed is a bad idea.

- the change proposed is not accepted by the influencers.

- the change proposed is not presented effectively.

- the change proposed is self-serving to the leaders.

- the change proposed is based solely on the past.

- the changes proposed are too many, and are happening too quickly.

Profile of a Leader in Trouble

The leader in trouble:

- has a poor understanding of people

Yertle has no concept of what it’s like to be a turtle!

- lacks imagination

A turtle stack? Come on!
- has personal problems

Possible small turtle syndrome

- passes the buck

At a turtle king conference, it is certain that Yertle would blame the revolt on lack of funding.

- feels secure and satisfied

Derives a great deal of pleasure being king of a cow, house, bush and mule

- is not organized

Yertle hasn’t created a contingent of turtles to keep the resisters at bay and undoubtedly kiss his shell (see small turtle syndrome)

- flies into rages

No comment necessary. See small turtle syndrome.

- is insecure and defensive / stays inflexible

Constant reference to how great he is (see small turtle syndrome)

- has no team spirit

It’s all about the Yertle!

A Checklist for Change:

What Yertle Should Have Considered

Will this change benefit the followers?

Is this change compatible with the purpose of the organization?

Is this change specific and clear?

Are the top 20% (the influencers) in favor of this change?

Is it possible to test this change before making a total commitment to it?

Are physical, financial, and human resources available to make the change?

Is this change reversible?

Is this change the next obvious step?

Does this change have both a short and long-range benefit?

Is the leader capable of bringing about this change?

Is the timing right?

Creating a Climate for Change

Creating a Climate for Change

The leader must develop trust.
“The more people trust the leader, the more willing they will be to accept the leader’s proposed changes”
The leader must make personal changes before asking others to changes.
“great leaders not only say what should be done, they show it!”
Good leaders understand the history of the organization.
“The longer an organization has gone without change, the more effort introducing it will require.”
Place influencers in leadership positions.
“[Leaders] are going somewhere…and…they are able to persuade people to go with them.”
Check the “change in your pocket.”
“Every leader is given a certain amount of “change” (emotional support in the form of bargaining chips) at the beginning of a relationship.”
Good leaders solicit the support of influencers before the change is made public. See ten-item checklist (p. 68)
Develop a meeting agenda that will assist change.
Develop an agenda to enhance the meeting process (information items, study items, action items)
Encourage the influencers to influence others informally.
“Leadership leaks should be planned and positive, preparing the people for the meeting where the change will be formally presented.”
Show the people how the change will benefit them.
“The proposed change is what is best for the people, not the leader. The people must be first.”
Give the people the ownership of the change.
“Without ownership, changes will be short-term.”

Yertle the Turtle: A Leader of Change?

YERTLE THE TURTLE: A LEADER OF CHANGE?

Dr. Seuss’ Yertle the Turtle is the perfect vehicle for understanding Michael Fullan’s “The Causes and Processes of Initiation” and “Understanding Change”. Through an analysis of the King of Sala-ma-sond’s leadership styles, readers clearly see that Yertle does not have an adequate understanding of the change process. His goal to enlarge his reign, albeit selfish, might have been realized; it was, however, not sustained. Yertle does not create a climate for change, and his leadership style works to negatively affect the already established climate. Yertle meets resistance and does not work to establish internal commitment among his followers. Perhaps one of Yertle’s biggest mistakes is that his attempt at change does not take into consideration that he must reculture the turtles to accept change before his change can move to continuation. Although the story is simple, it is universal in its theme: change is a non-linear, complex mystery that can be “unlocked and even understood but rarely controlled” (Fullan, 2005).

Yertle the Turtle vs. Michael Fullan

Yertle the Turtle vs. Michael Fullan

“…Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond. A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat. The water was warm. There was plenty to eat. The turtles had everything turtles might need. And they were all happy. Quite happy indeed.”

The turtles’ needs are met in this idealized pond. A positive climate exists. In a school setting, this positive climate is necessary to create a learning community that accepts change. It is the foundation for laying the groundwork of change.

“Yertle…decided the kingdom…was too small…I don’t see enough…this throne that I sit on…it ought to be higher…”

Analysis: When power and control are the focus of the leader, the community falls apart. Actions that are self-serving only work to promote dissatisfaction, disengagement, and deterioration in/of the community.

Theory: Leadership styles (Goldman, as cited in Fullan, 2001) Coercive (the leader demands compliance) and Pace-setting (the leader sets high standards for performance) styles negatively affect climate. Performance is thus hindered as people “resent and resist…get overwhelmed and burn out” (Fullan, Leading in a culture of change, p. 35).

“So Yertle, …lifted his hand…gave a command…he ordered… snapped … barked…howled…hushed… snorted.”

Analysis: An administrator who would like to implement change through commands will quickly discover that he will be stalled at the implementation stage. Ownership of the initiative is necessary among teachers.

Theory: "To put it one way, you can get away with . . . assertive leadership. . . under two conditions . . . situations where it turns out you have a good idea; and second, when assertive initiation is combined with empowerment and choices as the story unfolds . . . ownership, if you like. . . " (The New Meaning of Educational Change, pg. 67)

“…and this plain little turtle looked up and he said, “Beg your pardon …I’ve pains in my back and my shoulders and knees… I don’t like to complain but down here below we are feeling great pain … down here we, too should have rights …”

Analysis: Administrators who ignore resistance to the change they intend to initiate, will not successfully implement the change.

Theory: “We need to respect resisters for two reasons. First, they sometimes have ideas that we might have missed, especially in situations of diversity or complexity or in the tackling of problems for which the answer is unknown. [Resisters may also] understand the minutiae of implementation that we never see from our lofty perch atop Mount Olympus.” (Leading in a Culture of Change, p. 43).

“That plain little turtle whose name was just Mack, decided he’d taken enough. And he had. And that plain little Mack did a plain little Mack did a plain little thing. He burped! And his burp shook his throne of the king.”

Analysis: When commitment among teachers is not arrived at, the initiative will not be carried through. The relationship between the teacher and administrator is strained – forcing the teacher to refuse, dig in or “BURP”.

Theory: “effectiveness depends on the depending internal commitment in which the ideas and intrinsic motivation of the vast majority of organizational members become activated” (Leading in a Culture of Change, p. 46).

“… and to say the great Yertle, that Marvelous he, is King of the Mud. That is all he can see. And the turtles are free as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.”

Analysis: Changing the status quo is a difficult task. Effective administrators understand that to change the way things are done, they must seek to incorporate ideas from all parts of the “stack”.

Theory: Reculturing: Leading in a culture of change means creating a culture (not just a structure) of change. It does not mean adopting innovations, one after another; it does mean producing the capacity to seek, critically assess, and selectively incorporate new ideas and practice – all the time, inside the organization as well as outside it” (Leading in a Culture of Change, 2001, p. 44)

Comments welcome

Now that you are finished reading our blog, comment on what experiences you have with change or try answering one of the questions below. You are sure to earn some turtle points with each comment! :)

Why do the turtles obey the king?

Why does the king feel the need to rule more?

What does it mean to be Mack? To be Yertle?

Are you a Mack, Yertle, or a turtle in the stack?

Describe a good experience you have had with change.

What experience with change has been grief?

Did the change benefit the school, students &/or staff?

Was the change compatible with the school's goals and vision?

Was the change specific and clear?

Did the change have both a short and long-range benefit?

Was the timing right?

Thank you for visiting!

Angelina, Marisa & Wanda

References:

Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Fullan, M. (2001). The new meaning of educational change (3rd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

Maxwell, J. (1993). Developing the leader within you. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Suess, Dr. (1958). Yertle the turtle. New York: Random House.