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)