Challenges to Diversifying Leadership in the Northwest

Rosemary Campbell-StephensMonday 18th May 2009

Liverpool

There are almost 61 million people living in the United Kingdom, slightly more

women than men.

Nearly 31 million of us are working or actively looking for work (most of the rest

are under 16 or are retired).

These days, the number of women either in, or looking for, paid work is getting

closer to the number of men: 14.1 million women compared to 16.7 million

men.

Seventy percent of women between the ages of 16 and 59 are in paid work

outside the home, compared with just 56% in 1971. This includes a majority of

mothers with children under 16, whether they are married or living with a

partner or on their own.

UK Context

Disability and Age

Around 3.5 million disabled people are in employment – around

one in eight of all working- age people in employment.

This represents an employment rate for disabled people of 50%,

whereas the working-age population as a whole has an

employment rate of about 80%.

The working population as a whole is getting older. Compared to

1971, a higher proportion of the population is aged 30 or older and

this is set to continue to grow in the future.

Religion & Sexual Orientation The most recent British Social Attitudes Survey shows that 45%

of the UK population identify themselves as having no religious belief (though they may hold non-religious beliefs, such as humanism). 47.5% of people say they are Christian, while 3.3% are Muslim, 1.4% Hindu, 0.5% Jewish, 0.2% Sikh, 0.2% Buddhist and 1.4% other non-Christian religions.

The majority of people are heterosexual or ‘straight’ and they are attracted to the opposite sex. HM Treasury Actuaries estimate that 6% of people are attracted to people of the same sex (lesbian women and gay men) or both the same and opposite sex (bisexual people).

Ethnicity

The 2001 Census gives the latest definite measure of the UK

ethnic diversity, and showed that 7.9% of the total population, or

4.6 million people, are from ethnic minority groups.

Indians were the largest minority group, followed by Pakistanis,

those of mixed ethnic backgrounds, black Caribbean, black

Africans and Bangladeshis.

The remaining ethnic minority groups each accounted for less than

0.5% but together accounted for a further 1.4% of the UK

population.

Why is this context important for the

Northwest ?

Discuss in pairs or

groups of three

Demographics

Business

Legal

Moral

Standards

Business-Service Critical

People increasingly choosing not to work for schools or local Authorities with poor reputations or who are diversity unfriendly employers

School leadership shortages – large number of Heads due to retire - a ‘war’ for talent

Diverse school pupil population profiles, the need for quality education for all & role models

‘Global village’ – much greater inter-dependence, need to understand and work with other cultures

Upbringing & Socialisation

Motivation

Behaviours

Values & beliefs

Behaviours

Motivation

Values

Organisation Culture

Leading in the community

With schools at the centre of their communities, school leadership has a crucial role to play in working with the community and other services to improve outcomes for, and the well being of, all children.

Placing families at the centre of services, schools and leaders should work with others to tackle all the barriers to learning, health and happiness of every child. School leaders share responsibility for the leadership of the wider educational system and should be aware that school improvement, community development and community cohesion are interdependent.

Rosemary Campbell Stephens

Cultural literacy a working definition

Cultural literacy is the predisposition, as well as the Cultural literacy is the predisposition, as well as the ability, to understand the customs, values, and beliefs ability, to understand the customs, values, and beliefs of one’s own culture, as well as the cultures of others.of one’s own culture, as well as the cultures of others.

The ability to read, understand and make sense of the

importance of culture in driving human relations and processes.

The capacity to interact effectively (and authentically) with people of different cultures.

Rosemary Campbell Stephens

Rosemary Campbell Stephens

What are the challenges/barriers to

diversifying leadership ?

In groups of three each person

take no more than 5 minutes to

share your perspective

on the issues with colleagues

Barriers for aspiring leaders from under represented groups

Institutionalised deeply entrenched ‘isms’ Indirect (& sometimes direct racist, sexist & classist attitudes) ‘Difference’ threatens the status quo Often encouraged to take the most tortuous route to promotion Changes to progression routes e.g. TLR and closure of the access

route to NPQH – disproportionately & adversely affect some under-represented groups

Insufficient school capacity or vision to support professional development of those other than the usual suspects

Barriers continued

Least likely to be talent spotted

More likely to be treated as the loyal work horse

More likely to be ministers without portfolio

Less likely to be receiving accurate, honest and timely feedback through performance management

Approaches to addressing under-representation focuses on a deficit perception of those under-represented

Additionality

‘The presence of a more representative workforce should impact upon the organisation, its culture, structures and processes such that it is experienced by all as being more inclusive, respectful and enhancing of all of our rights and dignity’ Professor Gus John

Rosemary Campbell Stephens

What needs to be done?

In your groups please

share your thinking on

ways forward

identify where possible

when, with whom &

what the levers are for change

Changing the direction of travel

“Our experience has shown that building a strong business

case for diversity, making it a strategic imperative backed up by

policies and processes is just not enough.

Tackling the complexity of organisational culture requires a

focus on what drives behaviour – this has taken us into the

realms of organisational psychology so that we can each better

understand ourselves and thus each other.”

Kieran Poynter, Chairman, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Upbringing & Socialisation

Motivation

Behaviours

Values & beliefs

Behaviours

Motivation

Values

Organisation Culture

What are we a part of ?

The educational system of a society can be viewed as a means of reinforcing, perpetuating, and legitimating the configuration of that society

Sociologists Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis (1976) maintain that American schools' basic function is to reproduce a hierarchically organized class society.

Rosemary Campbell Stephens

Purpose of Education

The major premise of effective education must be ‘self knowledge’. In order to achieve goals such as unambivalent identity and tools for empowerment, the educational process must be one that educes the awareness of who we are.

The traditional African view of self is that the person is composed of a spiritual core (soul), a physical body, a personal mind, a social self and a tribal ancestral self.

The idea that the core of the self is the soul requires that education must address this spiritual and moral essence of the human being.

Na’im Akbar

Rosemary Campbell Stephens

Rationale

The need for a broader more inclusive range of leadership paradigms

Increase the cultural literacy of leadership in schools strengthen efficacy

Issues of recruitment & retention – need to widen our perception of where future talent may be found

Increase numbers of Women & Black & global majority leaders in schools will create space at a strategic level for new thinking about leadership

Northwest needs to be forward looking and an employer of choice for some of the brightest and best

Positive Action

It is important to appreciate the legal distinction between ‘positive action’ and ‘positive discrimination’.

Positive action is allowed under existing discrimination law. It is designed to create a level playing field so that historically disadvantaged groups can compete on equal terms for jobs, or for access to services and so on.

It can include advertising in a specific place or publication to encourage applications from types of people who have not in the past applied for a particular job, or additional training to help someone show more effectively what skills they would bring to a role, or providing support networks, or adapting working practices

Positive Action

Not to be confused with positive discrimination and ‘affirmative action’

Range of measures permitted by law to encourage and train particular groups which are under-represented in the workforce and/or geographical areas

Seeks to tackle/redress past, present and potential discrimination

Does not guarantee job – recruitment and promotion always based on merit

Types of Positive Action

Before entering a job or training position (Section 37 RRA 1976) Encouragement Measures to apply for jobs and training Highlighting positive images promoting role models Targeting advertising, information, facilities and services Recruitment fairs Taster Days Posters/ leafleting campaign outreach support with filling applications

After entering a training position or job (in-service including existing employees) (Section 38 RRA 1976) access to professional qualifications personal development coaching and mentoring

What should the next steps be for the

Northwest ?

Next steps

• Local authorities regional focus on diversity within succession planning

• Get all the partners locally around one table to agree approach for region and the vehicle for driving it through

• Make focus on diversity explicit within generic leadership training

• Get this onto local Authority and Head teacher agendas

• Include current head teachers ,governors and HR teams in specific training on diversity and their role in change

• Targeted provision for under-represented groups

• Provide opportunities for under-represented groups to work shadow and act-up

• Invest in mentor coaching using outgoing Heads

• Get underneath figures for NPQH are those coming forward representative ? Who is deferring and at what stage ?

Dismantling the barriers

Acknowledge, positively profile and support the leaders that you have got from diverse backgrounds so that their authentic voices can be heard

Have an explicit focus on the development of school leaders from under represented groups within the broader process of succession planning

Talent spot, nurture, create opportunities and invite people to develop their leadership capacity

Do not use the additionality that BGM people bring to marginalise Create the space for different ways of leading in explicit and

structural ways

In closing

Rosemary Campbell Stephens