Exploring Vertical Development: Navigating Conflict in Educational Leadership

As you navigate the dynamic landscape of education, from guiding small teams to entire districts, you’ve likely encountered various degrees of conflict and polarization. Research shows that in K12 ecosystems, conflicts related to standardized testing, equity gaps, curricula, relationships, and political polarization can often reach heightened levels.

Have you ever felt that navigating conflict is more than just a skill you can learn from a book or training? It’s a capacity that develops over time through experiences, support, and challenges. In my own journey as an educational leader, I’ve experienced the impact of conflict on my well-being and effectiveness. When I’ve felt equipped to handle conflict adaptively, it has led to growth and more inclusive solutions.

If you resonate with this experience, you might find Vertical Development intriguing. Vertical Development focuses on how leaders make decisions and relate to themselves, others, complex situations, and conflict. Vertical Development thought leaders like Dr. Bill Torbert of Global Leadership Associates, Dr. Robert Kegan of Minds at Work, Dr. Alis Anagnostakis of the Vertical Development Institute and Dr. Valerie Livesay of Ghost Light Leadership have explored different aspects of leadership growth and self-awareness.

I’m excited to share a grant-funded study on Educational Leaders’ Perspectives Navigating Conflict and Polarization to Enact Positive Change. This study offers you the opportunity to explore Vertical Development and your own leadership growth through the MyWorldView leadership assessment, a valuable tool usually priced at $400.

By participating in this study, you’ll gain insights into your leadership strengths, areas for growth, and unique perspectives that shape your leadership approach and gain valuable insights that can enhance your leadership effectiveness and decision-making skills. Your involvement will not only contribute to the future of leadership education but also empower leaders like yourself to create a lasting impact in the field of education.

Educational Leaders (All Levels) Invited to Participate in a Study

This new study seeks to understand school leaders’ experiences working to enact positive change in their schools or districts change while navigating conflict or polarization. Participants’ leadership worldview stage related to time, power and change will be collected via a free MyWorldView leadership stage assessment developed by Global Leadership Associates.

Payment

• You would receive a $25 Visa gift card as a thank-you
• MyWorldView includes a personalized leadership stage assessment and digital debrief, which normally costs $400

What the Study Involves

• One MyWorldView leadership stage assessment (30 sentence completion questions online)
• One 60-minute interview to understand your leadership experience and worldview stage (audio recorded, no video recording)
• To protect your privacy, the published study will not share names or details that could identify you

Volunteers must

• Be a current or former educational leader (at any level)
• Have experience working to enact positive change while navigating conflict or polarization (as you define it)

This is a research study by Dr. Jen Ouellette-Schramm, EdD Contributing Faculty member at Walden University. Please message with your interest/questions or email [email protected].

Posted by: Jen Ouellette-Schramm, EdD

Dr. Jen Ouellette-Schramm is an educational leader with Robbinsdale Schools and a vertical development researcher and contributing faculty based out of Walden University in Minnesota. She is conducting a grant-funded study designed to improve K12 education.