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Nuance
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Nuance
Why Some Leaders Succeed and Others Fail

First Edition
  • Michael Fullan - Michael Fullan Enterprises Inc., Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Canada

A Joint Publication With the Ontario Principals' Council and the B.C. Principals' and Vice Principals' Association



November 2018 | 160 pages | Corwin

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Break the cycle of surface-level change and failure

How do leaders become clearer as complexity increases? We live in a world where decisions require judgment, getting people on board, drawing on local knowledge, ingenuity, and commitment. As leaders, how do you get beneath surface-level change to tackle complex challenges with depth and clarity.

Nuance is the answer.

Michael Fullan returns with an eminently readable, compelling and practical guide on the three habits of nuance: joint determination, adaptability, and culture-based accountability. Learn how you can:

·         Combine the power of networks and humanity to get to desired destinations.

·         Embrace complexity and understand context to develop better judgment

·         Change the culture of your organization to harness the forces of nuance.

·         Develop quality change that sticks

With tons of examples and case studies of this book makes explicit the hidden habits and mind frames of leaders who deliver lasting change.


 
Introduction: Making the World Go Round
 
Chapter 1. The Nature and Need for Nuance
Nuance: A Subtle Difference in or Shade of Meaning, Expression, or Sound

 
Surfacers vs. Nuancers

 
Leonardo da Vinci: The Patron Saint of Nuance

 
Nuance: Never More Needed Than Now

 
The Nature of Nuanced Leadership

 
The Nuanced Leadership Framework

 
 
Chapter 2. Jointly Determined Change: Be Right at the End of the Meeting
The Prevalence of Bad Leadership

 
Joint Determination

 
Case Example One: The Problem of Declining Levels of Principal Well-Being

 
Case Example Two: Districtwide Transformation to “Deep Learning”

 
Case Example Three: School Turnaround

 
Case Example Four: Turning Around Persistently Failing Schools

 
Integrative Leadership

 
 
Chapter 3. Adaptability: Learn and Lead in Equal Measure
Case Example Five: Rescuing Education From Technology

 
Case Example Six: The Toronto District School Board

 
Case Example Seven: Shattering Inequity

 
Case Example Eight: Global Initiative in Deep Learning

 
Adaptability

 
 
Chapter 4. Culture-Based Accountability: Trust and Interact
The Fruitless Pursuit of Top-Down Accountability

 
Ingredients of Culture-Based Accountability

 
1. Use the Group to Change the Group

 
2. Precision Over Prescription

 
3. Feedback: Collaboration, Candor, and Autonomy

 
4. Trust and Interact vs. Trust but Verify

 
5. See the Forest and the Trees

 
6. Accountability as Culture

 
Examples of Natural Accountability Linked to Results

 
Case Example Nine: Strengthening Whole System Accountability

 
Case Example Ten: Integrating Accountability and Improvement

 
Culture Counts

 
 
Chapter 5. Nuanced Leaders and the World
More Macro

 
Learners and Change Agents: Attack Inequity and Thrive on Every Level

 
Being and Becoming a Nuanced Leader

 
 
References
 
Index
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author

In 'Nuance', Michael Fullan explores the characteristics of good leadership, with exemplification that is applicable across a range of contexts. Useful for doctoral candidates focussing on leadership.

Dr Louise Campbell
School of Education & Social Work, Dundee University
September 7, 2019

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 1 - Nuance


For instructors

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ISBN: 9781544309941

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ISBN: 9781544309927
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This title is also available on SAGE Knowledge, the ultimate social sciences online library. If your library doesn’t have access, ask your librarian to start a trial.