Vision management
Are you one of those who believe that visions are mental hot air balloons that don't make a real difference in an organization? Read here why both practice and research point to the need for meaningful, value-based visions, whether you're a public or private sector leader.
Imagine being appointed head of a school in a socially disadvantaged residential area where student grades, student satisfaction and parent satisfaction are at an all-time low, while student absence and staff sickness absence are sky-high. Add to this the fact that the political winds are constantly breathing down your neck with remarks about the school being threatened with closure if you don't ensure that more parents in the school district choose your school when looking for a school for their child.
This was the reality for Rani, who in 2008 took up the position as head of Søndervangskolen in Aarhus Municipality. It was obvious that the school could quickly become a political hot potato if more parents did not immediately choose the school and the students' academic results soon changed in a positive direction.
Therefore, a vision and a set of associated values were formulated. A vision is an organization's picture of a desirable, long-term future - and in this case, the vision was about seeing student well-being and academic excellence flourish and making the school the preferred school for children and parents in the school district. Five values would underpin this narrative of the school's future.
The vision and values were communicated to the employees, and a dialog was initiated about what both meant in concrete terms for the daily task solution. For example, the improvement in students' academic results was to be achieved through fixed practices for collaboration across subjects, and joint skills development was to ensure a uniform understanding of learning. Gradually, the results began to show. And together with the school's vision, these results formed the framework for communication to parents of 'school starters'. Bus ads, cinema commercials and radio spots promoted the school as a place that would break the reputation of a "ghetto school" and do its utmost to contribute to the children's learning and well-being. Door-to-door visits were made to parents of potential school starters to clarify what the school had to offer, and an ambassador corps consisting of parents and older students participated in information meetings about school choice in local daycare centers.
Finally, it was made clear that all employees at the school should want to be active contributors to the vision and its derivative actions - or else it was probably better to continue their working life elsewhere. Over time, this has led to significant results. Since 2008, for example, the students' grade point average has increased from 3.4 to 6.0, and the proportion of parents choosing the school has almost doubled.
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The research: Vision leadership as a warm campfire for leaders
Are you among those who think that the above is just an anecdotal one-off story and that visions are mental hot air balloons that leaders send up without making a real difference in an organization? So, hang on a little longer - and let's see what the research says.
Vision leadership involves you as a leader formulating, communicating and maintaining a vision for your organization. Both Danish and international research suggests that vision leadership can be the campfire that leaders can warm themselves by when looking for a form of leadership that can contribute a wide range of positive benefits. For example, the practice of visionary leadership can lead to employees becoming more motivated, more engaged in their work, seeing their work as meaningful, wanting to stay in the organization and performing better.
