1E: Core, Contingency, and Paradox: Leading Systems for Continuous Improvement

In this session, attendees will learn about the results of a 4-year comparative study of how four continuous improvement and design methods (Improvement Science, Data Wise, Design Thinking, and Design-Based Implementation Research) were used in school systems across North America. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about, discuss, critique, and apply or adapt a 3-part framework that pertains directly to the work of leading school systems for CI. First, we will highlight the core features that distinguish successful from less successful uses of these methods. Second, we will offer a contingency model for leading continuous improvement—how the methods a leader draws on should be contingent upon the characteristics of the problem they are trying to address and the context they are working in. Third, we will introduce numerous paradoxes that pervade the work leading systems for CI, and how leaders might effectively navigate such paradoxes.