Leadership for Implementation: Why Leading Change Requires More Than a Vision

Implementation leadership isn’t a single theory because effective implementation leaders must adapt their approach to the people, context, stage of implementation, and challenges facing the work.

I thought leadership was leadership.

When I first learned about the theories and concepts of implementation science, I served as the Executive Director of Instructional Services at a K-12 regional agency in Michigan. The agency was participating in the Michigan Department of Education Transformation Zone project, focusing on Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). At the time, my agency supported three local school districts in implementing MTSS using the Active Implementation Frameworks. The project lasted three years with intensive support, then about a year with targeted support for the districts. Although this work began about a decade ago, I still reflect on the experience and wonder what the regional agency and the districts we supported sustained, and, most importantly, why.

Effective implementation is still occurring in two of three districts in the region, and I believe leadership is one of the critical factors in sustaining it.

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