Radical Transformation Through Collective Leadership: Supporting a Self-Improvement Journey for the C-Suite Team at PDK International

Abstract

Phi Delta Kappa, International (PDK) was established in 1906 and is a non-profit that works to promote and support the advancement of public education. At the time of my residency, PDK was in the midst of a turnaround and strategic reset: organizational identity, organizational culture, and revenue streams. As it prepared to become a relevant player in the education market, the PDK C-suite team sought to more effectively transform the education landscape through its new innovative services for schools, school district leaders, and the broader education sector. My residency focused on helping PDK’s C-suite team begin the transformation process internally. The strategic project explored a process that provoked the C-suite team to examine themselves in the work by taking them through a developmental approach to create a shared purpose and collaborative team goal in order to radically change the mindset of C-suite and their practice of collective leadership. My capstone also considered the broader themes of managing transitions, adult development, deliberately developmental organizations, and coaching leadership teams to develop into high performing leadership teams. The evolution of my strategic project supported a dual approach to capitalizing on change for the organization and myself. The capstone outlines the three phases of my strategic project where I test an improvement process that indicates the need for self-examination and social interaction as a strategy to guide the interpersonal and intrapersonal change necessary to advance collective leadership To analyze the strategic project, I use the deliberately developmental organization framework and the 5 disciplines of effective leadership teams. The frameworks allowed me to examine the way in which self-improvement and collaboration affected the C-suite team at PDK International. I conclude that prioritization of an improvement process is a critical component of business and people development. The will to provoke introspection and promote the adaptive work needed for personal and team mastery cultivates the growth minded leadership that is vital for transforming yourself to transform the sector.