The four majorities: Leading teachers through change

A publication of the Association of California School Administrators

Knowing these four groups can help leaders implement new initiatives

By Jessica Gomez and Josué Reyna | September | October 2024

Change is difficult. Leading change? Even more so.

When leading change in education, whether it be at a school or across an organization, one of the most challenging elements is compelling and coordinating the humans we lead. Because we lead people not projects, and because people are incredibly complex, change initiatives can quickly become unwieldy and ultimately, unfruitful. Resistance comes in many forms, and although it begins at the individual level, it is a group of people that can accelerate or derail change. The seasoned leader knows not to underestimate what a small but strong-willed group can accomplish, for better or worse.

It is helpful then to take a lesson from a proven theory in group behaviors: the Diffusion of Innovation Theory developed by Everett Rogers. A critical part of this theory helps us understand the patterns and speed of how new ideas are adopted. Rogers classified people into five groups based on their willingness and timing of their adoption of new ideas. In our experience, it is helpful to combine the first two groups as this generates great momentum for leading a change initiative. Applying the theory leaves us with four majorities to lead, each with its unique propensity for and contribution to adopting change. The four majorities are as follows: 1) Trailblazers, 2) Builders, 3) Guardians, and 4) Traditionalists.

What the Diffusion of Innovation Theory teaches us is that leading change is not a one-time mandate for implementation and cooperation (more commonly heard as “Do this because I said so”). Rather, the strategic leader is masterful at guiding each group with careful consideration to its disposition, role and challenges.

Know thyself One of the most critical components to change leadership is knowing your strengths and values.

To understand your strengths is to be acutely aware of your most productive patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. Your strengths will be the most predictable factors in a change initiative. Additionally, your strengths are more versatile than you might realize. They are akin to a sculptor’s clay that can be molded and reshaped, giving you the flexibility to adapt and respond effectively to different situations. Just as a sculptor creates various forms from the same piece of clay, you can reconfigure your strengths to navigate the challenges of leading change.

You must also know your values. Values are your animating principles and your internal compass. Values speak to what is most important to you, and they transcend the context in which you find yourself. That means values are present with you in both personal and professional settings, whether or not you are aware of them. You may subconsciously personalize resistance to change, experiencing it as a violation of your core values, which can lead to unproductive reactions. For example, how might you as a leader who values continuous improvement perceive a teacher who refuses to adopt new instructional practices, preferring instead to stick to traditional methods? You may strongly feel the teacher’s resistance as a disregard of your values, and in response, you might not provide the teacher with appropriate support in adopting the change initiative. Knowing your core values and being aware of their sensitivity in work environments is critical to successful change leadership.

When you have a keen understanding of your strengths and values you will be able to anticipate which of the four majorities might energize you and which ones might disenchant you. This will help you navigate how to respond effectively and in accordance with your strengths. There are numerous ways to measure and identify one’s strengths and values. A short list includes CliftonStrengths, VIA Assessment, Meyers/Briggs, MLQ and the LPI 360.

With a strengths-and-values-based orientation, you can seek to understand then mobilize each of the four majorities, beginning with the Trailblazers.

Trailblazers Know them: The first majority — the Trailblazers — has an appetite for novelty! This group is not afraid of risks and is energized by innovation. The power of this group is in their ability to detect, explore and embrace cutting edge ideas and tech that have yet to be scaled or tested. The Trailblazers include individuals who are the first to raise their hand to be a pilot classroom or attend professional development opportunities. What we appreciate about this group is their insatiable, even rebellious, spirit of ideation, iteration and continuous improvement.

Lead them: The best way to lead this group is to get out of their way. Let them explore and wander into the future; this is how they thrive and how you gain their trust! Then ask them about their discoveries; listen with an ear of curiosity. It may be tempting to immediately shut down outlandish ideas. Instead, help them sort between scalable ideas and niche ones. You can also count on this group to include educators who are seen as thought leaders by their peers, which is key to leading the majorities that follow. As you listen to their feedback, gather quotes and opinions that can later be leveraged with the other majorities. Involve your Trailblazers to lead professional development sessions and discussions. Be mindful that the educators in this majority may sometimes be out in the margins socially, so be sure to celebrate them in a way that is meaningful to them.

Accelerating the momentum of Trailblazers, are the second majority: Builders. This majority adopts new ideas after seeing them successfully used by Trailblazers or wait for the change initiative to gain some traction before they embrace it.

Builders Know them: The second majority — the Builders — connect the Trailblazers with the rest of the staff, helping to refine and spread new practices throughout the school. Keep in mind this group is practical and cautious. They wait for ideas to be tried and tested by Trailblazers before integrating them into their instructional practices. Builders are an important part of a school staff because they ensure new initiatives, curriculum, etc., are vetted and ready for effective implementation. They will often wait to see that there is success in Trailblazers’ classrooms. If you were trying to implement a new attendance initiative you may hear statements or questions such as, “I’m interested, but I want to make sure this initiative won’t add too much to our current workload,” “Can we have a demonstration or training session on how to use the new attendance system?” “I see the potential benefits, but I also want to ensure it’s a smooth transition without disrupting our current routines too much.” The great thing about this group is that they typically have a willingness to try once their questions are answered and they see their peers having success. They help build the momentum for the change initiative.

Lead them: To bring this group on board sooner rather than later, you should explain how the new initiative will seamlessly integrate with existing practices and lead to long-term benefits without causing major disruptions. They are usually uncomfortable with taking risks involving the unknown, so they benefit from having a clear plan and timeline in place that outlines the implementation steps. They may look to their peers, especially well-respected Trailblazers, for guidance, so a plan should be in place to highlight the successes the Trailblazers are having with the new initiative. It’s critical to set realistic and achievable goals for the implementation process to help avoid overwhelming teachers with too many changes at once.

You must provide clear, concise and consistent communication about the goals and benefits of the change initiative. Not only should you seek feedback from your Builders throughout the process, but you should also act on it. These will reflect as small wins over time and will demonstrate to the team that their voice and input matters and is valued. Collect and report out clear data and evidence of their progress. This could be both quantitative as well as qualitative. Their positive experiences and enthusiasm can positively influence the next two majorities. Highlight the successes and stories that come from the data you collect. This data could be academic results as well as testimonials that illustrate the benefits and effectiveness of the new initiative. The overall goal with this majority is to celebrate both small and big wins whenever possible.

The next group to consider during change initiatives are the Guardians — the cautious adopters who wait until most of their peers have embraced an innovation before they follow suit. Guardians rely on the experiences and recommendations of their peers before making changes to their routines.

... Leading change is not a one-time mandate for implementation and cooperation (more commonly heard as “Do this because I said so”). Rather, the strategic leader is masterful at guiding each group with careful consideration to its disposition, role and challenges.

Guardians Know them: Guardians are often skeptical of new ideas and want more information before adopting them. They may join the change initiative simply because most of the people around them have already adopted the new idea; this is a key aspect of Guardians. For this group, it is less about the benefits of the new initiative and more about aligning with the Trailblazers and Builders who have already embraced the change. They are compelled to adopt change once they believe it to be a cultural norm. They may, however, ask some challenging questions. For example, if you were trying to implement a new writing program, this group would be asking questions like, “Can you show me examples of how this program has worked in other schools?” “How will this new writing program fit into our existing curriculum?” “I’ve been using a writing program that works well for my students. Can you show me how this new program is better or more effective?” These questions can be challenging to answer, so it is wise to anticipate them to ease the transition for this group and encourage their participation. Lead them: Given this group’s skepticism, it would be beneficial to have current data and case studies ready, demonstrating the success of the new curriculum or instructional practice in other schools. You can plan meetings where the previous majorities share their positive experiences and offer practical tips. Consider arranging classroom visits for this group to observe colleagues who are successfully implementing the new initiative. Regular check-ins are important to address any concerns or challenges they may have. Plan for consistent communication and timely support that is relevant to their expressed needs and the change initiative’s momentum. Additionally, because social proof is valuable to Guardians, create signals and symbols in your school’s culture to demonstrate social acceptability. These can be updates on a weekly bulletin, photos of implementation in the lounge and celebrations on social media. Once you have considered how to lead Trailblazers, Builders, and Guardians, you will need to gather your ideas and plans for leading the last majority — the Traditionalists. They are the ones who prefer sticking to familiar methods and resist change until absolutely necessary. Traditionalists Know them: The Traditionalists are your most resistant group who need lots of proof and reassurance that an initiative will work before we can convince them to come aboard. They will embrace new initiatives when they have no other choice. These teachers may avoid attending trainings or workshops for a new instructional shift. What sets this majority apart is they may not hesitate to publicly criticize or complain about the new initiative, often focusing on the additional work it will entail. Even when required to implement the new initiative, they may do only the bare minimum to comply with mandates. Their implementation might be superficial, and they may easily revert to their comfortable tools, techniques and materials. This group will be the last of your team to embrace change. For example, if you want to implement school-wide common formative assessment practices, Traditionalists may ask questions such as: “This just sounds like the latest gimmick. Can you show me long-term data proving that these new assessments actually improve student outcomes?” “Is there a way I can continue using my current assessment methods? I don't think this new approach suits my teaching style.” “This new assessment practice sounds like a lot of extra work. How will we find the time to do this on top of everything else?” “I have been teaching for a long time. This initiative is for the newbies.” (Note the last one is not even a question.) Anticipating these types of questions will equip you in leading this group more effectively. Lead them: To lead this group successfully, you must be both strategic and supportive. Building trust and relationships should be the foundation. That is why your first task with individuals of this group is to help name the emotion behind their resistance. How are they feeling about the change? Their observable reactions may make it tempting to assume their underlying emotion ... don’t! Instead, make time to listen to their concerns and perspectives and ensure you show empathy towards their unwillingness to change. Creating a safe space for Traditionalists to voice their concerns and questions will be key to leading this group. If your relationship with some of the Traditionalists is strained or challenging, consider learning about them from someone who has influence over them. They can provide a fresh perspective, helping you understand the Traditionalists beyond their current resistance. Further conversations with Traditionalists can be centered on accountability. Validate their feelings but do not enable further resistance. You might consider saying, “It is OK to feel angry/scared/anxious. Change is tough!” or “I know that it is important for you to _____. How might this be impacting your team? Your students?” These conversations can be difficult. Stay grounded in your values and belief that the change initiative is ultimately what is best for students. As a last resort, consider your district’s formal methods for evaluating and managing teacher performance. Whenever possible, consider tailoring your professional development to meet their specific needs and concerns especially when you can tie it directly to their classroom experience and how it impacts student learning and outcomes. For example, with a common formative assessment initiative, provide detailed guides, templates and examples to support their needs. Consider starting with small, manageable steps and gradually raise the expectations. You may need to be patient, but persistent with this group. While expectations should not be lowered, consistent support should be provided throughout the change process. Remember empathy and accountability can co-exist, indeed, they must be offered in unison in order to best support your teachers. Conclusion These four majorities require consistent attention. They give us a starting point for how to mobilize teachers for productive outcomes. Be anchored in your strengths and values while remaining flexible and responsive to their progress. Work closely with your staff to present these ideas and ask them to self-identify where they might be. Use the four majorities as a launching point, checkpoint, and endpoint as you steer your team to success. Jessica Gomez is the director of Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Menifee Union School District. Josué Reyna is director of Communications and Community Engagement at the Menifee Union School District and an ACSA Region 19 board member.