Michael Fullan remains one of the most influential theorists of educational change. His work—spanning over four decades—offers a systemic, morally grounded, and capacity-building approach to school improvement. This article synthesises Fullan’s core change theories, his well-known frameworks such as the implementation dip, the Six Secrets of Change, the Right Drivers vs. Wrong Drivers, and the Coherence Framework, as well as insights from The New Meaning of Educational Change, Leading in a Culture of Change, All Systems Go, and Deep Learning. Together, these works articulate a unified argument: sustainable educational change is social, systemic, and grounded in moral purpose. Leaders must cultivate conditions that allow people and systems to learn continuously. The article concludes with implications, critiques, and a consolidated set of principles for leading educational change.

1. Introduction

Educational change is notoriously difficult. Reforms often fail due to superficial implementation, political pressures, limited capacity, or fragmentation. Michael Fullan’s scholarship intervenes precisely here. Since the 1980s, Fullan has shaped how policymakers, school leaders, and researchers understand the dynamics of change. His work consistently asserts that improvement is “a journey, not a blueprint” (Fullan, 2001), emphasising change as complex, non-linear, and deeply human.

Fullan’s change model does not exist in a single text. Rather, it emerges across multiple books and policy papers, each adding conceptual layers. This article integrates these sources to present a cohesive, authoritative account.

2. Foundations of Fullan’s Change Theory

2.1 Change is a Process, Not an Event

Fullan’s early work (1982, 1991, 2007) stresses that change unfolds in three phases:

Initiation — exploring, adopting, planning
Implementation — doing the real work of change
Institutionalisation — embedding and sustaining the new practices

At each stage, social interaction, clarity of purpose, and capacity determine success. Change fails when treated as technical compliance rather than cultural transformation.

2.2 Moral Purpose

Central across all Fullan texts is moral purpose—the commitment to improving learning for all students and removing inequities (Fullan, 2003; 2016). Moral purpose ensures that change is not driven by political whims or managerial efficiency but by human betterment.

2.3 Capacity Building

Fullan (2010; 2016) argues fiercely against accountability-driven reform. Instead of pressure, systems must invest in:

professional learning
collaborative cultures
resources and time
leadership development

Capacity building is the “right driver” of reform because it produces intrinsic motivation and collective responsibility.

3. The “Implementation Dip”

One of Fullan’s most practically useful concepts is the implementation dip (Fullan, 2001; 2007). This is the temporary decline in performance and confidence when individuals learn new practices. The dip is normal, predictable, and necessary.

Leaders must:

prepare teachers psychologically
provide coaching and modelling
reduce punitive accountability during the dip
use supportive monitoring rather than surveillance

Ignoring the dip leads to demoralisation and early abandonment of reforms. Embracing the dip strengthens resilience and professional learning.

4. The Six Secrets of Change

In The Six Secrets of Change (2008; 2011), Fullan distils decades of research into six behavioural levers:

1. Love Your Employees

Support, empathy, and professional respect fuel intrinsic motivation.

2. Connect Peers with Purpose

Improvement accelerates when teachers collaborate meaningfully.

3. Capacity Building Prevails

Skills, resources, and clarity must be continually strengthened.

4. Learning is the Work

Professional learning should be embedded in daily practice, not episodic workshops.

5. Transparency Rules

Open data fosters collective improvement—if used non-punitively.

6. Systems Learn

Organisations must learn at all levels: teacher, school, district, and government.

These “secrets” shift leadership from managerial control to relational, social, and organisational learning.

5. Right Drivers vs. Wrong Drivers

In Choosing the Wrong Drivers for Whole System Reform (Fullan, 2011), he distinguishes between change forces that generate deep improvement and forces that create only superficial compliance:

Wrong Drivers (High Pressure, Low Impact):

punitive accountability
individualistic incentives
excessive technology adoption
fragmented policies

Right Drivers (High Impact):

capacity building
collaboration and collective efficacy
pedagogy-focused improvement
systemness and coherence

This framework became foundational in international reform discussions, influencing systems in Ontario, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Europe.

6. The Coherence Framework

In Coherence: The Right Drivers in Action (Fullan & Quinn, 2016), Fullan presents a model that explains how leaders can unify the many moving parts of school reform. The framework includes:

Focused Direction
A small number of shared goals, rooted in moral purpose.
Cultivating Collaborative Cultures
Teams learning together, with psychological safety and shared accountability.
Deepening Learning
Pedagogical precision—high-quality instruction, assessment, and feedback cycles.
Securing Accountability
Internal (collective responsibility) before external (metrics).

Coherence reduces the fragmentation that often kills reforms.

7. Whole-System Reform (All Systems Go)

All Systems Go (2010) argues that large-scale change requires:

leadership at all levels (not just principals)
shared instructional goals
peer accountability
transparent data use
political and community alignment
continuity of policy

Fullan conceptualises reform as a “complex social multiplier”, where improvements occur through the interaction of multiple actors learning simultaneously.

8. Deep Learning and the Pedagogy of Engagement

In his more recent work (New Pedagogies for Deep Learning, 2018; The Principal, 2014), Fullan focuses on developing competencies such as:

critical thinking
creativity
citizenship
collaboration
communication
character

Deep learning is both an instructional framework and a change strategy. Systems that promote deep learning build engagement, student agency, and meaningful assessment practices.

9. Leading Change with Fullan’s Model — A Consolidated Framework

Bringing all his work together, a Fullan-aligned change leader:

1. Anchors all decisions in moral purpose

Equity, wellbeing, and learning for all.

2. Builds strong cultures of collaboration

Teams, networks, and professional learning communities.

3. Plans for—and supports—the implementation dip

Coaching, modelling, and non-punitive feedback.

4. Prioritises capacity building

Teacher learning is the engine of system improvement.

5. Uses data as a learning tool, not a weapon

Transparency with safeguards.

6. Chooses the “right drivers” for reform

Pedagogy, collaboration, and intrinsic motivation.

7. Creates system coherence

Few goals, clear strategy, aligned policies.

8. Encourages “systemness”

Leaders think beyond their school to the health of the entire system.

10. Critiques of Fullan’s Work

Although highly influential, Fullan’s work faces critiques:

a. Contextual variability

Some argue Fullan’s frameworks assume supportive political conditions like those in Ontario, which may not exist in all countries.

b. Implementation realism

Capacity-building requires significant investment; underfunded systems may find Fullan’s approach aspirational.

c. Evidence attribution

Large-scale outcomes in Ontario or New Zealand cannot be attributed solely to Fullan’s frameworks due to multiple concurrent reforms.

d. Over-reliance on collaboration

Critics note that collaboration may become superficial or forced if not accompanied by structural support.

Nevertheless, Fullan often anticipates and addresses these limits, emphasising adaptation rather than imitation.

11. Conclusion

Michael Fullan’s change theory remains a cornerstone of contemporary educational leadership. His work offers a deeply human, morally grounded, and systemically coherent framework that prioritises capacity, collaboration, and purposeful learning. For leaders seeking sustainable change, Fullan’s model shifts reform away from top-down mandates and towards professional trust, collective learning, and continuous improvement.

Fullan reframes change not as managing people, but as mobilising human purpose, cultivating cultures of learning, and enabling systems to adapt intelligently.

12. References

Fullan, M. (1982). The meaning of educational change. Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M. (1991). The new meaning of educational change (1st ed.). Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. Jossey-Bass.
Fullan, M. (2003). The moral imperative of school leadership. Corwin Press.
Fullan, M. (2006). Turnaround leadership. The Educational Forum, 70(2), 146–155.
Fullan, M. (2007). The new meaning of educational change (4th ed.). Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M. (2008). The six secrets of change. Jossey-Bass.
Fullan, M. (2010). All systems go: The change imperative for whole system reform. Corwin Press.
Fullan, M. (2011). Choosing the wrong drivers for whole system reform. Centre for Strategic Education.
Fullan, M. (2014). The principal: Three keys to maximizing impact. Jossey-Bass.
Fullan, M., & Langworthy, M. (2014). A rich seam: How new pedagogies find deep learning. Pearson.
Fullan, M., & Quinn, J. (2016). Coherence: The right drivers in action for schools, districts, and systems. Corwin.
Fullan, M., Quinn, J., & McEachen, J. (2018). Deep learning: Engage the world, change the world. Corwin.

Leading Change by M Fullan , J Kotter

Pages

(a) Leading Change with Michael Fullan (1982,1991,2001,2003,2006,2007,2008,2010,2011,2014,2016,2018) 17/11/25