The Two Ecosystem Problem

One way we think about why running schools is so difficult is what we call The Two Ecosystem Problem. Maybe it’s helpful, maybe not. Here is a quick overview.

If you’re just making widgets, efficiency is the preeminent environment within which you can (must) operate. It is by no means easy, but it’s clean. It’s straightforward. It is, in some sense, simple.

When you’re making persons, however, things get a bit more complicated. Schools help make persons by means of other persons, and this poses particular complexities.

The Business Ecosystem

Of course, all schools require an ecosystem that must be obsessed with standardization, repeatability, consistency, and efficiency. Unsurprisingly, this is The Business Ecosystem. It encompasses nearly all the non-curricular, non-pedagogical aspects: payroll, facilities, HR, communications, operations, etc. Each of these needs to be designed and managed in such a way that they are both uniform and inexpensive. In this ecosystem, colleagues must be obsessed with removing as much friction and variation as possible in the methods they use to complete tasks and ensure timely turnarounds.

The Academic Ecosystem

The other ecosystem is the academic one. To be fair, The Academic Ecosystem isn’t ever completely devoid of elements of standardization, repeatability, consistency, and efficiency. But this is never its guiding force. From the viewpoint of the business side of things, The Academic Ecosystem is scandalously inefficient. But this is because the preeminent environment within which The Academic Ecosystem operates is that of relationships. Teaching is, first and foremost, an act of love, and love is not something reducible to a process or a method. Love first requires that you know the other. It is specific, individual, and it takes time. Just as there is no such thing as loving Humanity, there is no such thing as teaching a Classroom. You can’t love or teach an abstraction. Great teaching requires a relationship, and relationships take time to build. And they need the right environment within which to be built.

The Two Ecosystem Problem

To be great, a school needs to solve for both ecosystems. Lean too far to one side, and the entire school will suffer. The principal’s job is to be the conduit between both ecosystems. He must work constantly to ensure each is in proper balance, and he must ensure that both understand why each exists both in relation to itself and to the other. This is difficult to do. Most struggle to find the balance, and no one ever strikes it perfectly all the time. But it is possible to get better at it.

One place to start is by clearly defining the purpose of each. In our opinion, start with the business side of the house. Make it clear that The Business Ecosystem exists solely for the sake of The Academic Ecosystem. It does not exist for its own sake. In its simplest terms, it exists to remove burdens from those within The Academic Ecosystem. A burdened teacher is a teacher who cannot be fully present for his students. The ability to be present is the sine qua non of great teaching, and great teaching is what you go to market with. The Business Ecosystem must be passionately committed to finding every possible opportunity to ensuring its teaching colleagues are as unburdened (within reason) as possible.

If payroll was supposed to hit the night before and didn’t… BURDENED.

If the Wi-Fi isn’t working… BURDENED.

If there isn’t clarity about the updated bell schedule… BURDENED.

If the copy room has run out of expo markers and paper… BURDENED.

If contract renewals are shrouded in secrecy… BURDENED.

As The Academic Ecosystem exists for the sake of the child, The Business Ecosystem exists for the sake of the teacher. If this isn't clear, if it isn't drilled into admin and staff, if it never becomes the driving force of a support team's culture, instability and dysfunction ensue. The Business Ecosystem thrives when it drives relentlessly toward faculty success. That's what must motivate it, direct its strategy, and inform its tactics.

We will stop here for now. There is plenty to be said about rightly orienting The Academic Ecosystem, ensuring it understands its proper relationship (and responsibility) to those on the business side working hard to unburden them. We will save that for another post. For now, we would love to hear everyone’s thoughts.

#education #schooloperations #classicalschools #principals #headmasters