Empowering Leaders through the COVID -19 Crisis: Implementing a Transformative Communication Model

Abstract

This study was a reflection on the implementation of a transformative communication model at a school in Central Jamaica to address interruptions in communication and school operations among key stakeholders brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers sought to establish what kind of support the leaders and teacher leaders needed to improve communication among staff members and pupils in order to restore stability to the school environment. The project employed the Kurt Lewin’s change model: Unfreeze, Change, re-freeze. The study involved seven participants: the leader of the institution and six teachers who operated as teacher leaders with varying leadership portfolios. The researchers found that crisis leadership was necessary to mitigate against the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the institution which existed in the deep rural community. The researchers also found that improving leader’ and teacher leaders’ communication competencies boosted morale and encouraged normalcy in school operations. In applying the transformative communication model, the institution was entirely transferred to the TEAMS platform. A team of international experts in education and communication, that became a sustained extension of the institution, trained the leader and teacher leaders to manage the crisis and increased their communication competencies, while normal school operations continued on the platform. This project demonstrated that in times of crisis, if all stakeholders collaborate, organizational goals can be attained.