Our Early Leadership Theory of Change

* This post contributed by Valerie Ehrlich, Ph.D., Senior Evaluator at CCL for Leadership Beyond Boundaries

CCL’s Societal Advancement group is extending the leadership pipeline in innovative ways by working to develop all people as leaders earlier in their lives. In this post, we document our Early Leadership Theory of Change, which drives all of the work we do and sets the course for our future. This post is intended to complement our theory of change video, found here. Work on our theory of change is ongoing, as we continually develop and refine it through our work with early leaders and those who support them.

But first, what is a “theory of change?” A theory of change is a way of conceptualizing how we expect to see change occur in our work, why this change is necessary, and what the change will result in. It is meant to be a broad overview of the change process and more detailed models could be developed from it. It can’t capture everything, but it is supposed to capture the main idea. A theory of change is a helpful tool that organizes our work and helps us tell the story of what we do. It also serves as a guide to help us stay focused on what we feel are the most important elements in our work.

Now let’s dive into our theory of change for early leadership by setting the scene and stating the “problem” we address. We believe in the inherent capacity of all young people to be leaders. And, in order to be leaders we recognize that youth need support in gaining critical skills for the modern age, and that many may not have access to leadership development experiences.

Our approach is to use research and innovation to create systemic solutions and produce sustained impact. Our work is grounded in research, theory, and evaluation in the fields of human and leader development. We have built on CCL’s decades-long history of bringing research insights to leadership development and training, and on the experiences we have had throughout the last decade of democratizing leadership through our Leadership Beyond Boundaries (LBB) work. Through our partnerships and collaborations with schools and youth-serving organizations over the past ten years, we have developed a three-pronged pathway of early leadership that makes up the heart of how we see our theory of change in action.

First, context matters: leadership development does not occur in a vacuum—individuals, organizations, schools, communities, and systems all have an important role to play. Viewing development solely through the lens of the individual is shortsighted. By focusing on the nested contexts (for example, youth and teachers within classrooms that exist within schools and are supported by communities) and systems in which leadership development can occur we ensure that all of the key players who make up the social systems surrounding youth are also accountable for change. Systemic approaches create more sustainable and supportive solutions.

Next, we focus on leveraging the power of relationships and experiences. Decades of research, both at CCL and in the field more broadly, have proven the importance of interpersonal human relationships for leader development. When we learn together, we transform together, gaining new knowledge, practices, and ways of being. The interpersonal relationships we have with one another form the bedrock of our lived experience and provide a key context for practicing effective leadership.

The third piece builds on the first two points and adds in the specific tools and skills that we believe ultimately empower youth. The tools we’ve designed build on key practices of self-awareness, social identity, and effective communication. Providing these tools and opportunities to use them allows both youth and those who support them to profoundly impact self, others, and their communities.

All of this leads to the big change we hope to see, and that we are working to produce: young people will be more ready to enter an increasingly challenging and globalized workforce, and positioned to create a more nimble and forward-thinking world. In future posts we will look specifically at how this theory of change translates into our work with specific partners. Our fast-paced, growing global economy is ready for young people to lead the way, and equipping all youth to become leaders of change in their world will benefit everyone.