Support over control

Balancing Support and Control

At Paradox, we believe that people (students, teachers, staff, trustees, parents and community) are happier and more likely to learn and make positive changes when those in authority (teachers, staff, and administrators) do things with them, rather than to them or for them.

The Support vs Control graphic (see Figure 1) illustrates this premise and shows how the Paradox approach differs from traditional school and corporate management models. 

Figure 1: Support vs Control diagram

Figure 1 shows two axes. Support is vertical from low at the bottom to high at the top. Control runs horizontally from low on the left to high at the right. Traditionally, these concepts are considered to be contradictory - two distinct choices for leaders. Those in charge succeed because they are controlling and paternalistic or they succeed because they are nurturing and maternalistic.  Paradoxically, leaders are most successful when they learn to combine both approaches to meet the needs of a given situation.

If support is presented as a vertical continuum from low to high, and control is presented horizontally, four quadrants representing four general possibilities for managing people and learning emerge.

The square on the bottom right shows a situation of high control and low support - where leaders and teachers, with the best of intentions, do things to others - often believing it to be for their own good.  This represents the authoritarian or punitive approach familiar to those who have been in traditional schools and organizations. This approach sets clear rules and holds people accountable, with little need for explanation.  Taken to its extreme, this approach is cold and distant.  

The top left square, showing low control and high support, represents a permissive approach, where things are done for others. This assumes that nurturing alone leads to learning and making positive changes. Support without control often leads to protectiveness and coddling. Teachers in this mode are often too helpful - providing extensive rubrics and worksheets for their students to achieve expectations without necessarily engaging or thinking about the work - merely going through the motions.  If a student can watch TV or text while doing homework, there is not much learning or thinking going on. This is often called busy work, occupying the body without engaging the mind.

The bottom left, low support and low control, represents the absence of doing anything.  This approach has leaders and teachers not doing things to or for anyone. While doing no direct harm, it is neglectful and destructive. Neglected people who's needs are not being met, seek supports and controls elsewhere in their lives - peers, strangers, social media, gangs etc..  

The area to the top right, where both control and support are high, is where Paradox lives. We do things with people. This combines of the best aspects of the accountability and permission.  It employs high levels of control for setting specifications and bumper pads with even higher levels of support and nurturing. When conflicts arise SUPPORT always takes precedence over CONTROL. 

Putting SUPPORT over CONTROL we build

AGENCY

EXPERTISE

COMMUNITY

through the application of

visible THINKING

intersectional CURRICULUM

collaborative TEACHING

experiential LEARNING