Thriving Ecosystem Sprint

The facilitator introduces the idea that school leadership is not only about maintaining systems or solving problems. It is also about designing environments in which people can thrive, contribute, and feel energised.
Suggested introduction:
"Some school environments create energy, curiosity, and motivation. Others slowly drain people without anyone fully noticing it. Leadership is not only about keeping the system running; it is also about shaping conditions in which teachers, students, and teams can thrive. Today we will look at one part of school life and redesign it as a thriving ecosystem."
The facilitator explains that the session will move from identifying low-energy patterns to redesigning conditions for thriving and finally to creating one small experiment that can be tested soon.

Participants receive the Thriving Pulse Map and reflect individually.
They consider questions such as:
• Which part of school life currently feels energising?
• Which area drains energy or motivation?
• Where do people seem most engaged and alive?
• What conditions support thriving in our school?
• What blocks creativity, motivation, or collaboration?
Participants choose one concrete area, such as meetings, communication, onboarding, teacher collaboration, break structures, project work, or staff interaction.
This step makes the emotional and organisational climate visible before redesign begins.

School management shares selected points from their maps in pairs or small groups. The facilitator collects the key themes on a board or flipchart and clusters them into categories such as:
• energy and motivation
• communication flow
• ownership and participation
• flexibility
• recognition and celebration
• routines and habits
• collaboration structures
• emotional climate
The group identifies:
• one area where thriving already exists
• one environment that currently blocks thriving
• one condition that would make the biggest positive difference
This step helps leaders shift from “fixing problems” to understanding how environments shape behaviour and well-being. OECD and TALIS materials emphasise that supportive climates, collaboration, and well-being are important for both teachers and leaders.

Small groups now work with the Ecosystem Cards.
Their task is to redesign the selected school environment as a place where people can genuinely thrive. The redesign should include:
• one structural change
• one relational change
• one motivational element
• one simple experiment to test immediately
Groups explore questions such as:
• What would make this environment feel more alive?
• How could people experience more ownership or enjoyment here?
• What would increase collaboration or energy?
• What small change could have a surprisingly positive effect?
Possible ideas might include:
• redesigning meeting openings
• introducing rotating facilitation
• visible celebration of progress
• quieter reflection spaces
• staff curiosity boards
• collaborative challenge weeks
• micro-recognition rituals
• optional innovation corners
The innovation of the method lies in treating leadership as ecosystem design rather than only administration. Glasser’s Fun need is especially relevant because thriving environments support learning, creativity, and enjoyment in meaningful activity.

Each group briefly presents its thriving ecosystem idea. The others listen and place dot stickers next to the idea they think is:
• most energising
• most realistic
• easiest to test
• most likely to improve thriving in the school environment
The facilitator then helps the group choose one thriving sprint to test first.
The selected sprint should be small, visible, and possible within normal school routines. The point is not to redesign the whole school immediately, but to create one real experiment that generates momentum and learning.

The facilitator summarises the selected thriving sprint and helps the group agree on:
• what exactly will be tested
• who will coordinate it
• when it will begin
• how long it will run
• what signs will show whether it improved the environment
• when the group will review it again
Suggested closing:
"Today we treated leadership as the design of an ecosystem, not just the management of tasks. Thriving grows when environments support curiosity, connection, contribution, and energy. Small changes can create surprisingly strong shifts in how people experience school life."
If possible, the sprint is tested in the following weeks and revisited later.