Neural pathways to change take the high road.(prefrontal cortex)

Women have smaller brains than men but more gray matter to useful for thinking. Former Harvard University President Larry Summers got into well-deserved trouble for suggesting that innate differences explain the underrepresentation of women in science, but that doesn't mean our brains are identical.

Understanding how gender affects the brain's response to stress can help us to lead change more effectively, Teresa Zutter and Amrit Daryanani said at the University of Nebraska's conference on Women in Educational Leadership in Lincoln in October. Zutter directs alternative school programs for the Fairfax County Public Schools in Falls Church VA. Daryanani is dean of faculty at Wakefield School at The Plains VA. Working in the greater Washington DC area constantly exposes them to the stress of new initiatives.

Change is unavoidable. Colleges face needs to grow, cut budgets or shift resources from one area to another. Changing student demographics and job trends may affect their mission. Effective leaders see the need and choose how to proceed.

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"Organizational change can be pleasant, a chance to learn new skills, or it can be coercive and negative," Daryanani said. Coercive change is painful and damaging, with bad results for the group and most individuals. Ethics and pragmatism point in a healthier direction. This article is based on their presentation.

High road: The prefrontal cortex

Signals from all over the brain get synthesized in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that makes plans and administers action. This "executive function" is where we want to stay to bring about change effectively, called "taking the high road."