This week we completed our team simulation of a system wide change and completed some reflections on the process. I also spent some time reflecting on my own experience attempting to promote and implement change within my workplace and had some eye opening moments as I thought about what I had to work through and learn on my own, as well as how far I've come.
The system-wide change simulation was, I believe, an overall good experience. While I don't think it effectively replicated what I would have to deal with in an actual change implementation, I think it was effective in helping me identify the different parts of the process and the types of personalities I have and will continue to encounter as a change agent within my organizaiton. The reason I didn't feel it was not a true representation of a real life change process is because I was missing the human interaction element to the process. We were able to interact with one another as a team, but everything else was in theory, including the stakeholders within the game. To me, so much of being a leader and promoting change has to do with building relationships and obtaining a sense of the personalities involved. While the information was all there, to me it was a little too abstract to make that connection. But, as I mentioned, the way the process was laid out, including the factors to consider, provided me with valuable experience that I plan to take with me as I continue to promote growth within my workplace.
As far as my own individual practical experience with system-wide change goes, I have to admit, I had to learn how to make change happen the hard way. My experience had always been in a top down organization in the sense that the person at the top made the decisions based on needs he/she identified, not necessarily based on research and feedback from stakeholders. It felt like a reactive way for me to lead, and since I am not the owner of the business I found I did not have that leverage to help promote buy in from the staff; but it was the only model I had to follow at the time and I gave it my best shot. Leadership in that manner is tough to maintain and I am no stranger to the bumps in the road that occur when you wear the decision maker hat and people don't necessarily agree. It took much trial and error, lessons learned, books read, questions asked of people in successful leadership positions to transition into the type of leader I am today. Through those methods, as well as through my coursework, I have cultivated the skill set and tools to become more of a true facilitatior and team leader, rather than the sole decision maker. As a result, I have a more cohesive team that is much improved in terms of morale. I also see a significant change in ownership at all levels of the company, which is critical to the success of what we want to accomplish. I believe I am a much better listener and guide to my staff than I have ever been in the past, and I hope that through this approach I will see greater success as I work to promote system-wide change to keep our business competitive in the educational business marketplace.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Week 4: CEDO 565 Leadership & Planning
This week's work revolved around change and the things to consider as a leader who is trying to promote a new system, process, procedure, etc. in the workplace.
Tuesday's class was interesting and challenging as we were placed into groups to begin a "Systems/Thinking Systems Changing" simulation. This exercise placed me and three of my classmates into the role of leaders who are trying to make improvements to the Veryfine school district. The concept is good and I think going into next week's class I will find it much more valuable and less frustrating than I did this first time around because I will have more time to learn about the characters and take more of an informed approach to the game. Ultimately, this exercise is providing us with an opportunity to experience all of the factors that need to be taken into consideration when beginning the process of implementing an improvement plan for a company, school, or district. I think many of us are used to analyzing and identifying needs we have for improvement within our own four walls, but the ripple of those types of changes don't typically impact a large population. Change on the scale that we are experiencing in this game is a much different process and I hope to gain new perspective upon completing it. A couple of resources that go along with this concept include: Asking the Right Questions: A School Change Toolkit http://www.mcrel.org/toolkit/res/change.asp and Asking the Right Questions: Process at http://www.mcrel.org/toolkit/process/index.asp.
Individually, we completed an Analysis of Change Worksheet in which I reflected on my experience of working with a web developer to create an online collection tool for my staff. I found this exercise beneficial because it really helped me think through the steps I took, things that didn't go as planned, what I learned from it and how I moved forward from there.
We also discussed the ideas of positive vs negative climate / work environment and the impact they have on staff morale. As someone who has grown into a leadership role within my company, and who has seen the company climate change over the years, I know first hand the impact a negative environment can have on productivity. Sometimes it is very obvious that people are unhappy and the source of their dissatisfaction is easy to identify. But, I have learned that even when you work very hard to create a positive, enjoyable workplace, people can still be reluctant to get on board or feel like their contributions aren't valued. This is especially evident in a top-down structured organization. In my experience, when people who work together are valued for their contributions and feel they have a voice (even if their input does not cause change), it promotes a positive workplace that results in increased productivity--whether it is increased student achievement, or a higher quantitiy of widgets made per hour. Happy people who feel valued and supported are those who are motivated to do their best work and often go above and beyond because they are invested.
Tuesday's class was interesting and challenging as we were placed into groups to begin a "Systems/Thinking Systems Changing" simulation. This exercise placed me and three of my classmates into the role of leaders who are trying to make improvements to the Veryfine school district. The concept is good and I think going into next week's class I will find it much more valuable and less frustrating than I did this first time around because I will have more time to learn about the characters and take more of an informed approach to the game. Ultimately, this exercise is providing us with an opportunity to experience all of the factors that need to be taken into consideration when beginning the process of implementing an improvement plan for a company, school, or district. I think many of us are used to analyzing and identifying needs we have for improvement within our own four walls, but the ripple of those types of changes don't typically impact a large population. Change on the scale that we are experiencing in this game is a much different process and I hope to gain new perspective upon completing it. A couple of resources that go along with this concept include: Asking the Right Questions: A School Change Toolkit http://www.mcrel.org/toolkit/res/change.asp and Asking the Right Questions: Process at http://www.mcrel.org/toolkit/process/index.asp.
Individually, we completed an Analysis of Change Worksheet in which I reflected on my experience of working with a web developer to create an online collection tool for my staff. I found this exercise beneficial because it really helped me think through the steps I took, things that didn't go as planned, what I learned from it and how I moved forward from there.
We also discussed the ideas of positive vs negative climate / work environment and the impact they have on staff morale. As someone who has grown into a leadership role within my company, and who has seen the company climate change over the years, I know first hand the impact a negative environment can have on productivity. Sometimes it is very obvious that people are unhappy and the source of their dissatisfaction is easy to identify. But, I have learned that even when you work very hard to create a positive, enjoyable workplace, people can still be reluctant to get on board or feel like their contributions aren't valued. This is especially evident in a top-down structured organization. In my experience, when people who work together are valued for their contributions and feel they have a voice (even if their input does not cause change), it promotes a positive workplace that results in increased productivity--whether it is increased student achievement, or a higher quantitiy of widgets made per hour. Happy people who feel valued and supported are those who are motivated to do their best work and often go above and beyond because they are invested.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Week 3: CEDO 565 Leadership & Planning
This week we looked at a video and slide show of Who Moved My Cheese, which was an interesting perspective on the way different types of people view and deal with change. It's the story of two mice, Sniff and Scurry; and two men, Hem and Haw who all value cheese as a major part of their lives. As the cheese supply begins to dwindle, the four characters deal with the change in different ways that are very characteristic of how people in our society deal with change related to what they value. I have heard of this story before, but found the exercise to be quite valuable--both in reflecting on my company's ability to deal with change and whether or not we take a proactive approach to stay ahead of the curve; and my own ability to roll with changes and whether or not I prefer to stay with what I know or continue to seek improvement along the way.
We also viewed the video: Changes in Thinking--Systems Thinking. One big idea I took from this video is the fact that systems are defined by the interactions of parts, and not by focusing on parts alone. As a manager of a system, I can appreciate this approach because while the individual parts all need to be effective in their own areas, in order for the organization as a whole to be healthy and functioning properly all parts need to be working toward the same goal. In my company we have a set of guiding principles and one of them is "systemic reliability." Essentially, this means that all players need to do their part in order for our systems to run effectively. This could apply to things as straight forward as completing paperwork on time, all the way to being on board with company objectives and "walking the talk" when interacting with coworkers and clients.
This week also brought my attention to an article called Tune in to what the new generation of teachers can do by Richardson, J. (2008), which for me was one of the most valuable articles of the week, along with the Beloit College Mindset list for the class of 2015. I say this because, as someone who joined my organization as one of the "young people" working among many veteran teachers, I was often told that miscommunications, conflicts, or hard feelings were simply a result of "generational differences;" yet, no one took the time to help me understand what that meant. As a leader in the company, I have worked hard to ensure that the voices of our youngest and newest teachers are heard and valued, but I still get the sense at times that does not always happen. Also, I am transitioning from being one of the younger staff members into the role of experienced/veteran and my ability to relate is beginning to be tested. Both of these articles helped put things into perspective for me, and I immediately shared them with the rest of my leadership team as resources I thought would benefit our organization.
We also viewed the video: Changes in Thinking--Systems Thinking. One big idea I took from this video is the fact that systems are defined by the interactions of parts, and not by focusing on parts alone. As a manager of a system, I can appreciate this approach because while the individual parts all need to be effective in their own areas, in order for the organization as a whole to be healthy and functioning properly all parts need to be working toward the same goal. In my company we have a set of guiding principles and one of them is "systemic reliability." Essentially, this means that all players need to do their part in order for our systems to run effectively. This could apply to things as straight forward as completing paperwork on time, all the way to being on board with company objectives and "walking the talk" when interacting with coworkers and clients.
This week also brought my attention to an article called Tune in to what the new generation of teachers can do by Richardson, J. (2008), which for me was one of the most valuable articles of the week, along with the Beloit College Mindset list for the class of 2015. I say this because, as someone who joined my organization as one of the "young people" working among many veteran teachers, I was often told that miscommunications, conflicts, or hard feelings were simply a result of "generational differences;" yet, no one took the time to help me understand what that meant. As a leader in the company, I have worked hard to ensure that the voices of our youngest and newest teachers are heard and valued, but I still get the sense at times that does not always happen. Also, I am transitioning from being one of the younger staff members into the role of experienced/veteran and my ability to relate is beginning to be tested. Both of these articles helped put things into perspective for me, and I immediately shared them with the rest of my leadership team as resources I thought would benefit our organization.
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