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.