Leading Change

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Leading Change

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What do we need to know?

• What proportion of the campus community is
  already involved in either the New University
  Phase or the Expansion Phase? How do people
  describe their experience? How do they feel about
  their involvement?

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What do we need to know?

• 2. What factors in our institutional culture and
  history as well as in our external environment
  can support the introduction of large scale
  change or build resistance to change?

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What do we need to know?

• 3. Is the campus ready for change? How do we
  know? If not, what can we do about that?

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What do we need to know?

• 4. Have we thought through a strategy to manage
  campus reactions as the change process unfolds?
• (a) How has WSU reacted to change in the
  past?
• (b) What reactions are happening already?
• (c) What kinds of reactions are likely in
  the future?

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What do we need to know?

• 5. How are we going to learn what we need to know
  to take the University for the 21st Century to
  full scale?
• (a) What is the general attitude toward
  evaluation or assessment?
• (b) What is our level of competency
  to conduct rigorous assessment?
• (c) How many people engage in the
  scholarship of learning and teaching?

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What can we do to create an environment conducive
to change?

• Instill a discipline of reflection and a culture
  of evidence.
• Expect a thoughtful warrant for action.
• Create new patterns of conversation and
  interaction.
• Recruit new people to the work and support the
  people already involved.

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What can we do to create an environment conducive
to change?

• Engage in honest conversation about difficult and
  controversial subjects.
• Encourage and model clarity of purpose and
  thoughtful, respectful discussion.
• Adopt a philosophy of experimentation, assessment
  and management of reasonable risks.

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What can we do to create an environment conducive
to change?

• Create new ways for everyone to access
  information and set up a common base of knowledge
  about WSU and its performance.
• Create legitimacy for planning and assessment by
  documenting the research and practice from which
  actions are derived.
• Keep in mind that change in a university must be
  a scholarly act!

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How People Usually React to Change (1)

• Rumor stage People play detective games, trying
  to work out what is happening by drawing sweeping
  conclusions from small clues.
• Response promote open and honest discussions of
  fears and concerns and provide accurate
  information to dispel rumors.

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How People Usually React to Change (2)

• New wine in old bottles People draw upon
  familiar patterns in the organization and
  traditional explanations and stories to explain
  what is happening.
• Response offer new and more constructive
  interpretations of what the change means.

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How People Usually React to Change (3)

• Reconstruction People begin to search for the
  symbolic meaning of what has happened and what it
  means for them personally.
• Response Help people map themselves onto the new
  environment and new expectations.

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How People Usually React to Change (4)

• Reinterpretation People try to put the change in
  perspective on a larger scale and explain it in
  their own terms and according to their own
  knowledge of the institution.
• Response This is a very critical time. Unless
  this phase is well-managed, everyone will draw
  his/her own conclusions, often at variance with
  the institutions mission and strategies. The
  power of the change will be dissipated and its
  purpose lost.

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The Role of the Leader

• Put people first.
• Study and understand the shared culture and
  subcultures of the institution.
• Connect people together. Look for ways to recruit
  new people to the change process.
• Define and embody the values and beliefs that
  will support the change.

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The Role of the Leader

• Pay attention to what people say about their
  experiences. Help people be honest.
• Work within the culture and values of the campus,
  both explicit and implicit.
• Foster leadership in others.
• Be accessible.
• Consult with colleagues when you arent sure what
  to do next. Be honest about it.

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The Role of the Leader

• Encourage risk taking and help people learn from
  their experiences.
• Support and reward collective responsibilities
  and teamwork as well as individual contributions.
• Take thoughtful criticism seriously.
• Help people make sense of what is happening. Keep
  them involved and well-informed.

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The Role of Culture

• One thing that can distinguish your organization
  from others is your culture. Clearly, culture is
  no longer a soft tissue
• --- its your competitive edge. (Joanne
  Sujansky, How to Grow a VEO
• VEO is a Vibrant Entrepreneurial Organization

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Building a Vibrant Culture

• Completely transparent Everyone is encouraged to
  ask questions and view the books.
• Encourage risk taking and learning from
  experience.
• Foster a sense of shared purpose.

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Building a Vibrant Culture

• Support high productivity while minimizing stress
  through attention of work/life balance and
  community service.
• Foster pride.
• Elevate communication to an art form.
  (Communicate with all employees, all the time,
  about anything that affects them or the
  institution.)