Planning for Observation

This week I have spent a great deal of time thinking about how to approach an authentic observation of a business organization. When the assignment was first presented this quarter I dismissed it as being a manageable task; something that would likely prove interesting while fairly do-able. Now, in trying to secure a location and plan, I realize that this assignment is not as simple as I previously thought. Spending time developing questions in class, I realized that those we observe are likely to have their guard up due to uncertainty regarding our presence in their workplace. I have thought back to my counseling training as well as ethnographic research work and the understanding that mere physical presence impacts an environment. The observer effect may be significant in any situation, but I imagine in an un-invited situation such as that for the organizational development assignment, the effect could be further exaggerated. I also put myself in the shoes of the people with whom I have spoken and wondered how I would react if the tables were turned.

I have been under the impression that ED 401 was designed to teach educational leaders how to better lead in a business-like manner. Now I realize that isn’t the course objective at all; I believe the message is that all organizations are unique with regards to culture, goals and design, but all organizations can learn from observation of others. In my other class this week, a guest speaker mentioned a book (I can’t recall the title) about why schools should not follow the lead of non-educational businesses. He mentioned that schools have never been in as poor a predicament as many businesses have found themselves. However, I would argue that there may be benefit to the models of certain successful businesses.

In realizing that there might be much to learn from the organization my group plans to observe, I have become more concerned with developing the appropriate foundational questions to build rapport and trust such that we can achieve a deeper understanding of the culture and mission of the organization. I wonder how people become comfortable conducting similar observations in their daily job (i.e. consultants) when I think about how awkward it might to come in as the “outsider” with the goals of diagnosing the culture of an organization of which you are not a participant. I feel that it is natural to analyze my own organization, and easier still to use hindsight and dissect those in which I previously worked. It is not, in contrast, as easy to walk into a completely foreign organization and in a matter of a few short days create a thorough analysis. I suppose the goal is not to achieve a perfect picture, but rather to scratch the surface and learn more about all of the elements that collectively create the picture. Certainly, it is a relief that what I have read this week assured me that there is no “universally accepted method for doing an appreciative inquiry” (http://www.gervasebushe.ca/aiodj.htm).

While I am not clear about how to conduct the best observation, I am realizing that there are key elements if which to be aware. One article highlighted that organizational leaders must focus on “Giving people a common vision and strategy motivates people, because they are not working at cross purposes, and it avoids wasted effort. This may be the primary role of the organizational leader” (http://www.toolpack.com/a/ethics.html). Between the readings for both classes this quarter, I have come to find that my present and future roles as an educational leader will call upon me to lead through empowerment of others as well as by cultivating a vision and allowing others to be part of the creation, the greater purpose, and the collaboration necessary to create progress and change in our field. I will be curious to see what findings I may draw about the leadership role in the business I observe.

Utilizing a Balcony Perpective

As mentioned last week, my department had a planning meeting this week. I found myself engaged in the process of self-evaluation and logistical “business” while also taking a step out of the action to gain a ‘balcony’ perspective. When I started my work with Cal-PASS this year, I was asked to read an article, which summarized the idea “that leaders need to regularly ‘get up in the balcony’ and get a different perspective of everything that is going on. You also can see who is dancing well and who is struggling” (http://ezinearticles.com/?Leading-From-the-Balcony-to-Manage-Employees&id=4456853). As a classroom teacher, I felt that I was often in the balcony analyzing student performance and seeking methods to address concerns; however, being in the trenches of teaching, it was often hard to step out of the fray to evaluate when to intervene and when to let well enough alone (an important component of the balcony approach). I have a hunch I didn’t always intervene effectively…

As a new manager and educational leader, I see that my balcony perch is very different from what it was as a teacher. I know oversee colleagues who, in turn, oversee students. When think about how best to support employees, sometimes, it is by staying out of the dance so-to-speak; trusting that they will rise to the occasion to meet and exceed my expectations. When I was in charge of students’ education, I think I felt personally culpable for their successes and/or failures. Managing adults, who are working of their own free will (rather than legal requirements of attendance), it is easier to step back and watch them flourish. I was delighted this week to receive two phone calls praising my employees – there is no better reward than to know my colleagues are experiencing success and receiving well-deserved acknowledgement.
   
A classmate recently sent a link to a You Tube video about motivation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&feature=player_embedded). A highly captivating animated film, the message is clear; people want to feel part of something bigger than themselves – a higher purpose. I believe this is why many people, including me, became educators. What I think may be missing, however, is equal access to the “balcony”… let me clarify… I raised the question in another class this week about access to the “why” of the “what” we do.     

When I was a classroom teacher, a number of innovative strategies were implemented to improve teaching and learning, however the “why” behind the strategy was never discussed. My personal theory is that this lack of higher-level analysis led to a lack of buy-in, follow-through, and subsequent fade out of each new initiative that came along. Last week I mentioned the suggestions on “The World Café” website for asking powerful questions (http://www.theworldcafe.com/know-how.htm#context). I have a theory that if we, as leaders, ask the “powerful” question, we can encourage the discourse that will cover the “why” – without which, the “what” will never happen.
   
Planning meetings often translate into more items on my “to do” list, but invariably, my sense of commitment to the higher purpose has been reinforced by these meetings. Once my faith in the virtue of being an educator is renewed, I don’t mind the to-dos, and I feel as though I do have the power to influence the greater good. Perhaps I am disillusioned, but without that naivety, I am willing to assert, there would be no educators.

Organizational Diagnosis – Theories upon Theories

I felt a bit lost this week as I muddled through more ‘foundational’ reading as well as focused articles concerning appreciative inquiry, double-loop learning, T-Groups, and various other tools for organizational diagnosis and development. To be honest, much of the theories seem straight-forward and easy to understand, but perhaps more difficult to put into practice. I also had a recurring hunch that much of O.D. could be applied to student learning, and perhaps the reflective inquiries developed and promoted by theorists such as Lewin and Argyris should be expanded more within classroom development (http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-lewin.htm & http://www.infed.org/thinkers/argyris.htm).

Bushe summarized:
     "Socio-rationalists argue that the theories we hold, our beliefs about social systems, have a powerful effect on the nature of social "reality". Not only do we see what we believe, but the very act of believing it creates it. From this point of view, the creation of new and evocative theories of groups, organizations, and societies, are a powerful way to aid in their change and development" (http://www.gervasebushe.ca/aiodj.htm).
Bushe’s assertion made me realize the value of evaluating theories to note which components remain relevant while dismissing those which may be outdated in today’s organizational systems. When I think about the structure of my work environment and how it contrasts with my school cohort environment, I realize that I do have different beliefs about the structures and “shared meanings” of each group. I definitely see the important role individual perceptions play within the whole group ‘reality’.

My colleagues and I have a planning meeting at the start of each semester. This meeting gives us a chance to reflect on where we’ve been, where we are presently, and where we’d like to go next. I believe my supervisor embodies humanistic/democratic values, which contribute to “trusting, authentic relationships [that]…develop among people and…result in increased interpersonal competence, intergroup cooperation, flexibility, and the like and should result in increases in organizational effectiveness. (Argyris, http://accel-team.com/human_relations/hrels_06i_argyris.html).

As a classroom teacher I felt that I existed on my own boat floating in an ocean of a school. Sometimes my boat would drift up to other boats (intentionally, out of necessity, or by choice), we would sail together in the same direction for awhile, perhaps landing at the same port for a shared learning experience, and sometimes we would bring back imported goods for students such as a new reading-across-the-curriculum program… The majority of the time, however, my boat drifted somewhat aimlessly.

In contrast, I feel that being in a different type of organization has afforded me perspective on O.D., and how O.D. can (and should) be applied within different educational organizations. I appreciate our “planning meetings” and am thinking of how I will build the agenda for this week such that we ask “powerful questions” of ourselves. One website I visited articulated what constitutes a powerful question:
    * Is simple and clear
    * Is thought provoking
    * Generates energy
    * Focuses inquiry
    * Surfaces assumptions
    * Opens new possibilities
    * Invites deeper reflection
    * Seeks what is useful
(http://www.theworldcafe.com/know-how.htm#context)
Asking these types of questions will (hopefully) foster continued growth and development within my organization.

As I ponder getting into the field to observe another organization, I see the ways in which “Adding hypercompetitive economic pressures to impatience, the lure of simplicity, fear, lack of skills, and a silo mentality, slams the door on any chance for Deep Organizational Diagnosis” (http://www.hrconsultant.com/aw/aw_ter_long_term_success.html). I wonder how for-profit organizations can find a way to productivity and profit through balanced O.D. and appreciative inquiry. I sense that a positive approach is always key to building on “what’s right” as opposed to the negativity with which many organizations are criticized. I look forward to taking the observer perspective and to comparing/contrasting how a different organization responds to inquiry processes.

Getting Past "No"

Another quarter, a shifted perspective, and always, new questions to ponder. As I began the foundational reading for the quarter, reading about various theorists such as Lewin, Schein, and Argyris, I found myself reading through a very critical lens. I reflected on my "old" approach to reading for courses: I would dutifully read, highlight and regurgitate, assuming that what I read was the "authority" on the subject at hand and need not be questioned... If nothing else, I now read through a lens of wariness... I wonder if the "authority" (noting, the word author pops out at me when I type authority) is truly that? Because after all, couldn't we all write something and claim to be an authority? That being said, I am admittedly not an authority on organization development; therefore, I will continue my reading and exploration of the topic and utilize my filters to sort out that which resonates with my schema.


The proposed topic for this week's blog, "getting past no", offered a unique filter through which to process my reading. I read about the Society for Organizational Learning, founded by Peter Senge at MIT, and appreciated the purpose statement to assist "institutions and communities such that we continue to increase our capacity to collectively realize our highest aspirations and productively resolve our differences" (http://www.solonline.org). That sounded like a good starting point for getting past no because how can we get past the negative resolve of "no" without resolving differences, right? Schein's work highlighted finding shared meaning and developing customs, symbols, and stories that guide the culture of an organization. This again brought about my sense that finding a commonality between all parts of an organization are necessary for productivity. Argyris' double-loop learning model allows organizations to get to the heart of underlying assumptions to determine their usefulness. Lewin's perspective highlighted the importance of the individuals within the larger organization, and as I often remind myself when working with students, it is important to remember the unique qualities of every individual when trying to generalize for a larger organization, as both are arguably important.


So, to get past no, is there a simple strategy or technique? Well, there is a book (or several...) on the topic, but is there one right answer and/or authority? I think it is a combination of what researchers, authors/authorities, and participants within organizations have sensed all along... I think the word "shared" is the critical link because it highlights the need to find a common ground, culture, meaning. Without that, there can be no progress. In my reading this week, I stumbled across this quote: “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change” Charles Darwin (found on: http://www.culturestrategyfit.com/culture-strategy-fit-profile-survey). Being responsive to change means staying open to limitless possibilities and never giving up at "no". In education, I believe (especially after viewing "Race to Nowhere" yesterday) that we owe it to students to lead in a "yes" direction. We must work collaboratively to find a shared meaning through which we can change education to meet the needs of students in the 21st century. Of course, to lead with this mission at the heart of what I do, I have to learn more about developing and leading in a learning organization... looking forward to the important lessons to come this quarter.