Category: LRNT 525

As I reflect on my learning throughout LRNT 525, I can certainly see changes in my perspective on leadership, change, project management, and data analytics.

Leadership

Studying leadership has clarified and framed-with-terminology some reasons why my boss has success as a leader. Leadership theories have also given me food for thought on how I can improve my approach when I am placed in a leadership role. I can now see a leader’s purpose as being more about helpfulness for followers. O’Toole (2008) observed how people are motivated to “follow leaders who manifest the ability and willingness to take them where they want to go” (p. 2).

Change

My workplace involves large and complex contracts, but the changes within the organization tend to be fairly straightforward since we are run by only a small group of energetic people with a “dive in” style of implementation. I had no previous reason to give change management much thought in my own context. Coincidently while learning about managing change in this course, two of my friends – one who works at a public facility and the other at a hospital – were venting about major, disruptive, impractical, management-dictated organizational changes in their workplaces. These changes were initiated without any input from the front lines. Likewise, when I conducted interviews for Assignment 2 (examining successful changes related to digital learning), a similar lack of communication was revealed. Learning about change management drove home the importance of consultation with stakeholders and creating buy-in for end users, which essentially gifted me with some wisdom which I believe will be useful in many circumstances lifelong.

Project Managment

When my organization is responsible for massive industrial contracts, a certified project manager (PM) is hired to oversee it. As I gained knowledge about project management, it gave me a new appreciation for our PM’s responsibilities. I found myself making connections between our PM’s activities and the recommended actions in the readings, thinking things like “oh, that’s why we had the ten-o’clock supervisor meeting every day” and “oh, that’s why we had those de-briefing sessions and evaluations at the end of the project.” Our PM appears to conduct business according to the book.

Data Analytics

Post-contract critiques and safety-quiz results are the data I’ve had previous experience with at work. Marsh, Pane, and Hamilton (2006) would likely categorize those types of information as satisfaction and outcome data. Data collection can contribute to areas such as quality, assessments, learner-retention, and decision-making. “Information becomes actionable knowledge when data users synthesize the information, apply their judgment to prioritize it, and weigh the relative merits of possible solutions” (Marsh, Pane, & Hamilton, 2006, p.3).

Conclusion

In my current role, I can now more confidently lead change in the digital learning environment of my workplace while armed with valuable knowledge about effective change management, project management, and data analytics thanks to LRNT 525. I envision a bright and more-enlightened future for my organization!

References

Marsh, J., Pane, J., & Hamilton, L., (2006). Making Sense of Data-Driven Decision Making in Education: Evidence from Recent RAND Research. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.

O’Toole, James (2008). Notes Toward a Definition of Values-Based Leadership. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 1(1).

Katie Brown, Andrea Livingstone, Angie Maksymetz, and Todd Pezer have co-created a TOOLKIT for implementing a change related to digital learning.

I work for a contract company which supplies workers for industrial maintenance and repairs. Almost every task within our organization is project-based.

For large contracts requiring hundreds of workers, a certified Project Manager (PM) is recruited. The PM oversees regular meetings, monitoring/control of costs and time, Gantt Charts, critical path mapping, and wraps up with a key-stakeholder debriefing and brainstorming session for future improvements. Smaller jobs are planned, organized and managed by the core-few of owner-bosses and regular employees.

Unit 3 – Activity 1 asks us to reflect on the implementation of a new project within our organization:

What was the problem/issue to be solved? There are many challenges with training and completing hire-on packages/contracts for the hundreds of workers we need to hire for a large project. Most of the trades-workers are not local. Paying workers to travel to attend safety training well-ahead of time is challenging to schedule and very costly, and waiting until the day before a job begins is risky – we could get caught with our pants down if workers fail their safety training quizzes or don’t show up and we cannot find last-minute replacements. In addition, because we require all the sign-on documents and training to be completed before anyone is legally allowed to begin work, it is an administrative nightmare to process all the legislatively-required paperwork for hundreds of people in a single day before the job starts. The solution presented was to provide safety training online several weeks ahead of time.

Were the overall goals communicated? Yes, in a broad, not detailed, way.

Who benefited? Our organization benefited – most specifically administration.

Who were the stakeholders? The organization, the customer, and the workers/learners.

Was there a project plan put in place? There was an overall project plan with a project manager for the entire massive industrial maintenance project, but not a specific or detailed plan which focused on the digital learning aspect.

What did the plan look like? “We need online training ASAP.”

What changes in planning do you think would have helped with any of the barriers or challenges that were encountered? I think the creation of the online safety program could have started earlier so it wouldn’t have been such a mad rush to implement it and troubleshoot. I think we should have had more consideration for the experience of the end user – the workers. With more time, we might have researched online training-delivery methods and found a more user-friendly platform for technology-challenged workers.

Do you think any specific method for planning was used? No, unless you count “ready, set, go!” as a planning method. We still unofficially managed costs and time and met the generalized criteria for successful completion, i.e. the goal to simply put the training online. This was feasible because our problem was a relatively tame/simple problem (Conway, Masters, & Thorold, 2017).

What methods do you see yourself using in your practice? Instead of jumping straight to the execution phase, I would like to explore a more in-depth planning phase for future endeavors. I also think the “sequential sprints” described in scrum methodology (Watt, 2014, p. 36) could fit well within our organization’s culture. Conway et al.’s “think like a system, act like an entrepreneur” (2017, p. 3) method has reconfigured some of my thoughts on approach as well.

References

Conway, R., Masters, J., & Thorold, J., (2017). From design thinking to systems change: How to invest in innovation for social impact. Royal Society of Arts, Action and Research Centre.

Watt, A. (2014). Project Management. Victoria, BC: BCcampus.

This blog post briefly examines four instances of successful organizational change related to online learning. According to Al-Haddad and Kotnour, “a change project is deemed successful if it is completed within the predetermined objectives (i.e. completed within budget, within schedule, conforming to customer requirements and satisfies the main stakeholders)” (2015, p. 251). Qualitative interviews of individuals within the investigated organizations revealed the common occurrence of problems with technology and resistance to change, yet each instance of the evolution had other unique characteristics. With multiple journeys, resources, and techniques creating both challenges and triumphs on the path to success, these four examples can provide a partial, rough map for navigating change in the field digital learning.

The first example explores the circumstances of an educational institution which adopted an all-mobile platform for learning—a bring your own device (BYOD) program. There were some hurdles to overcome. Updating the wifi infrastructure to handle increased bandwidth caused hiccups. Significant resistance from faculty emerged, which the interview subject believed could have been mitigated if all relevant parties had been consulted and included in the decision-making. Despite that mistake, the organization came through right away and developed a committee to include faculty in the process. “Carrying out the plan requires getting everyone involved who has a stake in the change” (Biech, 2007, p. 1). The faculty was also provided an exceptional training package delivered by adept instructors where learners were allotted both payment and time for their training.

In the second example, affected staff were not afforded any special training. Instead, they were expected to dive in and make the transition from classroom to online safety training by the quickest and simplest means possible. The small organization’s leader instilled confidence in the team and delegated his vision of change using positive and enthusiastic tones, which fit three of Kanter’s seven skills of effective change leaders: “communicating a compelling aspiration,” “transferring ownership to a working team,” and “making everyone a hero” (1984, p. 34). Being a small company allowed for changes to occur without any hindrance from red tape, but the lack of planning and speed of implementation created significant technology-related problems and resistance from frustrated learners who did not appreciate the change.

The interview subject in the next case stated that it is impossible to please everyone all the time. The large public school district he works for had adopted a hybrid program where all classroom learning was also available online. Leadership made all the decisions and consultations. The interviewee believed the process could have benefitted by speaking more with those outside of the senior team, although he conceded it is challenging to talk with everyone and find a balance between wide-ranging opinions. Being a government-funded organization at the mercy of public scrutiny means changes are often painstakingly researched and planned then carefully adopted in incremental phases. Biech (2007) sums up the essence of such a process succinctly: “you must plan the work and work the plan” (p. 1).

The final organization of interest planned the work and worked the plan in order to create a worldwide training program of consistent quality for staff in different countries. Language barriers, cultural differences, plus poor devices and internet capabilities were notable challenges to overcome. Contributors to the program’s success that the interviewee cited include: good communication, support from leadership, having a driver to spearhead the cause, and creating employee buy-in by asking for input. The latter aligns with one action on Weiner’s (2009) list for effective organizational changes: “getting people involved and invested in implementing the change” (p. 6). Biech (2007) discusses using a “facilitative strategy” for change management, which “depends on a shared responsibility and the involvement of everyone in the organization” (p. 2).

Combining the four cases together implies the importance of preparing to address challenges related to technology, as well as anticipating and alleviating stakeholder resistance as much as possible (preferably before making the changes). In these examples, the inclusion of individuals with vested interest in the planning, decision-making, and implementation process evidently decreases resistance and correlates with successful change and organizational alignment. Organizational alignment is described by Kotnour, Barton, Jennings, and Bridges (1998) as “organizations doing the right thing, the right way with the right people at the right time” (1998, p. 19). There are inevitable challenges when implementing complex organizational changes related to online learning, but committed leadership and organizational members who are onboard with the process can steer the ship through storms and past icebergs to successfully dock on wonderful, newfound lands.

 

References

Al-Haddad, S., & Kotnour, T. (2015). Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 234-262.

Biech, E. (2007). Models for Change. In Thriving Through Change: A Leader’s Practical Guide to Change Mastery. Alexandria, VA: ASTD.

Kanter, R. M. (1984). Change masters. Training and Development Journal 38(4), 39-43.

Kotnour, T., Barton, S., Jennings, J. and Bridges, R. (1998). Understanding and leading large-scale change at the Kennedy Space Center. Engineering Management Journal, 10(2), 17.

“Reflective leadership is the consistent practice of reflection, which involves conscious awareness of behaviors, situations, and consequences with the goal of improving organizational performance” (Castelli, 2016, p. 217). It is beneficial to create opportunities for reflection, as the busy life typically leaves little space to pause and seek improvement. In this assignment, we are asked to reflect on our personal leadership perspective.

My first propensity is to endorse the idea that the qualities of great leaders are the same qualities of great humans. When I dig deeper, an objection arises to the statement since categorizations of what is good are largely based on opinion, much like how delicious foods, appealing music, and physical attractiveness are generally a matter of individual taste. O’Toole (2008) tells the story of how participants at a seminar discussing good societies and organizations discovered how “reasonable people disagreed on what constitutes a good society (and a good company), and that the role of a leader is to create conditions in which people with different agendas can unite behind a common purpose” (p. 2).

What makes a good leader? If good leadership is measured solely by one’s ability to steer the flock, then Stalin and Hitler were stellar leaders. If good leadership is judged on values, virtues, missions, success, and ethics, then describing good leadership becomes more complex because of infinite situational, personal, and political variances.

In the situation of digital learning environments, Sheninger (2014) insists leaders must anticipate, navigate, and initiate change in consideration of the evolving, universal presence of technology. “Digital leadership requires a shift in leadership style from one of mandates, directives, and buy-in, to one grounded in empowerment, support, and embracement as keys to sustainable change” (p. 2). Comfort with technology and adeptness with communicating using digital tools will support the leader’s approach.

My approach to leadership is oftentimes an exercise in simply doing what needs to be done, as well as possible, under the given circumstances, which O’Toole (2008) describes as contingency/situational leadership. As a sometimes-indecisive person who dislikes the drama, responsibility, and vulnerability-to-criticism that can go along with being in a leadership position, I usually prefer to work in a supportive role or with a cooperative team where I can freely offer my input. My employers have nudged me into temporary, contract-based supervisory positions, enticing me only with the higher paycheques. Before I first accepted that role, I believed I could successfully do the job, but I did not anticipate much fun in it. I feel more happy taking the lead on initiatives behind the scenes by implementing new projects and checking in with the team periodically to pitch/bounce ideas. I like a shared leadership approach, although I must have clear lines beforehand to avoid nurturing inefficiency by being too democratic and getting tripped up on trying to allow the simultaneous manifestation of everyone’s ideas. With conscious reflection, my leadership approach will certainly change over time.

The introduction of digital technologies has changed my leadership roles at work. My media and technology skills helped qualify me to spearhead the company’s online safety training initiatives. Workers used to always receive safety training in classrooms by instructors using powerpoint presentations, which I had nothing to do with. The crew I was supervising would arrive after completing their classroom safety program, and my role would then be to deliver onsite training and show them the ropes. Now, being responsible for the digital safety program, I get to shape the offsite training so that my crew is better-prepared when they arrive at the job site. The introduction of digital technologies has also impacted communication. I used to primarily have face-to-face interactions in the days when smartphones were not as omnipresent, whereas now it is common to communicate with workers on the job via text message. Change seems to come fast nowadays.

The readings from Unit 1 discussed some theories of leadership which could be used to effectively navigate change within digital environments. Khan (2017) expresses enthusiasm for the holistic view granted by adaptive leaders who “carefully recognize potential changes in the external environment and consider the best path that will positively affect the organization” (p. 179). Castelli (2016) offers reflective leadership as “a principled and thoughtful approach to making meaningful change” (p. 217).

The thoughtful approach garnered through this academic activity of reflecting on my personal leadership perspective has proven to be useful and interesting. With such limited time in my overpacked life, I judge it to be “good” to examine this topic and reflect. Castelli explains how reflection “promotes clarity with respect to one’s values, identity, emotions, motives and goals and leads to improved thinking, information collection, goal setting and visualization of success with enhanced leadership behaviour and results” (2016, p. 217). Learning about leadership theories and being reflective and adaptive can help me to embody my personal vision of a “good” leader.

References

Castelli, P. (2015). Reflective leadership review: a framework for improving organisational performance. Journal of Management Development, 35(2), 190-236.

Khan, N. (2017). Adaptive or Transactional Leadership in Current Higher Education: A Brief Comparison. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(3), 178-183.

O’Toole, James (2008). Notes Toward a Definition of Values-Based Leadership. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 1(1).

Sheninger, E. (2014). Pillars of digital leadership. International Centre for Leadership in Education.