I work in a portfolio of a school within a post-secondary institution.\u00a0 Often those of us at the portfolio level get an edict from management announcing new policies and it is up to us to find ways to implement them, making them work for our situation.\u00a0 An example of this happened recently.\u00a0 As a result of a safety audit, the decision came to implement a visitor sign-in procedure.\u00a0 Until this time this was not part of the process when guests came to the classroom or to an event.\u00a0 The problem in this situation was that there was not any communication about how to implement this change, the rational behind it, or any beneficial details.\u00a0 The lack of shared information created a large barrier to implementing the change.\u00a0 No one knew the expectations or the parameters, therefore people were creating their own systems and not sharing them with the other groups.\u00a0 In this situation, the goal of the project caused many of the barriers.\u00a0 Conway, Masters, and Thorold (2017) state \u201cinnovators should not just focus on user needs \u2026 they must also comprehensively map the system which they hope to change, employing a range of techniques to appreciate the complex dynamics at play\u201d (p. 14).\u00a0 The originators of this change did not follow this concept.<\/p>\n
Without a map to follow, the type of system created was guests signing-in on paper.\u00a0 Given the size of campus and the frequency of guests, I felt that a paper system was not an ideal solution and I suggested a digital option.\u00a0 The barriers in this option, that I did not see when I brought the idea forward, included that many people felt the paper system would work perfectly adequately and we should take the easier path in order to accept the new procedure.\u00a0 I have limited experience in leading change, and I felt that the digital system was clearly the correct option.\u00a0 After going through the readings, I discovered that the lack of planning for this project contributed to the results.\u00a0 The key players in the implementation did not know who the stakeholders were, or who was responsible for the process (i.e., who to go to with questions).\u00a0 In order to overcome this barrier, I think the process would have benefitted from closer analysis.\u00a0 I do not believe there was any data collected regarding the best method to use to implement the process.\u00a0 Sclater, Peasgood, and Mullan (2016) present three elements of organising learning analytics, which are \u201cthe availability of data, the analysis and creation of insight, and processes that impact upon student success\u201d (p. 34).\u00a0 These components can apply to projects outside of the classroom environment as well and would have changed the outcome in this situation.<\/p>\n
For this project, I received instructions on what needed to happen.\u00a0 Should I ever be on a team who is rolling out a change similar to this one, I would like to take the time to have conversations with those involved (or a representation of the entire group) to ensure the solution fits the goal of the new process.\u00a0 I think ensuring that step is complete will help those involve accept the new system and it will better function for the goal.<\/p>\n
Cormier (2017) states \u201cwhen you pull one string on that system to try and fix it, you tend to tear the sweater somewhere else\u201d (para. 2).\u00a0 In the situation I described here, I believe I may have torn the sweater elsewhere when I presented my digital solution.\u00a0 I now know that in future situations I need to be more careful and take the time to get buy-in from the team, when presenting an idea with which they may not be comfortable.<\/p>\n
References<\/p>\n
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. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.thersa.org\/globalassets\/pdfs\/reports\/rsa_from-design-thinking-to-system-change-report.pdf<\/p>\n
Cormier, D. (2017, December 8). Our schools aren\u2019t broken, they\u2019re hard. [Blog post]. Retrieved from http:\/\/davecormier.com\/edblog\/2017\/12\/08\/our-schools-arent-broken-theyre-hard\/<\/p>\n
Sclater, N., Peasgood, A, & Mullan, J. (2016).\u00a0Learning analytics in higher education: A review of UK and international practice. Jisc. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.jisc.ac.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/learning-analytics-in-he-v3.pdf<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I work in a portfolio of a school within a post-secondary institution.\u00a0 Often those of us at the portfolio level get an edict from management announcing new policies and it is up to us to find ways to implement them, making them work for our situation.\u00a0 An example of this happened recently.\u00a0 As a result … Continue reading Don\u2019t Tear the Sweater!<\/span>