Organizational Cultures
I am the new director of an organization which has been in existence for ten years. In that time, it has steadly declined due the the ethos of the organization; an ethos of dysfunctionalism that permeates the entire organization. There is much potential in this place and a dire need for all that it has to offer to the community. However, many of the current staff, including the founder, behave in ways that undermine growth and development. Can anyone suggest strategies I might employ to change the current ethos?
Hi Alessandra
Sounds like an interesting challenge. And one that probably faces most school directors, but they may not realize it.
What about starting with 5-year planning brainstorming? Create an environment where participants feel free to be creative and explore many ideas. Plan meetings where staff can take ownership of the ideas. Motivational facilitators might help to change the culture. Or simply getting rid of the people who are dragging your organization down. Let us know your plans and successes.
Best wishes
Susan
You might also try sitting down with key people (or everyone if the organization is small enough) to brainstorm thoughts about what is wrong and how it can be fixed. Or if people find it too risky to brainstorm together, maybe you can speak to people in small groups or one-on-one to invite ideas.
Hi Linda
Great ideas to get information and ideas. We also believe it is important to set the tone for freely sharing thoughts. One way is to announce that all ideas are good and that no idea will be critqued in any way. We think that people involved in a school or organization know how to fix or improve things. They just have to be asked. Best wishes, Susan
Hi Alessandra being a new director of an oranization which has been in existence for ten years.that's a long time, if I was you Iwould'nt call the CEO dysfunctional because it may pan out that you are also.If I were the CEO I woould take another look at your Loyalty.My be you should take on building your own School. Byron
Hi Byron and Alessandra
My guess is that there are a lot of facts in this situation. Therefore it may not be appropriate to offer comments. And I don't feel it is part of the course.
Thanks
Susan
I was in a similar situation in a school a few years ago. When I began to make changes, people were unhappy. I think it is important that you understand that some people might not be comfortable with change, no matter how positive it might be. I would say that around half the staff felt the change was a breath of fresh air, and the other half were being stretched in ways they were not comfortable. Well, the ones who didn't want to change...left. A new group of vibrant people were hired in their place, and now the staff functions well and have similar goals for the growth of the school. Some people just don't like change. You don't want to be the ogre, but if they don't want to get on the same bus with you, maybe they need to move on, and you are free to make appropriate transitions and move in a positive direction.
Hi Susan
Really great and to-the-point reply. It takes a leap of faith to know that if an individual or organization isn't growing and changing then it's dying. Leaders have to learn how to get their staff to embrace their "uncomfort" zones. That's where we all learn. Not much happens in the comfort zone.
Good luck, Susan
I suggest that you have a brain storming session with key members to get ideas and suggestions to have an institutional effectiveness away day. This can be organized on a public holiday or when there are no students. You can organize it in the institution to be cost effective. Involve all the staff in group activities to come up with perhaps 4 ideas and suggestions of how to improve specific areas that you feel needs improving immediately. Involve the staff in decision making and make the activities fun. You can have around 3 dynamic presentations on this day which are motivational and let the staff know where you are and where you want to be. This can only be achieved with everyone's involvement.
Once you have the ideas or suggestions start implementing the ones you are able to, in order for them to see that you mean business. Regular meetings (does not have to be long) to improve communication, informing staff, having open door policy, suggestion boxes, have your key people read management books like Fish, Leadership and Deception, High Five amongst few. You can have the reading material as part of their development plan.
Wow Suhas, you said it all. Retreats with the entire staff meeting, planning, and having fun away from the school campus is a great idea. And having periodic follow up meetings, like even once a week, will help ensure keeping the glow of the meeting and the ideas in place. Suggest you plan a day that is not a holiday or typical day off. Your staff won't be happy having to "work" when they expect a day off or when their friends and families expect to be with them. Lots of elements for success. One is careful planning so the retreat is exciting, inspirational, fun, and sticks to an agenda. Let us know the results. Thanks, Susan
In my opinion, organizational culture can only be changed via a certain management style. A dictatorial/autocratic style of management is a way to get certain things done when deadlines need to be met, but change of organizational culture needs a participative, open management style involving employees in decisions that affect them. One way to do this is to form committees and periodically discuss the ongoing development/revision and implementation of the institutional development plan. Participation, however, in my view does not mean democracy; it is a way to make the employees feel as part of the decision making process. Mangers should be open to suggestions/input, wherever it may come from and allow good ideas to succeed, even if they didn't come ‘from the top'.
YOu seem to be making a lot of interesting points, Udo. I think current management and employee satisfaction thinking points to this - If employees are happy, treated fairly, and are involved in the organization, then the organization will reflect this. And the students will be happy and satisfied as well. And the culture of the organization should most certainly be part of the institutional development plans. Best wishes, Susan
Making change in any environment is difficult at best. People generally are comfortable with the status quo whether it promotes growth or decline. However, having said that, people also like to be involved in creating change..or having a "buy in". We consistently use "creating trees", a way to look at current reality (where the school is now) and future vision (where the school wants to be). You can access this method of change by reading Robert Fritz' book: Creating. We have implemented a number of difficult changes in the past using this method. Everyone gets to give imput and nothing is considered "out of reach" or "impossible". In reaching for the absoulte perfect scenario, the end result is usually very workable and it has grown out of the ideas of all present.
Hi Judith, Thanks so much for the valuable resource. We all suffer from the inability to change. So if there are specific steps it makes it easier. A career school has to continually look to change. It's programs may no longer be valued in the workplace. New programs are needed in anticipation of change in the community. And on and on. Usually our staff know what changes that need to be made. They need to be asked and valued. Thanks, Susan
Our school has a 20 year history. When students are asked in surveys why they chose our school the top three answers are customer service received, reputation, and they know someone who has graduated and is now successful. There are two things that we attribute to maintaining the culture.
First new employees regardless of which department they are in are scheduled to meet with one of the tenured employees that can really articulate the culture of the company. It provides a gateway for open communication, teamwork, and expected outcomes.
The second way to keep the culture alive and also develop cohesive teams is through the use of what we call the "Discovery Team". The team is made up of employees from each department and they remain on the team for 6 months. They handle holiday events, suggestions for improvement, and are tasked with finding solutions. Basically they help keep the morale up. Even new employees are placed on the team. Some of the best fresh ideas come from new employees. They also now feel part of the family.
Hi Kelly, Wow. This is so great. This is the dream of many school owners. Customer (student) service is probably the key. Fortune 500 companies discovered that a long time ago. Be nice to your customers and they will be loyal, stay, pay, and recommend your services. Careful hiring is important to insure you get customer service oriented people who will support your culture. Your Discovery Team approach is great. Schools are one big team with staff and students and employers. Thanks for a great model for success. Susan
Have you tried setting norms for behavior in school and in meetings? There are wonderful week long classes that teams of people can go to, to learn about them, how to set them and how to stick by them.
Marci,
Are you referring to Team Building events? Most certainly. That is why many schools and companies take their staff on retreats away from the office. In this way lots of team building exercises can be held and people learn how to work more effectively together. This is great for brainstorming, which can be more productive when people are away from the day to day. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
