IBM Reinventing Education Change Toolkit

1. IBM Reinventing Education Change Toolkit Sasha Dichter and Irv Richardson IBM Corporate Community Relations

2. Table of contents IBM Reinventing Education program background and introduction The Reinventing Education Change Toolkit History and partnerships Web site content Fundamental Principals of Organizational Change Understanding and overcoming resistance to change Four guiding principles Conclusion

3. IBM Reinventing Education grant program • IBM’s primary philanthropic focus is on education for children aged 5-18 • Program goal is to support school reform efforts and higher student achievement through the innovative use of technology. • Grant history: • Awarded to 25 locations in the U.S. (either school districts or state Departments of Education) and 9 countries internationally • Provided $70 million in grants since 1994

4. Reinventing Education 3 • IBM’s third series of Reinventing Education Grants • Three components: • Change Toolkit – our focus today • Teacher training: collaborations of school districts, colleges of education • Data to improve instruction

5. Table of contents IBM Reinventing Education program background and introduction The Reinventing Education Change Toolkit History and partnerships Web site content Fundamental Principals of Organizational Change Understanding and overcoming resistance to change Four guiding principles Conclusion

6. The IBM Reinventing Education Change Toolkit • The IBM Reinventing Education Change Toolkit is a Web site created by IBM to help education professionals be more effective at leading and implementing change. • Site access is free, but limited to individuals working in education for children aged 5-18. • The site homepage is: http://www.reinventingeducation.org

7. The partnership behind the Change Toolkit • The Change Toolkit was created through a collaborative effort involving: • IBM Reinventing Education project • Harvard Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter • Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) • National Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals (NAESP and NASSP)

8. Harvard Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter • Internationally renowned expert on organizations, change and strategy • Arbuckle Professor, Harvard Business School • Recipient of many honors • 21 honorary doctoral degrees, 12 national leadership awards • Named one of world’s 50 most powerful women by The Times (London) • Author of 15 books and more than 300 articles Rosabeth Moss Kanter

9. Table of contents IBM Reinventing Education program background and introduction The Reinventing Education Change Toolkit History and partnerships Web site content Fundamental Principals of Organizational Change Understanding and overcoming resistance to change Four guiding principles Conclusion

10. Change Toolkit homepage

11. Content of the Change Toolkit • Focuses on effective structural change and good process. • Content on change management does not focus on specific educational practices. • The school improvement section of the Change Toolkit Web site focuses on school improvement issues, such as: • Alignment • Quality teaching • Data-driven decision-making

12. Some sample projects • Creating a district improvement plan • Moving a district to a standards-based education system • Leadership development in the context of Baldrige standards • Expanding site-based management across a district • Data analysis for student performance

13. Change Wheel: how to get systemic change rolling

14. Example of Background tool Web page

15. Example of a diagnostic tool Web page

16. Example of an action tool Web page

17. Change Masters: seven skills exhibited by successful change agents

18. Change Fundamentals: building blocks for change initiatives

19. School Improvement Web page

20. Project discussion Web page

21. Planning tools • The Change Toolkit contains planning tools for your projects. • These are basic tools – not intended for full-scale project management. • The tools are: • Meeting minutes • To-Do list • Communication plan • Glossary • Lessons learned

22. Table of contents IBM Reinventing Education program background and introduction The Reinventing Education Change Toolkit History and partnerships Web site content Fundamental Principals of Organizational Change Understanding and overcoming resistance to change Four guiding principles Conclusion

23. The challenge of educational improvement • The turbulent social and economic environment and new education standards are forcing schools to change. • This requires: • Immediate and effective action and adjustment • Schools designed to be inherently adaptive • More empowered people, with new leadership skills at every level • Ongoing innovation and change, not one-off change efforts • A rich culture of creativity and initiative

24. The challenge of educational improvement • No Child Left Behind • ESEA • Shortage of Special Education educators • 1999-2000 12,000 unfilled openings or openings filled with substitutes • Placement of students with disabilities in regular classroom • 75% of all students with disabilities spend 40% or more of their school day in general education • General educators have an average of 3.5 special education students assigned to their classes

25. Reasons for change fatigue • Details matter: General principles are not enough to guide effective action. • Balancing alignment (common direction) and autonomy (local flexibility) is necessary and difficult. • Organizations typically do as little as they must to change, rather than as much as they should.

26. Reasons for change fatigue (cont’d) • Leaders typically act by bold strokes (strategic moves) instead of long marches (broad implementation) • Success takes time: initiatives are dropped too soon • Too much focus is on content, too little on process • Too little effort is devoted to the school’s or system’s design and structure

27. Reasons for change fatigue:examples • Different parts of the process of teacher preparation, certification, and staff development are controlled by different institutions. Coordination is difficult. • Few incentives to collaborate on the overall process of educating teachers • Only 29% of general educators feel successful “to a great extent” in teaching student with disabilities

28. Understanding resistance to change • Myths about change: • Change always meets with resistance. • It is hard to change people’s behavior. • Truths about change: • Change that inspires fear often also inspires resistance. • Steps are rarely taken that make it easier for people to behave in new, more productive ways.”

29. Why resistance to change is often rational • It is often rational to resist change because: • Too much is “done to” people instead of “done by” them. • People don’t know the purpose or goal of the change. • People are concerned about future competence. • Extra work and time are required.

30. Understanding resistance to change:examples • Current structures separate responsibilities • Change will require extra work and additional resources • Special education teachers – 53 hrs a week • General educators – 55 hrs a week • Starting pay ranges from $15,000 – $36,000

31. People do the right thing when they: See something helpful to do Know how to do it Have the tools and resources Are empowered to do it Know why it would be helpful Believe in doing it Want to do it Are rewarded for it • Action • Skills • Power • Legitimacy • Impact • Mission • Motivation • Recognition

32. How new practices become a way of life • First, something works. • As a result, the new practices… • Become known and defined • Are seen to lead to positive results • Are learned by more people in the organization • Structures then change to encourage, enable and support these practices. • Leaders begin to push for them more. • Rewards change to support them.

33. How new practices become a way of life (cont’d) • Then, use of these practices shifts beyond being "experimental." • Momentum builds as more people use them. • Everyone is routinely educated in them . • They become contractual and expected. • People who know and can use them are recognized. • It becomes "out-of-sync" not to use them. • New practices become "the way we do things around here.”

34. Table of contents IBM Reinventing Education program background and introduction The Reinventing Education Change Toolkit History and partnerships Web site content Fundamental Principals of Organizational Change Understanding and overcoming resistance to change Four guiding principles Conclusion

35. Principles underlying the Change Toolkit • Focus more on changing organizational structure • Establish good processes • Balance “bold strokes” and “long marches” • Master the “difficult middles”

36. Principle: Focus more on changing organizational structure • Leaders working on organizational change are interested in making people in their organizations more effective, innovative and productive. • The Change Toolkit contains a lot of advice about how to reach these goals. • The fastest, most effective way to get this done is to focus first on changing organizational structure.

37. How people and structures are seen in the Change Toolkit • Definition: “Structure” is everything in an organization besides people, including: • Things of economic value • Policies and procedures • Roles, responsibilities and relationships • History • Structures and people affect each other powerfully • People act purposefully and can take initiative • Structures capture, align and coordinate actions

38. Focusing on “changing people” is not enough • Leaders often focus their efforts on “changing people.” • Senior leaders should spend more time working to modify structures: • Structures profoundly impact attitudes, behavior, even self-image. • For example, people routinely change their behavior when they get a new job. • Many change efforts fail to have lasting impact because leaders do not work to affect structures.

39. Two models of changing people • The mainstream model works through people • Education, training, awareness and observation lead to changed attitudes. • Changed attitudes result it appropriate behavior. • The “newstream” model works through structure • Standards, position, power and opportunity lead to appropriate behavior. • These new behaviors result it attitudinal change.

40. Two models of changing people (cont’d) • Both the “mainstream” (working first with people) and the “newstream” (working first with structure) models can work • But the “newstream” model should be used first, because it is: • Cheaper • Faster • More likely to result in lasting change • “Mainstream” model tends to fail in the long run without appropriate supporting structural changes

41. The range of contribution in an organization Median Percent Contribution

42. The range of contribution: effect of structural change Original Median New Median Increase Percent Contribution

43. Implications for changing organizational culture • Culture is not a thing apart; it emerges from the interaction between: • Structure and people • The organization and the environment • The Change Toolkit talks about changing culture by modifying structures • Through use of the Change Toolkit, cultural change occurs as the result of: • Intentional structural changes • The ways that structure and people interact

44. To get effective, lasting change, leaders must work with both structures and people Yes Work with and prepare the people No

45. Principle: Focus more on changing the structure • What knowledge, skills, and dispositions do educators need to effectively teach students with disabilities? • How can we be persistent and consistent about developing these in teachers?

46. Principle: Establish good processes • In any issue, both content and process are involved. • Content is about ideas and things; what happened. • Process is about sequence and paths; how things happened. • Content is most familiar, and usually gets more attention. • Process is less familiar, and generally gets less attention.

47. The importance of good process • Both process and content are critical, but process is more fundamental. • If content is lacking, an effective process can fix it. • If process is weak, even the best content won’t help. • A good rule: Start by making sure the process is OK.

48. Content is more familiar, but process has a more lasting effect • It is often easier to focus on content: • More familiar • Easier to discuss and to measure • Good process has a more lasting effect: • Impacts people’s behavior and thought processes • Has effects throughout the organization

49. Principle: Establish good processes (examples) • Quality teacher preparation programs make a difference • Highly rated programs…. • Had more weeks of student teaching than programs with lower ratings • Had candidates working with culturally and linguistically different students during field experiences • In-service professional development makes a difference • Level of confidence associated with types of support. • 92% with specific procedures felt moderate or great success compared with 73% with no procedures.

50. Principle: Combine bold strokes and long marches • Bold strokes: using leadership authority to define strategic direction • Long marches: project implementation and removing barriers to project success • They must be combined for success