Developing a Culture of Innovation in A&R

1. CACCRAO May 1, 2012 Steve Erwin, Degree Audit Evaluator Noelia Borcherding, Assistant Director Admissions & Records College of the Canyons Developing a Culture of Innovation in A&R

2. Introduction • The crazy places we work. • Fast paced, overwhelming, rigorous, disheartening. • Stuck in “old guard” mentality. • This does not have to be our fate.

3. Ideal Work Place • Imagine ideal work place. • What does this look and feel like? • Majority of waking hours are at work.

4. Organizational Culture • What is it? • We know what it is, but how do we define it?

5. Organizational Culture (cont.) • Edgar Schein: Organizational culture is “a pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.”

6. Organizational Culture (cont.) • “The way we do things around here.” • “Culture is the glue that holds an organization together and unites people around shared values and beliefs.” • Don’t forget about the subculture within a culture.

7. Organizational Culture (cont.) • Culture is both a product and a process. • As a product, it embodies accumulated wisdom from those who came before us. • As a process, it is constantly renewed and re-created as newcomers learn the old ways and eventually become teachers themselves.

8. Assumptions About People • Managers’ assumptions tend to become self-fulfilling prophecies.

9. Assumptions – Theory X • Theory X: Subordinates are passive, lazy, and have little ambition, prefer to be led, and resist change. • Management practices include: coercion, threats, punishments, or avoiding conflict altogether (trying to satisfy everyone’s needs). • Results in low productivity, antagonism, and subtle sabotage. • Key point: If you treat people as if they’re lazy and need to be directed, they conform to your expectations.

10. Assumptions – Theory Y • Theory Y: Essential task of management is to arrange organizational conditions so that people can achieve their own goals. (Alignment) • The more managers align organizational requirements with employee self-interest, the more they can rely on Theory Y’s principle of self-direction.

11. Role of Director • Top-down leadership. • Letting go. • Trust.

12. Change

13. Change (cont.) • Courage. • Thwarting the demons of complacency. • Does not happen overnight. • Baby steps.

14. Organizational Change • Overarching theme is innovation. • Identify departmental needs. • Key personnel—role of staff “Champions of Change.” • Be inclusive of all, looking for a broad perspective, okay to ask for help from staff. • 90/10—90% of work time dedicated to desk work, 10% for innovation. • Play and Humor.

15. Innovation TeamsTopical and On-Going • Reg My Ride • One Note, Two Note, Red Note, Blue Note • Trans R Us • Citizen Pain • Bee Sting Therapy • Tickle Me Brainstem * Guess who does what?

16. Reg My Ride • Online high school registration. • Streamlined registration process. • Meets prior to each registration period—adapts and makes changes based off of trends. • Kiosk, Info Table, Express Line. • Adapted resource schedule.

17. One Note, Two Note, Red Note, Blue Note • Implemented Microsoft One Note. • Wiki for all things A&R. • “One stop shop.” • Access for all. • Minutes, schedules, manuals, etc. • Conducted staff training.

18. Trans R Us • Developing new layout/content of transcript. • Works directly with MIS. • Ongoing, long term team.

19. Citizen Pain • Developed new residency processes. • Only residency specialist makes residency decisions. • New Residency Affidavit. • Online appointments scheduler. • Drop-in appointments.

20. Bee Sting Therapy • Completed 3 Year Program Review. • Staff members included in process. • More complete, holistic review. • Completed in timely manner. • Used as a model for other departments on campus.

21. Tickle Me Brainstem • Origins—naming other innovation teams. • Fishbowls. • Mind bullets. • Opening/Closing ceremonies. • Creativity. • A space where all ideas are embraced—good, bad, ridiculous, silly, or otherwise.

22. Tickle Me Brainstem (cont.) • Themed sticker days. • Alternate name days—Jersey Shore, Leprechaun, Elf. • Temporary tattoo, fake moustache, eye patch day. • Mahi Mahi Lei Day. • Picture Board. • Employee of the Lunch.

23. Tickle Me Brainstem (cont.) • A&R Live webcam. • Easter egg hunt. • Holiday advent calendar. • The energy and enthusiasm generated by these events and by TMB is contagious. • Tickle!

25. Play & Humor • In most work settings, play and humor are sharply distinguished from work. Play is what people do when they are not working. • If play is viewed as a state of mind, any activity can be playful. • Play permits relaxing the rules to explore alternatives. It encourages experimentation, flexibility and adaptiveness.

26. Play & Humor (cont.) • Effective teams balance seriousness with play and humor. • Humor releases tension and helps resolve issues that arise from day-to-day routines as well as from sudden emergencies.

27. Call to Action • What are some small steps that you could do in your respective offices?

28. Questions/Comments

29. Contact Us Steve Erwin Degree Audit Evaluator College of the Canyons steve.erwin@canyons.edu 661-362-5917 Noelia Borcherding Assistant Director, Admissions & Records College of the Canyons noelia.borcherding@canyons.edu 661-362-3001

30. References Kelley, T. (2001) The Art of Innovation. Doubleday, NY. Schein, E. (2004) Organizational Culture and Leadership. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.