The Culture That Got You Here Won t Get You There Jamie Baker, Lawrence Academy Matt Ruby, Ruby Consulting, LLC 2019 Annual Conference
Goals for Today Cultural Framework Change Ready vs. Change Capable Culture Getting from Here to There: A Culture Plan Leadership Challenges
Care Deeply VUCA Culture-Change Tension Disruption Tools Assumptions
What is Culture? Booklet, page 4
Culture: A Strategic Asset Culture determines how people engage and creates the operational structures and processes that deliver institutional outcomes.
How Do You Learn About Your Culture?
Cultural Assumptions Students Time Teaching Learning Role of Parents Leadership Space Accountability Role of Curriculum Power Autonomy Grades Assessment When/Where Learning Happens Relationships
Survey
Anthropology and Observation Underlying assumptions related to something specific Listening and observing A guide can be helpful Assumptions - Artifacts - Espoused Values - Outcomes
Take A Culture Walk
Culture Interview What does learning look like at this school? How does one belong at this school? What are the assumptions about change? How are decisions made at this school? What five adjectives describe faculty meetings? How do departments set goals? Why should students attend this school?
Cultural Framework
What is Culture? Organizational culture is the pattern of basic assumptions that a given group has invented, discovered or developed in learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration and have 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 these problems. Edgar Schein
External Adaptation Assumptions Understanding challenges and opportunities How goals and direction are set Measuring results & course corrections Governance and leadership
Internal Integration Assumptions Power, Authority, Status, Rules Common language & conceptual categories Criteria for belonging Criteria for power and status Rewards and Punishment Values, ideology
Deep Assumptions Individual vs. Institution The nature of people What is the right work/activity? The nature of time The nature of relationships (e.g. cooperative, competitive, individualistic, collaborative)
Exercise: Pinpointing Culture
Segment Assumptions
Leveraging Culture
Exercise: Beloved Academy Let s develop a change plan Read Beloved s story on page 14
HERE THERE Booklet pages 13,14,15
CHANGE READY Urgent recognition that we have to go from HERE to THERE in response to challenges CHANGE CAPABLE Skills, knowledge, drive to create new outcomes
Change Ready Unified Leadership/Board Urgent Recognition of the Need for Change Compelling Leadership that can Make the Argument Dedicated Resources to Support the Work Collaborative Spirit
Change Capable Common Vision and Purpose Clear Expectations, Authority, Responsibility Aligned Structure and Processes Engaged Talent, Skills, and Knowledge Explicit Commitment and Support
Leading Change The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture. - Edgar Schein
Culture Rules Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Peter Drucker
It s not Easy... But it is Necessary
Types of Resistance Rational Emotional Cultural I don t understand why I don t know how No time to prepare Too much effort to do There is no guarantee Fear of unknown Need for security/control Fear of change Low frustration tolerance I may fail I don t have to I don t agree with the change What s in it for me? Inertia Architect of status quo Lack of trust Institutional lack of leadership Lack of accountability Organizational politics
Types of Resistance Rational Emotional Cultural I don t understand why I don t know how No time to prepare Too much effort to do There is no guarantee Communicate Remove barriers Fear of unknown Need for security/control Fear of change Low frustration tolerance I may fail Empathize Hold the tension I don t have to I don t agree with the change What s in it for me? Inertia Architect of status quo Lack of trust Institutional lack of leadership Lack of accountability Organizational politics Structure for new behavior Announce new culture elements
optimism The Implementation Dip new performance level capable, connected & ready shock & angst change is a reality pessimism doubt disorientation nostalgia current performance level denial gossip anger fear confidence collaboration creativity choice beginning of transition transformation
Celebrating The Dip The dip creates scarcity; scarcity creates value. - Seth Godin
the culture we need to support the work ahead Conversations success the costs of doing nothing supporting each other reflecting and iterating Being a safe place to fail idea of good enough
Apply The Model To Your School
Jamie Feild Baker jbaker@lacademy.edu @JamieFBaker 901.337.0525 Matt Ruby mattcruby@gmail.com @MattCRuby 207.381.7817 Feel free to contact us!