Vision-Driven Leadership: Reframing Constraints As Sources of

Innovation

Region 18 Transformation Session 2 of 3 November 11, 2015

Facilitated ByDr. John Horn

TASA Consultant & Senior AssociateThe Schlechty Center

Welcome Back… to Day 2 of 3 of your

Study Group Learning Series

Reflections from our Last Session

Video of Mark Barden

Constraint: Friend or Foe?

Illustrative Stories

METHOD

MIN

DSET

MOTIVATION

HOW CANWE MAKE THISCONSTRAINTBEAUTIFUL?

2BREAK PATH

DEPENDENCE

1VICTIM,

NEUTRALIZER & TRANSFORMER

3ASK

PROPELLING QUESTIONS

4CAN-

IF5CREATING

ABUNDANCE

6ACTIVATINGEMOTIONS

Coupling our Bold Ambitions

with their Constraints to find New Paths

Forward

Potential Propelling QuestionsHow can we create the conditions for our

our employees to be more engaged more of the time…when: _________________________________________________________?

How can we create the conditions where more students are more engaged more of the time … when: ______________________________________________________________?

Connecting our FocusTo the Visioning Work &The Transformation Efforts

What is the visioning document?

A shared purpose & values document Relevant beliefs, principles & premises Not a “how to” or recipe Sources of direction for policies & practices A frame for creating a new culture of learning A “go to” document for guidance A resource for organizational transformation

From Compliance To Engagement

Page 4

The schools we need are community-owned institutions. They are designed and established as learning organizations, treating employees as knowledge workers and students as the primary customers of knowledge work. They are free of bureaucratic structures that inhibit multiple paths to reaching goals. Reliance on compliance is minimized, and generating engagement through commitment is the primary means to achieving excellence.

Creating A New Vision…

How can we create the conditions for our employees to be more engaged more of the time…when: __________________________________________________________________________________?

Employee Engagement

Employee Engagement

Who’s Sinking your boat?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLCDJe_hdM2Jjzp-gawhqJm9BAk4ngvzmJ&v=y4nwoZ02AJM

Profile Elements

Schlechty CenterEmployee Engagement Defined Engaged: morally engaged—committed to the values of the

organization and to colleagues as well as to the work

Strategically compliant: doing the work because it is lucrative or brings prestige, not because it is valued

Ritually compliant: just putting in time, doing the minimum as required by contractual obligations and job assignments

In retreat: alienated but so disengaged as to not even rebel

In rebellion: proactively alienated, unhappy, and spreading discontent

Schlechty CenterEmployee Engagement DefinedWhat percent of your staff would you see

in each category? How do you know? In other words, what do you observe them

doing and hear them saying that would be an indication?

What could you do to cause more of your staff to be engaged?

What do you believe employees want from their work? (Random order)

1. Good wages2. Sympathetic help with personal

problems 3. Full appreciation for work done

4. Good Working Conditions 5. Feeling “in on things”

6. Job security7. Interesting & meaningful work

8. Promotion/Growth Opportunities

9. Personal loyalty to workers

10.Tactful disciplining

What people want from their work!

Interesting & meaningful work 1 5 Full appreciation for work done 2 8 Feeling “in on things” 3 10 Job security 4 2 Good wages 5 1 Promotion/Growth Opportunities 6 3 Good Working Conditions 7 4 Personal loyalty to workers 8 6 Tactful disciplining 9 7 Sympathetic help with personal problems 10

9

Dr. Kenneth Vovach, George Mason University, People Performance Magazine, Oct 1996

Employees Sup.

PurposeMastery

Autonomy

Students Develop NegativeAttitudes Toward

DisciplinedLearning

HearingOfficers

&Parole Board

DistrustedVisitor

Bureau Chief &DepartmentDirectors, Hearing

Officers, and Parole Officers

Warden

Containment, Monitoring, Corrective Action, &

Punishment

GuardInmate Conflict Habituated Prison

SafetyInspectors

&Fire Marshals

Primary Shipper &Receiver

PropertyManager &Directors of

Maintenance,Shipping, and

Personnel

MidlevelBureaucrat& Keeper

of the Keys

Labeling,Categorizing,Placement,& Recording

Clerk &Keeper

of Records

ExcessInventory Threatened Learn Little Warehouse

Board ofDirectors

Guarantor&

QuestionableAlly

CEO &Techniciansand Support

Staff

Chief ofStaff

Diagnosis,Prescription,

&Treatment

ProfessionalPerformer & Presenter, orClinician &

Diagnostician

Client

Analyze,Apply,

Understand,& SometimesRememberLong Term

ProfessionalServiceDelivery

Organization

CommunityBuilders &Advocatesfor Schools

Partner &Member ofthe SchoolCommunity

Moral and IntellectualLeader &Capacity Builders

Leader ofLeaders

Designing Engaging

Academic Work for Students &

Leading Them to Success

in That Work

Leader,Designer, &

Guide toInstruction

Volunteer &Knowledge

Worker

HighlyEngaged

Create,Evaluate,Analyze,

Apply,Understand,Remember

LearningOrganization

Owners &Advocates

SupplySource &

Determinantof Product

Quality

PlantManager &Inspectors

andSupervisors

Shop Foreman

Testing,Remediation,

&Reporting

SkilledWorker

Raw Material& Product

Passive Congenial

Understand,but

Unlikelyto Remember

Long Term

Factory

Parent as:

Supt. &CO as:

Principalas:

CoreBusiness

Teacheras:

Studentas:

LikelyClassroom

Profiles

Level ofStudentLearning

Bloom’sTaxonomy

Guiding Metaphor

School Board

as:

WellManaged

© 2005 Phillip C. Schlechty. All rights reserved.

Images of School

Gra

spof

Kno

wle

dge

Typeof Knowledge

Profound

Superficial

Simple Complex

Knowledge Development Matrix

SimpleKnowledge

Superficially Held

SimpleKnowledge Profoundly

Held

ComplexKnowledgeProfoundly

Held

ComplexKnowledge

SuperficiallyHeld

Develops from

Compliance(Planed Activities)

Develops from

Engagement(Designed

Experiences)

Think of a timewhen a constraintwas made into a positive:

In your personal/family lifeIn your classroom, school, or districtCommunity or professional workShare and discuss how the

constraints made you think about new possibilities

A Beautiful

Phil Schlechty on Engagement

Profile Elements

Bold Ambition

SignificantConstraint+

Lack of Clarity about Purpose, Values, and Direction

Reliance on Old Ways to Measure Progress

Insufficient Leadership Commitment

Lack of Infrastructure to support and/or sustain action

Lack of Flexibility in Use of Resources• Time• People• Space • Information• Technology

Adapted from A Beautiful Constraint, p. 69

Becoming an Engagement-

focused school/district

Ensuring Quality

Experiences

Sustaining Direction

Powerful Outcomes

Confusion

Mistrust

Indifference

Frustration

Change

Resistance

Anxiety

SkillsResources

Mission

Vision

Beliefs

Incentives

+ + + + + =

SkillsResources

Mission

Vision

Incentives

+ + + + =

SkillsResources

Mission

Beliefs

Incentives

+ + + + =

SkillsResources

Vision

Beliefs

Incentives

+ + + + =

SkillsResources

Mission

Vision

Beliefs

+ + + + =

SkillsMission

Vision

Beliefs

Incentives

+ + + + =

Resources

Mission

Vision

Beliefs

Incentives

+ + + + =

Adapted from Knoster, T. 1991,

What makes a propelling question powerful?

All of these questions harness the constraint to the ambition, ensuring that the constraint drives the ambition:o How do we win the race with a car that is no faster

than anyone else’s?o How do we build a well-designed, durable table for

five euros?o How do we grow more and better quality barley using

less water?

Propelling Questions

Table 4:  Bold Ambition.  TASA will lead and influence the discussion on a new generation of assessments and accountability for Texas.  Significant Constraint: Other political appointments will try to derail the efforts of TASA and the Vision for Public Education.  Propelling Question: Can TASA develop a new generation of assessments and accountability that will unite all districts and garner support of the political appointments and legislature? 

Using a Can-If Frame

It keeps the conversation on the right question. It keeps the oxygen of optimism continually in the

process. It forces everyone involved in the conversation to

take responsibility for finding answers, rather than identifying barriers.

The story it tells us about ourselves is that we are people who look for solutions, rather than a group of people who find problems and obstacles.

It is a method that maintains a mindset.

Potential Propelling QuestionsHow can we get our employees engaged

more of the time…when: _________________________________________________________?

How can we get greater student engagement… when: ______________________________________________________________?

Schlechty CenterEmployee Engagement Defined Engaged: morally engaged—committed to the values of the

organization and to colleagues as well as to the work

Strategically compliant: doing the work because it is lucrative or brings prestige, not because it is valued

Ritually compliant: just putting in time, doing the minimum as required by contractual obligations and job assignments

In retreat: alienated but so disengaged as to not even rebel

In rebellion: proactively alienated, unhappy, and spreading discontent

Page 12

Profile Elements

What is the visioning document?

A shared purpose & values document Relevant beliefs, principles & premises Not a “how to” or recipe Sources of direction for policies & practices A frame for creating a new culture of learning A “go to” document for guidance A resource for organizational transformation

Introductions

To help me get to know you

NameCurrent DistrictHow long in

profession and current position

A little know fact

TAASA/Schlechty Center Partnership

2004-2015Standard Bearer Network

Visioning InstituteTransformation Support

Engagement

Students are

attentive,

persistent, and

committed.

Students

value and find meaning in the work and

learn what they are expected to learn.

The premier school administrator leadership group in the nation:-Enhancing school leadership-Advocating for student centered schools

A non-profit founded by Phillip Schlechty: Creating frameworks & tools for: -Engagement -Organizational capacity for setting & maintaining direction

Overview – Part I

Backdrop ---The Visioning Principles/Premises

Current Status of Action Effortso Bright Spots to Celebrateo Improvements underwayo Challenges to our aspirations

How the Schools We Have Are Doing What They Were Designed to Doo Images of Schoolo A Case Study - “Defies Measurement” Video

clips

Overview –Part II

Introduction of Constraints BookOverview by Author –VideoStories that illustrateThe Frame for Reframing

o Mindset-19 –Method-22 Motivation-20Diving Deeper—Steps one & twoNext Session

The Schools We Have Are Doing What They Were

Designed to Do

Sort, Select, and RankAcademic Elite vs. All Uniform Grade ConfigurationState Prescribed CurriculumStandardized AssessmentPunitive Test-Based AccountabilityStandardized Experiences

The Schools We Have Are Doing What They Were

Designed to Do

19th Century – Horace Manno Common school movemento Normal Schools for teacherso Modeled after factories form industrial

revolutiono Big City Schools

The Schools We Have Are Doing What They Were

Designed to Do 20th Century

o Thorndike/Culberson/Deweyo Scientific Managemento 1958 National Defense Education Acto 1965 Elementary & Secondary Education Acto 1975 Special Education (94-142)o 1981 HB 246 (Texas) Curriculum Specificationso 1983 Nation at Risko 1984 HB 72 (Texas)o 1990 Standards Movement

The Schools We Have Are Doing What They Were

Designed to Do21st Century

o 2001 NCLBo 2008 Race to the Topo HB 5 etc.

The Texas Education Code: 1975 and 2012

“Defies Measurement”- Clip 2: Now Comes NCLB

Current Status of Action EffortsWhat are some bright spots you have

had in Region 18 in advancing the vision?What initiatives/improvements are you

now working on or planning that would make you proud if accomplished?

What constraints on your aspirations or challenges are you encountering?

The Problem Defined

1900 Present1950

Expectations

Performance

The new expectation---

“The public schools are being asked to do that which they were not designed to do: to educate all or nearly all students to high levels.”

…Phillip Schlechty