the culture that got you here won’t get you there · “organizational culture is the pattern of...

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

Assumptions

● Care Deeply● VUCA● Culture-Change Tension● Disruption● Tools

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?

Role of CurriculumPowerAutonomyGradesAssessmentWhen/Where Learning HappensRelationships

Cultural Assumptions

StudentsTimeTeaching LearningRole of ParentsLeadershipSpaceAccountability

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

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?

Culture Interview

Cultural Framework

“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

What is Culture?

Understanding challenges and opportunities

How goals and direction are set

Measuring results & course corrections

Governance and leadership

External Adaptation Assumptions

Power, Authority, Status, Rules

Common language & conceptual categories

Criteria for belonging

Criteria for power and status

Rewards and Punishment

Values, ideology

Internal Integration 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)

Deep Assumptions

Exercise: Pinpointing Culture

Segment Assumptions

Leveraging Culture

Exercise: Beloved Academy

Let’s develop a change plan

Read Beloved’s story on page 14

HERE

Booklet pages 13,14,15

THERE

Urgent recognition that we have to go from HERE to THERE in response to challenges

Skills, knowledge, drive to create new outcomes

CHANGE READY

CHANGE CAPABLE

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 Ready

Common Vision and Purpose

Clear Expectations, Authority, Responsibility

Aligned Structure and Processes

Engaged Talent, Skills, and Knowledge

Explicit Commitment and Support

Change Capable

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

Rational Emotional Cultural

Types of Resistance

I don’t understand whyI don’t know howNo time to prepareToo much effort to do There is no guarantee

Fear of unknownNeed for security/controlFear of changeLow frustration toleranceI may fail

I don’t have toI don’t agree with the change What’s in it for me?InertiaArchitect of status quoLack of trustInstitutional lack of leadershipLack of accountabilityOrganizational politics

Rational Emotional Cultural

Types of Resistance

I don’t understand whyI don’t know howNo time to prepareToo much effort to do There is no guarantee

Fear of unknownNeed for security/controlFear of changeLow frustration toleranceI may fail

I don’t have toI don’t agree with the change What’s in it for me?InertiaArchitect of status quoLack of trustInstitutional lack of leadershipLack of accountabilityOrganizational politics

CommunicateRemove barriers

EmpathizeHold the tension

Structure for new behaviorAnnounce new culture elements

optimism

pessimism

beginning of transition transformation

shock & angst

doubtdisorientation nostalgia

denialgossip angerfear

choice

creativity

collaboration

confidence

capable, connected & ready

change is a reality

current performance level

new performance level

The Implementation Dip

Celebrating The Dip

The dip creates scarcity; scarcity creates value.- Seth Godin

Conversationsthe costs of doing nothing

the culture we need to support the work ahead

idea of good enough

success

su ppor t in g each oth er

Being a safe place to fail

reflecting and

iterating

Apply The Model To Your School

Jamie Feild Baker

jbaker@lacademy.edu

@JamieFBaker901.337.0525

Matt Ruby

mattcruby@gmail.com

@MattCRuby207.381.7817

Feel free to contact us!

Parking Lot of Homeless Slides

Change Ready -Change is neces sary

Responding to External

Know current s ta te

Committed to des ired future outcome

Leadership s tructure and proces s in place

Vis ion communicated

Stra tegic priorities in place and embraced

Change CapableChange is dependent on sys tems , skills , itera tion, and common as sumptions , beliefs , drive

Focus On the Problem to Be Solved

The purpose of culture is to solve internal and external problems. Undertake change when you understand what problem you’re trying to solve.

Final Thoughts

Change Ready - Perfect World

High Performing Cultures

Openness and TrustShared BeliefOwnership mentalityHigh aspirationsDesire to Succeed

Bias to ActionPassion and EnergyCollaborationAdaptability and Flexibility

What the books say

#4 Share approaches to changing culture

Ch an ge ready = tasks , projectsCh an ge capable = agile cu lture, problem -solvers , a lign ed as sum ption s

Places to start? How to light it up?Example of Comment card proofing and idea of peeling back to underlying assumptionsHow to work it through the matrix

Culture Change as Linear Process doc - do you talk about culture? How much, how fast?

Culture Change as Linear Process

Exercise: Change Ready EvaluationHow do we understand the larger “real world” context in which we exist?

What is true about the school’s opportunities and challenges?

Who makes decisions regarding institutional direction and priorities?

How should people be engaged in accomplishing institutional priorities??

What is the relationship between autonomy and institutional goals?

How should we relate to each other?

What are our beliefs and assumptions about power, authority, rules, and accountability?

Conversation 2

What are the challenges associated with working on culture?

Methodology (continued)

1. State the problem2. Review concept of culture3. Identify artifacts4. Identify espoused values5. Compare values & artifacts6. Assess shared assumptions7. Decide next steps8. Repeat with other groups

Schein Group Process

Where Do Things Go?

Exploring Assumptions ExerciseWrite the initiative in the Outcome block.What current assumptions does this challenge or build on?

What operational structures and systems have to change to accomplish the outcome?What current assumptions does this challenge or build on?

What individual behaviors will have to change to accomplish this outcome?What current assumptions does this challenge or build on?

How does Beloved get from

Articulate 3 to 5 s pecific actions they might take.

HERE THERE