Kathleen's+Final+Deliverable+Reflection+Paper

Kathleen Lepori EDU 668 Anderson 7/5/09


 * FINAL DELIVERABLE REFLECTION PAPER**

//• In acting as an agent of change in this situation, what will be the most important actions for you to take?//

Given the opportunity to implement change at my institution, the question of how would I foster, enable, inspire, implement and manage this change is answered in the following, final reflection.

Having successfully completed my action research project, I have earned some recognition in my workplace as one who can bring about change quickly and effectively. In order to improve internal communication within WestEd, I believe one of the most important actions that I could undertake is to implement more diverse intergroup collaborations (IC). Creating these informal collaborations will take an active engagement by all twelve, program managers and their associated staff. The value added will be opportunity to improve and enhance understanding among our increasingly diverse programs. It is my desire that these intergroup collaborations will encourage employees from various programs to contribute to the collective knowledge. This depth of understanding is what constitutes WestEd’s greatest asset.

As an agent of change, I would first identify gaps in communication by enlisting the assistance of employees through an anonymous survey. The survey would contain open-ended questions that would help identify personal and organizational pain points in regards to strengths and weaknesses in the existing system of communication. Attitudes, behaviors, and strategies that can help staff communicate effectively, collaborate easily, and produce results more efficiently, can and should also be explored.

Maintaining ongoing dialog with stakeholders is simply good business. It keeps both management and non-management staff aware of any problems and or solutions to the change that has been implemented. By posting an online “suggestion box,” employees can anonymously post their concerns, questions and suggestions without fearing retaliation. As well, management should host a community whiteboard in which employees can readily access where they can read about updates and current revisions.

//• Through the readings, discussions with others in class, additional research and guest lecture sessions, what key themes to change management apply most to your change situation?//

The study of human and organizational behavior acknowledges that successful change is based on redesigning and reinterpreting existing norms and values and developing commitment to new ones. In bringing about effective, long-term change, it is the change agent’s responsibility to achieve permanent acceptance. This can be accomplished by using persuasion instead of force. Open dialogue, a form of persuasion, advances intergroup collaboration toward personal and social responsibility that can have lasting positive effects. Surowiecki, in his book “The Wisdom of Crowds,” states that collective intelligence has the potential to make a profound difference in the way companies do business (Surowiecki, 2004). Trusting and empowering personnel has the capacity to motivate and bring about change quickly (DeMarco, 2001). Inviting employees to ascertain better ways to communicate would be a vital, next step in my action research change project.

In determining key principles for managing change in any organization, the change agent should have a basic understanding of the systems and structures, including leadership and management, in the context of the change effort. Recognizing that it is human nature to resist change, or fear of the unknown, is half the battle. Establishing effective communication can help overcome that fear and allow change to occur. And for change to occur, it is important to realize that managing people is indeed managing feelings.

It is important for buy-in that all stakeholders and decision makers have a clear understanding of the benefits of the proposed change. It should be well defined as to why and how this important, and sorely needed change will occur. Change usually is introduced as a means to increase performance. Most employees desire to increase their performance and better their practice if they are made aware that this change proposes to do just. Then it is highly probable that the proposed change will be successful. As Gladwell so aptly explains this concept in his book Outliers, “Achievement is talent plus preparation” (Gladwell, 2008, p. 38). WestEd employees have talent but in order to achieve the adaption to change, they must be well prepared. This preparation can range in scale from a simple non-evasive procedure to a complex, company-wide implementation in which all employees are involved in the action being implemented. It is imperative that all stakeholders are aware of exactly how the change will be initiated and maintained.

//• What is your personal vision for change management- how do you see yourself growing into the role of change agent and leader?//

The possibility of stimulating intergroup collaboration with colleagues is a challenging and much needed undertaking. Much can be gained from this important venture: resource sharing, research and development, recruitment efforts, collaborative writing, along with a deeper understanding of WestEd’s work and mission. We are experiencing major growth in our organization and we are still using the same communications systems and processes that was in place before the commencement of growth. Facing the challenges of a larger company, a new and better method of communicating with each other has become a necessity.

Management must embrace the challenge of formulating strategies that would encourage personnel to communicate effectively. Having a mechanism in place, with the management team confirming its worth, would have a dramatic impact on the way our company does business in the future. As we look towards the future growth and expansion, informal and formal communication between staff members will be a high priority in our organization. Developing a practice of ongoing communication will help cultivate trust and confidence and inspire employees to be actively involved in helping the organization to succeed and prosper. It is human nature to know how something will affect them. Knowing what role they play in the process of change is vital to employee buy-in and trust.

The importance of open communication cannot be stressed enough in trying to implement change. Employees should be made aware that open communication is strongly encouraged and supported and that ongoing dialogue is key to the success of the proposed change. They should be made aware that they play a key part in understanding the successes or failures of the multiple steps necessary to implement the change efficiently. I believe these proposed actions have the potential to make a profound difference in the way our company does business. In order to realize these lofty goals, I will need to learn how to become an effective leader and attentive agent of change in my organization. I will work diligently to learn better ways of sharing resources more efficiently and in the process gain a deeper understanding of WestEd’s culture, work and mission.

As a change agent, I must recognize that one of the only ways to break through political barriers in my organization is to have good interpersonal skills and offer rational, well-argued analysis that is more difficult to contest than mere insight or know how. The key to managing change is to develop excellent leadership skills that include: being a good listener, effective communicator, constructive decision maker, risk taker, respecter of people and it also means leading by example. In other words, I must be “the wick that tames the fire” of change at WestEd (Carr, 2009, p. 231).

Carr, N. G. (2009). The big switch: Rewiring the world, from Edison to Google. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. DeMarco, T. (2002). Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork and the Myth of Total Efficiency. New York: Broadway Books. Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success. New York: Little, Brown & Co. Surowiecki, J. (2005). The Wisdom of Crowds. New York: Anchor Books.
 * References**