DB 5: Case Study

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CASE STUDY 6

Ashley Emmons

Case Study- New hire

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1. Human beings are often resistant to change within routine whether it be in an organization or in their personal lives. This comes from a place of disruption, fear, and anxiety of the unknown, however a quality leaders’ job is to embrace change to stay current (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). Our text illustrates that “human problems are what stand in the way of great productivity” (Razik & Swanson, 2010) and reluctance to change and hostility towards new policies and procedures often seen when change occurs supports this stance.

If I were Valerie Rizzo in the first thirty days of my incumbency, I would implement a series of workshops. I would hold a conference style workshop to get feedback from the staff and faculty to be sure they feel important, included, and part of the change rather than subjected to the change. After examining needs and wants of the staff, talking about what does and does not work I would then hold a conference for all faculty and staff where I essentially market the new methods that will be implemented during this time of change. I would be sure all board members are part of both conferences, collaboration is key.

I would be sure these meetings are set in advance, required for all staff and faculty, and are open forums for communication. I would promote openness in communication through trying to create a safe casual feel, possibly providing refreshments to feel at ease and being aware that peoples time is valuable and to keep it direct and to the point. This open forum method will help create shared values “basic character of an organization and gives it meaning” (Razik & Swanson, 2010). A pre- meeting anonymous survey would also be helpful in identifying needs, values, and expectations.

2. The models I relate to best from our text would be the use of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs to help motivate and retain standards, and expectancy models.

Expectancy models are especially useful in organizations. People are more motivated to perform a task when their personal beliefs about effort, performance, and outcomes (Razik & Swanson, 2010) align with what needs to happen. This is the basic idea that if you believe what you are doing is meaningful and that you are going to do well, you will. Motivation is a strong predictor in the efficiency of any situation.

This marries well with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and this is not the first time I have paired these two elements together for a course. As human beings we long for basic things, like sleep, air, food but also require a level of security when securing basic needs, a social need to belonging, and the need to feel important (Razik & Swanson, 2010). Administrators can really utilize this method for their benefit. Job security, growth, pay can be all be a strong motivator for individuals. When motivated to maintain these standards we can also offer staff consistency and predictability, which is comforting to human beings. We can also present opportunities, such as the conferences and meetings for staff to collaborate, feel part of a group, and feel as though they are important and being tended to. We can fulfill all the needs of a human beings very easily and utilize this information to help individuals grow with the changes in an organization. Present them as safe, secure, and a decision they are part of. Understanding needs, what motivates people, and establishing value is important.

Initial meeting	Set up an initial open forum style meeting in order to facilitate communication and openness. Get an idea of what works and does no work, the fact that so many faculty and staff have been working there for a while says that there are important parts of the organization that are working well. Pre-meeting anonymous survey would also be beneficial.
Appoint an informal leader	At meeting number one introduce an informal leader to the group. Ideally someone tenured and trusted to evaluate and report on social needs.
Moral boosting opportunity	Host an appreciation effort; “Thank you” pastries or luncheon in the faculty break room every 4-8 weeks.
Follow up meeting and action plan	After establishing the needs, goals, and values from the first meeting a mission statement and corresponding goals should be created and plan for changes should be presented in a manner that markets the methods in a way that benefits the staff and takes into account all that was previously discussed through meetings, survey and information from the informal leader.
Values, Goals, Mission Statement	Values, Goals, Mission Statement created collaboratively and distributed in different fashions around the school for solidarity and reminders- example: Posters, plaques etc
Social Learning	Model the behaviors and methods being utilized regularly. People learn by seeing and doing.

I chose these particular strategies to utilize so that I can use the hierarchy of needs to motivate and create value. All methods meet one or more of a human needs and will help unite and motivate the group, investing them in the health and wellness of themselves and the school.

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). Christian relections on the leadership challege. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Razik, T. A., & Swanson, A. D. (2010). Fundamental Concepts of Educational Leadership and Management. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Van Bummelen, H. (2009). Walking with God in the Classroom. Colorado Springs, CO: Purposeful Design Publications.

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Tristin Waller

Case Study Chapter 5

COLLAPSE

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1. One piece of advice I have received regarding leadership is do not come into a position, guns blazing, and change everything. You will not have followers; you will have people who distrust you. You must first build rapport, then earn respect. According to Rasik and Swanson (2010), “ …human relations is the study of human behavior at work and an effort to take action in operating situations in order to produce better results” (p. 105). It would be very important to analyze the systems already in place. If I was Valeria Rizzo, my first 30 days would be focused on getting to know the staff, students, and community. I would interview staff members to figure out what they feel works. They need to feel as though their opinions and work matter, so we would work together and focus on what to fix and what to replace. Since there have been cutbacks in services, I would want to figure out a way to maximize my resources by seeing what other skills my staff has to offer. We would collaborate ideas and find ways to have multiple roles.

2. The administrative peers across the district have been “unsuccessful”, but it

would be best to confer with them to see what knowledge they already have. Most of them have been with the district since before the decline, and they have valuable information. There has to be a reason for the decline, other than budget cuts. It sounds like the district has become complacent and unchanging with the times.

3. I think that the human needs model is the best model to follow to combat the quality decline in school. Alderfer examined needs of “…existence, relatedness, and growth” (Rasik & Swanson, 2010, p. 112). In a school, it is important to build strong interpersonal relationships with others to relate to their situations and offer feedback. Staff members need to see growth in their skills and abilities to increase motivation (Rasik & Swanson, 2010). Increased motivation from self-actualization will increase morale over time. I plan to distribute self-evaluations early on and then again after 90 days to analyze the motivation and morale in the school.

The best leadership model in this situation would be Herzber’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory (Rasik & Swanson, 2010) because these concepts worked best to motivate me as a teacher. It was important for me to see that everything in the office was running smoothly. I could tell the leaders had pride in their work and were willing to work hard. When I had good working conditions, specifically a comfortable classroom, my students were more comfortable. When my students had high scores or positive movement on their benchmarks or state tests, I was motivated to work harder. My “Love Language” is words of affirmation, so recognition of any type of achievement fills my motivation cup and makes me a much better worker. It might be helpful to know others’ love languages and see what makes them move.

4. Action Plan: As mentioned by Rasik and Swanson, “In times of crisis…good management is not enough. People facing uncertainty turn to leaders for direction, confidence, and hope” (p. 122). The first 30 days are a crucial crossroads for new administration in a school.

A. First 30 Days: During the first 30 days at East Ruxton Middle School, I plan to look into the staff and discover their “why” for staying in the school. Turnover rate is not very high, so I’m curious to know what motivates them to stay. Their school is not performing at its highest standards, but teachers have chosen to stay. Once I have discovered what has motivated my staff, I can boost morale in the school. High morale from the teachers will boost morale of the students. I plan to develop a rating scale for teachers and students that will give an idea of what is working.

Personal interviews are a must when leading a new school. If you invest in your staff, they will feel valued. I plan to gather a skills list of all teachers and staff and consider job rotations halfway through the year. Job rotation can keep staff from getting bored and becoming complacent over time (Rasik & Swanson, 2010).

b. First 60 Days: Once I have seen staff getting more comfortable with their roles, I plan to assign a lead teacher, based on grade or content area (this depends on the size of the school). Lead teachers will be in charge of their team and reporting back to me. I will be completing observations of all teachers while they are in class.

c. First 90 Days: Teachers and students will use the same rating scale as given in the first 30 days to be sure morale is increasing. We will then be able to make changes needed or continue with the systems in place. After 90 days, I will also complete self-evaluations for all staff members (including myself). I would request feedback from staff and administration on the work I have presented so far.

Reference

Rasik, T.A., & Swanson, A. D. (2010). Fundamental concepts of educational leadership and management. (3rd ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

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