Responses

Cortney Discussion:

Change is something that essential to any organization. I agree with Kezner that change is essential for success in higher education today. As mentioned by Kezner, “most scholars of change have moved from the view that change is only an episodic event to the notion of continuous, incremental change punctuated by episodic, dramatic changes” (Kezner, 2018). The world is constantly changing around us and in order to ensure that students are prepared for this changing world but also tat our institutions are able to keep up with the world that is changing before us, having the flexibility to change is definitely an important to the success of higher education. An example of this would be the increasing number of non-traditional students entering college. To ensure that institutions are serving these diverse populations of students, change must be implemented to support and retain these students. Whether that be creating more online courses or implementing offices and support services on campus and virtually for these students specifically.

Of course, some change agents make mistakes when implementing change. In my final project, the common mistakes that Kezner mentions will be addressed. I plan to make sure that I am using the common mistakes mentioned as a guide of not only what not to do, but also ensuring that I am implementing more effective tactics that go against the mistakes. In other ways, I do not want to make the same mistakes. I feel that the mistakes mentioned by Kezner are continually repeated because some leaders may still see change as a single event that once it has been implemented the work is done, whereas change must be continuously built upon and not left stagnant. This same reasoning goes for why some leaders and change agents sometimes fail at change. On the other hand, when leaders and change agent succeed, often it may be because they are thinking long term change. Those successful leaders, utilize research, and adapt multiple approaches that may add to the change success.

 

References

Kezner, A. (2018). How Colleges Change: Understanding, Leading, and Enacting Change. New York: Routledge.

 

Jaime Discussion:

     Change is essential in all aspects of life. If change is not implemented, than oftentimes a company, a person, an industry gets stagnant. Life is constantly changing. Look at the technology field. What you buy new today will be old tomorrow. The given premise and goal of a higher education institution has never really change; student success, but how one goes about achieving that success can often change.

                Kesar asked if change in higher education today is essential. Change is extremely essential especially given the times we are currently in. Think about the big changes that needed to be expedited into place when the coronavirus pandemic hit. One day students were in class learning and what felt like just the next day all or most classes were shut down and done virtually. Events like open houses, registration, commencement, etc had to all be changed to accommodate the changing time. We are still in the midst of changes as things slowly start to open up. We take one step forward (offering all SUNY students the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) to two steps back (overnight putting that on hold after it was determined that the vaccine should be paused) and offering the same students the Pfizer vaccine in hopes they will come back for two doses. If change was not implemented or accepted in these times, what would have happened? Would students have had a chance for success? In times of crisis it seems that more people are willing to make changes when need be, but they are not often willing to make it on a calmer as needed basis. Why? Kesar mentioned one of the reasons and this is one I have often seen in my time in higher education.  Oftentimes, administrators or employees are set in their ways and will often only look to one way of doing something or making a change when one needs to look at several. Most characterizations are simple and one way when changes need to be multifaceted in nature in order for it to be successful (Kezar,2018). I have seen that and have made the example that one often pigeonholes the finance department of an institution thinking they cannot offer insight or change models for students at an institution. One needs to step out of their box and look at different approaches when it comes to change and insight. This can also fall under ignoring context and organizational structure when it comes to making changes.

                This is one that I will cover in my final paper.  Knowing one’s organization and readiness for change along with who can help the leader make a proper pitch and change happen while remembering the culture of the institution is important in any initiative (Kezar,2018). One of the changes I am asking for does challenge the culture of the institution, however I am assuring that there is proper communication to assure these changes are being made in conjunction with the culture of the institution as well as to assure the institution’s first vision is still being met. Having the proper players involved along with a strong communication strategy and true leadership who can help change the institution for the better are key points to help drive change. Knowing your why and communicating it to the stakeholders of an institution to help drive initiatives to drive them to success in the present and future.

Reference

Kezar, A. (2018). How colleges change (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.