Re: Reason Magazine had an article on this...

On Sat, 03 Nov 2007 13:05:09 -0400, elsie wrote:

I'm sure you knew I was being facetious in light of the previous e-mails
you reported in the newsgroup.

Oh, quite.

Facetiousness aside. I don't know a whole lot about the leadership
dynamics at your university, the personalities involved, and how much the
personalities drive policy in proportion to objective analysis. However, I
do know project management. You start out with a plan. It is quite
appropriate for top leadership to issue a vision statement and for a
strategic plan to follow. At some point, goals and objectives are
translated into a specific implementation plan. It is best for the people
doing the strategic planning and the people doing the implementation to be
separate. That not only provides checks and balances but ensures that one
separates the practicalities of achieving the vision from the vision
itself.

It sounds, from what you say, that the ad hoc committee strayed into the
area of implementation.

Yes and no. They tried to stay at the level of vision, and they claim
that the administration has promised whatever resources are needed for
implementation. My trouble is that I'm an implementer, and I want
various questions to be answered (such as, will the money really be there?).

That is a common occurrence because it is easier
to shoot from the hip and anticipate what you intend to do than it is to
think strategically and articulate the goals and objectives that will
better accomplish mission objectives. Assuming that your leadership is
serious about this and will empower subordinates to follow a disciplined
implementation approach, there are things that you can and should do.
Hypothetically, let's assume that the writing area of gen ed can be
compartmentalized as a discrete area. Your first steps are to analyze the
gen ed plan.

Already there, Phil. And there are definitely elements I can get behind.

You need to isolate the intent behind this plan and extract the stated and
implied objectives. If there is any part of the plan that contradicts its
premise, you need to identify it. Finally, if the plan states an objective
and guesses at a solution, you need to identify where this occurs. The
anticipated solutions may represent the best approach; however, the
specific plan of implementation should be determined only after
alternatives have been analyzed. Presumably, there is a governing body
that would assess the analysis of the alternative courses of action and
decide appropriately.

The problem is that the deadline imposed doesn't permit much discussion
of and analysis of alternatives. We might be willing to eat the meal,
but only if we get more than five minutes to chew it over.

Since I'm sure you're in favor of education reform as opposed to education
stagnation, you should appreciate the fact that the head of your board is
anxious to commit to reform. Your job is to ensure the reforms are valid.
Billionaires do not make or keep their billions by being naive. They are
astute business people who understand the processes I've described and
would demand checks and balances to validate every step of the process.
You just have to use your negotiation skills by leveraging your expertise
in rhetoric to make the necessary course corrections. If you are
successful, you can use this mandate to do the things you've always wanted
to do but have lacked resources or leadership commitment.

Yes, and I'm certainly seeing some opportunities here.

Like I said, there are many things I don't know. Neverrtheless, the fact
that there are some obstreperous people involved in this endeavor should
not discourage you. Social engineering is always the most difficult part
of organizational change.


But that's what makes it fun! There's a reason why I like the anime with
office politics the best.

So, what would Aizen do in this situation? Hmmm?

As expected, you're way ahead of me. One of the things I didn't address is
a nagging suspicion in my mind when I read your earlier post. The fact
that the head of your board is a billionaire can be very intimidating. The
intimidation factor could have caused people of lesser capacity to scurry
around in true ass-kisser fashion. I don't know what Aizen would do but I
do know that he would not be intimidated. As is being revealed in the
Hueco Mundo arc, he is a man of no fear.


--

Phil
.

Relevant Pages

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