Best Practices for Leadership and Sustainability in Project Management

SUSTAINABILITY: OWNERSHIP / LEADERSHIP March 18 20, 2014 J. Keith Brown SLDS SST Melissa Mack WDQI TA Baron Rodriguez SLDS SST 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 1

ICEBREAKER!! 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 2

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Do you understand and know how to leverage your leadership style? Do you have clear project ownership/leadership at the executive levels, including multi-agency leadership? Do you have project goals that align with leadership objectives? 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 3

LOGISTICS This is a very interactive session! The more you participate, the more learning occurs in your group o Don t be that group! Feel free to use the facilities after you complete group activities You will need your electronic device to access materials through the Conference Communities360 site and to look up your state goals for a later activity o All conference materials are posted on https://nces.grads360.org/ 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 4

ACTIVITY #1: INTRODUCTIONSAND DATA SYSTEM PURPOSE 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 5

INTRODUCTIONSAND DATA SYSTEM PURPOSE Introduce yourselves to the other state teams at your table and describe one key question your data system will be designed to answer 2 minutes per state team The team to your left will record your objective and report out Keep this for use later in the session 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 6

LEADERSHIP STYLES 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 7

LEADERSHIP & COMMUNICATION: THE CONNECTION Effective leadership requires knowing how to communicate with all elements of the organization, including employees, other managers, customers, and stakeholders. Each group may require a different communication style and leadership style. Leaders must be able to adapt their style based on the group they are communicating with. Effective communication is an important part of any leader s portfolio of skills and experience. 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 8

LEADERSHIP STYLES: CREDIBILITY Credibility is key to executive leadership buy-in. Some important dimensions: 1. Competence = Knowledge, intelligence, expertise, skill, and good judgment 2. Trustworthiness (Character) = Honesty and consistency 3. Dynamism = Perceptions of your confidence, activity and assertiveness 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 9

LEADERSHIP STYLES: 3 BASIC STYLES 1. Authoritarian 2. Democratic 3. Laissez-Faire 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 10

LEADERSHIP STYLES: IMPORTANT REMINDER Remember that no one style is better than another: each has positive and negative attributes. It may be appropriate to employ different styles depending on a variety of factors, including project type, situational scenarios, and the individuals who make up the team. 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 11

AUTHORITARIAN STYLE: PROS & CONS Pros Increases productivity when the leader is available for day-to-day direction Works better with large teams Cons Can increase aggression among team members Does not necessarily foster creative team solutions for complex problems Tends to increase turnover rates on teams Generally works with a very knowledgeable leader Authoritarian leaders tend to engage primarily in one-way, downward communication. They tend to make decisions without team input, but they can keep a project moving that may otherwise be stalled by apathy or lack of decisionmaking. 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 12

DEMOCRATIC STYLE: PROS & CONS Pros Involves team members in setting goals and engages in communication with team members Cons Style is best suited for projects that require constant creativity. Routine tasks that are necessary for project completion are often overlooked Project timelines can be significantly delayed while consensus is gained among team members Can be cumbersome for large groups Fosters better participation and commitment to decisions made Teams tend to be highly productive and have increased satisfaction Democratic leaders provide supportive communication that fosters interaction between team members and leadership. This type of leader generally encourages follower involvement in goals and procedures. 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 13

LAISSEZ-FAIRE STYLE: PROS & CONS Pros Leaders generally allow team members to set goals and direction Rarely is an obstacle to innovation or team decisionmaking Tends to avoid conflict or confrontations Cons Generally only works well with highly motivated, highly skilled teams Rarely provides any kind of feedback to team members Has difficulty making decisions or helping to remove obstacles Laissez-faire leadership, also known as delegative leadership, is a style in which leaders are hands-off and allow group members to make decisions. 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 14

ACTIVITY #2: LEADERSHIP STYLE ASSESSMENTS 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 15

ACTIVITY # 2 INSTRUCTIONS Each team member will fill out the two leadership style questionnaires: an Executive Assessment and a Self- Assessment o For the Executive Assessment, keep in mind your program (SLDS, WDQI, EC) leadership styles o Don t compare notes with your team members until you have completed the forms o Once you have completed the forms, a scoring key will be provided to your team 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 16

SCORING GUIDE NOTES The higher the score, the greater the preference toward a particular leadership style An equal score indicates a balanced approach, which usually means that you or your leader applies situational leadership 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 17

ACTIVITY # 2 DISCUSSION Compare your Executive Assessment results What are the major differences and similarities among your team members views of your project leadership? 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 18

ACTIVITY #2 DISCUSSION Share your style 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 19

EXAMPLES The worst: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pequz7XtNPo Balanced: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15RbtYWpX74 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 20

GETTINGAND KEEPING EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIPTO OWNAND SUSTAIN DATA SYSTEMS 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 21

WHYDO PROJECTS FAIL? What is meant by fail ? o Never successfully implemented o Successfully implemented but never institutionalized Why do projects fail? o Lack of executive sponsorship o No systematic approach to link projects to corporate and strategic goals 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 22

OBTAINING EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP SUPPORT Seek cross-agency support Understand the leadership styles, pressures, strengths, and weaknesses of senior-level executives Recruit senior members to the project team Keep executives informed of project status Break project into smaller phases 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 23

OBTAINING EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP SUPPORT Align project goals with executive leadership goals o Clearly define goals of the project o Familiarize yourself with the leadership s short-term and long-term goals and strategic priorities o Frame the expected project payoff in the context of the leadership s strategy and goals Do not oversell the project benefits be realistic 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 24

NORTH DAKOTA: SECURE SUPPORTAND OWNERSHIPFORTHE SLDS 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 25

OVERVIEW Background: The demand for an SLDS The SLDS Committee SLDS Structure SLDS Legislative Members Engaging Legislators 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 26

AN SLDS INITIATED BY DEMAND 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 27

COMMISSIONON EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT Governor s Commission on Education Improvement Chaired by Governor Dalrymple and composed of administrators, educators, legislators, and private sector leaders from across the state Created in 2006 to address equity and adequacy in K12 funding 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 28

COMMISSIONON EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT Mandates ND State Scholarship and graduation requirements ACT for all 11th grade or WorkKeys Interim assessment (MAP at 90%) grades 2 10 aligned with state standards Career interest inventory that accompanies the PLAN or Pre-SAT Fund Pearson PowerSchool statewide, finishing rollout by December 2013 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 29

COMMISSIONON EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT Recommendations State Longitudinal Data System o Place K12 student information in a data warehouse and combine it later with information from higher education and Job Service to produce a comprehensive picture of the effectiveness of state education programs and workforce development initiatives Consulting firm recommended the SLDS as part the state proposal and told the committee to expect the cost at $20 million and to fail the first time 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 30

DEPARTMENTOF COMMERCE Workforce Intelligence SLDS system introduced in 2007 as a means of responding to ND s growing workforce demand Goals o Identify what workforce exists and where it is located o Identify gaps in existing workforce o Identify methods to fill these gaps o Develop a method to disseminate to all partners and stakeholders qualitative and quantitative workforce intelligence 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 31

SLDS 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 32

SLDS COMMITTEE Formed in 2007 by the Governor and legislature to plan and budget for the SLDS Re-authorized in 2009 to build the SLDS Granted more authority in 2011 such that any agency must supply data requested, while providing for individual privacy regulations 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 33

SLDS COMMITTEE SLDS Structure Maintained by the Information Technology Department (ITD) Centralized IT Dept SLDS staff are ITD employees o 4 positions for the SLDS combined with ITD BI staff and database administrators Single system o 2009 K12 IES grantee state o Workforce development program data o 2010 WDQI grant and 2012 IES Postsecondary P-20 grant o 2012 Postsecondary grantee 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 34

SLDS COMMITTEE Legislative- and Governor-appointed members Chair: Former State CIO and now University Vice Chancellor o Former district technology director o PhD in educational leadership Governors office o Appointee very active Representative o Chair of Education Committee/ Vice Interim Education Funding 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 35

SLDS COMMITTEE Legislative- and Governor-appointed members Senator o Vice Chair of Education Committee/ Interim Education Funding 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 36

SECURING SUPPORT AND OWNERSHIP 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 37

SLDS ENGAGING LEGISLATORS SLDS Committee Reports Recommendations for further development, cost proposals, proposals for legislation, and data sharing governance o Information Technology Committee o Interim Committee on Education Issues Higher education and secondary education o Interim Committee on Economic Development Demonstrations 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 38

SLDS SUPPORTS K12 Engaging through K12 organizations ND Association of Education Technology Leaders ND Council of Education Leaders o Active member in the SLDS, Gov. Commission, Conferences LEAD Center and Regional Education Associations o LEAD (develop excellence in educational leadership) o Contract to perform statewide training o Present to legislative committees on the SLDS Ownership has been spread to education organizations 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 39

SECURE SUPPORTAND OWNERSHIP LEA Engaging through the LEA K12 teachers and school administrators are primary SLDS data users Districts are turning off their existing warehouses Feedback reports built on research predicting remediation at the eighth-grade level Requests coming in for more reports Assessment data directly from the vendors 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 40

SECURE SUPPORTAND OWNERSHIP POSTSECONDARY Engaging through Postsecondary Chancellor of the University o Publically committed to supply data to the SLDS o Discusses the SLDS in committee Education Committee o Producing remediation feedback reports o Statistical research on students needing remediation o Asking for more information from the SLDS 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 41

SECURE SUPPORT WORKFORCE/COMMERCE Engaging through Workforce Committed to research on K12 dropouts and their outcomes using the SLDS Workforce development programs accountability reporting must be generated from SLDS 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 42

KANSAS: ALIGNINGWITH LEADERSHIP GOALS 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 43

ALIGNINGWITH LEADERSHIP GOALS Be prepared to discuss alignment and support at multiple levels o Legislative and Governor s Initiatives Invitation to testify o Board of Education Goals and Objectives Board items and presentations require alignment to a BOE goal o Agency/Commissioner s Goals Weekly executive leadership meetings LISTEN! o Program Area Goals Continuous communication 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 44

MAINTAINING EXECUTIVE SUPPORTITSAPROCESS! Engage at the beginning o What do you need and how can the SLDS contribute to that? o Help them come up with ideas o Speak their language Continuous communication o Quarterly prioritization meetings with division leadership o Demonstrations, webinars, surveys o Project Charter, documented requirements, regular status reports 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 45

MAINTAINING EXECUTIVE SUPPORTITSAPROCESS! Flexibility o Plan on iterations o Be prepared to change Grow champions o Who? Program staff LEA staff o How? Training Certification Help Desk 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 46

ACTIVITY #3: CROSS-SECTOR ALIGNMENT WITH STATE GOALS 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 47

INSTRUCTIONS At your tables, each team takes a turn following these steps 1. Read aloud the Executive Leadership goals you brought from home. 2. Choose 1-3 goals most relevant to education & workforce. 3. EC/SLDS/WDQI reps, share how your projects do or could align with those goals. 4. Whole table, discuss what kind of data/analysis is needed to support the chosen goals. 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 48

CONTACTS Contact information: J. Keith Brown keith.brown@sst-slds.org Melissa Mack melissa_mack@spra.com Baron Rodriguez baron.rodriguez@sst-slds.org Vinz Koller Vinz_Koller@spra.com 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 49

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES For more on North Dakota and Kansas examples: Tracy Korsmo, North Dakota Information Technology Department, tkorsmo@nd.gov Kathy Gosa, Kansas State Department of Education, kgosa@ksde.org 2014 SLDS Best Practices Conference 50