Recently I've been thinking a lot about and reading up on exactly how I can influence others in my organization to hop on board with me and execute my innovation plan. I've learned from several sources, one of which is the book Influencer, that one of the mistakes people make the most when they want to bring about a change is that they don't plan accordingly to support the change they wish to carry out. Thankfully the authors of Influencer provide support through step by step strategic advice and an avalanche of helpful examples.
One of the first steps in this process is to use three keys to success (Greeny, Patterson, Maxfield, McMillan & Switzler, 2013). The first is to be crystal clear about the result I'm aiming for and to be very specific about the ways in which I will measure in order to check the progress that's made. The second is to identify vital behaviors focusing on "two or three vital actions that produce the greatest amount of change" (Greeny et al., 2013, p.13). The third key is figuring out how exactly how to get the people in my organization to do the vital behaviors that I've identified (Greeny et al., 2013, p. 67). Counting on one or two "sources of influence" here isn't enough; the authors of Influencer have identified "six sources of influence" that support the targeted change and when one does this, they "increase their odds of success tenfold" (Greeny et al., 2013, p. 14).
In considering my EPortfolio initiative, which is my innovation plan, I've followed the authors' instructions and have identified a specific result and measures, vital behaviors, and six sources of influence that I'll use. The organizational influencers will be myself, lead teachers, and administrators.
Result: All students in Independence High School will create and use EPortfolios for learning and reflection by May 2021.
Vital behaviors:
1. Model - Teachers and administrators both use and model their own EPortfolios.
2. Mentor - Teachers mentor students through EPortfolio development and authentic use.
3. Collaborate - Teachers share ideas, examples, and ask and answer questions in order to support students’ EPortfolio development and use.
Measures:
Shared Spreadsheet - teachers will have a tab in which to document monthly their individual students' progress in the following areas:
1. Student reflection
2. Student collaboration
3. Students sharing work, ideas, and next steps in their current learning
In order to support teachers in performing these vital behaviors, I've come up with specific support by using a template created by the authors:
I've found the Influencer to be quite influential in my planning and will continue to rely on the authors' expertise and ideas that they share.
References:
Greeny, J, Maxfield, D., Shimberg, A. (2013). How to 10X your influence. Vital Smarts. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2Y5JDYU
Grenny, J., Patterson, K., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2013). Influencer: The new science of leading change: 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Harapnuik, D. (2016, January 28). 4 effective ways to find and test vital behaviors.
Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?p=6253
Comments