Organisational policies, governance & processes as barriers to using social media Professor Mark Stiles Staffordshire University SVEA – November 2011

What, why and who? “Social media” covers a wide range of (possibly) in-house and “web 2.0”/”Cloud” tools The prime purpose of “social media” in personal, business and educational contexts is about the “5 Cs” (Friedman and Friedman 2008): Communication Collaboration Community Creativity Convergence In Lifelong Learning its use concerns, institutions, other organisations, employers and individuals SVEA November 2011

My messages… “Social media use” in education is an INNOVATION Many organisations – especially educational ones – struggle to maintain innovations “Social media use” challenges organisational structures and cultures Learners and practitioners will lose heart if things are made difficult and fail to meet their expectations SVEA November 2011

The Challenges… The world of education is changing in national/organisational/individ ual/educational ways and both institutions and practitioners have embedded cultural and behavioural practices that are limiting their ability to respond – so do many partners organisations! SVEA November 2011

The “Landscapes”… What "landscapes" confront the educational innovator? National & Political landscape – a new political climate and rapidly changing funding models Organizational landscape - where institutions struggle to innovate and respond to change Individual landscape - where a new generation, including work-based learners, have very different requirements, expectations and personal constraints. Educational landscape - can no longer be concerned solely with enhancement but must "deliver to budget” and to the expectations of the other three landscapes. SVEA November 2011

National/Political Landscape: Current political and economic climates and resulting changes in funding models have the potential to transform Further & Higher Education into a truly commodity-driven market where even the learner is a commodity. SVEA November 2011

“Big HE” SVEA November 2011

National/Political Landscape: Such a market driven approach to HE using “pay-as-you-consume” methods could: record all the learning activities purchased and undertaken by the individual learner this could be incorporated into a portfolio along with evidence and reflection BUT this information could be also used to assess the “cost- effectiveness” of the individual and along with sophisticated job profiling be used in selection processes this could be regarded as “commodification of the workforce” (just one example). SVEA November 2011

Organisational Landscape: Where institutions struggle to innovate and respond to change, laden as they are with policy, governance and organisational cultures, which are solution rather than problem focused, and customer centric in name only. SVEA November 2011

Your Institution? excessive hierarchy and over-heavy bureaucracy, the comfort of ingrained routines, strong vertical command structures and weak lateral and bottom- up communication, unbalanced and non-integrated authority across professional domains, conservatism and risk aversion, territoriality, defensiveness and insecurity as well as wilfulness (Middlehurst, 1998) The individual experts may be highly innovative within a specialist domain, but the difficulties of coordination across functions and disciplines impose severe limits on the innovative capability of the organization as a whole. (Lam, 2005) SVEA November 2011

Technology and Innovation Traditionally: technology has allowed adoption of TL&A approaches previously difficult to deliver/resource interoperability has improved management and development development and adoption has followed traditional IT paths SVEA November 2011

Technology and Innovation But now: Social media, web apps, mobile devices, cloud, BYOT technologies stand/fall in a “mass-market” way. adoption by take-up and “critical mass” at the individual user level in multiple contexts - private, social and commercial. once spread into the mass market - become almost unstoppable SVEA November 2011

Adoption of New Technologies 1: Private Use Informal Learning Own Formal Learning Practitioner Independent Initiatives Demands for integration Critical Level of Use Challenges to: support, resources, processes, policies, regulations and governance A perception of “the institution getting in the way” can result in an effective block on innovation Spread “Viral Innovation” SVEA November 2011

Adoption of New Technologies 2: Local Problem Local Investigation Solution Practitioner Adoption Demands for integration Critical Level of Use Challenges to: support, resources, processes, policies, regulations and governance what differs here is change is based on a specific process change or education model “vetting” proposed trials/pilots can result in practitioners “going native” Spread “Local Initiative” SVEA November 2011

Adoption of New Technologies 3: Team Problem Centrally Aided Investigation Solution Pilot Consideration of Impact Planned changes to: support, resources, processes, policies, regulations and governance Mainstreaming Successful pilots not easy to “turn off” and can result in “fait accompli” “Vetting” proposed trails/pilots can result in practitioners “going native” Pilot a success Mainstreaming of local pilots very difficult and even if successful often results in silos “Innovation Pilot” SVEA November 2011

Adoption of New Technologies 4: Positioning Information gathering and analysis Feasibility study Business case Statement of requirements Procurement Implementation “Strategically driven” but often solution focused Lack of big picture can result in silos Poor governance often results in inadequate stakeholder engagement “Strategic Initiative” SVEA November 2011

Organisational Barriers (Not just educational organisations – this is Lifelong Learning) Fear: Accessibility Privacy and safety IPR and Copyright Reputation loss Loss of control New pedagogies/ways of working Pace of change SVEA November 2011

Organisational Barriers (Not just educational organisations – this is Lifelong Learning) Governance: Quality assurance/enhancement Marketing Assessment regulations “Product” development IT Regulations and Governance Bureaucracy in general! SVEA November 2011

Organisational Barriers (Not just educational organisations – this is Lifelong Learning) IT Barriers: Linking externally hosted applications to internal ones Blocking and filtering Support and expertise Loss of control (again) Loss of existing investment Open vs. closed SVEA November 2011

Organisational Barriers (Not just educational organisations – this is Lifelong Learning) Organisational and Management Culture - Social media use: threatens hierarchical structures erodes traditional roles removes “gatekeepers” changes power dynamics needs changed views of “risk” SVEA November 2011

A “thought” on policy… Bureaucracy can be a very real barrier to innovation, and much bureaucracy is founded on satisfying “sectional” needs or “regulatory” requirements I’d like to suggest part of our salvation lies in policy, but using policies which enable and facilitate and not control and regulate unnecessarily … SVEA November 2011

Individual Landscape: Our “customers” will: expect to be treated as a paying client expect more individualised “product” increasingly want work-based and focused “product” want flexibility Tutors and learners will build their own toolsets from: what is provided by the institution what they have on their own (personal) computer what is available on the Web. Learners will “opt out” of systems institutions and tutors might prefer them to use for formal learning activities initiate “sharing” and “community” activities outside of formal learning using tools they have chosen. engage with wider and more diverse communities. build their own learning environments SVEA November 2011

Possible loci of activity Control level Institution Initiated Tutor InitiatedLearner Initiated ControlEnrolment Progression Summative assessment Course structure Submission of work for assessment ManageTutor led discussion Lecture Course Resources FacilitateGroup ProjectCourse/Group Discussion EnableFormal Peer discussion Blog of learning experience RecogniseInformal peer discussion Personal Blog SVEA November 2011

Educational Landscape: My own view is that despite all the pressures the quality of learning experience being provided is high and continues to improve… But – we are increasingly expected to “deliver to – decreasing - budget” We have reached a point where something being “better” or “more educationally effective” is not enough… SVEA November 2011

Educational Landscape: What I see in Lifelong Learning and Vocational Education: Greater influence by employers Reduced ranges of courses offered More individualised courses More APEL Reduced staffing Alternative providers OER Learners studying “cross” institution More self-learn More work-based learning A BIG role for Social Media SVEA November 2011

What’s to be done? I hope you know better than I do! There is real expertise on using social media as a rich educational tool here today! But from my “boring” perspective”: Fight to get your institution to take an organisation-wide view of ALL its information – not just the “admin” Finds ways of presenting social media as “good value”, “employer and customer” centric, and above all “cost effective” Fight to get policy and governance that liberates rather than binds Above all – show innovation works! SVEA November 2011

Thank you for your patience Tensions between Innovation and Control: Big HE: SVEA November 2011