Paradigm Shifts in Institutional Research Dr. Daina Paupe Henry College of William and Mary SAIR 2005 – Charleston, SC Good morning and welcome to SAIR, and to Charleston. The theme for this conference is “Engaging Challenges as the Paradigms Shift”. In this workshop we are going to discuss how to deal, on a personal level, with paradigm shift and change. And to a lesser extent how to encourage change.

Or “Who Moved My Cheese?” By Spencer Johnson, M.D. And we are going to do it through the eyes of some of my favorite books – Johnson’s “Who moved my cheese?”, Stephen Coveys’ “7 Habits”, Kuhn’s “Structure of Scientific Revolutions” and others. Each of you should have a folder with slide handouts and exercises… Let me introduce you to a book about change. SAIR OCT 2005

Their names were Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw. “Who moved my cheese?” “Once, long ago in a land far away, there lived four little characters who ran through a Maze looking for cheese to nourish them and make them happy.” Their names were Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw. Johnson’s book was written over three years ago in 2002. The book is short, takes about 45 minutes to read. But it is great. And to save you the 45 minutes, I will attempt to paraphrase it. It is basically a story about four characters: Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw. The story begins with sniff scurry hem and haw… Life was good to them, they got up every morning and ran the maze to work and got cheese. Everything was just fine. Sniff and Scurry always ran the maze and they did it every morning. Hem and Haw, became a little lazy after many days, and sometimes walked through the maze and sometimes did not start till very late in the afternoon. They were sure that the cheese would be there everyday. One day, the cheese was no longer there, and this story is about the four characters reaction to a cheeseless situation… SAIR OCT 2005

Where did the cheese go? SAIR OCT 2005 Some people relate this story to what happens when there is a new administration, a new technology ( a new enterprise system), and new way of doing things, a restructuring… It does not matter, the story exemplifies how characters react to change…. SAIR OCT 2005

Sniff Sniff was the environment scanner, he did not fuss when it was gone, he just used his nose, to figure out where the new cheese was. SAIR OCT 2005

Scurry Scurry not being talented with a good nose, used hard work. He did not grumble, just got up and started again. Between the two of them they would find the new cheese (in Covey’s terms they had creative cooperation or synergy). And they did. After much sniffing and scurrying, the not only found new cheese, but a lot of new cheese – more cheese than they could imagine. SAIR OCT 2005

Hem On the other hand, Hem wanted the old cheese back. He wanted the good old days and was convinced they would come back… and he decided to wait until it did. SAIR OCT 2005

Haw Haw did not know what to do. He did not want to go find new cheese, he was scared to try something new, he did not want to leave his friend behind. He decided to wait with Hem. However as days went by ,he was getting hungry and realized that he needed to do something. Hem still did not want to try to go into the maze again and find new cheese. Hems and Haws question changed from “where is my cheese”, to “who moved my cheese?” SAIR OCT 2005

“Who took my cheese?” SAIR OCT 2005 At first was the question of where did it go. Then the question of blame – who took my cheese. Who made the decision to do this. But eventually Haw got really hungry. He eventually got perspective on the situation and laughed at himself. He decided to take control of his life, step outside the door, and find some new cheese. He decided to try the maze. Hem refused to go. Haw started the maze again. On the maze walls, he would write clues for himself and Hem. SAIR OCT 2005

Having “cheese” makes you happy. Haw’s advice to Hem Having “cheese” makes you happy. The more important your “cheese” is to you, the more you want to hold on to it (or to get it back, when it is missing.) Haw’s first sign on the wall of the maze. SAIR OCT 2005

Exercise 1 What is your “cheese”? What makes you happy? What would make you happy? What is the best “cheese” in the world? On the paper labeled Exercise 1, make a list of three things that make you happy- something which if taken away you would want to get back? Give them 5 minutes to think about it. Sit back and reflect. Discuss cheeses.

Haw’s clue on adaptation If you do not adapt to “new cheese”, you can become extinct. Haw’s next insight and next sign on the walls of the maze. Think of technology – if you do not adapt to it, you are doomed… I email my mother – but I have not written a letter in years. Cell phones… It is no longer maintenance of the status quo – if you do not adapt and move ahead, you will be left behind… SAIR OCT 2005

Haw’s advice on fear What would or could you do if you were not afraid? When you stop feeling afraid, you can start to feel good. Haw reflects back on why he waited so long. Instructions on macaroni boxes. Or hairdressers advice on the idiots guide to wiring a light. SAIR OCT 2005

Haw and cognitive dissonance Imagining yourself enjoying your new cheese can lead you to it. Cognitive dissonance works. SAIR OCT 2005

Haw’s advice on environmental scanning Smell the cheese often - so you know when it is getting old. Movement in a new direction helps you find cheese. Environmental scanning and proactivity. SAIR OCT 2005

Haw’s words on getting to your goal The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese. It is better to search in the maze, than remain in a cheese-less situation. SAIR OCT 2005

“To cross an ocean, you have to leave sight of land.” Courage quotes “When I am holding on to the past, I don’t have my hands free to reach the future.” “To cross an ocean, you have to leave sight of land.” SAIR OCT 2005

Haw puts first things first Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come. Never start with a big change… walk before you run. Same is true with diets…drastic changes are the hardest. However, if you start with noticing small changes, you can adapt more easily. SAIR OCT 2005

Haw puts it into perspective Haw started to change as soon as he had learned to laugh at himself and at what he had been doing wrong. Perspective… the ability to laugh at oneself… SAIR OCT 2005

“NEW CHEESE!!!” Once he decides to change and take control of his life, he finds new cheese, better cheese, and his friends Sniff and Scurry. SAIR OCT 2005

You wonder about Hem??? Did he ever learn that the world had changed? SAIR OCT 2005

Exercise 2 The situation just described happens everyday. On the paper with the mice, think about a business/personal situation you have experienced. Label the cartoons Hem, Haw, Sniff and Scurry with the initials of the people who fit those characteristics. Label the old and new cheese. Take about 5 minutes to label these. Reflect back on the situation.

Dictionary definition of paradigm “a philosophical and theoretical framework of a scientific school or discipline within which theories, laws, and generalizations and the experiments performed in support of them are formulated” Now that we have a story about change, lets examine what are paradigms and paradigm shifts. SAIR OCT 2005

They are habits and processes. What is a paradigm? They are a set of assumptions, beliefs, philosophies, and “ways of doing things”. They are habits and processes. And until they change, we usually don’t notice them. To me… But that’s the way we have always done it. SAIR OCT 2005

What are paradigm shifts? Paradigm shifts are changes from one way of thinking to another. It is a different view of the same thing. It is a change in perspective. Subway story. SAIR OCT 2005

How and when do they happen? Paradigm shifts happen everyday. New technology. New knowledge. New people. New circumstances. Some are big and some are little. Some are important and some are not. They can happen slowly or quickly. SAIR OCT 2005

“Structure of Scientific Revolutions” Galileo and Einstein Thomas Kuhn “Structure of Scientific Revolutions” Galileo and Einstein Process of change in science. Anomalous data, new results, shift paradigm. SAIR OCT 2005

Why are there paradigm shifts? Change happens (*&##!!#$% happens). Change is inevitable. SAIR OCT 2005

Exercise 3 On the sheet labeled Exercise 3, list at least 1 but no more than five things that never, ever, ever change, not in the slightest. Compare your list with the person next to you. Be prepared to discuss your answers. Take five minutes to discuss what does change. The point of this exercise is to realize that very few things never change.

“The Handwriting on the Wall” Change happens Anticipate change Monitor change Adapt to the change quickly Change yourself Enjoy change Be ready to change again… This is what Haw put in his final sign which he called “The Handwriting on the Wall.” SAIR OCT 2005

“We cannot change the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” Change quotes “For everything there is a season, there is a time to reap and a time to sow, a time to live, and a time to die.” “We cannot change the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” SAIR OCT 2005

Exercise 4 You have been provided with a copy of the Holmes Rahe Stress Test. Please take 5 minutes to complete the test and grade yourself. What knowledge did you gain from this? Take 5 minutes to talk about results.

Change is inevitable. The Holmes Rahe Test is a test of stress – most of the items imply a change of some sort to your life. Notice Christmas and vacations are on the list. Stress and change can be both positive and negative. SAIR OCT 2005

Break time… Stress and change can be both positive and negative. SAIR OCT 2005

Two types of change There are basically two types of change in life: ones that you can control and ones that you cannot. Certain things about life are beyond our control. Don’t worry about them. Only be concerned with those things that you can control. SAIR OCT 2005

Serenity Prayer “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” SAIR OCT 2005

Exercise 5 On the sheet labeled Exercise 5, there is a list of changes. For those you have no control over draw an arrow to the left. For those you do have control over draw an arrow to the right. What can you conclude? Take five minutes to do and discuss.

Two types of change You cannot control external events. You can control internal ones. And most importantly, you can control YOUR REACTION to external events. I can’t change the weather, I can dress appropriately. I can’t change traffic, I can decide to go to work at a different time. I can’t change the decision to implement a new data system, I can learn to embrace it. SAIR OCT 2005

Psychology of change When situations change two things happen: Assimilation Accomodation Both need to happen to make changes easier. Freshman at college are both assimilated and accomodated. New enterprise systems are a combination of square pegs into round holes. SAIR OCT 2005

Psychology of change Kubler Ross 5 stages of grief: Denial Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance The death of a loved one is a big change. There can be a lot said about these stages and change in general. SAIR OCT 2005

Adjusting to change. Hem never changed his reaction to an external event. Hem never became proactive, never took control. SAIR OCT 2005

Exercise 6 First, on the sheet labeled Exercise 6, what would you change about yourself if you could? Second, what would you change about the world around you? Lastly, how could you change to make the change in number 2 happen? Take five minutes to reflect about personal change.

What can we learn from Sniff, Scurry and Haw? SAIR OCT 2005

Sniff Sniff noticed the change, got a grip and dealt with it. He used his senses to set out on a new course – it was not a random shot in the dark about which way to go. He used the talents he had to get at the new cheese. SAIR OCT 2005

Scurry Hard work – he scurried everywhere trying to find a new path. And they worked together. SAIR OCT 2005

Haw Perspective and he learned to laugh at himself. And he left signs for others to follow. SAIR OCT 2005

Change comes from within “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.” But you can make it very thirsty. SAIR OCT 2005

Covey’s 7 habits and change Be proactive – I am in control of my world and its changes. The cheese is gone and what am I going to do about it. How does this all tie in with Covey? SAIR OCT 2005

Begin with the end in mind. The cheese is gone. I want cheese. I must therefore find new cheese. Visualize what new cheeses you can find. SAIR OCT 2005

Put first things first. Start with the first step. Take a step into the maze. Write on the walls. SAIR OCT 2005

The first step to change is acceptance “The journey of a thousand miles, begins with the first step.” “Beware the first step outside your door, you never know where it will lead you.” SAIR OCT 2005

Think Win/Win. Imagine all the cheese in the world. Haw goes back to try to convince Hem to find new cheese. Sniff and Scurry do not hide the cheese or keep Haw from having some also. SAIR OCT 2005

Seek to understand, then to be understood. Assess what happened. Try to communicate. Write on the walls. Read the handwriting on the wall. SAIR OCT 2005

Synergize. Write on the wall so others can follow. Creative cooperation – Sniff and Scurry worked together. SAIR OCT 2005

Sharpen the saw. As Haw wrote on the wall, “be prepared to change again”. The cheese will move. Adapt to change. Haw laughed at himself as he reflected. SAIR OCT 2005

Change as the precursor to opportunity “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” “Bloom where you are planted.” SAIR OCT 2005

Exercise 7 On the sheet of paper, think back on a situation when you were “without cheese”. How did you respond? No paper as a cheeseless situation???

Change is relative Sometimes it is slow, sometimes it is fast Sometimes we don’t even know we are changing. Sometimes it is big, and sometimes it is little. We need to put it in perspective. I am sitting still, moving rapidly at a million miles per hour… But then again what is an hour on the sun? SAIR OCT 2005

Even galaxies change… SAIR OCT 2005

Henry table of change Good Idea Bad Timing Good Timing Bad Idea Change is like jokes, some topics are just bad, and timing is everything. SAIR OCT 2005

Small change is easier than big change E of Is less than E=effort, triangle=change. SAIR OCT 2005

SAIR OCT 2005 In summary, we have learned about change. And as I have said in every one of my presentations – if I have made a difference in only one person in this room, I have succeeded. Thank you for your time. SAIR OCT 2005

Get ready to shift your paradigm. Any questions? dphenr@wm.edu SAIR OCT 2005