1. Empowering Excellence – the role of school culture in building internal and external innovation
Shaun McCarthy
Chairman
Human Synergistics
Australia & New Zealand
Director
Human Synergistics International

2. Introducing Human Synergistics International
Since 1973: USA. 17 Countries. NZ since AU since 1990

3. Introducing Human Synergistics International
490 Universities
321 of Fortune 500
47 of the top 50
Data on 2,500
organisations
32 Schools

4. organisational culture in improving organisational effectiveness
The importance of
organisational culture in improving organisational effectiveness

5. Parental expectations Customer – Pupil or parent?
Technology
Administration vs
education
Parental involvement
Perfection vs
excellence
Social media
Revenue/cost management
Governmental
Policies
‘Professional’ vs
‘employee’
Curriculum management

6. Requires our organisation to ‘adapt’ Challenges to our operating model
Present the need to ‘change’
Organisational culture influences ability to adapt

7. External stakeholders
How they experience us:
How we think and behave
What behaviour gets reinforced: culture – behavioural norms & expectations
Effective performance

8. The Importance of Alignment
Mission
Purpose
Motto
Vision
Practices
Structures
Systems
Technologies
Leadership
Outcomes
External
Internal
The Importance of Alignment

9. Customers: Lower standards
Circular Causality: Organisational Culture
Mission:
At risk
Customers: Lower standards
Mission: Excellence
Culture: Supportive & inclusive
Staff: Strive for excellence
Staff emotions: Fulfilment
Customers: Quality service
‘Functional’ Culture
Mission: Excellence
Culture: Non-supportive & directive
Staff: Focus on ‘coping’
Staff emotions: Stress
Customers: Quality service
‘Dysfunctional’ Culture

10. Organisational Culture
Behaviours
Learned behaviours
Learned through what’s helped people to fit in and get ahead (i.e., what’s been reinforced/rewarded/punished)
What’s been reinforced over time by the organisational systems & structures
It becomes “the way we do things around here”
It’s taken from day 1 to create this culture – it is difficult and takes time to change it

11. Organisational Culture
Working on culture change is not……………..
A ‘panacea’
Something that you do separate to business as usual
Something you ’do’
It should be……………...
Part of an integrated programme of improvement of processes, systems, structures, leadership and people capabilities

12. Organisational Culture
“If you do not manage culture, it manages you, and you may not even be aware of the extent to which this is happening”
Edgar Schein

13. Organisational Culture
“The shared values, norms and expectations that govern the way people approach their work and interact with each other.” How the organisational system motivates people to do things. (What behaviours are ‘rewarded’ & ‘punished’.)
Approach their work:
Solve problems
Make decisions
Respond to goals
Process ideas
Respond to deadlines
Meet compliance
requirements
Emphasize quality
Interact with each other:
Work in teams
Work between teams
Build relationships
Share information/ideas
Respond to authority
Send information up
Get involved

15. What’s your organisation’s mantra?

16. Research Results 2013: Private Secondary Schools
Australia & New Zealand
Ideal Culture Circumplex: N = 10 Organisations
Strive for excellence
Be creative and open
Support one another
Work collegially

17. Research Results 2013: Private Secondary Schools
Australia & New Zealand
Actual Culture Circumplex; N = 10 Organisations
Where excellence becomes perfectionism & security is achieved by ‘doing it by the book’ and keeping out of trouble *

18. Perfectionistic (10) Conventional (4) Avoidance (6)
If I appear competent I feel safe
If I follow the process I feel safe
If I avoid responsibility I feel safe

19. Humanistic-Encouraging (1) Affiliative (2) Achievement (11)
Self-Actualizing (12)
I should strive for excellence in everything that I do
I should let my imagination fly – be creative & innovative
I should co-operate, build relationships, manage interdependencies

20. The goal of any organisational culture should be:
To allow people achieve their full potential
To provide ‘safety’ amongst members
A sense of belonging
A sense of support
A sense of trust
A sense of recognition
To minimize barriers to performance

21. The difference a Constructive culture makes

22. Culture & Individual Level Outcomes
Most Constructive
Least Constructive
+26%
+32%
+19%
-26%

23. Culture & Group Level Outcomes
Most Constructive
Least Constructive
+28%
+25%
+30%

24. Culture & Organisational Level Outcomes
Most Constructive
Least Constructive
+32%
+32%

25. Culture & Outcomes Secondary Schools
Most Constructive
Least Constructive
+15%
+20%
+10%
+18%
+17%

26. So how do leaders and managers impact organisational culture?

27. The Leadership Culture Connection
Personal styles
Behaviours
Thinking
Leadership Strategies
Management Approaches
Leaders’ Direct Impact on Culture
Organisational
Culture
Vision, mission and values
Structures
Systems
Job design
Communication processes
Leaders’ Indirect Impact on Culture

28. The Leadership – Culture Reinforcing Loop
Performance

29. Cultivating Constructive Cultures in Higher Education
Ensure that all members are given the opportunity to work to their full potential.
Involve staff through problem-solving, strategic planning and innovation to focus on continuous system-wide improvements.
Balance expectations for independent thinking, with those for teamwork.
Value quality over quantity.
Value creativity over conformity.
Empower people and lead people in ways that guide and direct rather than practices that constrain and prohibit.
Inspire innovation by allowing people to express themselves, experiment and learn from mistakes.
From: Zeine, R., Boglarsky, C., Blessinger, P., Hamlet, M., Changing Organisational Culture in Higher Education 2011 Research for Keller Graduate School of Management

30. Cultivating Constructive Cultures in Higher Education
8. Increase accomplishments by encouraging people to set challenging goals, and by providing them with the necessary resources.
9. Cultivate mentors by investing in training and development.
10. Enhance cooperation by letting people communicate, get to know one another, contribute and share ideas.
11. Build values of mutual encouragement and support.
12. Develop organisational mechanisms to collect and respond to feedback.
13. Treat all members of the organisation with respect and dignity.
14. Provide equitable pathways for advancement or alternative opportunities elsewhere.
From: Zeine, R., Boglarsky, C., Blessinger, P., Hamlet, M., Changing Organisational Culture in Higher Education 2011 Research for Keller Graduate School of Management

31. The Agents of Change As a leader you can….. drive change
all responsibility on you – ‘hard’ work
require change
Compliance as long as you’re ‘looking’
facilitate change
shared responsibility, more sustainable

32. Leaders set the standards
Leaders set the agenda
Leaders set the standards
Leaders create expectations for what excellence looks like
Leaders are the custodians of culture