1. Copyright Copyright Chris Byrd and Jeff Farnham, 2008. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

2. The University of South Carolina – Division of Information Technology – Educause Southeast Regional Conference Jacksonville, FL June 2, 2008 The Challenges and Opportunities of Transforming Organizational Culture

3. Outline Understanding the History of IT at the University of South Carolina Understanding the primary drivers that influenced our need for change Key strategies we have used in an effort to improve organizational culture Benefits of culture change – assessment of our progress to date Lessons learned

4. Understanding the History of IT at USC Traditional IT organization Decentralized computing structure Characteristics of our culture Hiring the University’s first CIO in 2000 Context - Major Goals of the University Transformational initiatives affecting IT at USC

5. Understanding the Drivers of Change 30 year old legacy systems Maturing staff approaching retirement Lack of timely IT responses Competition for the “best and brightest” students –Lack of services to give a competitive advantage Customer demands for new technology

6. Key Strategies to Improving Organizational Culture Concurrent Re-engineering –Internal Focus –External Focus Key Changes Required –Change driven by the organization’s leadership –Re-establish central IT’s identity and purpose –Repair customer relationships –Improve our internal work environment

7. Changes Driven By Our Leadership Key Staffing Decisions –University’s CIO –Associate VP for IT and Deputy CIO –Director of Budgets and HR –Filling other key vacancies with leaders who share our values Intentional focus on the culture of the organization

8. Re-establish Central IT’s Identity and Purpose Clarifying our vision as a customer service focused organization Identifying our values –We serve our customers –We value our people –We operate with integrity –We contribute to our community Strategic realignment of our organizational structure

9. Repair Customer Relationships Outreach efforts with key customers Introducing a quarterly “Technology Showcase” Collaborative approach to hiring key staff Project management

10. Focus on Improving Our Work Environment Listening to employees and seeking to improve the day-to-day work experience –Employee Survey Identifying issues and concerns Building on positive aspects of work life Making commitments to address areas of concern

11. Employee Survey – Key Findings Strengths: I like the other members of our 89% Agree work group I enjoy the type work I do 85% Agree I am satisfied with my supervisor70% Agree This organization is a good place to work64% Agree

12. Employee Survey – Key Findings Areas to Target for Improvement: The organization’s goals and 61% Neutral/Disagree expectations are adequately communicated Management acts as if employees are its 68% Neutral/Disagree most valuable asset There is a clear connection between my job 77% Neutral/Disagree performance and my compensation

13. UTS Commitments Communication Direction/Leadership Compensation/Rewards

14. UTS Commitments Communication –We will clearly communicate with you regarding our values and expectations for the workplace –We will build an environment that promotes honest, clear discussions between employees and their managers –We will welcome (and provide a means for) your feedback regarding the organization's performance and suggestions for improvement

15. UTS Commitments Direction/Leadership –We will make our organizational priorities clear to you –We will regularly communicate with you regarding our priorities and our perceptions regarding the progress we're making –We will create structures that will help you envision a long-term career with UTS

16. UTS Commitments Compensation/Rewards –We will develop and distribute a clear statement of our philosophy for managing pay for employees –Our pay philosophy will closely align with our values Our philosophy will address our approach to both base pay increases and bonuses –You can expect, at least once a year, an honest discussion with your Manager/Director regarding your compensation –We will develop a more comprehensive approach to rewards and recognition

17. Focus on Improving Our Work Environment Listening to employees and seeking to improve the day-to-day work experience –The Goal – Making UTS a great place to work! –Plug ‘N Play committee Chili cook-off St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Are you a Rock Star??

18. First Annual UTS Chili Cook-off

19. Green Day – St Patrick’s Day at UTS

20. Are you a Rock Star??

21. Our Fearless Leader! - And his helpers!! -

22. The Benefits of Culture Change An Assessment of Our Progress We are making progress, but we’re not there yet Evidence of our progress: –Internal Focus Work environment Staffing Impact of new technology Training Tools

23. The Benefits of Culture Change An Assessment of Our Progress Evidence of our progress: –External Focus ERP Readiness Building new research partnerships SC Light Rail – a new high speed research network “Issue” Summits Technology showcases – “High Demand and High Attendance”

24. The Benefits of Culture Change An Assessment of Our Progress Major challenges still before us: –ERP implementation –Research partnerships –Expanding direct academic support –Financial resources to support IT –Development of strategic performance measures

25. Key Lessons Learned Key principles of culture change –Culture change won’t happen without intentional effort from the top –Culture change doesn’t happen overnight –The focus on service to customers is a product of organizational culture –Change in the culture starts with leadership living/practicing the stated values

26. Key Lessons Learned Understanding the importance of “We value our employees” –The importance of leadership –The necessity of positive, intentional management –The way employees are managed is a major determinant of the long-term health of an organization

27. Key Lessons Learned The desire for change must be coupled with specific, focused actions –Commitments must be observable, both to staff and customers –Movement/progress should be measurable Employee satisfaction survey Customer satisfaction survey

28. Questions??