Can Total Quality Management be Effective in Education?

Can Total Quality Management be Effective in Education?

Total Quality Management has been utilize effectively in industry for decades. Can it also be implemented effectively in the organic world of education? It is not only possible, creating a compelling and engaging process where teachers are involved in the improvement process is essential in education.  Education is a profession driven by emotion, passion, purpose and drive.  One may say that processes and procedures that are standardized would only fit within the operations side of education. Educational leaders can and should embed continuous improvement strategies not only to streamline curriculum and instruction, improve operations, ensure alignment of standards, and design workflow, but it will also improve relationships! They can implement TQM  systems effectively while also successfully collaborating with and allowing others on the team to participate in the decisions making process which builds culture and relationships. Continuous improvement strategies should not be a report but an active ongoing collaborative conversation that truly makes the educational organization and the people who reside in it feel empowered and come alive!

Before implementing processes a leader has to remember that processes need and involve people and people are emotional beings. To help understand this concept let’s look at some of what Disney PIXAR professionals think about when designing their movies to evoke emotion.

Core creative principles that we can all learn from Disney:

1. Know that your STORY is king. (Leaders Communicate Effectively while not losing focus)
2. Utilize the newest available technology to collaborate in an engaging way. (Leaders Model Innovation which drives change)
3. Coordinate the message across the media. (Leaders ensure consistent messages are provided)
4. Have the courage to innovate. (Leaders empower people to take calculated risks)
5. Ride your uniqueness. (Leaders embrace and utilize diverse people to achieve the end in mind)
6. Stay on point. (Leaders always reassess to keep the WHY in sync with the HOW)

Now that we realize we are working with people we can dive into the process.  The process will not be successful without invested people and the people will not be successful without an effective process.  Marrying the process to the people will enhance the systems as well as improve relationships, motivation, and drive.

Core systematic order principles we can draw from Six Sigma:

• Define -What is important?
• Measure – How are we doing?
• Analyze – What is wrong?
• Improve – What needs to be done?
• Control – How do we guarantee performance?

Define the problem: What is the first thing you learned in 5th grade about writing a story? You have to have a hook! Appeal to the emotions of those you are empowering with the decision making capacity to drive change! Make sure the system that you use to define the problem is one that those involved can engage with, grapple with and dive into.  Make them feel a bit off balance and a little uncomfortable. People don’t necessarily like to disaggregate and analyze data, unless it’s personal to them.  We must first make it personal to make it meaningful! When defining the problem we need to ask our people:

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM AND HOW IS IT PART OF YOUR PURPOSE?

Measure: The metrics must clearly define the problem and visually display it. Do not be limited in this step to simple metrics; pin the defects on the wall and display the causes. If a failure causes a catastrophic condition, display visually what that means. Make sure it’s posted high and removes the elephant in the room.  

Stakeholders need to understand that the problem is not a negative thing, it’s the mark towards a positive pursuit to greatness.  They need to feel the anticipation that a runner gets when they hear the words, “RUNNERS TO YOUR MARKS!”, the preparedness and comfort that they move into at the sound of “READY!”, the uneasiness that bubbles up at the word “SET!”, and the jolt of adrenaline that rises at the sound of the gun that says their lane is ready and it’s time to focus to the finish line.

DEFINE THE WHY AND THEY NEED TO STATE THE PROBLEM WITH CONVICTION!

Analyze: Create some drama in analyzing the problem. A typical process here would be identifying the vital few metrics that are important. Create some drama in finding the root cause. Think about how if you don’t find the real problem what may happen what will the results be if you are working on a symptom and not the cause. Make sure that the stakeholders become attached emotionally to the problem and own it! They need to feel that the issue is theirs personally to solve. The race is theirs to win and it’s not a sprint, it’s a long distance relay with important exchanges of the baton at key points that take a team!

CREATE THE DRAMA! ENGAGE THE TEAM WITH EMOTIONS AND EMPOWER THEM WITH A CHOICE!

Implement: At this point, we have taken the story to the critical stage and there has to be a solution. This is where everyone wants to jump in and help. We are all problem solvers but are we all MacGyver’s? We have to find the best answer that addresses root cause and it must be measurable. The key here is that the leader is NOT the hero and those at the coal face of the mines operations are the ones that DEFINE, MEASURE, ANALYZE, and most importantly determine the IMPROVEMENT PROCESS!  This is the critical stage where the leader must facilitate the thinking but empower the choice of actions that will result in the problem being solve.

ASK YOUR TEAM TO ENSURE THEY UTILIZE A PROCESS TO SHOW HOW THEY WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND CONTINUOUSLY DISPLAY THE PROGRESS!

Control: Now, is the time of the story that the problem is solved and life goes on happily ever after. WE all WISH that were TRUE! Can you show and/or prove the results? That is the key.  The solution needs to be measurable.  If you fell flat on your face, prove it and figure out WHY! If you reached the other side of the rainbow prove it and describe how to replicate it!  Without evidence of whether you failed or succeeded improvement will not continue.  If you have failed this is just a new beginning and an opportunity to return to the DEFINE phase and start again.  

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AND HOW DID OR DIDN’T YOU SUCCEED AND WHY?

And

NOW WHAT WILL THE TEAM DO ABOUT IT?

Total Quality Management

Giving up on Hopes and Dreams brings New Possibilities

I recently had the realization that the hopes and dreams I had held onto for many years were not going to come true. This realization hurt but it also helped me to recognize that hopes and dreams are relevant to circumstances and sometimes circumstances are deceiving.  If circumstances, or their clarity, change then hopes and dreams will need to change as well.  Sure, the goals I had formulated and held close to my heart about my professional and personal future may not have been realistic, but that doesn’t mean that dreams are silly and hopeless.  In fact, the realization that these dreams are no longer, and may never have been a possibility, is freeing.  The release of one future has opened the door for me to formulate a new plan and a fresh map of my currently unknown journey. I am excited to venture down a path that will most likely lead to a more productive and satisfying future. 

Having dreams, working for a purpose and setting goals are all great motivators.  However sometimes within the pursuit of these dreams we limit ourselves and our thinking.  Dreams can become hindrances, even blockages, that we pour too much energy into, give things up for, or neglect other responsibilities to achieve.  When we recognized that the dreams we have can actually be holding us back from our true potential it’s only natural to feel disappointment. However, we have to remember that the time spent pursuing an impossible dream was not wasted. Time spent in pursuit of a dream is well spent growing.  We learn lessons through failure, we gain knowledge through planning, and we become stronger through the difficult process of deciding that the dream is no longer healthy or good.  The realization that we must give up on a dream is a tough one. It’s a loss that we may even need to mourn.  It hurts, but through that hurt we change and in the midst of change we often see things more clearly.  In these moments of clarity, we are able to recognize what’s important and that our dream has actually been holding us back.

I am challenging myself to embrace this new freedom, determine a new direction, and develop a new dream with greater hopes. I look forward to walking down a path towards a future filled with endless possibilities.  I don’t know what my new dream is yet, but what I do know is that I am filled with hope because it will be mine and it will be great!

Transformed

First...

We fall apart and our pieces scatter.  

We feel like we have just been shattered.  

We grunt and moan when we clean them up.

We step on the shards get angry and curse

We painstakingly grasp at them and our fingers bleed.

We panic that we are exposed and flaws hidden are now seen.

Then...

We remember this has happened before and it will happen again.  

We say a prayer collect the scattered pieces and begin.

We match one fractured piece to another.  

We there are visible gaps left on the edges.

We expend much energy and much time trying to recreate the past.

We finally realize the microscopic pieces bring pain.

We make the choice to let them go and move on.

We sweep them into dust and toss them aside.

Finally...

We obtain FAITH which manifests into action.

We gain emotional muscles lifting foundational pieces back into place.  

We find FAITH in ourselves,

We gain FAITH in others,

We realize or remember a FAITH in something greater.

We smooth His strength into the gaps left behind. 

We allow it to cure.

We heal through His grace and become pure. 

Remember...

We will lose many pieces that we thought we couldn’t live without.

We will gain more strength that we can possibly imagine.  

We will be “hard pressed on every side, but...

We will not be crushed,

We will not abandoned;

We will be struck down, but...

We will not be destroyed.”  

We will be shifted and become crooked at times,

We may even shatter, but...

WE WILL always have the option to THRIVE through His power.  

An Authenticated Learning Championship!

If...

to Authenticate is to prove or show to be real, true, genuine, and to validate, substantiate, corroborate, confirm, or to claim proof of identity. 

and

Learning is defined as the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught. 

Then... 

Authenticating Learning is an ongoing action focused on the acquisition of knowledge or skills with the confirmation of knowledge to be genuine through a tangible application where the individual can claim ownership of said knowledge. 

We need to train the"stabilizing muscles" to achieve applicable knowledge!

Click on the Link above to hear an analogy
perfectly describing Authenticating Learning! 

Levels and Layers of...

Authenticating the learning process not only for students but for educators has become my focus throughout this year. I am discovering layering of learning theory, practices, and most importantly the application of this knowledge is a powerful catalyst for growth.  As I reflect on my week I recognize that everyone learns best through application, reflection, and revision.  I am lucky enough to be a facilitator of learning for students, teachers, directors, and leaders. I am able to experience the similarities and differences between adolescent and adult learning sometimes within a single day. This provides me with a perspective on learning that topples a desk (student), bursts out of the classroom (teacher), shatters the exterior walls of a building (principal), expands into the local community (directors), reaches out to a region (leader) and goes light speed into the virtual realm (professional).  My self proclaimed assignment has thus become to authenticate learning by facilitating creation, reflection, and application of vision and practices between the multiple levels and layers. 

Learning Lead to a...

To learn and grow, an individual or group must display vulnerability. A person, especially an adult, must allow themselves to be vulnerable to change and grow. This is not a comfortable state for those of us who feel strong in our practices or desire to sustain a certain sense of control and authority.  We fear that if we are vulnerable it will be perceived as a weakness. However, in my line of work vulnerability displays strength.  The more vulnerable one is to open up, reflect, revise, redesign, and redefine their practices the stronger they become not only as a facilitator of learning, but as a learner themselves. 

The leaders must permit the educators to take risks and try new things, even encourage this. The instructional coaches and directors must be willing to show vulnerability and trust the that the teachers are capable, willing, and experts in their content.  The teachers must trust the coaches and directors enough that they are willing to share their knowledge as well as their lack of knowledge in order to grow together as an equal team. The teachers must also relinquish some control to trust and allow the students to take risks and learn through failure with support and guidance, even encourage this. When these layers of willingness and vulnerability are functioning well, the students will accept the challenge to learn and they will set higher expectations of themselves.  

Championship Moment!

Click on the link above to see just a snap shot
 video of one of the 13 student proposals! 

I witnessed this difficult alignment occur yesterday! I watched the layers and the levels fit and flow seamlessly together as an outside entity. I witnessed motivated students shine, dedicated teachers glow, and visionary leaders in awe! As the crowd dispersed after the proposals ended, the door closed, and the team celebrated with high fives, hugs, "oh my"'s, "did we just do that?"'s, and smiles! As an athlete, I have won state championships, placed in national championships, and have more than my share of wins.  As an instructional coach, this was my teams first championship moment and it felt just as good if not better as those I experienced on the court! To feel the rush of adrenaline similar to winning a big game within the classroom and with a team of educators is how learning should always be. 

Then, I thought to myself as I walked out of our arena(classroom).... this is not what learning should be, 

THIS IS LEARNING! 




Thank you to Mr. Smith and Mr. Schmdit for allowing me to join you on your journey in Authenticating Learning! These teachers and students will be blogging their progress and as they publish I will link in their perspectives on this championship so you can see the whole amazing journey! 

My One Word: Can You Make the Connection?

I have worked my way through several words that I have even announced as my official “One Word” to focus on for the new year.  However as a change agent I reserve the right to change my word. This week was an enlightening week for me professionally where many connections fell into place.

I was awarded the unique opportunity to work with three different High School Algebra 1 teams from two different districts and three different building throughout the course of this week.  The interesting thing is that there was a connection between all three of the teams. They all utilize the same book and same online resources as the foundation of their instructional practices. This placed me in an interesting position to make some connections.  I facilitated learning for teacher teams to determine what works in two very different districts with the same resources three times! What I found was that shifting instructional practices towards a more personalized approach gets easier the more you allow the teachers to take the lead and the more they take the lead the more personalized the learning plan becomes and the more connections I could see in their practices.  

The three models we have developed are very similar. Each time I lead a team of teachers to design their personalized pathway towards the creation of a deeper learning model for their students the easier it gets for me to connect to the best approach.  I believe that this realization of a working model at the secondary level for blended learning is due to the connections that are being made. Not only the connections between teams, but the connections between the ideas, strategies, data, and resources.  I am connecting with teachers who are experts in their content. The teachers are the ones who need to be connected to the precision design process of the model of blended learning implementation that best suits the content that they teach. They are the expert, the implementor, and they must have a strong connection to the design of the delivery model.  

This week I made the connection that to achieve a next generation learning experience at the secondary level educators need to make connections between a few essentials when choosing an instructional delivery method within relation to the 7Cs of College and Career Competency.

When making these connections, teachers need to consider...

• the students prior knowledge of the content,
• the Common Core State Standards that the students are expected to achieve at the end of the task,
• the ability level of their students to independently discover the content,
• the common sense approach to content delivery to ensure a realistic pace and path are achieved, and
• that the content and assessed student need must be the main factors that drive the blended approach.

The connections that I make when speaking with administrators and teachers in various districts helps me to better adjust my approach to instructional coaching and continue to grow.  The connections that I make between the content, the prior knowledge, student need and ability, and the resources help me to facilitate the development of precision based curriculum delivery methods. The connections that I see not only in Math but cross curricular help me to facilitate the design of problem based learning experiences where teachers are co-teaching sections of their courses with each other at the high school level. The connection of a teacher and their students to their passions embedded in a learning experience is the most effective and rewarding connection I will always witness. The connections that I have made personally, professionally, content wise, strategically, vertically, horizontally, and intellectually are what ignite my passion to learn and continually encourages me to seek for more connections.  

Can you see the connections that this post has to my “One Word”?