CET 765
Leadership in Technological Change
Instructor: Dr. Bob Warren
Course Description:
The course was designed to develop an understanding of
how to create and support technological change through a systems approach.
Topics included sources of resistance to change, tools for planning,
decision-making and change, creating and supporting a culture for learning and
change, and managing and institutionalizing change systems
Course Reflections
This course focused on how Total Quality Management (TQM) tools
could be used to further the technology goals of school districts. We studied
many of the TQM tools – reading case studies and examining scenarios to
determine which tools would be most effective.
We also examined the role of a leader in orchestrating technological change and
demonstrated how to use quality tools to create a culture for learning and
change. One of the projects that I found very interesting was
the Paper Clip Chain Activity. The purpose of this activity was to
discover what motivates individuals
and organizations to make
and sustain change.
During the first round, the participants were given strict instructions on how
to make paper clip chains, with each of the participants given a specific job to
do. No talking was allowed. This was very frustrating for them, and
only three paper clip chains were made during the allotted time. The
second round, they were told
that they were
going to work together to come up with a plan on how they could produce more
paper clip chains faster, using any way they wanted, and
they instantly found a renewed energy. They were
able to make 18 paper clip chains during the second
round. Being given the option of choice was a big factor in
improving productivity. Choosing their own plan of attack and choosing their
own jobs led to a better attitude and more productivity. Being able to
communicate and work together made them feel like more of a team moving toward
the same goal. This took the pressure off the individuals. They had a more
positive attitude towards one another, being on the same team. They better
enjoyed doing the tasks under these conditions, thus improving productivity.
There was still a little element of competition, pushing themselves to complete
more chains the second time than they had the first time. The
final project was a scenario illustrating the philosophy and
tools used to achieve a school technology goal. It
proved to be an interesting way to apply what I had learned in this course.
Projects Completed
Examination of the Role of a Leader in Orchestrating Change
Major Points about TQM in Education
Syllabus Themes Plan of Study Leadership