3evp_CIVET_powerpoint_aug07

Slide 2: 

Engaging VET Practitioners Continuous Improvement in VET August Forums Suzy McKenna, National Project Director, Reframing the Future Dr John Mitchell, JMA, consultant to Reframing the Future

Reframing the Future : 

Reframing the Future Reframing the Future is a major workforce development initiative of the Australian and State and Territory Governments. It assists in building the capability and capacity of the Australian VET sector to support the implementation of the national training system and the aims of COAG and its national reform agenda.

Welcome : 

Welcome Aims Background Scope Opportunities Program

Overall aim : 

Overall aim opportunity for registered training organisations (RTOs) to consider ways of implementing integrated responses to COAG’s directions and the NQC’s initiatives

Specific aims : 

Specific aims support COAG’s goal of enhancing human capital, by focusing initially on the continuous improvement of the capabilities of the people within VET organisations support NQC’s aim of implementing AQTF 2007, especially the principle of continuous improvement in RTOs, in the context of current national priorities such as the use of rationalised Training Packages, RPL, skill sets and employability skills

Specific aims : 

Specific aims 3. promote effective skill development of VET practitioners and change management in RTOs to support the continuous improvement of products, services, plans, strategies, cultures, structures, processes, relationships and networks.

Background : 

Background A new mindset Standards underpinned by: A focus on outcomes A systematic approach Continuous improvement Access and equity Continuous improvement of the quality of the VET system itself through NQC

Continuous improvement in AQTF 2007 : 

Continuous improvement in AQTF 2007 AQTF 2007 Users’ Guide to the Essential Standards for Registration Please read the section on Continuous Improvement on P 4

Today’s program : 

Today’s program Works on multiple and complex levels Provides an opportunity to Experience appreciative inquiry as the primary learning methodology used today Explore a set of strategies for managing organisational, team and individual change Meet others who are thinking pro-actively about continuous improvement in VET

Introductions : 

Introductions Sit next to someone you don’t know and interview them and seek out their story about CI using these questions: What do you like about CI? What is an example of a successful CI process or activity you have been involved in? Why was it successful? What would you like to do next with CI? Then use their CI story to introduce the person you met to the group at the table.

Verbal report : 

Verbal report On your expressions of interest

Appreciative inquiry : 

Appreciative inquiry a methodology for influencing change that concentrates on the positives within an organisation, not the organisation’s deficiencies based on asking questions at four stages: discovery stage dream stage design stage destiny stage

Appreciative inquiry principles : 

Appreciative inquiry principles We move in directions of what we ask questions about; so by deliberately asking positive questions we create constructive dialogue and inspired action

Prior experience : 

Prior experience Let’s discover the positive core of experience, skills and knowledge about continuous improvement Interviews with participants who are experienced in using CI

Current knowledge : 

Current knowledge …about key concepts and continuous improvement in VET: COAG aims, e.g. human capital, productivity, participation, RPL NQC initiatives, e.g. employability skills, skill sets, rationalised training packages AQTF 2007

Exercise 1 - Discovery mapping the positive core : 

Exercise 1 - Discovery mapping the positive core Appoint a chair/timekeeper for this exercise Re-visit the introductory stories and the report on expressions of interest to identify the positive core, i.e. the forces and factors that enable you and your organisations to undertake CI well. Encourage narratives/stories and ask what were the qualities of you, your staff and your organisation and other stakeholders that contributed to success with CI? List these narratives/stories on one half of the piece of butcher’s paper and cite the positive factors on the other half. Reporting exercise

Morning tea : 

Morning tea

Case studies Dream : 

Case studies Dream More case studies taken form participants’ experiences

Exercise 2 – Dreamcreating a shared dream : 

Exercise 2 – Dreamcreating a shared dream Re-visit what you would like to do next with CI Then imagine a time in the future (2010?) where our approaches are based on our positive core. What would we be doing differently or better with CI? Write a shared dream based on step 2 Prepare a 2-3 minute presentation of the shared dream for the whole group

Exercise 2 – Dreamcreating a shared dream : 

Exercise 2 – Dreamcreating a shared dream 5. Drawing on the presentations discuss images of the future for CI 6. Using butchers paper and textas create a map that captures opportunities for the next 4-5 years for CI.

Strategies 1 : 

Strategies 1 For skill development and change management to support continuous improvement: Work based learning, action learning, action research Facilitating Workbased Learning Groups Participating in Workbased Learning Groups Communities of Practice Core Ideas: Communities of Practice Knowledge Management Core Ideas: Knowledge Management Applying Information and Research – Good Practices

Workbased learning : 

Workbased learning Workbased learning refers to structured learning that is organisationally managed and provided in association with work. The focus is on learning through work and includes a range of staff development methodologies.

Workbased learning : 

Workbased learning Caters for individual and organisational learning needs Integrates a range of learning processes and strategies Promotes behavioural, attitudinal and organisational change in the workplace Addresses real work issues and problems

Action learning : 

Action learning A cycle of learning involving: planning for action taking action and testing plans reflecting and analysing the outcomes, before refining plans and repeating the cycle. Skippington, Learning @ Work (2002) Available from Reframing the Future

Communities of Practice : 

Communities of Practice ‘…are groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis’ Wenger, McDermott & Snyder (2000) CoPs enable employees to manage change. CoPs provide the practitioner with access to new knowledge. CoPs foster trust and a sense of purpose. CoPs add value to professional lives.

What is knowledge management? : 

What is knowledge management? “Knowledge management is a multi disciplined approach to achieving organisational objectives by making the best use of knowledge – it focuses on processes such as acquiring, creating and sharing knowledge and the cultural and technical foundations that support them. The aim of knowledge management is to align knowledge processes with organisational objectives.” Standards Australia (2001)

Knowledge Managementand continuous improvement : 

Knowledge Managementand continuous improvement “Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, expert insight and grounded intuition that provides an environment and framework for evaluating new experiences and information. In organisations it often becomes embedded not only in documents or repositories but also in organisational routines, processes, practices and documents” Davenport and Prusak (1998)

Lunch : 

Lunch

Keynote presentationDesign : 

Keynote presentationDesign A case study of design for continuous improvement Helen McNamara Manager Strategic Planning John Ward Planning Officer Chisholm Institute of TAFE

Strategies 2 : 

Strategies 2 Skill development and change management to support continuous improvement: Change Management Core Ideas: Strategic and Change Management Change Agency Core Ideas: Change Agents Networking Core Ideas: Networking

Change Management: definition : 

Change Management: definition Change management occurs within the overall context of strategic management. Viljoen (1997) Change management is about modifying or transforming organisations in order to maintain or improve their effectiveness. Hayes (2007) It is defined broadly as the deliberate use of strategies to manage change within an organisation, to suit the particular organisation’s context and the type of change required.

Change Management and continuous improvement : 

Change Management and continuous improvement “Given the rapidly changing environment in which organisations operate, there is little doubt that the ability to manage change successfully needs to be a core competence of organisations.” Burnes (2005)

Change Management: changing cultures and structure : 

Change Management: changing cultures and structure The two major change management approaches required to support continuous improvement are: developmental transitions, involving significant cultural enhancement, and task-focused transitions, involving the redesign of not just jobs but also of businesses. (Mitchell & Young, 2001)

Background: change agents : 

Background: change agents Burnes (2000) finds that, whatever approach is taken to change: “… it has to be managed; someone has to take responsibility for ensuring that change takes place. Whether this person is a team leader, facilitator, coach or even a dictator, there is usually one individual who bears the responsibility for being the change agent.” (p.297)

Background: support in the literature for the specialist change agent : 

Background: support in the literature for the specialist change agent Burnes also finds, from a study of the literature, that: …the more complex the change process, the more difficult it is to achieve and the greater the need to utilise the skills and experience of a specialist change agent. (p.299)

Background: change agents : 

Background: change agents Formerly the change agent was seen as a product of the Planned Change school – part of the OD movement. This change agent was up-front, public and skilled. Many from the Emergent School believe that every manager can be a leader and a change agent; and outside specialists are not needed A new view in the literature is that the change agent can and needs to perform significant creative, novel acts behind the scenes (backstage) – to ‘depart from the script’ – providing a link to the Emergent School

Benefits of networks : 

Benefits of networks Networks are effective information conduits Networks encourage collaboration Organisational knowledge resides in networks Networks increase social capital Cohen and Prusak (2001) networks are not only valued in business, they are essential to the existence of an organisation Ford et al (2003

Networks: structure : 

Networks: structure Networks provide an interlocking web of connections. Networks may be: Loosely organised, based on collegiality and informality More formally structured with a clear management framework and substantial documentation The structure is determined by the participants

Networks and continuous improvement : 

Networks and continuous improvement Networks have always existed in VET Industry training provider networks Assessor networks Teaching and learning networks Provider networks (eg printing)

Exercise 3 - Designwriting provocative propositions : 

Exercise 3 - Designwriting provocative propositions Appoint a chair/timekeeper Discuss the structural elements of current work teams/arrangements that, if ideally designed could influence improved CI Consider roles, responsibilities, status and power, communication systems and decision making processes

Exercise 3 - Designwriting provocative propositions : 

Exercise 3 - Designwriting provocative propositions 2. Develop a series of provocative statements (a set of principles) about the ideal design for teams to achieve shared dreams for CI 3. Write your group’s top 3 propositions on butchers paper 4. Share with the whole group

Afternoon tea : 

Afternoon tea

Evaluation frameworks and models - Destiny : 

Evaluation frameworks and models - Destiny Model for measuring impacts Self-evaluation model

Your way forwardDestiny : 

Your way forwardDestiny Purposes: to encourage catalysts and plan innovations to achieve our dreams and design goals with CI. Rationale: innovation is likely to succeed if it is fuelled by and based on discovery (existing skills and attributes), dreams (visions of a bold future) and design (improved structures of teams and partnerships). As catalysts or as innovation teams, we are more likely to achieve continuous improvement in VET.

InnovationDestiny : 

InnovationDestiny Williams (1999) defines innovation as the implementation of new and improved knowledge, ideas, methods, processes, tools, equipment and machinery, which leads to new and better products, services, and processes (p.17; italics added). Williams also points out that the word innovation is derived from the Latin innovatio (renewal or renovation), based on novus (new) as in novelty. Note that innovation is about the implementation of not just new ideas and knowledge, but also of improved ideas and knowledge. from Mitchell et al. 2003, ‘Emerging Futures

People as catalystsDestiny : 

People as catalystsDestiny “Catalysts are elements or chemicals that can cause or accelerate reactions that do not, themselves, get used up. They are, in this case, people who make things happen by their presence and by what they do. They don’t necessarily do everything themselves but they bring out the best in the rest of us. They connect the rest of us, and facilitate our interactions so that we all can do great things.” Dr Gregg Vanderheiden, on presenting a Catalyst Award to Dr Henry Murphy

Catalyst : 

Catalyst

Catalyst : 

Catalyst

Your way forwardDestiny : 

Your way forwardDestiny Your future role and commitment to continuous improvement: setting goals using the Set of Strategies and other approaches and resources

Your way forward activityDestiny : 

Your way forward activityDestiny Identify how you will be a catalyst in taking the ideas from the forum and using them to positively influence CI in your organisation Write down 3 things you will do in the next month Write down a further 3 things you will do over the next 4 months (NWOW4) Share with the others at your table

New Ways of Working in VET Forum 4 (NWOW4) : 

New Ways of Working in VET Forum 4 (NWOW4) Brisbane Sofitel 19 and 20 November 2007 presentations and posters

Resources : 

Resources Resources used today www.reframingthefuture.net More on AQTF 2007 http://www.training.com.au/aqtf2007/ More on the NQC www.nqc.tvetaustralia.com.au/ Appreciative inquiry http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/

Forum Review : 

Forum Review Please fill in the Forum Review sheet (yellow) A longer term evaluation questionnaire will be emailed to you in early 2008

The Neverending Story : 

The Neverending Story Turn around, look at what you see In her face, the mirror of your dreams Make believe I’m everywhere, hidden in the lines Written on the pages, Is the answer to the never ending story, Neverending story. Reach the stars and fly a fantasy Dream a dream and what you see will be (yeah)

A final thought … : 

A final thought … “Time is nature’s way of preventing everything from happening at once.” Thank You!