Paul Erickson – Nebraska
Framing the issue – don’t have the skill sets or expertise for a cloud world. Run, grow transform – on-prem, traditional focus on “run” – how to change a working environment and shift investment/resources (how do you change an engine while the car is running?)?
What skill sets are we missing? Process management (granting/revoking; provisioning; integration; authorizations/permissions, vendor coordination, managing interdependencies); Integration; Product/Service management; Client relationship management.
People who contributed in the past might not have the skills to take us into the future. How do we offer them opportunities to grow that honor their contributions and allow them to grow? Adapt and evolve in an environment of continuous change.
Identify ideal employee skills. Help those who are great technologists make the transition.
Denise Cunningham – Columbia
Head of HR for technology division.
One reason people resist change is because they focus on what the have to give up instead of what they have to gain. Important to keep this at front of mind.
A framework for Organizational Performance & Change: Burke-Litwin Model
External environment (e.g. the cloud) impacts the organization. The spine of the model – external environment influences leadership, which influences management practice, then work unit climate, then motivation, then individual.
Focus on Work Unit Climate: What it feels like to work here; nature of our interaction with each other; interpersonal relations in the group; what we focus on and consider important.
What factors influence Work Unit Climate? Leadership and management practices. Work unit climate is the most direct factor in performance.
There’s a learning climate or a performance climate. Learning: emphasis on improving skills and abilities; stresses process and learning; motivated to increase competence and change. Performance: emphasis is on demonstrating skills; stresses outcomes and results; people are afraid to make mistakes or change.
Goals: Learning: quality, trying new things original ideas; effort. Performance: following standard procedures; high performance standards; getting task done on time.
Feedback: Learning climate: supportive/coaching role; improving work quality; two-way feedback, questions encouraged. Performance climate: evaluative role; level of competence compared to other employees, one-way feedback, questions discouraged.
When implementing change employees want to hear about it from their manager.
There is no correlation between strong individual contributors and leaders.
Changing organizational culture can take 12-18 months. Or two years in higher education. Can’t do it at all without leadership being a part of it.
When people say they’re going to get in trouble, that can be a rationale for not changing. How do you make sure new staff don’t become part of a dysfunctional culture. Ask questions at hiring about the core values. Zappo’s does this well. Build the values into the performance appraisal.
Oren Sreebny 