Transcript COMMUNITIES of “PRACTICE”

National Transition
Community of Practice
Forum
Session 5:
Leadership on All Levels in the
Community of Practice
February 6, 2006
Topics

Leadership Strategies that Empowers All
Stakeholders (State, Local, Individual)
 State Leadership Support of Regional and
Local Leaders
 Discussion:
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What Works in your State and/or Your Role
What are the Challenges we Face
How can we help one another to Enhance our
State to Local, Local to State Efforts to Improve
Youth Outcomes?
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Leadership Strategies that
Empowers All Stakeholders
(State, Local, Individual)
Hal Bloss, Assistant Director
Luzerne County Intermediate Unit
Vance Coover, NE Division Administrator
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Leaders. Leaders?
Who are they?
 Service
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Providers/Teachers
Intrinsically motivated.
Positions of service.
Make a difference!
 Empowerment
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Implies we will “allow” them….
Who “allows” them outside of work?!?
Empowerment is an attitude of freedom. (H)
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Leaders. Leaders?
Who are they?
 Servant
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Leadership
Assumption is that they know how to do their job.
Provide them the resources to do their job.
 Exemplary
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Leaders have...
Strong sense of purpose.
Courage to act.
Consideration for others.
 Leadership

is Everyone’s Business!!
The Leadership Challenge, by James Kouzes
and Barry Posner, 1999
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Leadership is Everyone’s
Business!
 How
do you see your role?
 How do you:
 Challenge
the Process?
 Inspire a Shared Vision?
 Enable Others to Act?
 Model the Way?
 Encourage the Hearts of Others?
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Leadership is Everyone’s
Business!
 Paradigms
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and Change (A)
Who Moved My Cheese? (H)
Be Proactive!! (H)
Emotional Intelligence
What’s Next? What, me worry?
Change and Connectedness
No X-mas Tree Programs!!!
 Where
to start? What to do?
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COMMUNITIES of “PRACTICE”
 STARRT by building COMMUNITIES
of
“PRACTICE” (CoP’s)
 Definition (H)
 Circles of Concern
& Circles of Influence (A)
 Be Influence-able!!!
 Six Interrelated Strategies (STARRT)
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COMMUNITIES of “PRACTICE”
Stewardship
Trustworthiness
Ambiguity
Reflection
Refinement
Time…STARRT.
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COMMUNITIES of “PRACTICE”
Stewardship - is the willingness to be accountable
for the well-being of the larger organization by operating
out of service, rather than control, of those around us. It
is accountability without control or compliance.
(Peter Block, 1993)
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Create diverse committees, communities of practice.
Provide Opportunities AOAP!
Stop the Monologue! Start the Dialogue! … and
Listen!
Be Ambiguous - Sell the problems, not the solutions!
Create a “Welcoming Environment!” … and Listen!!
Encourage and Reward “Risk Taking!” … and
Listen!!!
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COMMUNITIES of “PRACTICE”
Trustworthiness
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Trust
Personal competence
Professional performance (Covey, 1996) (H)
Check It Out Club!
Problems…. are opportunities!!
Credibility of Action!!!
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COMMUNITIES of “PRACTICE”
 Ambiguity-When to be and when not to be?
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Ambiguous- be uncertain, of doubtful nature or
meaning, open to various interpretations.
In the creative process  Be Ambiguous! Sell the problems, not the
solutions.
In the implementation process  AVOID Ambiguity!
 Most important implementation strategy ...is the
clarification of the roles and responsibilities of
the various stakeholders involved in the
process.
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COMMUNITIES of “PRACTICE”
Reflection & Refinement
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Ongoing dialogue and regular reflection result in
shared vision, shared commitment, and shared
responsibility.
Make Connections!! No X-mas Tree Programs!!
Based upon the reflective experience the
community must “continually refine” its models of
service delivery to broaden its continuum of
services.
Culture of commitment.
Broad based support.
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COMMUNITIES of “PRACTICE”
Time
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Law of the Farm!!! (A)
Legitimate Participation.
Full Engagement.
No Puppets!!!
The Dynamic Systems Perspective (H)
 Dynamic Complexity
 Success
 Time and Change
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COMMUNITIES of “PRACTICE”
Stewardship
Trustworthiness
Ambiguity
Reflection
Refinement
Time…STARRT
Now!
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Highly Effective “CoP’s” …
Close the Implementation Gap!!
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Community Living Programs
 VITAL House
1995
 Tiger House
2001
Plus others across
PA!!
 Victory Village 2002
 REAL Academy 2004
College Experience Programs
 COOP
2004
 CORE
2005
 BSU, Lackawanna 2005/06
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COMMUNITIES of “PRACTICE”
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Move off the Dime!!
Start the Journey!!! Vision comes later!!!
Be Ambiguous - Sell the Problems, not the
solutions!
Stop the Monologue, start the Dialogue!!
Listen! Listen!! Listen!!! (DC-S-T & C)
Provide opportunity and choice. AOAP!!!
Make Connections!!
No X-mas Tree Programs!!
Be consistent with the message!!
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State Leadership Support of
Regional and Local Leaders
Ellen Romett, Managing Director
PA Training & Technical Assistance Network
Joan Kester, Statewide Transition Specialist
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
State to Local Support: Expanding Capacity
through Replication of Effective Practices
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Peer mentoring – Program to Program
connections for replication of evidence based
practices
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Informal (Informal network of the community)
Formal mentor-mentee model (Mini–grants, PDE
Employment Grants)
Use of technology to support formal mentormentee replication projects
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Blackboard:
 Group E-mail Communication
 Discussion Boards
 Resource Sharing (online toolkit)
 Electronic Data Submission
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State to Local Support: Ongoing
Opportunities to Network & Communicate
 Integrated
Professional Development to
create ongoing opportunities to share
effective practices
 Statewide Transition Conference (July
19-21, 2006)
 Biannual Regional Outcome & Issue
Forums
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State to Local Support: Ongoing
Opportunities to Network & Communicate

Use of Technology to Support Open and
Ongoing Communication
 Transition List-serv sponsored by the IDEA
Partnership.
 Practice groups (outcomes/issues
identified by stakeholders as priorities)
 Vision of small learning communities
within practice groups, centered around
program models (e.g. college
experience programs) and program
elements (e.g. job coaching)
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COMMUNITIES of “PRACTICE”
 Three
Central Value Themes (K & P,
1999)
 High Performance Values are best reflected in
our commitment to excellence.
 Caring Values communicate how others are to be
treated.
 Uniqueness Values communicate to those both
inside and outside our organization HOW what we
do is uniquely different than others.
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How can we learn from one
another’s experiences?
 Discussion:
 What
works within your state and/or
your role?
 What are the challenges we face?
 After we leave this forum, how can
we help one another to enhance our
leadership at the state, regional and
local levels to improve youth
outcomes?
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Feel free to contact us!

Hal Bloss, Assistant Director, Luzerne County
Intermediate Unit, [email protected]
 Vance Coover, NE Division Administrator,
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation,
[email protected]
 Ellen Romett, Managing Director, PA Training
& Technical Assistance Network,
[email protected]
 Joan Kester, Statewide Transition Specialist,
PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation,
[email protected]
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