It is not enough to have an innovative idea, it is not enough to draft a plan, it is also not enough to rally people into joining the movement. In order to piece everything together and give the innovation plan a chance of being a success, someone must step up to lead the organizational change. This can be a rather daunting idea and it may seem like a huge burden to take on, however the 4DX model provides a way for the implementation of an innovation plan to be more of a true group collaboration process. Using 4DX will help set up the road for success. Before we explore how 4DX will help drive our student e-portfolio initiative, we will take a look at the 5 stages of change and the 4 disciplines of execution. The 5 Stages of Change Change does not happen overnight, it is a process. This process has been broken down by Covey, McChesney, and Huling (2012) into the stages listed below, each of which plays a crucial role in ensuring that effective and long-lasting change occurs, especially within an organization. Stage 1: Getting Clear The leader and the entire team commit to working toward a new level of performance. Everyone becomes familiar with the 4DX and therefore takes part in developing the WIG, lead measures, lag measures, and the scoreboard. Stage 2: Launch After getting everything clear it is now time to actively start working toward the WIG. Launching a new initiative calls for a great deal of focus and energy, especially from the leader. Stage 3: Adoption As the team start adopting the 4DX process, resistance begins to fade as enthusiasm continues to rise. Team members are committed to working toward the WIG despite the whirlwind. Stage 4: Optimization The team begins to shift to a 4DX mindset in which they are becoming more purposeful and engaged in their work. This is due to them being driven by the results they are starting to see. Stage 5: Habits As 4DX becomes a habit, the WIG will not only be reached, but the team will have created a new culture of excellent execution which is likely to lead to the development of another WIG. 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) Covey, McChesney, and Huling (2012) define the 4 Disciplines of Execution as "an orderly pattern of conduct that leads to achievement of an organizational goal with excellence" (p. 297). There are a few key phrases we should all be familiar with as we learn about the 4DX model, they are defined by Covey, McChesney, and Huling (2012) as follows:
The 5 stages of change can be applied within the 4 disciplines of execution for the student e-portfolio innovation plan as follows: Discipline 1: Focus on the Wildly Important (Getting Clear) In order to ensure that the student e-portfolio innovation plan does not join the list initiatives that fade and ultimately fail, it is imperative to get all of our administrators and fellow teachers on board. It is not a matter of getting everyone to “buy-in” as that will only lead to individuals being momentarily involved, it is a matter of having our team fully understand what this initiative is about and why it is so important. We will feel the sense of urgency as we discover ways that the e-portfolios will support student learning across all content areas and even lead to that desired real world application. Together, we will identify our WIG, decide on our lead and lag measures, design our scoreboard, choose a time for our weekly WIG sessions, and most importantly commit to wholeheartedly supporting this innovation plan by modeling the use of an e-portfolio. The first thing we must ask ourselves is: what is our overall goal concerning the student e-portfolios? There are many areas we can address, however it is recommended to “focus your finest effort on the one or two goals that will make all the difference, instead of giving mediocre effort to dozens of goals" (Covey, McChesney, & Huling, 2012, p. 23). In order to establish WHAT our wildly importantly goal is, we must remember WHY we are pursuing to implement this initiative. Discipline 2: Act on the Lead Measures (Launch and Adopt) Lead measures are "the measure of an action planned and taken as a means to achieving the WIG" (Covey, McChesney, & Huling, 2012, p. 299). How will we ensure that we are actively working toward our goal? We will choose our lead measures after we create our WIG. The whirlwind from the first week of a new school year is very intense for everyone on campus, therefore it would be wise to wait until the second week of school to launch this initiative. The focus for the first few weeks would have to revolve around ensuring that we get technology into the students' hands. We are a 1:1 campus which means there are enough devices for every student, but experience has taught us that reaching that 1:1 status is easier said than done. It is a team effort to make this happen. Ideally our WIG sessions will provide us with the focus to be able to speed up this process and be able to create the student e-portfolios earlier than projected. Once we become more engaged in the process as we develop our own e-portfolios and guide students in creating and developing theirs, it is expected for any resistance to fade and enthusiasm to rise. The reason why we begin to see a positive shift in attitude during this stage is because we will finally be able to start seeing the fruit of our labor. Via the scoreboard, we will visually be able to see how our lead measures and individual commitments are moving us closer to our desired the lag measures. Without a doubt, at first glance this initiative can seem daunting and like a lot of extra work, however as we become involved in the process, we will see first-hand how it supports all of the great things that are already happening on our campus. Discipline 3: Keep a Compelling Scoreboard (Optimization) We cannot underestimate the importance of the scoreboard. It has been noted that "the team won't play at their best unless they are emotionally engaged – and that happens when they can tell if they are winning or losing" (Covey, McChesney, & Huling, 2012, p. 155). If designed properly, the scoreboard will allow us to quickly access whether or not we are on track to making our WIG a reality. Failing to update the scoreboard will give us all a false idea of where we stand, therefore it is not something we want to overlook. If we fail in our commitments, it will show on the scoreboard, if we are going above and beyond, it will also show. As we immerse in the 4DX mindset, it is expected that we will take the initiative to maximize our effort. It is highly important to encourage and celebrate each other as we bring new ideas, follow through with our commitments, and seek ways to move the scoreboard along. Without a doubt we will encounter obstacles, but if we have a spirit of collaboration in place we will find ways to overcome those obstacles together. Below you will see examples of scoreboards used in a 4DX model. Our scoreboard may look different, as long as it identifies our WIG as well as tracks our lead and lag measures. Discipline 4: Create a Cadence of Accountability (Habits) We will meet regularly in our WIG sessions and make personal commitments that will drive the lead measures. We will hold each other accountable on those personal commitments by reporting at the following WIG session whether or not we fulfilled those commitments, then make new commitments for the next week. This will lead us to be purposeful and efficient with our time and our actions. It’s not about getting to the finish line or simply checking off a box once we reach WIG. What will we do to keep the excellence going? We will remain faithful to our weekly WIG sessions, set new goals, determine new lead and lag measures, tweak the scoreboard, and make corresponding commitments. All of this will be based on our current successes, drawbacks, and endeavors. 4DX and the Influencer Model In isolation, by far the biggest difference between 4DX and the Influencer Model is the level of involvement of the team. In 4DX the team is involved from creation to execution, while in the influencer model it seems to be more of a participation role. The influencer model offers much more structure, while 4DX leaves more room for interpretation. I believe it would make the biggest positive impact on our team to use both models in unison. The elements of the 4DX model will allow team members to feel ownership over the initiative while simultaneously benefiting from the structures of the influencer model. As we dive into the different disciplines of the 4DX model, we will see which sources of influence (personal motivation, social ability, social motivation, social ability, structural motivation, or structural ability) will result to have the most influence on our team. Sources: Covey, F. (2012, March 09). Goal setting. [Video] from https://youtu.be/SbUy290KbTA McChesney, C., Covey, S., & Huling, J. (2012). The 4 disciplines of execution: achieving your wildly important goals. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
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