It Starts with a Vision – How to Develop a Thriving Culture of Improvement

In our last post we examined several reasons why institutions should create a thriving culture of improvement. Such a culture can be defined as one that follows an ongoing cycle of positive change in order to improve its products, services and offerings. However, it’s not just about products, it’s about people. A culture of improvement is about learning and development where individuals and groups progress towards institutional goals.

Creating this kind of a culture is not an easy task. It takes proper planning, implementation and engagement for success. In today’s post we address some initial requirements that are necessary to ensure an effective cultural shift. This is not an exhaustive list, just elements that need to be considered while planning.

1. Clear vision:

   Creating a culture of improvement starts with a clear vision of what the institution is trying to accomplish. When implementing a cultural change there is no room for ambiguity over the desired outcome. Improvement is not an end in itself, it is a continuous process and the vision needs to reflect this. It is important that the vision also clearly aligns with the larger goals of the institution, i.e. achieving academic excellence. The vision and the reason for change need to be shared with all stakeholders to encourage support.

2. Cultural assessment:

   Conducting a cultural assessment (survey, interviews) will give a comprehensive view of the environment and its viability for change. This process is important because it identifies the culture’s strengths and weaknesses and gives a direction for improvement. Assessing the current culture and comparing it to the vision (desired culture) will unearth any discrepancies, which then become the springboard for improvement projects. The initial assessment is key for strategic planning because it acts as the benchmark to monitor progress.

3. Strong leadership:

   Strong leadership is crucial for spearheading change within any organization. In a shift to an improvement-led culture, leaders play two important and distinct roles. First, leaders mobilize acceptance and support for the vision and objectives. Second, leaders are responsible for implementing improvement plans and for monitoring progress. It is up to leaders to ensure that goals are aligned institution-wide and for prioritizing objectives. Strong leadership adds credibility and accountability to the adoption of a new culture.

4. Improvement process:

   To successfully implement a culture of improvement an effective, data-driven process like Learning Experience Management (LEM) should be followed. LEM gives a working model for continuous quality improvement in a step-by-step fashion (benchmark, assess, analyze, improve and monitor). Adhering to such a process ensures that the institution’s programs, services and offerings are systematically improved to increase positive outcomes. This process allows institutions to remain competitive by continuously improving weak spots and by growing strengths to satisfy all stakeholders.

5. Employee development:

   Employee development is the driving-force of a thriving culture of improvement. It is essential that institutions provide and support employee training and development opportunities. Focusing on development will engage employees in the improvement process and allow for the acquisition of new competencies, skills and behaviors. As with the cultural assessment, employee assessments are necessary to determine current strengths and areas for improvement. Any gaps in the current competency-set will provide the direction for future employee development and recruitment strategies.