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Sensemaking and Shared Vision�En Nuestra Isla��Edwin J. Barea Rodriguez� (Boricua de Moca)�Professor of Neuroscience�Executive Director for Student Initiatives in Inclusive Excellence� ��University of Texas at San Antonio

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The Plan

Toolkit

Picture Forming Exercise

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Kotter, J. P. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996.

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Is there a sense of urgency to transform higher education in Puerto Rico?

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Toolkit to develop�a Vision

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Senge, P. (2006). The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Random House Books.

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What is a System?

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This is us in the classroom

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Systems Thinking

Looking at the whole picture

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Silos in Higher Education

Ponce

San German

Mayaguez

Aguadilla

Rio Piedras

Utuado

Arecibo

Cayey

Humacao

Cabo Rojo

San Juan

Carolina

Gurabo

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Five Characteristics of a Learning Organization

How the individual looks at the world

Personal Mastery

An individual’s deeply ingrained assumptions

Mental models

Encourages experimentation and innovation among multiple members

Shared vision

More than one person acting together

Team learning

Looking at the whole picture rather than the individual problem

Systems thinking

Senge, P. (2006). The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Random House Books.

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Personal Mastery: How the individual looks at the world�

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Mental Models

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Events

(Who does what to whom)

Reactive

What happened?

Patterns

(Recurring behaviors)

Adaptive

What is happening over time?

Structure

(How the parts of the system are organized)

Creative

Why is this happening?

What is influencing these patterns?

MENTAL MODELS

(Assumptions or worldview)

Generative

What values, beliefs or

assumptions shape the system?

“Lowering the Waterline” to Deepen Understanding

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Shared Vision: A vision carried by everyone in the organization.��Gain: Encourages experimentation and innovation among multiple members�

What do WE want to create?

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Shared Leadership: Distribution of leadership responsibility creates ownership and buy in.

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Team Learning

When individual and collective capacity is increased, effective action toward creating a desired future is achieved.

There is an ability to think insightfully about complex issues

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Active Listening: Listening with the intention to understand

Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic ([Rev. ed.].). Free Press

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Synergy: Teams exists to create something together that is more than the team members can create individually

Unified Vision

Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic ([Rev. ed.].). Free Press

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Win-Win: Life is a cooperative arena, not a competitive one.

Private Universities

Public Universities

Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic ([Rev. ed.].). Free Press

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�How do we start a movement?

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Vision Forming Exercise

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Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic ([Rev. ed.].). Free Press

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Puerto Rico

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Begin with the End in Mind

Provide

Provide consultant services to the government in Higher Education related-matters.

Write

Write a grant to HSI-NSF about a hub in the upcoming call (maybe you can help by collaborating with other HSI's like UTSA in US).

Elect

Elect a team to start a Alliance of Educators affiliated with the Fideicomiso de PR https://prsciencetrust.org/home-espanol/.

Organize

Organize a follow up conference

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Divergent vs Convergent Thinking

Convergent vs. divergent thinking: Finding the right balance for creative problem-solving. Team Asana (2021).

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Picture Forming Exercise

Divergent Thinking

A thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions.

It typically occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing, "non-linear" manner, generating many ideas in an emergent cognitive fashion.

Many possible solutions are explored in a short amount of time, and unexpected connections are drawn.

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Picture Forming Exercise

Convergent Thinking

Ideas and information are organized and structured

Follows a particular set of logical steps to arrive at one solution, which in some cases is a "correct" solution.

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Picture Forming Exercise

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Consent vs Consensus

Make a decision, do something because there are no reasons not to do this.
With consensus, we go in search of unanimity; everyone agrees.
With consent, we actively look for objections to make the proposal better.

Consent is practical!

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Retos y Oportunidades�Challenges and Opportunities

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Tribe Formation

When a group of people were forced to survive and compete over scarce resources, tribalism was beneficial-banding together was advantageous for survival. Banding together also came with a sense of safety, rules, and norms that, over time, functioned as a collective identity.

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Visioning Process

Part 1 - Developing your shared vision

T

This module is Part 1 of a set of 3 visioning modules. This module provides important background on making and managing significant change.
There are several opportunities for active learning and small group discussion that will be beneficial, and you should take advantage of them instead of allowing general discussion to consume the time allocated for the module.

Suggestion:

For individuals who are familiar with the ideas of cycles of divergent and convergent thinking in creative problem solving (these ideas are used in MWGP group), this module is a great place to start using them (starting at slide 20). For those not comfortable or familiar with these ideas, brainstorming and narrowing a group’s focus work just fine.

Purpose: For campus workshop participants. This revised module for use in site visits provides important background on making and managing significant change.

Revision Notes: Notes added by Judy Awong-010819 @ Jan 2019 ATP Oxford College and re-revised in Feb. and May, 2019 .

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Goal: Begin with the end in mind to develop a shared vision

Objectives:

Discuss your “future state” and how to get there
Identify the barriers that stand in your way
Identify who owns the barriers
Work together to remove the barriers

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By beginning with the future we . . .

Don’t get bogged down in the present

Establish ownership of the desired future

Deal with the present later in the process

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Facilitated session roles

Facilitator
Participants
Recorder

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Prompt�Use Divergent Thinking

How WE, in the Island can move from surviving to Thriving?

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Sharing, compiling, and prioritizing visions

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Visioning Process

Part 2 - Identifying and Overcoming Barriers

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Goal: Begin with the end in mind to develop a shared vision

Objectives:

Discuss your “future state”
Identify the barriers that stand in your way
Identify who owns the barriers
Work together to remove the barriers

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Objectives

For your priority goals, your group will:

Identify and prioritize barriers that stand in the way of achieving your vision

Identify who owns (controls) the barriers

Apply skills learned (active learning, synergy, shared leadership, etc…) while identifying barriers

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Recall we are beginning in the future...

Don’t get bogged down in the present
Establish ownership of the desired future
Provides an opportunity to engage in backward design!

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Identifying who owns barriers

Ask who can remove each individual barrier

Usually we own at least 80% of our own barriers!

Write down owners next to barrier statements (e.g., us – faculty, chairs & deans)
If your team does not acknowledge considerable ownership, you may have a big barrier!

Time: 2 minutes

Suggestions to facilitator:

For every barrier that has been identified, participants should ask, who “owns” the barriers?—i.e., who can remove them. Then write the owner right beside the barrier on the flipchart page, preferably using a bright color (such as red).

It is very empowering for participants to realize that they own most of the barriers to achieving their vision because participants suddenly realize that they are more in control of their future state than they thought they were. Also this moment of honesty when identifying owners helps to create the teamwork that will be required to remove the barriers.

If an important barrier is owned by someone other than the participants, they should consider how to approach that owner or to whom they should ask for help as plans are made for eventual barrier removal.

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Sharing and compiling

On barriers and ownership

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Un Paradigma Different�A Different Paradigm

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Sensemaking

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What is Sensemaking?

The process by which people give meaning to their collective experiences.

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Expanded Definition

Sensemaking is about:

Creating space for listening, reflection and the exploration of meaning beyond the usual boundaries.

Allowing different framings, stories, and viewpoints to be shared and collectively explored.

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Visioning Process

Part 3 – Creating an Action Plan

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Action Plan Worksheet

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Time: ~10 minutes

Script:

How do you go from your present state to your desired future state?
Participants should use this template as a means (pathway) to get to an element or goal of their shared vision.
Explicit action steps with one or a few accountable “owners” responsible for making sure that the tasks (action steps) are executed by specific deadlines.
It can be helpful if at least one small group addresses a short-term goal, low-hanging fruit that can result in an early success / accomplishment.
One idea that might help departments is to write out their ideas on a large post it (vision, barriers and assistors, and then action steps) and then make sure it gets captured on the template. The template itself is hard for a group of people to look at and use collectively. Its purpose is to document not necessarily be the best tool to use as a way to facilitate.

Suggestions:

Supply both paper copies and the spreadsheet for each group.
Make explicit that the information in the institutional action plans is valuable for PULSE as we collect and analyze change (Action code and notes for PULSE data analysis).

Notes: Some groups have addressed a large barrier (instead of a goal) using this template

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Using the Action Plan Worksheet

Choose a “goal” from previous exercises for the top of the worksheet.
For your group’s goal, list the barriers from the previous activity.
Take 5 minutes for each group member to write silently – one idea for per sticky note – to brainstorm assistors, actions, and resources for the goal.
Together read each sticky note aloud and group them. Use these to identify action steps.
Establish a timeline with short- and long-term dates and deadlines for action steps.
Identify owner(s) or accountable individuals who will take responsibility for the actions.
List specific resources for removing barriers and implementing action steps.

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Using a Common Vocabulary

Goals and barriers → carry over from our work so far
Assistors = strengths of the collective

What does La Isla have working in its favor?
What will help La Isla achieve this goal?
Are there outside supports that can make this goal happen more effectively?

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Using a Common Vocabulary

Goals and barriers
Assistors
Action steps = clear steps that will be taken to achieve the stated goal

Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound

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Using a Common Vocabulary

Goals and barriers
Assistors
Action steps
Owners (of the action step) = persons responsible for making sure the action step gets done

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Using a Common Vocabulary

Goals and barriers
Assistors
Action steps
Owners
Resources = what you will need to complete this action step

Time, money, facilities, training, or administration support
Include information like relevant URLs, literature citations, and names of people/programs to contact

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Using a Common Vocabulary

Goals and barriers
Assistors
Action steps
Owners
Resources
Start and completion dates

Determine whether this action step is short, medium, or long term
Point in the sequence at which this action step should fall

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