Mastering Stakeholder Relations In Difficult Times

1. Mastering Stakeholder Relations In Difficult Times

2. …so superintendents and other district administrators can focus on issues that impact student achievement …instead of constantly wrestling with the issues defined by a vocal minority found in every district.

3. CAVE People • (an initialism for Citizens  Against Virtually Everything) • WIKIPEDIA

4. “What I love about the Internet is that no one knows I’m really a dog.”

5. Administrators Need Clarity 2-3 yrs down ---- This year ---- Today ----

6. The Challenge: If you only play defense, you lose. STATUS QUO Reactionary stakeholder initiatives Random initiatives Ad hoc initiatives Too many initiatives Too few initiatives

7. The Strategy Stakeholders The Silent Majority The Vocal Minority

8. The Real World (Bell Curve)

9. District Administrator’s World Silent Majority Vocal Minority

10. Wrestling with the Vocal Minority

11. Engaging the Silent Majority

13. A systemicand systematicapproach to measuring and managing stakeholder perception. • Move away from reactionary, random and ad hoc surveys • Metrics aligned with strategic plan and best practices

14. Systemic and systematic stakeholder perception fuels CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. • Define and track what is important • Empower central office staff and site administrators • Empower teachers in classrooms to listen to students

15. Leader-Think vs. Manager-Think

16. Consultative, Collaborative Culture of trust (“You don’t have to shout to be heard.”)

17. Accomplishments beyond test scores • Community Participation Level • Teacher Engagement • Student Engagement • …etc.

18. The resulting communication helps define the conversations in the community… in the absence of which “alternative” sources can dominate.

19. Stakeholder Perception • Communication and Engagement • Continuous Improvement

20. (Random, reactive, and ad hoc surveying, which creates more data silos, and often the norm in school districts, does not lend itself to this kind of value.)

21. Anatomy of a Stakeholder Perception Initiative

22. 3-yr Strategy Pre-Deployment Communication Questionnaire Data Collection Reporting & Analysis Post-Deployment Communication Perception Culture

23. Too much data Not enough information Hardly any insight

24. 3-yr Strategy

25. What is Important… • Today? • Down the road? • …what does the strategic plan call for? • …what do best practices require?

26. Communication Audit Survey of Surveyors (SOS) to measure “baseline survey activity” (too few=data gaps, too many = survey fatigue) Build and publish Survey Calendar

27. Strategic and Tactical Surveys

28. Consistency in methodology and process across all departmentsand school sites Longitudinal discipline Alignment with Best Practices

29. Pre-Deployment Communication

30. From: The Superintendent • To: All Stakeholders • Sub: Surveys in 2009-2010 • How many and when • Why we’re surveying • What you can expect in return • Thank you!

31. Start transforming how the district’s leadership team is perceived Collect better QUALITY feedback Drive response rates up

32. Questionnaire

33. Avoid GIGO

34. What questions should you ask? • How will you ensure that your survey: • Will meet compliance requirements? • Will answer the critical questions? • Is bias-free (age/grade/education-level)-appropriate? • Will not offend anyone? • Will not become a PR fiasco for my District? • Deploy Surveys that are Reliable, Tested and Validated.

35. Strategic Communication Expertise • K-12 Survey methodologist • K-12 Psychometrician

36. Data Collection

37. Myth Survey = Data Collection Web Form

38. Digital Divide? Paper, phone, online, backpack? Quality controls on data collectede.g. Only one response per respondent? Boost response ratesBest day/time to launch survey, anonymity

39. Reporting & Analysis

41. Visualize data in a way that facilitates decision-making Data Dashboard to facilitate dialog and collaboration between stakeholders

42. Post-Deployment Communication

43. Closing of the loop is the most powerful incentive for participation in surveys Critical to sustain respondent stamina and interest Credit survey results for changes and new direction Critical trust-building step

44. If possible, give direct accessto survey results. (a survey reporting dashboard)

45. Perception Culture

46. Is 75% customer satisfactiongood news or bad news?

47. 75% 75% Depends on where you were last year!

48. Trend analysis requires advanced planning and a systematic approach.

49. Benefits of a Systemic and Systematic Approach

50. Systemic and systematic surveying builds and advances a culture of listening and a culture of trust between the various constituencies and the district leadership team. The resulting support can be critical in the success of district leaders. It provides district leaders with clarity on key issues so that the stream of anecdotal data from various sources does not distract them. Surveying is a powerful communication tool – people absorb and retain more facts when they are presented as questions to them. This helps district leaders communicate their message and ensure input in what people hear. A single repository of survey data ensures critical institutional knowledge and district history are not tied to any one individual or department and can be accessed when needed.