Transformational Leadership in Technology Planning

Jon P. ZurfluhEARCOS EAC 2007Sunday, November 4, 2007Session 1 - 10:00 a.m.

Two key areas…

TechnologyWhat’s happeningHow to come to grips with itWhat does it all mean

LeadershipWhere is your organization at on the spectrum?Where are you?How does technology fit into this?

First, Technology

www.TED.com

Technology – A primer…

1829 – First Technology – applied arts and science at Cambridge UniversityAlan Kay – “Technology is anything invented after you were born”Danny Hillis – “Technology is anything that doesn’t quite work yet.”

Better Question… (Kevin Kelly)

What does Technology want?Inherent trends, etc. over timeIn light of biological organisms (e.g. – what do genes want?)From technology’s view of the world

Using Organisms as Example

Organism – Hacking the rules of lifeExceptions in all areas – nothing that is true for all life.Natural Selection - Approaches to “hacking life”6 Broad Kingdoms

Evolutionary Context

Look at it in evolutionary perspective…Every living thing is equally evolvedEach is hacking and finding out how to deal with its own place in the sphere of livingNowhere on earth have we ever been that we don’t find lifeWherever life is, it never retreats

Compared to Technology

Specialization – more specific – hammers –from general to specificDiversification – examples of technology in any given house – 6000+Moves from inert to increasing sociability.Increasing complexityNever retreats – ubiquitous

Technology is the 7th Kingdom of life

7th Kingdom of Life

In technology – no extinction –technologies don’t dieDistinctive quality that is unique to 7th

KingdomIn fact, hard to get rid of technologyDelay it – but you can’t kill it

The Trend

So, if the trend continues – there is greater opportunity for:

DifferencesDiversityOptionsChoicesOpportunitiesPossibilitiesFreedoms

What do you think?

What are the implications of this definition of technology?What does it mean for you?What does it mean for our students?

What are the implications?

What does this mean for you?What does this mean for your students?What does this mean for all of us?

Leadership

At it’s core – it’s about influencing people.

Effective Leaders (Kouzes & Posner, 2002)

Effective leaders must emulate the following core principles of leadership:

Living with integrityDeveloping a winning strategyBuilding a great teamInspiring followersCreating a flexible organization

Value Orientations

Individualism vs. CollectivismPreferred Personality – “do” or “be”View of Human Nature – good vs. evilPower - DistanceLong Term vs. Short Term Orientation

Transformation Leadership

Organizational CultureBernard M. Bass and Bruce J. Avolio, 1992Northouse, P.G., 2007Daft, R. L., 2008

First,

…the questionnaire…

MLQ – Multi-Factor Leadership QuestionnaireODQ – Organizational Description Questionnaire

www.mindgarden.com

Scoring

In both cases, add “T”, subtract “F”

Transactional Culture Score – Odd Items

Transformational Culture Score – Even Items

Where is your organization?

Transactional

Transactional

-14

0

+14

Transformational

+140-14

Predominantly Bureaucratic or

Internally Competitive

PedestrianGarbage Can-14

ModeratelyBureaucraticor InternallyCompetitive

CoastingLooselyGuided

0

High ContrastModerately

Four I’sPredominantly

Four I’s+14

Transformational

+140-14

The Four I’s

Changing Organizational Culture

The Fundamental State of Leadership

Quinn & Spreitzer, 2005

FSL – Step 1

Defensiveness & Stagnation

Isolation & Loneliness

Insecurity & Fear Futility & Meaninglessness

Which may lead to feelings of:

Knowledge & Learning

Self & Others

Values & Behavior

Potential & Contribution

Which may lead to disintegration of:

Internally Closed

Self-focused Externally Directed

Comfort Centered

It is normal to be:

AdaptabilitySubordination Integrity Intention

FSL – Step 2

Certainty to exploration

Self-focus to collective good

External to internal

Reactive to proactive

It may shift our focus form:

Recognizing the need to adapt

Recognizing interdependence

Clarifying personal values

Visualizing future possibility

The question may lead to:

Am I externally open?

Am I other-focused? Am I internally directed?

What result do I want to create?

Transformational question:

AdaptabilitySubordination Integrity Intention

FSL – Step 3

Shared sense of efficacy and increased resilience

Shared sense of identity and increased cohesion

Shared sense of reality and increased accuracy

Shared sense of purpose and increased motivation

And establishing a group with:

Transcendent Understanding

Personal empowerment Honest communication

Hopeful aspiration Creating in others a sense of:

Intellectual stimulation: expand consciousness, create new perspective, develop new values

Individualized consideration: providing support, encouragement, coaching, raising confidence to meet the challenge

Idealized influence: modeling unconventional behaviors, engaging reality, surfacing conflict

Inspirational motivation: provide vision, enrich meaning of the work, increase challenge & urgency

And increase the frequency of transformational leadership behaviors:

Sharing strategicInsight

Building Trust

Modeling confidence

Pursuing a challenge Which may lead the actor to:

Vulnerability, alertness and insight

Attachment, empathy and self-sacrifice

Integrity, courage and authenticity

Commitment, purpose and meaning

Which may trigger positive feelings:

AdaptabilitySubordination Integrity Intention

Full Circle – Back to Tech.

Establish your visionIs Technology part of it?

Are you being Authentic, true to your valuesIs Technology part of that?

The Human relationship equation – other focused

Is Technology a legitimate player?Open Mindedness

Does Technology play a role in enabling this?

www.techtied.net