Unit 2 Assignments
(click to review the study assignments and responses)
Response:
"Mission Statement and the Women's International Center"
17-Jan-01 at 10:47 pm
Peter Drucker, in his online site for the Drucker Foundation Self-Assessment Tool: Process Guide, in the sub-page/chapter, "How to Develop a Mission Statement," (1999) uses short words to describe the most essential identifying mark, and the core definition of a company: the mission statement. He states that this must be a "short, sharply focused phrase ... It is a precise statement of purpose. Words should be chosen for their meaning rather than beauty, for clarity over cleverness." (Drucker, 1999). It is interesting to note that the remainder of this chapter is very detailed, with long descriptions for helping in the process of creating a Mission Statement. As Drucker points out, this careful consideration MUST be taken, for the very identity — and the eventual "brand" or identifier to the public — resides in these simple, defining words.
This statement is SO important, in fact, that "[if] the board rejects a proposed mission, consideration of goals is postponed until a mission is approved." (Drucker, 1999). In my opinion, this is precisely where so many businesses get off to a poor start and even fail — they have not cleanly and concisely outlined their very mission, their reason for being. It should seem apparent that the seeking of goals is an impossible dream, until a masterful blueprint of the Mission has been laid out.
For this study, I've chosen a non-profit, "wired" organization that is pursuing many of the interests and goals that are important to me, in the development of my own community web site and eventual non-profit organization, Refuge Earth. The Women's International Center, at http://www.wic.org/ absolutely clarifies itself in the opening page of the site. The first information you glean are the essential three: 1) That they are a non-profit education and service foundation (501 c3); 2) that they were founded in 1982; and, 3) their Mission is instantly given to the visiting public. Importantly, this information is given up-front, without any need to scroll or click to further information.
The Women's International Center states their "Mission (and Purpose):
- To Acknowledge, Honor and Encourage Women.
- To celebrate women and their positive, enduring contributions to humanity
- To inform and educate through WIC's force on the pervasive outreach of the Internet
" (WIC, 2001)
This web site has many offerings, but particularly for women, and more specifically, those who are involved in women's issues or women's studies. For now, the purpose of the site seems to primarily be as a form of information and resources, as well as historical documentation, and a VERY worthy listing of biographies of influential women of all races and makes of life.
WIC states that their mission will be reached "[b]y establishing a permanent information and educational home for women, worldwide, to learn, teach and create: Women's International Institute." (WIC, 2001). However, it is quickly apparent that this leg of their journey is "still on paper." The Institute can only be found on one explanatory page, with detailed drawings. The web site is not clear as to the status of this final portion of their project.
In the tables provided in our course study, which outline key ways that organizations fulfill their missions and build organization capacity, in the areas of Program Delivery, Program Expansion, Adaptive Capacity, Expansion, Diffusion, Policy reform — the WIC site addresses most of these topics. What is NOT clear from the web site is the current status of this project. It is difficult to ascertain what level of accomplishment has been attained. However, for informational and resource purposes, the site has very successfully provided a useful learning environment.
The final topic given in the table in our CourseRoom, was "Organizational Capacity — Rethink practices, change the environment." This is the one topic that I feel WIC has addressed very efficiently. By nature of their chosen goals, as well as their worldwide female audience, I believe that WIC has a profound organizational capacity. Underlying all of the thoughts, plans and dreams of the web site and the organization, is a deep commitment to rethinking practices that shape, mold and MAR the lives of women everywhere — and a passion for changing the environment for women, on a global scale.
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References:
Drucker, Peter. (1999). Drucker Foundation self-assessment tool: Process guide. Drucker Foundation and Jossey-Bass, Inc., Publishers. Chapter/Web page: How to Develop a Mission Statement. [Online]. Available: http://www.drucker.org/leaderbooks/sat/mission.html
Women's International Center (WIC). (2001). Welcome to the women's international center. [home page]. Web search: Jan. 2001. Copyright 1994-2001. [Online]. Available: http://www.wic.org/
Response:
"Waterford - Extremely Interesting Site!"
21-Jan-01 at 12:20 am
Thanks, Don, for this information, and your views on Waterford. I agree that their web site is well planned and laid out. On a personal level, this is a site that will be useful to me in the future, as many of their goals are so similar to my own, for Refuge Earth. In reading through the site sections, it occurred to me that it is starting to become evident, the reasons WHY certain entities have been so successful in the non-profit realm. The Waterford Institute is a very good model of this — their Mission Statement is EXACTLY what they do.
They were very succinct in their mission statement. Their 10-year history in actual performance — as well as the information you glean from the web site, itself — is simply the successful path that one company has taken, from the Vision, to the writing of a concise mission statement ... to the following through of the original concept.
I also found it interesting that much of their early work began in local churches ... and now they are being utilized by state governments (such as California) and school systems, nation-wide. Much of their work relies heavily on the volunteer sector, but that their success ratio has grown dramatically as they've become more entrenched in the technologies. I find that very interesting, that the use of volunteer help CAN succeed so dramatically, even though portions of their training programs for the volunteers has GOT to be computer-related! I think, many times, we underestimate the level of interest and capacity, in those around us!
Finally, I thought it was amusing that, under their listing for Careers — the ONE job posted was for a Java Programmer. Joining the ranks of every business today — they are in need of the highest rung on the technological and especially Internet-languages ladder, and at the mercy — like the rest of the world (profit AND non-profit) — of the schools and institutions who are desperately trying to crank out the qualified talent.
Thanks for this great link!
Response: "Nail on the Head"
Hi Laura — I very much appreciated your comments! As a matter of fact, you have clearly made one statement that really hit home, for me: "... the organization offers options for strictly online participation (e.g., accepting donations via the web site) that translates into immediate mission-accomplishing results."
This speaks loudly to me, for being the **only essential reason that a Non-Profit would need, for taking its business online.
How things have changed in the past five or six years of human history! All things have sped up at such a rate that it leaves many just shaking their heads in amazement. New technologies have given light-speed to communications and to the delivery of information. These same technologies have demanded that every human being change the way they learn, work, and play. The jokes we have seen crop up concerning our youth, about being "instant gratification" girls or boys are not so funny or ironic ... now that we ALL have become accustomed to the almost instantaneous arrival of information and even goods and services.
Web sites such as Helping.org are excellent models for how the technologies can expand our lives. Yes, answers are immediately available. The ability to make donations or sign up for a project or make an instant contact with a desired entity, is a VERY good thing. The non-profit organization is able to capture the immediate and on-the-spot response of the visitor — their willingness to help and to be a part of a common goal. This is no different than the philosophy of the eCommerce site, in that a visitor will respond to an item, and will make an immediate decision to purchase it.
In this same way, the non-profit gains the ability to "capture the moment." Persons with interest can immediately make a heart-felt commitment — rather than the old snail-mail scenario, where the envelope will sit on the kitchen table for weeks or months, forgotten in the stream of busy lives.
I believe that taking a business online — profit or non-profit — brings the aspect of 'immediacy' to the business. It can give it a vitality that is NOT to be found anywhere but in the online environment.
Response: "Technology Planning — The Spirit Needed for the
Journey"
With some trepidation, I approached this study unit. For twelve years of computing, and also training within school district and corporate settings — the words "technology planning" have always brought on the loudest moans and groans. They also have brought an immediate one-liner to my lips: "TRAINING!"
Without a more-than-moderate understanding of: hardware, software, networks, and languages — there can BE no technology planning.
Reading all of the examples given for this assignment, I was aware of an almost amusing trend in the reviews given. The best example of this was in the technology plan example from Colorado (Boulder, perhaps? :-) This two-page document has abbreviated lists of technologies needed, which read very much like they were copy/pasted from an online source, but with very little personal grasp of what they were listing. It reads like someone has 'told them' what they need to do, and this was put into a list. After listing some seriously intricate things such as network systems and infrastucture installation, the next item in the list is: "And so on . . ."
My amusement turned to dismay when I read page two of the Colorado example. This company DOES address the need for training. So far, so good. The training must be at least enough for staff to perform their job duties. The scary part started with the next statement, "All staff will receive an overview of MS Office software." Immediately, I felt that this company was in trouble. A minimum knowledge of Office just is NOT what will be needed! But, the clincher was point #2: "And so on. . . ."
Scrutiny of this technology plan made it clear that there was no understanding of the technologies. What's more, there was no understanding of the importance that technology plays in the life of a business. And what is the worst is that the whole thing was taken so lightly. And so on ... (anonymous Colorado agency, 1999).
The second sample was more reassuring to me, that some companies would be on track, and READY for the massive changes coming up. TeamTech/San Francisco has some excellent points to their technology plan. Since this plan was a 5-year plan, and implemented in October of 1998, much of what they included in the plan was VERY early correct idea-flow. In other words, they were among the earliest to begin to comprehend the scope of the challenge in implementing a technology strategy.
TeamTech/SF has quite a section on the need for the evaluation of training needs. From the dates given, they only allowed a few short weeks for the evaluation and then, the actual training. However, this is a lot more than many companies would allow. I very much appreciated that the next step was to RE-evaluate the training and then to plan for more in-depth training. (Krauss and Jelen, 1999).
The other highly important actions that were addressed by TeamTech/SF were the needs for a backup system, and for reliable means for security. Also listed was their plan for recycling their old equipment, which I believe is a serious commitment not just to the use of technology, but to the passing on of those abilities and equipment. As a note of interest, there are many educators who have taken on a handshake situation with companies such as TeamTech, and older, refurbished computers then become a part of the school system's lab equipment.
The best portion of this tech plan was that it ended in a concise listing of what was — in the end — going to make this all work. In a word: EVALUATION. Their plan included much time and commitment in not just evaluating original work and settings, but then going back and re-evaluating, again and again, if necessary.
In reading all of these documentations, I strongly feel that perhaps no ONE plan is better than another. Leaving aside the ridiculous (I thought Colorado's plan was in that category) — each entity MUST make a plan that is custom built for only themselves. What will work very well for one company will probably leave large gaps, for the next.
Most of these documents, however, have many items that would be important to include in a technology plan. What we have, then, is an excellent set of templates, from which we could pick and choose elements that would "fit" our own company, or for a company for whom we are perhaps acting as technology consultant.
The best of these examples, in my opinion, is "Organizational Technology Inventory." At first glance this title might indicate the same cut-and-dried listing of hardware, software and components. However, most of the document is handed over to assessment of very HUMAN elements, and to the effectiveness of the company's communications. Even the sections geared to computers/networks/technology indicate a leaning toward how these things affect humans. The same is indicated in the sections for the budget and the funding behind technology planning. (Arts Wire, 2000). The company Web site was given a lot of attention. This, I feel, is often overlooked in the actual technology plan. But, things like a company newsletter, online info-gathering mechanisms such as email sign-up forms, online promo events, etc. ... are VERY important in a technology plan.
For me, some of the best advice and resource was given in the articles concerning tech planning, and not so much in the daunting lists of hardware, software, and technical things that are probably left to a hired specialist. The article, "Technology Planning: It's More Than Computers," by Dr. Larry S. Anderson, centers on the fact that tech planning is less an act of implementing hardware, than it is an act of comprehending human intelligence, desires, and abilities. Anderson tells us that "Technology Planning" is both a noun, as well as a verb. When we understand that this is much like the word "Success," then we are on the way to being able to implement a working technology plan. Success, in anything, is in the ACTION of the thing you are doing. The pathway is where success is found; it is action — it is a VERB. As a noun, success as a single THING, usually is not attainable. We find success — in our victories and in our mistakes — in our ongoing commitment and path.
On a final note, I would like to refer back to our Unit 1 Discussions. I discovered the Texas Commission on the Arts. On their site, I discovered that once a rather strict and "high-ideals" technology plan was implemented, approximately 70% of the staff ... quit. The new staff was hired for technical adeptness and for a verve and ability to take on the joys and strains of the 180-degree change that happened to the internal "company." I bring this up, now, to illustrate my point that TRAINING is probably the most important element in the overall technology plan.
Since 1992-1994, when I was Media Director in Denver's largest high school, I've seen that training was the single element that will tie all of this together, and make it work. At that time, I was in charge of the training that was mandated by the Denver Public Schools. All teachers were issued a Macintosh SE, and were required to go through 30 hours of training. In this pre-Internet time, this was a fairly good solution to introducing computers to teachers, BEFORE that same teacher would come into contact with students who would demand such skills. As I pointed out at the start of this writing ... the moaning and groaning was intense.
So, therefore, EARLY in my computing experience, I was introduced to not just the importance of training — but, also, the general unwillingness of staff, to comply. I was very fortunate to be in a position where I could provide this training, one-on-one. Why, fortunate? From the earliest days of computers being demanded on sectors of the public (the schools), and into the earliest days of the Internet — I was privy to the REAL reasons why professional people were so reluctant to adopt the new technologies.
FEAR.
Fear of the hardware. Fear of "being found out," by students and perhaps parents, who KNEW more about the PC world. Fear that it would take away their job.
This, then, is one other thing that is left out of most technology planning. It is a human emotion, a human element, and is therefore a bit difficult to include in a cut-and-dried listing of things needed in setting up technology within a company. However, if it is NOT addressed by the tech plan, I feel that the plan is destined to fail. Or, at least, fail for a period of time. That period is the time that it will take for the 70% of staff to LEAVE, and be replaced by individuals who are NOT fearful of the technologies.
But this will take precious time and money. To me, it is simply good sense to incorporate this into the initial plan. There are many of that 70% of staff that eventually will deal with the fear, and become excellent, technically-adept workers.
In the article, "Connecting the Dots: The Future of Dot-Orgs in a Dot-Com World," by Jan Masaoka, in his address to the opening of the Silicon Valley Technology Conference 2000, pointed out some very real and very human things that we need to keep in mind when it comes to people and technology. He said, "We need leadership that encourages experimentation. We need the failures and the successes of dot-coms from which to learn. We need tools, skills, examples of how nonprofits have harnessed technology to create community, to help people connect with values, to express our values and our spirit ... It's about sharing values, sharing tools, sharing connections: the tools and spirit we need to succeed as dot-orgs in this dot-com world." (Masaoka, 2000).
Along with the tools and skills in our technology plans — we MUST include the sharing of values, and the SPIRIT needed for a successful journey.
__________________________
References and Works Cited
Anderson, Dr. Larry S. (1999). Technology planning: It's more than computers. National Center for Technology Planning: Mississippi State, MS. [document given, Jan. 2001, course MBA8395, The Wired NonProfit, Capella University, MN, USA].
[anonymous]. (1999). Examples of technology plans (from state of Colorado). [document given, Jan. 2001, course MBA8395, The Wired NonProfit, Capella University, MN, USA].
Arts Wire. (2000). Arts Wire organizational technology inventory. [document given, Jan. 2001, course MBA8395, The Wired NonProfit, Capella University, MN, USA].
Krauss, Tina and Jelen, Thomas; TeamTech San Francisco. (1999). Sample organization technology plan: 1998-2003. Publishers: TeamTech San Francisco, 50 California St., Ste. 200, San Francisco, CA 94111.
Masaoka, Jan. (2000). Connecting the dots: The future of Dot-Orgs in a Dot-Com world. [Online]. Available: http://www.genie.org
Response: "Embracing the 'People' Side of Technology"
20-Jan-01 at 11:59 pm
Hi Don -- Like Laura, I really enjoyed your overview. All too often in the planning stages of a business, the push to get "all things right," and done ON TIME, sort of takes over the process. Especially in most non-profit businesses, it sure doesn't help to let the end goal -- providing services to REAL people -- diminish in the face of the frustrations of putting together the logistics and "nuts and bolts" of a business.
I also think that as a Team approaches the act and the work of a technology plan, they must keep in mind that many of the Team may have highly varied levels of computer and other modern technology experience. So, the act of keeping the flow of the planning on a human and **humane level** will be for the human team members as well as the targeted recipients of the business.
Great ideas, well put!
Let's talk!! Write to:
WebSpinner@refugeearth.org
( that's me — Leanne! )
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