The organization description in the NIST Performance Excellence system provides a structured framework for understanding our EdTech organization's nuances. This blog will offer a methodology for crafting a detailed organization description that will provide critical insights into key factors that shape your leadership.
These critical insights include our organization's vision, mission (purpose), culture, requirements, strategic challenges, threats, opportunities, and many others that help us better understand the context in which we lead.
Without understanding these factors, whether initially or continuously, how will we make decisions and lead our team(s) effectively?
These critical insights include our organization's vision, mission (purpose), culture, requirements, strategic challenges, threats, opportunities, and many others that help us better understand the context in which we lead.
Without understanding these factors, whether initially or continuously, how will we make decisions and lead our team(s) effectively?
"Leadership without insight is like navigating the open sea without a compass; you might be moving, but are you truly heading toward your destination?" - Frankie Jackson
You probably think, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm already doing this, or I already know." And you might. And yet, there might be more that we can explore.
Using strategies in our Savvy EdTech Leader book, this blog is dedicated to deepening our understanding of our EdTech organization by offering clarity and transparency. Its purpose is to help us fully grasp our mission, structure, and the value we bring while fostering trust and empowering better decision-making. After all, isn’t this what great leaders aspire to achieve? Who wouldn’t want to be part of that vision?
Using strategies in our Savvy EdTech Leader book, this blog is dedicated to deepening our understanding of our EdTech organization by offering clarity and transparency. Its purpose is to help us fully grasp our mission, structure, and the value we bring while fostering trust and empowering better decision-making. After all, isn’t this what great leaders aspire to achieve? Who wouldn’t want to be part of that vision?
Get Started With a Comprehensive Checklist
The organization description is used for communication—plain and simple. Research indicates that organizations with effective communication strategies increase productivity by up to 25%, can be 4.5 times more likely to succeed in retaining employees, and may have up to 12 times higher job satisfaction than those without.
Plus, a clear organization description is valuable for strategic partners, organizational peers, senior leadership, key stakeholders, and anyone who wants to understand what we do better. As you begin, think about how you will present this information, such as on your EdTech webpage, in a service catalog, solutions portfolio, service matrix, or an internal file folder.
So, let's get started. Don't overthink it. Begin by collecting the following types of information items about your organization. If you don't have it, put it on your list of things to collect later. Don't let that distract you. Set up some electronic file folders to organize the following types of information.
Fundamental Information: Includes essential facts or core details that provide an understanding of your organization, enabling informed decision-making and effective communication.
Culture: Encompasses the shared values, beliefs, behaviors, and traditions that define a group of staff members. Culture includes several key components:
Strategic Challenges: Key obstacles or issues an organization must address to achieve its goals and stay relevant and competitive in the long term.
Strategic Advantages: Unique capabilities, resources, or positions that give your EdTech organization, sustainable performance or competitive edge over others. It enables you to achieve long-term success, performance at your highest level, and reach strategic goals more effectively. These advantages might include the following:
Customer Groups: These are categories of customers and stakeholders who influence or benefit from your EdTech organization.
When we offer a clear understanding of the essence of our organization, why it exists, and where we want to take it in the future, we are able to make and implement strategic decisions affecting our organization's future.
In the upcoming weeks, we will continue exploring the other NIST Performance Excellence Framework components. The information in your organization description will be used as your foundation for strategy, communication, and continuous improvement, ensuring clarity, alignment, and effectiveness across all levels.
Plus, a clear organization description is valuable for strategic partners, organizational peers, senior leadership, key stakeholders, and anyone who wants to understand what we do better. As you begin, think about how you will present this information, such as on your EdTech webpage, in a service catalog, solutions portfolio, service matrix, or an internal file folder.
So, let's get started. Don't overthink it. Begin by collecting the following types of information items about your organization. If you don't have it, put it on your list of things to collect later. Don't let that distract you. Set up some electronic file folders to organize the following types of information.
Fundamental Information: Includes essential facts or core details that provide an understanding of your organization, enabling informed decision-making and effective communication.
- Organization's name: you might want to be thinking about changing the name or rebranding
- Contact details: website link, social media links, other details
- Date of the formation of the organization: establishment or consolidation
- Legal status: public school district, agency, private, charter
- Organization hierarchy: upper leadership, peer organizations
- Organization structure: teams, departments, or divisions and the primary organizational units under your leadership
- Primary services and offerings provided based on your organization's structure
- Communities you serve, such as geographic areas, a map, education service center alignment, and entities (schools and non-instructional facilities)
- Demographics as in district size, ethnicities, student income eligibility status
- Financial overview: Funding sources, financial status, budget size
- Future Goals and Plans: High-level list of short-term and long-term strategic objectives
Culture: Encompasses the shared values, beliefs, behaviors, and traditions that define a group of staff members. Culture includes several key components:
- Mission: The purpose of the organization and what it seeks to achieve (what do you do)
- Vision: A long-term goal or the ideal state the organization strives for (who do you want to be)
- Values: Core principles that guide the organization's behavior and decision-making
- Ethical standards
- Social norms of behavior, heritage, traditions, and etiquette
- Key achievements: Milestones, awards, recognitions, impact or success stories
- Logo, tagline, motto, and/or brand
- Core competencies: The expertise required to support your organization's primary services and offerings to ensure technology-enhanced educational outcomes effectively and in alignment with your strategic objectives.
Strategic Challenges: Key obstacles or issues an organization must address to achieve its goals and stay relevant and competitive in the long term.
- Changing demographics and competition
- An expanding, decreasing, or changing student population
- Diminishing student retention, persistence, or completion
- Operational costs
- Decreasing local and state tax base or educational appropriation
- Introduction of new or substitute programs or services
- Rapid technological changes
- Availability of a skilled workforce (i.e., faculty and staff)
- Retirement of an aging workforce
- Turnover in senior leadership
- Economic conditions
- Data and information security, including cybersecurity
- New competitors entering the market
- State and federal mandates
- Merger or acquisition by a new parent organization
Strategic Advantages: Unique capabilities, resources, or positions that give your EdTech organization, sustainable performance or competitive edge over others. It enables you to achieve long-term success, performance at your highest level, and reach strategic goals more effectively. These advantages might include the following:
- Reputation for educational programs and service quality
- Leadership in education innovation
- Key differentiators and unique value propositions
- Preparedness for disruptive and emerging technologies
- Recognition for technology services to students
- Image of brand recognition
- Agility
- Digital leadership and technology integration
Customer Groups: These are categories of customers and stakeholders who influence or benefit from your EdTech organization.
- Students: The primary recipients of technologies, educational services, curriculum, and support
- Parents and Guardians: Decision makers who advocate for student needs and engage with schools and your EdTech organization.
- Decision-makers and Influencers: This includes teachers and educators, or users of educational tools and curriculum who directly impact student learning.
- School and District Administrators: Those who implement policies, approve resources, and drive educational initiatives and strategic plans.
- School Boards: Policy-making bodies that influence educational priorities and budget allocations.
- State and Federal Education Agencies: Encompasses regulatory bodies that set standards, fund programs, and enforce compliance.
- Community and Local Organizations: Might include nonprofits, businesses, and cultural institutions that provide partnerships, funding, or services.
- Technology and EdTech Suppliers: Includes companies that supply software, hardware, and digital learning solutions.
- Higher Education Institutions: Colleges and universities that influence K-12 curriculum alignment and teacher training.
When we offer a clear understanding of the essence of our organization, why it exists, and where we want to take it in the future, we are able to make and implement strategic decisions affecting our organization's future.
In the upcoming weeks, we will continue exploring the other NIST Performance Excellence Framework components. The information in your organization description will be used as your foundation for strategy, communication, and continuous improvement, ensuring clarity, alignment, and effectiveness across all levels.
Unlock Performance Excellence Blog Series
- Why Use the NIST Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework as an EdTech Leadership Blueprint?
- Organization Description: Examining EdTech Organizations with Clarity and Transparency
- Leadership and Governance: Navigating an Award-Winning Goal Standard
- Future-Focused Strategy by Design: Leading with Foresight and Performing with Purpose
- Customers
- Integration
- Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management
- Workforce
- Operations
- Results