Organizational Learning

Collaborative teamed up with UWW to provide planning and facilitation support as the CILL team developed a work plan. We worked closely with the executive leadership at UWW to design facilitated engagement with local United Way leaders as well as staff to build new workplans.  Our efforts include:

• Facilitating the CEO Summit and staff retreats
• Providing ongoing strategic planning design support
• Coaching overall effectiveness of senior leadership

UWW looked to Collaborative to design and facilitate two face-to-face meetings and a series of webinars of a select group of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Local United Way organizations from across the nation. In these efforts, Collaborative provided the following:

• Comprehensive planning team leadership
• Overall design leadership for face to face meetings
• Learning facilitation
• Logistics and operational support

Collaborative teamed up the Education Foundation of Collier County (EFCC) to assist the district in developing and implementing its strategic plan. Two phases of work were identified for this 10-month project: Developing a vision and mission document and building operational plans.

In phase one, Collaborative worked with the superintendent, his cabinet, board members, and a strategic planning team of community stakeholders. With each of these groups, Collaborative did the following:

• Facilitated discussions to identify the vision, mission and values for the school district
• Synthesized notes and shared them will all groups to make sure everyone knew what each team was considering
• Developed draft vision document, which was revised several times based on the feedback from each of the groups

In phase two, Collaborative and the EFCC worked with the superintendent to select members for eight operational teams. Each team consisted of a combination of internal and external members, including district staff, principals, teachers and community members. With guidance from Collaborative these teams did the following:

• Developed an overall goal for their operational area
• Created objectives, indicators and strategies for this goal
• Considered implications of these efforts

During these efforts, EFCC conducted focus groups and outreach throughout the community to gain feedback about the draft document, operational team work and the overall process. This comprehensive engagement allowed the community to remain involved throughout the process.  

Beginning in 2008, Collaborative supported the development of an Education Team at UWW. Through facilitation, strategic advice and strategic planning, we assisted this new team in crafting an overarching plan for UWW’s Education Initiative. We designed the make up of team, facilitated the articulation of the focus areas for work, defined the structure of the staff, and determined the most effective way for this team to support senior staff.

As the Education Team built its capacity, Collaborative provided ongoing support:

• Facilitation of Education Team and senior leadership planning and strategy meetings
• Leadership consulting and coaching
• Staff mentoring
• Research to support plan and strategy decision-making

Building on the strong relationship with NAESP, Collaborative utilized its knowledge in and experience with assisting organizations restructure to strategically align the ambitious mission of the NAESP to its day-to-day activities.   

The first step was to provide guidance to the Board of Directors. In this role, Collaborative:

• Facilitated discussions and key meetings, both on-site and via teleconference
• Developed a "curriculum" of key elements the Board should make the focus of its work

The second step was to help the NAESP determine how the roles of Board members and the Executive Director best compliment each other in reaching established goals and developing the strategic vision of the organization.

Senior team members at Collaborative are working on- and off-site at NAESP headquarters:

• Providing writing and communications support
• Identifying action steps around new opportunities to strengthen the organization
• Fostering two-way communications between the staff and the team
• Developing new publications that detail NAESP's strategic vision for principal leadership