Develop a management plan.
Managers must use motivation and creativity. Especially in managing creative people. Most creatives are not especially driven by traditional goals. They are motivated by their egos. Creative people get attached to their work. They have to put themselves on the line each project. They are not necessarily driven by monetary reward.
Management plans start with a problem, the gap, a cause, or symptoms. Instructional Designers identifying the distance between the start and finish line. A rather important part of the problems is identifying why the problem exists. I always try to list the effects of the problem. Problems are abundant and solutions are rare. If that's not bad enough, not all correct solutions are implemented successfully. Chances for successful change are low. Identifying problems efficiently and quickly is the best practice for success.
In conducting a job/task analysis for a project instructional designers determine what tasks, skills, attitudes, and areas of knowledge require training. They stay focused on all the feedback. They keep employees informed about the consequences of change. Constantly getting and giving feedback is crucial. They must keep things timely and create an environment that works for everyone. This requires assigning job task procedures and aiding workforce development. Instructional Designers are known to do anything necessary to complete a task.
Generate a budget. Allocate resources. Write proposals to obtain resources. Establish project scope and goals.
After a project is completed, it is important to conduct actions that evaluate whether the project objectives were met. If that is the case, then it is time to coordinate a smooth departure. Transferring ownership to the stakeholders is giving back the power to the owners because the problem is solved. We have asked the question, “can this go any further?” The answer is no, it cannot. Now it is appropriate to reflect on the lessons learned and apply them to the next adventure. Priming the stakeholders so they are ready for their new responsibility is part of the leaving procedure. Allowing stakeholders to be a part of the entire process helps with these kinds of transitional situations. Especially when transitions are abrupt or sudden. Having a diverse and experienced team can fill the gaps in times of transition. This can be done if more employees are cross-trained and mentored.
As I close on my internship I think about how I can turn over my project my so it can be used in the future. Currently, I am building five promotional videos for WFSU about early literacy. They will be 45-55 seconds long and can be used in the commercial time between kids shows on the PBS TV station. My project plan covers the time and process that is underway. I have a prototype and the green light to go into full production.
Take a look at the finished videos by selecting the buttons below.
Identify and resolve management issues.
Every day I find myself riding the arc of both positive and negative stress. Stress is linked to my motivation and determines my overall performance. Any creator will tell you, there is a constant tension linked to motivation and creativity.
Organizations should adopt a change management approach to development. To do this they must find the balance in being aggressive and defensive. Managing change is a systematic procedure that ensures changes are implemented strategically and organically. Shining a light on significant and hard to find data is difficult to do. Most the time it is done incrementally with slight adjustments and transformations.
Poor Blockbuster, Polaroid, Borders, major Record Companies, and Kodak for not adapting to the digital market. Specifically, Kodak! OMG! You invented the first digital camera. What happened?!?! These large companies didn’t see the need to adapt to the changes. They put forth no initiative into streaming services. Technology evolved. Streaming services became more accessible and affordable. Consumers win. We all see Spotify, Netflix, PayPal, Hulu, Amazon, and other tech industries blowing up. Old school companies are finding themselves 20 years behind the change. To say that these large corporations didn’t see it coming is unacceptable. I call it denial, greed, and lack of insight. We are currently experiencing a rich and interactive time with mobile phones and user data. Social media has more people connected in more ways than we know how to deal with. The give people free stuff model is doing well. More content is then put behind a paywall to get monthly subscriptions, advertising revenue, ticket sales, and donations.
In order to be ready for change, Instructional Designers must know the properties of change. Because It matters who delivers the message. The message should be repeated over and over. Always be clear about the message, Delivering the message should be face-to-face as much as possible. Instructional Designer manage teams openly and transparently. While reminding the stakeholder what is in it for them they have the data to back it up. I always listen and understand the stakeholders. In the digital environment, IDers are ready for change and are prepared support change.
Support project personnel.
Instructional designers can build reliable management plans by empowering everyone in the organization. Often individuals achieve this authority because they are stronger, experienced, or more confident in their ability. Empowerment gives autonomy to allow doers to do it their way. The opposite then would be the denied ability to perform without supervision. Individuals identity play a role in nearly every change situation. Instructional designers use employee feedback to assigning projects to employees. In the end, management has to win the short term game and set up the organization for the future. All at the same time.
Instructional designers strive to answer hard questions. We have to search for the hard to see the truth. Understanding resistance is beneficial to implementing change. In work settings, often times resistance for change is not out of spite but from a miss understanding. If you’re paying attention the person provides clues to where the disconnection exists. It’s not that a person must consider every critique and take it to heart. However, it is important to be critical and unbiased when developing knowledge and understanding of such a significant matter. I find that criticizers turn out to be your best friends because they help keep you honest. Really the purpose of change and empowering a broad base of people is to remove barriers and get people involved with the process. If things become unclear they become unobtainable. Instructional designers take ambiguous goals and turn them into concrete behaviors. It may take redirecting the stakeholder or the supporting a learner. It helps to find the bright spots. We use the facts that make sense and are the most positive for a change. From this positive experience, we build new mental maps and write a script of critical moves. Instructional Design digs deep to find all the feels.
Project managers get everyone excited and evolved at all costs. Creating themed talking points that riff on the company mission. I try to do most the listening and directing the conversation with relevant hooks and catchphrases associated with the change effort. It is easy to do and it maintains vision. Instructional Designers have grit. John Wayne said, “true grit is making a decision and standing by it, doing what must be done. No mortal man can have peace of mind if he leaves undone what he knows he should have done.” Be the example, see the project through, and give praise where it is deserved. Doing this builds the environment where collaboration can flourish. A project manager will help employees to shine and get access to those who can make the big moves. The process of change management is all about creating an opportunity for employees to move forward.
Collaborate with team members, clients, and stakeholders.
When collaborating with team members, clients, and stakeholders I always remember the key elements in the effective communication of vision. In sharing a vision with others we build momentum together. It’s probably the best that we keep it simple and to the point. I always try to use a metaphor, analogy, or examples to relate to learners the instructions. We use multiple forums and hit them with everything application of learning technologies and methodologies. Practice makes perfect. If everyone sees the leadership living it then so will they. Collaboration requires talking it out because there is a lot of give-and-take.
Managers of change do what it takes to get people motivated to work and learn. People find it more motivating to be partly finished with a job than to be at the beginning. Instructional designers leverage this human condition to motivate their team. Another thing is Instructional Designers have to understand that failure is a necessary investment. They have to motivate their workers to be okay with getting it wronge. Workers are failing quickly and often is the best way to learn. This way we can get to the desired results quicker and more effectively. Managers know that the only way you can measure awareness is through interactions and feedback. There are several change management tactics for building awareness like effective communication, executive sponsorship, coaching by managers and supervisors, and ready access to business information.
Use appropriate management tools.
Systems and strategies for managing projects – Keller's ARCS system is very useful for capturing attention in learning environments. This is a serious management tool that captures attention, relates relevance, creates confidence, and brings satisfaction. Instructional Designers don’t leave home without it.
Learning models provide ways to identify fully motivated individuals. The ARCS model implements motivation with purpose. The relationship between motivation and performance is two-fold. As motivation increases so does the performance. But motivation does have a breaking point. There both motivation and performance decrease under too much stress. In life, there is always tension, or stress, associated with motivation. Instructional Designers do there best to manage these two dimensions.
Hubble's Law – objects are moving away from the earth (the red shift).
Instructional designers use frameworks to implement change within projects. They have to manage the changing environment and evolving work dynamics. You would think individuals would recognize when things hit the bottom or when a new rule is implemented. But they don’t. A model to implementing change is necessary for creating quality learning. Instructional Designers start with awareness. To create change, individuals must be ready to listen. Messages are received and internalized differently by each person but one must first internalize the need for change. I learned to start at the end.
Knowledge does not always translate to ability on the first try. Employers need an environment where they can practice and where it is safe to make mistakes. Managers are instrumental in creating a workplace where employees can develop new skills and abilities.
