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PbAf 512B – Managing Organizational Performance, Winter 2017 - 1

University of Washington Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance

Managing Organizational Performance – PubPol 512B, Winter 2017 Class meets Wednesdays, 8:30 - 11:20 PM, Parrington 308

Quiz Section BA meets Fridays, 10:30 - 11:20 PM, Parrington 313 Quiz Section BB meets Thursdays, 1:00 - 1:50 PM, Parrington 213

Professor Stephen Page Teaching Assistant: Lauren Asprooth 209A Parrington 124D Parrington (206) 221-7784 (office) [email protected] [email protected] Office hours: Wednesdays 12:30-2:30pm

Office hours: Wednesdays 1:30-3:30 PM or by appointment

or by appointment Welcome to the second course in the Evans School’s core management sequence. The first

course, Managing Politics and the Policy Process (PubPol 511), positioned you as a leader looking

primarily outwards to the authorizing environment and a variety of stakeholders. This course

looks primarily inwards to organizational operations, while recognizing the external pressures and

financial considerations that affect them. The course is structured into four modules:

● Module 1 (“Performance”) examines mechanisms for performance management and

accountability, including qualitative and quantitative approaches to assess and catalyze

progress toward the goals in an organization’s mission. ● Module 2 (“People”) presents techniques for managing and improving relations with staff

and labor unions to enhance organizational capacity. ● Module 3 (“Processes”) focuses on managing operations, including work processes and

service-delivery capacities, in order to assess and improve customer service. ● Module 4 (“Culture”) explores challenges and opportunities for leading organizational

transformation by integrating and improving performance, people, and processes. We build on Managing Politics and the Policy Process by addressing leadership and strategy, but

focus more directly on operational effectiveness. We also build on Public Budgeting and Financial

Management by connecting the financial resources to explicit activities and evolving

organizational challenges (i.e. after the budgeting process is done). We use targeted assignments

and analytic exercises to ensure that the operation you are leading provides valuable services.

In keeping with the approach in Managing Politics and the Policy Process, we will make extensive

use of teaching cases, supplemented by readings, to improve your knowledge and application of

analytic and strategic frameworks. While the course centers on management strategy and

techniques, the assigned readings and cases also address public values, ethics, and diversity.


READINGS

The required readings include one book, a course pack of teaching cases from Harvard

University’s Business School (HBS) and Kennedy School of Government (HKS), and cases and

other readings on the course Canvas site. The book is available at the University Bookstore. Book (purchase at University Bookstore or elsewhere):

Chip and Dan Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, 2010 PbAf 512 Course Pack – purchase on-line through Harvard Business School web site

(http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/57279093): ● Harlem Children’s Zone (HBS 303-109 PDF)

● Michelle Rhee & the Washington D.C. Public Schools (HKS 693 PDF case and HKS 999

AVO online video)

● Columbia’s Final Mission online multi-media case (HBS 305-032 HTM)

● Aadhaar: India’s “Unique Identification’ System (HBS 712-412 PDF)

All other cases and readings are on the course Canvas site:

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1102485; log in using your UW ID.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADES Your final grade for this course depends on your performance in five domains of class activity.

Your performance in each domain determines a specific percentage of your final grade: ● Memo 1 (due January 25, Week 3; assignment at end of syllabus): 20%

● Memo 2 (due March 8, Week 10; assignment at end of syllabus): 30%

● Participation (due weekly in class; guidance below): 25%

● Team Homework (due weekly; see weekly TA Section descriptions): 25%

Memos: The memos are due in class at the beginning of the relevant class meeting (so if you

arrive late to class your memo will be late). The memo assignments are at the end of the syllabus.

If you are unable to complete a memo before it is due, please let Lauren and me know before

class, and do not attend that week’s class. All late assignments will receive a grade penalty,

unless you receive an extension from me in advance in writing. The grade penalty will be .3/day

(which means, for example, that an assignment that receives a 4.0 on the merits will be recorded as

a 3.7 if one day late, and a 3.4 if two days late). Please put your name, date, and page numbers on

all your work. We will grade the memos for both content and style, and review the grading

criteria in class. The memos must be sole-authored, with a two-page limit (attachments do not

count against the two-page limit). We will discuss the memos in class and in the TA Sections

prior to the due dates; you are also welcome to ask questions about them in class or office hours. Participation: Effective participation in discussions is an art and a crucial professional skill for

public leaders and managers. You can participate in this class in several different ways. Please

http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/57279093

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1102485)


practice and make an effort to participate in each of these ways, even ways you may find

uncomfortable at first. 1) Small groups in class and Team Homework in TA Sections. Small group and team

discussions represent excellent opportunities to “stretch” your comfort level and practice new

approaches to participation. We invite you to try different roles, including: Facilitating or moderating group conversations Recording and summarizing group conversations Participating constructively in those conversations Listening appreciatively Encouraging others to practice the different roles.

2) Full class discussions. You can contribute to full class discussions in a variety of ways,

including listening actively, posing questions to me or to the class, or responding to questions

or comments from others. Please make a conscious effort to practice all of these approaches

over the course of the quarter. 3) Reflection exercises in class or TA Section (e.g., “4x6” written responses to questions). I

will occasionally pose a question to the class and give you 5 minutes to write your answer on a

4x6 card. Questions will require reflective responses that draw explicitly on the assigned

readings, but will not test specific factual knowledge. Submitting your answer on a card

contributes to your class participation grade. 4) Class and TA Section attendance. You are required to attend all class and section meetings.

If you must miss a class or a section, please let Lauren and me know in advance.

‘Unapproved’ absences will decrease your participation grade. In and outside of class, we expect and encourage you to practice the Evans School’s Community

Conversation Norms:

At the Evans School, we value the richness of our differences and how they can greatly enhance our conversations and learning. As a professional school, we also have a responsibility to communicate with each other—inside and outside of the classroom—in a manner consistent with conduct in today’s increasingly diverse places of work. We hold ourselves individually and collectively responsible for our communication by:

● Listening carefully and respectfully ● Sharing and teaching each other generously ● Clarifying the intent and impact of our comments ● Giving and receiving feedback in a “relationship building” manner ● Working together to expand our knowledge by using high standards for evidence and

analysis. TA Sections and Team Homework: Attendance is required at all weekly TA Sections. We have

deliberately designed the TA Sections to give you practical, hands-on experience using the tools

that we learn about in class. The TA Sections feature two broad types of activities:

Memo preparation: Prior to the due dates for the two memo assignments, Lauren will lead

discussions and answer questions to help you prepare for the assignments (due in class in

Weeks 3 and 10; assignments are at the end of the syllabus).

Team Homework: One of the core learning objectives for PubPol 512 is working in teams,

so we will assign you into teams in the first week of the quarter. The remaining TA

Sections will feature Team Homework assignments that ask the teams to apply the


readings and lessons from class. The TA Sections will include time for the Teams to plan

and conduct their Homework assignments, but your team will likely need some additional

time outside of class to complete its assignments. Please plan and manage your time and

your team’s time accordingly. We will grade the Team Homework assignments and return

them to your Teams the following week in TA Section. If you or your team encounters

difficulties or needs support, please ask Lauren or me for help.

Team discussion format: Good leaders in teams and organizations assume different roles in

small group work as appropriate for the task, setting, and group. Key roles include facilitating or

moderating group conversations, recording and summarizing conversations, participating

constructively in those conversations, and coaching others to practice the different roles. To help

you practice these roles in class and during many of the weekly TA Sections, we will give you

exercises to work on in teams. We strongly encourage the teams to assign a Moderator and a Note

Taker for each exercise or discussion. These roles should rotate, so everyone on your Team has an

opportunity to practice the different roles of Moderator, Note Taker, and Participant.

● The Moderator should present the topic and objectives for the Exercise, lead discussion,

and ensure that every group member speaks at least once on each topic.

● The Note Taker should record key ideas and summarize them back to the group before the

close of conversation.

● The Participants should contribute ideas, respond to each other actively, and take steps to

ensure the conversation is thorough, wide-ranging, and respectful.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

By enrolling in this course, you acknowledge you are a member of a learning community in the

Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, committed to the highest academic standards. As

a member of this community, you are obligated to uphold the fundamental standards of honesty,

respect and integrity, and you accept the responsibility to encourage others to adhere to these

standards. If you are uncertain about whether a particular action constitutes academic misconduct,

please ask Lauren or me for guidance before an assignment is due. You must write your own

memos, not copy or paraphrase the work of others. Plagiarized memos will receive a grade of 0.

Team assignments must also be original work by the team.

ACCOMMODATING DISABILITIES

The university provides reasonable accommodation of academically qualified students with

disabilities so those students can participate fully in the university’s educational programs and

activities. Any student requesting academic accommodation based on a disability must register

with Disability Resources for Students. You can apply at this website:

http://depts.washington.edu/uwdrs/. Please let me know about your accommodation so I can

prepare adequate resources for you.

http://depts.washington.edu/uwdrs/


SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNED READINGS

To prepare for class and TA Section each week, you will need to read teaching cases, articles, and

book chapters, and watch the occasional video. The pages that follow organize the readings by

Lecture and TA Section. Unless indicated [case pack or bookstore], all materials in the list below

are on the course Canvas site.

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/884250


Week 1

January 4 Class: Building Organizational Capacity

Readings:

● Case: High Stakes & Frightening Lapses: DSS & La Alianza

● S. Kavanagh, “Defining and Creating Value for the Public” (review of M. Moore,

Recognizing Public Value), Government Finance Review (2014)

● Switch, chapters 1 and 3 [Bookstore]

● OPTIONAL: Switch intro video: http://heathbrothers.com/member-content/switch-16-

minutes/ (free “registration” with Heath Bros site required to view)

● DeHoog and Salamon, “Purchase of Service Contracting,” in The Tools of Government,

2002 – only pp. 329-37

Study Questions to Prepare for Class:

1) Why has DSS been contracting out child protection work to La Alianza Hispana? (What

considerations went into that decision?)

2) What changes does DSS need to make in its own operational capacity in order to support

effective contracting for child protective services??

3) If you managed La Alianza, what provisions would you ask for in a contract if DSS

approached you about renewing your contract to provide child protective services?

TA Section: Team Homework – Team Charter: Write a Charter that includes your Team’s:

1. Shared purpose (mission) and values you want to practice in your work together;

2. Distinctive skills and capabilities that each member of the Team brings to your work

together;

3. Deliverables, due dates, and individual responsibilities for completing all the Team

Homework assignments in this syllabus.

Due Sunday, January 8, at 11:00 PM on Canvas.

http://heathbrothers.com/member-content/switch-16-minutes/

http://heathbrothers.com/member-content/switch-16-minutes/


Week 2

January 11 Class: Measuring and Improving Performance

Readings:

Harlem Children’s Zone (HBS 303-109) [course pack]

Harry Hatry, “What Outcomes Should Be Tracked?”, ch. 5 in Performance Measurement,

2nd ed. (Urban Institute, 2008)

● R. Kaplan, “Strategic Performance Measurement and Management in Nonprofit

Organizations,” Nonprofit Management & Leadership, Spring 2001, pp. 353-70

● D. Moynihan, “Goal-Based Learning and the Future of Performance Management,” Public

Administration Review 65:2 (March 2005)

● Switch, chapters 2 (and SKIM chapter 4) [Bookstore]

● OPTIONAL (for extra help with logic models):

o T. Poister, “Identifying Real Outcomes and Other Performance Measures,” in Measuring

Performance in Public and Nonprofit Organizations, Jossey-Bass, 2003, pp. 35-57


1) What do you see as the benefits and drawbacks of the HCZ’s approach to measuring

performance?

2) What insights and advantages might the staff and leadership of the HCZ gain by

developing a logic model and tracking the kinds of measures Poister discusses?

3) What might they gain by developing and using a balanced scorecard to monitor

organizational performance?

4) What format or approach to learning forums would you recommend for HCZ? (In

particular, how might they use logic models, a balanced scorecard, or bright spots?)

TA Section: Memo preparation

Please come prepared to discuss the problem statement and recommendations you plan to

address in your first memo (due next week in class on the Washington, DC, Public

Schools; the assignment is at the end of the syllabus).


Week 3

January 18 Class: Motivation (The Limits of Measurement)

Readings:

Case: Michelle Rhee & the Washington, D.C., Public Schools (HKS 693 PDF and

HKS 999 AVO) [course pack]

o Read the case and watch the video in the course pack

o OPTIONAL: Watch the Frontline documentary about Rhee. It complements the

teaching case and accompanying video well, without too much overlap:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/education-of-michelle-rhee/

R.D. Behn, “Why Measure Performance? Different Purposes Require Different

Measures,” Public Administration Review (2003)

D. Pink, “Type I and Type X” and “Mastery”, chs. 3 & 5 in Drive, Riverhead Books

2009

Switch, chapter 5 [Bookstore]


1) Memo 1 due (See Memo 1 assignment at end of syllabus)

2) What are the major human resources challenges that Rhee encounters at DCPS?

3) How would Daniel Pink and Switch characterize her approach to motivating the principals

and teachers of DCPS? What are the advantages and disadvantages of her approach?

4) What alternative approaches might she or her successor consider?

TA Section: Team Homework – Balanced Scorecard for Your Team:

Construct a balanced scorecard for your Team. Consult Kaplan reading (from Week 2) for

guidance. Be creative about how you interpret the different categories in Kaplan’s

framework (e.g., you might reframe “finances” as “resources”).

Imagine that your Team will work together throughout the remainder of your studies at the

Evans School – in other courses, during your internships and capstone projects. Add a

series of bullet points that outlines how the Team might use the scorecard to assess and

improve its performance over time.


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/education-of-michelle-rhee/


Week 4

January 25 Class: Culture in Teams and Organizations

Readings:

Case: Columbia’s Final Mission (HBS multi-media case 305032 HTM) [course

pack]

Katzenbach & Smith, “The Discipline of Teams,” Harvard Business Review, 1993

C. Duhigg, “What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team,” The New York

Times Magazine, 2/28/2016

Eisenhardt et al., “How Management Teams Can Have a Good Fight,” Harvard Business

Review, 1997

E. Schein, “What is Corporate Culture Anyway?” ch. 2 from The Corporate Culture

Survival Guide (1999)

OPTIONAL:

o Sunstein and Hastie, “Making Dumb Groups Smarter,” Harvard Business

Review, 2014

o Molinsky and Gundling, “How to Build Trust on Your Cross-Cultural Team,”

Harvard Business Review, 2016


1) We will provide specific instructions in class to help you view the multi-media case and

prepare for class discussion.

2) How might the “discipline” (Katzenbach & Smith) and dynamics (Duhigg) of the

Mission Management Team have affected their approach to launching and monitoring

the Columbia space shuttle?

3) What artifacts of the organizational culture (Schein) at NASA might have contributed to

the Mission Management Team’s behavior and performance?

4) What specific steps could the Mission Management Team have taken to increase the

likelihood that their interactions would feature constructive conflict (Eisenhardt et al.)?

TA Section: Team Homework – Team Processes and Tactics:

In four PowerPoint slides, please specify:

Processes the team can use to address disputes or disagreements (see Eisenhardt et al.

reading for ideas)

Principles or processes the team can use to ensure mutual accountability among team

members for fulfilling responsibilities (see Katzenbach & Smith for ideas)

Tactics to ensure psychological safety for team members (see Duhigg for ideas)

Tactics to celebrate individuals and the team as a whole for good work.



Week 5

February 1 Class: Structuring Work to Shape Staff Behavior

Readings:

● Case: Practice Family: Ryther Children’s Center

● Switch, chs. 7-9 [Bookstore]

● Thaler and Sunstein, Nudge, pp. 1-8 (2008)

● REVIEW from Week 4: E. Schein, “What is Corporate Culture Anyway?” ch.2 from

The Corporate Culture Survival Guide (1999)

● OPTIONAL: I. Leslie, “The Revolution that Could Change the Way Your Child is

Taught,” The Guardian, 3/11/2015


1) What aspects of the “environment” and the “habits” of the ASP staff (Switch) – or the

“design” (Nudge) of their daily work routines – might affect the behavior of the

children in the ASP? How do the ASP’s work design, environment, and staff habits

compare to those of the other Ryther Center “cottages” that the case describes?

2) How does the organizational culture (the “way we do business” in Schein’s terms) of

the ASP differ from that of the other cottages at Ryther?

3) If you were the program manager in one of the cottages at Ryther, what steps might

you take to help your staff grow (Switch)?

4) If Ryther hired Doug Lemov (Leslie) to design training for staff at its children’s

cottages, on what sorts of activities and actions might the training focus?

Guest Speakers: Jo Cavinta, Nu'u Fuavai, and Elsa Steele, King County Library System

TA Section: Team Homework – Work Design and Logic Model for Main Campus Cottages:

Propose changes in the work design or staff behavior of the main campus (non-ASP)

cottages at Ryther Children’s Center that can help reduce the incidence of children’s

behavior “escalating” and the need for staff to restrain children physically. Present your

proposal in 1-2 paragraphs or a list of bullets.

Attach a logic model that specifies the inputs, activities, outputs, early outcomes, and

intermediate or end outcomes for at least one of the changes you propose. Consult Hatry

or Poister readings (Week 2 readings) for guidance.

Due Sunday, February 5, at 11:00 PM on Canvas.


Week 6

February 8 Class: Improving Work Processes

Readings:

Case: Leading Process Improvement at Motebang Hospital, Parts A&B

K. Miller, “Faster,” ch. 6 in Extreme Government Makeover (2012)

A. Gawande, “Big Med,” The New Yorker, 8/13/2012

S. Rosenthal, Managing Government Operations (1982), ch. 4

Switch, chapter 6 [Bookstore]

OPTIONAL: “Using CQI to Strengthen Family Planning Programs,” The Family

Planning Manager 11:2 (1/1993), pp. 2-19 [on-line at

http://erc.msh.org/TheManager/English/V2_N1_En_Issue.pdf]


1) If you were on the staff of the OPD in this case, how would you rate the quality of service

delivery at the Clinic?

2) Following Rosenthal, how would you calculate the OPD’s capacity to serve patients?

What are some possible sources of the data you would need to gather?

3) What can Ruby Fisher do to “shrink the change” (Switch) to help the OPD staff improve

the quality of services and the OPD’s capacity to serve patients?

4) What features of the hospital chains Gawande describes might the OPD adapt to improve

its operations and performance?

TA Section: Team Homework – New Process Design for the Motebang Hospital OPD:

Draw a flow chart that redesigns the work process for one or more services in the

Motebang Hospital OPD to address the problems we identified in class. Consult Miller,

Rosenthal, or Gawande readings (from Week 6) for guidance.

Add bullet points that explain the rationale and benefits of your proposal to the OPD staff.


http://erc.msh.org/TheManager/English/V2_N1_En_Issue.pdf


Week 7

February 15 Class: Engaging Staff to Improve Work Processes

Readings:

● Case: A Better Run Government: King County’s Finance Division Goes Lean

● W. Bridges, ch. 1 in Transitions, 3rd ed. (2009)

● Heifetz and Linsky, “A Survival Guide for Leaders,” Harvard Business Review, 2002

● L. Hill, Becoming a Manager, pp. 1-20 (2003)

● Switch, chapter 10 [Bookstore]

● OPTIONAL: Edmonston et al., “Lean in King County,” King County Auditor’s Office,

2016 (read through “Conclusion” on p. 13; skip Appendices)


1) What transitions (Bridges) do the staff face with the Lean initiatives underway at FBOD?

2) What are the most significant adaptive challenges (Heifetz & Linsky) facing Stephanie

Lucash’s efforts at King County’s Finance and Business Operations Division?

3) What can Lucash do to build her managerial credibility (Hill) with her colleagues?

4) What are some things Lucash can do to “rally the herd” (Switch) to build momentum to

document standard work at FBOD?

Guest Speaker: Stephanie Lucash, King County Finance, Business, and Operations Division

TA Section: Team Homework – Catalyzing Adoption of the New Process Design for the

Motebang Hospital OPD:

Imagine you are a new intern at the Motebang Hospital OPD (in the case from Week 6),

charged with encouraging the OPD staff to adopt the new process design that you proposed

in last week’s Team Homework assignment.

In 1-2 paragraphs or 3-5 PowerPoint slides, specify action steps you would take to ensure

the staff adopted the new process design. Consult Bridges, Heifetz and Linsky, or any of

the Switch chapters for guidance.



Week 8

February 22 Class: Innovation

Guest Lecturer: Professor Scott Fritzen, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance

Readings:

● Case: Aadhaar (HBS 712412) [course pack]

● C. Bason, “Strategy” and “Measuring to Learn,” chs. 4 and 10 in Leading Public Sector

Innovation (2010)

● Beth Simone Noveck, Smart Citizens, Smarter Government: The Technologies of

Expertise and the Future of Governing, ch. 1 (2015)

● OPTIONAL:

○ “Question Time with Nandan Nilekani” (4 min) -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uPKBywB3NI&feature=endscreen&NR=1

○ Nandan Nilekani (2010) “The power of identity”, Inclusion: Mainstreaming the

marginalised, http://inclusion.skoch.in/story/455/the-power-of-identity-755.html

○ Nandan Nilekani (2016) “Keynote address at Fintech for Next 400M”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1dAZvsjfq0


1) In what area will Aadhaar/Unique ID have the biggest beneficial effect?

2) Where will opposition or other obstacles to the Aadhaar/Unique ID initiative come from in the

next 1-2 years?

3) What could Nandan Nilekani’s team have done differently in the past? What should they be

thinking about (differently) for the next 1-2 years?

TA Section: Team Homework – Team Reflection assignment:

Drawing on any of the readings we’ve done so far – with special attention to Duhigg,

Eisenhardt, and Katzenbach and Smith (Week 4):

1. What characteristics of your Team or the setting in which it’s worked have enabled

it to produce its best work this quarter?

2. What characteristics of the Team or the setting have hindered it from doing its best

work at times?

3. How might you have enabled it to be more productive?

OPTIONAL: What would you change about the Team assignments to improve students’

learning in future iterations of MOP / PubPol 512 ?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uPKBywB3NI&feature=endscreen&NR=1

http://inclusion.skoch.in/story/455/the-power-of-identity-755.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1dAZvsjfq0


Week 9

March 1 Class: Leading Innovations in Organizations

Readings:

● Case: Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative

● J. Kotter, “Leading Change: Why Transformations Fail,” Harvard Business Review, 1995

● Thomas & Ely, “Making Differences Matter” Harvard Business Review, 1996

● Godsil et al., pp. 7-33, & SKIM 34-55 in The Science of Equality, Vol. 1: Addressing

Implicit Bias, Racial Anxiety, and Stereotype Threat in Education and Health Care

(Perception Institute, 2014): http://perception.org/app/uploads/2014/11/Science-of-

Equality.pdf

● Government Alliance for Race and Equity, Interview with Joy Stephens, City of

Minneapolis (2016) – available at: http://us10.campaign-

archive2.com/?u=e9543a56e4b46dff477f54e7e&id=49d47d2f8c&e=490a5a1057

● REVIEW from Week 7:

o Heifetz and Linsky, “A Survival Guide for Leaders,” Harvard Business Review, 2002

o W. Bridges, ch. 1 in Transitions, 3rd ed. (2009)


1) What sorts of attitudes and behaviors among staff might stem from implicit bias, racial

anxiety, or stereotype threat (Godsil et al.) during the first two stages of Bridges’ transition

process (“endings,” “neutral zone”) as Seattle implements the Race and Social Justice

Initiative?

2) Which of Thomas & Ely’s three paradigms for managing diversity can best support the

implementation of the City of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative? Why?

3) Use Kotter’s framework to recommend specific action steps the staff of the Seattle Office of

Civil Rights can use to ensure the Race and Social Justice Initiative succeeds at the end of the

“B” case.

4) What are some ways the staff of the Office of Civil Rights can encourage their colleagues in

the various City of Seattle departments to “SEE-FEEL-CHANGE” (Switch)?

Guest Lecture: Michelle Osborne, Race and Social Justice Manager, Seattle YWCA

TA Section: Memo preparation

Please come prepared to discuss the problem statement and recommendations you plan to

address in your second memo (on the Baltimore Police Department; the assignment is at

the end of the syllabus).

http://perception.org/app/uploads/2014/11/Science-of-Equality.pdf

http://perception.org/app/uploads/2014/11/Science-of-Equality.pdf

http://us10.campaign-archive2.com/?u=e9543a56e4b46dff477f54e7e&id=49d47d2f8c&e=490a5a1057

http://us10.campaign-archive2.com/?u=e9543a56e4b46dff477f54e7e&id=49d47d2f8c&e=490a5a1057


Week 10

March 8 Class: Changing Organizational Culture

Readings:

● Case: Investigation of the Baltimore City Police Department (U.S. Department of

Justice Civil Rights Division, 2016), pp. 1-20, 128-162 (focus esp. on pp. 129-62).

● E. Schein, “How Leaders Imbed and Transmit Culture,” Chapter 10 in Organizational

Culture and Leadership (1985)

● Switch, ch. 11 [Bookstore]

● OPTIONAL: Watch “Policing the Police,” Frontline documentary, available to view at:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/investigation/policing-the-police/


1) See Memo 2 Assignment at the end of the syllabus.

2) As you plan your memo, think back to all the readings and concepts we have covered this

quarter. Consider how to “direct the rider,” “motivate the elephant,” and “shape the path”

to change the behavior of front-line officers and their direct supervisors in the Baltimore

Police Department so that, ultimately, the culture of the Department changes.

Final Class Participation Assignment

Please individually complete the Team Self and Peer Assessment and submit it

electronically on the Canvas site by noon on Monday, March 13.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/investigation/policing-the-police/


MEMO 1 ASSIGNMENT

TO: Students in Managing Organizational Performance, PbAf 512B

FROM: Stephen Page and Lauren Asprooth

RE: Measuring and Improving Performance in the Washington, DC, Public Schools

DUE: Beginning of class on January 18, 2017 (Week 3)

Assume you are a top advisor to Kaya Henderson, who has just replaced Michelle Rhee as

Chancellor of the Washington, DC, Public Schools (DCPS) in 2010 (after the end of the case).

The new Chancellor has asked you for a memo that assesses and proposes improvements in

DCPS’s current systems for measuring and improving school performance.

The Chancellor has asked you to include:

1. An introduction that provides the background and objectives of your memo, including:

a) the key purpose(s) for which DCPS needs to measure and improve performance,

and

b) the major benefits and drawbacks of the approaches that DCPS used to measure

and improve performance under Chancellor Rhee.

2. A proposal and rationale for a revised approach to performance measurement and

improvement that capitalizes on the benefits and mitigates the drawbacks of Chancellor

Rhee’s approaches. (Don’t worry here about what Chancellor Henderson actually did once

she took office; base your proposal on your analysis of the information in the case and the

assigned readings.)

3. Suggestions for building support and implementing your proposal to ensure commitment

from DCPS’s teachers, principals, and other key stakeholders.

4. An analytic conclusion that justifies your recommendations by:

a) identifying their benefits and risks, and

b) explaining why the benefits outweigh the risks.

Style Requirements:

Two pages maximum, not including attachments; single spaced; 12-point font; 1-inch

margins on all sides.

No more than two additional pages of figures presenting detailed information (for example,

a revised set of performance measures organized in a scorecard or logic model, or a

proposal to improve organizational learning) that you summarize, interpret, and refer to by

number in the memo; 10-point font (minimum); 1-inch margins on all sides.

Please use headings, fonts, and bullets to highlight your main points and guide the reader.


MEMO 2 ASSIGNMENT

TO: Students in Managing Organizational Performance, PbAf 512B

FROM: Stephen Page and Lauren Asprooth

RE: Changing the Organizational Culture of the Baltimore Police Department

DUE: Beginning of class on March 8, 2017 (Week 10)

Imagine you are a consultant to Kevin Davis, the Baltimore Police Commissioner, in July 2016.

The Commissioner has asked you to recommend a strategy to enable the Department to address

the concerns that the Department of Justice (DOJ) detailed in its recent report. In particular, he

wants to change the organizational culture of the Police Department to address the most important

issues in the DOJ report.

Please make sure to:

1. Include a concise introduction that pinpoints the strategic challenge the Commissioner

faces in trying to change the culture of the Police Department, and outlines the purpose of

the memo.

2. Distinguishes short- and medium-run priorities for organizational culture change. The

short-run priorities should include specific issues for the Police Department to address in

the next six months. The medium-run priorities should include specific issues to address in

the next 2-3 years. (The Commissioner wants you to make strategic choices here; the

Police Department can’t address everything in the DOJ report right away.)

3. Recommend a strategy to address both your short-run and medium-run priorities: Propose

goals, concrete action steps, and a timeline that the Commissioner and others in the Police

Department should pursue to change the organizational culture. Make sure your objectives

and action steps address adaptive challenges as well as technical issues.

4. Conclude with an analytic argument that justifies your recommendations by:

a. Identifying their benefits and risks, and

b. Explaining why the benefits outweigh the risks.

Style Requirements:

Two pages maximum, not including attachments; single spaced; 12-point font; 1-inch

margins on all sides.

No more than two additional pages of attachments presenting detailed information that you

summarize, interpret, and refer to by number in the memo; 10-point font (minimum); 1-

inch margins on all sides.

Please use headings, fonts, and bullets to highlight your main points and guide the reader.

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