audit process presentation msc515 mastin & avdjiev last
TRANSCRIPT
Northwestern Alumni Relations Innovation Case
Process Audit by Tatiana Avdjiev and Jay Mastin
Office of Alumni Relations
Office of Alumni Relations
• Existing structure:
• Six teams reporting to Cathy Stembridge, Executive Director
• Each team has own hierarchy, programs and services
Office of Alumni Relations
• Existing structure:
• Six teams reporting to Cathy Stembridge, Executive Director
• Each team has own hierarchy, programs and services
• Proposed structure:
• Cross-functional team
• Change focus from separate traditional programing to one new program with a common goal
• Meet the needs of alumni with new/potential job loss and other stressful factors of the economy
Existing structure
Existing structure
Catherine StembridgeExecutive Director
Northwestern Alumni Association
Kate BleekerProgram Assistant II
Aspasia ApostolakisDirector
Career & Student Services
Kathleen QuinlanDirector
Operations & Strategy
Emily HigginsDepartment Assistant
II
OpenProgram Assistant I
Amanda Sloan Director
Clubs
Matt Herek Assistant Director
Young Alumni
Katie Wesner Associate Director Student Services/
Programs Homecoming
Jenni GlickAssistant Director
Lauren Herpe Assistant Director
Jonathan Cummings Program Assistant II
NU Club of Chicago
Jay MastinSenior Director
Alumni Education & Travel
Lacy SchneiderAlumni EducationAssistant Director
A Day With NUAlumnae
Abby Jansen Travel
Associate Director
Whitney Smith Travel
Information Coordinator
Crystal Warren Education
Assistant DirectorAlumni Education Faculty Speakers
Susie Atkinson Director
Special Events
Elizabeth Kos Associate Director
Betsy Brown
Coordinator
Carolyn SparksDirector
Alumni Recognition and Events
Kevin LoleCoordinator
Jenny Sturrock Assistant Director
Claire Burke Program Assistant II
Existing structure
Proposed structure
Catherine StembridgeExecutive Director
Northwestern Alumni Association
Kate BleekerProgram Assistant II
Aspasia ApostolakisDirector
Career & Student Services
Kathleen QuinlanDirector
Operations & Strategy
Emily HigginsDepartment Assistant
II
OpenProgram Assistant I
Amanda Sloan Director
Clubs
Matt Herek Assistant Director
Young Alumni
Katie Wesner Associate Director Student Services/
Programs Homecoming
Jenni GlickAssistant Director
Lauren Herpe Assistant Director
Jonathan Cummings Program Assistant II
NU Club of Chicago
Jay MastinSenior Director
Alumni Education & Travel
Lacy SchneiderAlumni EducationAssistant Director
A Day With NUAlumnae
Abby Jansen Travel
Associate Director
Whitney Smith Travel
Information Coordinator
Crystal Warren Education
Assistant DirectorAlumni Education Faculty Speakers
Susie Atkinson Director
Special Events
Elizabeth Kos Associate Director
Betsy Brown
Coordinaror
Carolyn SparksDirector
Alumni Recognition and Events
Kevin LoleCoordinator
Jenny Sturrock Assistant Director
Claire Burke Program Assistant II
Turquoise shaded areas represent members of the Super Team
Proposed structure
Catherine StembridgeExecutive Director
Northwestern Alumni Association
Kate BleekerProgram Assistant II
Aspasia ApostolakisDirector
Career & Student Services
Kathleen QuinlanDirector
Operations & Strategy
Emily HigginsDepartment Assistant
II
OpenProgram Assistant I
Amanda Sloan Director
Clubs
Matt Herek Assistant Director
Young Alumni
Katie Wesner Associate Director Student Services/
Programs Homecoming
Jenni GlickAssistant Director
Lauren Herpe Assistant Director
Jonathan Cummings Program Assistant II
NU Club of Chicago
Jay MastinSenior Director
Alumni Education & Travel
Lacy SchneiderAlumni EducationAssistant Director
A Day With NUAlumnae
Abby Jansen Travel
Associate Director
Whitney Smith Travel
Information Coordinator
Crystal Warren Education
Assistant DirectorAlumni Education Faculty Speakers
Susie Atkinson Director
Special Events
Elizabeth Kos Associate Director
Betsy Brown
Coordinaror
Carolyn SparksDirector
Alumni Recognition and Events
Kevin LoleCoordinator
Jenny Sturrock Assistant Director
Claire Burke Program Assistant II
Catherine StembridgeExecutive Director
Northwestern Alumni Association
Kate BleekerProgram Assistant II
Aspasia ApostolakisDirector
Career & Student Services
Kathleen QuinlanDirector
Operations & Strategy
Amanda Sloan Director
Clubs
Matt Herek Assistant Director
Young Alumni
Katie Wesner Associate Director Student Services/
Programs Homecoming
Jenni GlickAssistant Director
Lauren Herpe Assistant Director
Jonathan Cummings Program Assistant II
NU Club of Chicago
Jay MastinSenior Director
Alumni Education & Travel
Lacy SchneiderAlumni EducationAssistant Director
A Day With NUAlumnae
Crystal Warren Education
Assistant DirectorAlumni Education Faculty Speakers
Turquoise shaded areas represent members of the Super Team
The New Super Team
The New Super Team
The New Super Team
The New Super Team
The New Super Team
• New cross-functional includes 13 of 24 staff members from six separate teams
• No organizational hierarchy
• Creates a “Vision Statement”
• Creates an innovative process
• Offers diverse perspective and ideas
Northwestern Explores - Work Well, Live Smart: The Economy, Your Career & Your Life
Northwestern Explores - Work Well, Live Smart: The Economy, Your Career & Your Life
Northwestern Explores - Work Well, Live Smart: The Economy, Your Career & Your Life
Northwestern Explores - Work Well, Live Smart: The Economy, Your Career & Your Life
• In order to share the Vision Statement and program idea, need to engage:
• Alumni leaders and volunteers (actual customers) to “buy in” and support the idea for successful implementation
• Leaders (deans, administration, faculty and directors of development) from each of the schools within Northwestern University to support idea and confirm faculty and alumni speakers
• All the other teams within the Office of Alumni Relations and Development (OARD) for feedback and engagement of development process
• “Go to” speakers – all possible faculty and alumni speakers from each school at Northwestern
Theories & Concepts in the development process
Theories & Concepts in the development process
• Cross-functional teams – combining members of existing teams into a Super Team that would address the economic crisis
• Interpretive barriers – avoid organizational barriers and overcome different thought worlds
• Architectural innovation – using existing components to create a new product/model of operation
Cross-functional teams
Cross-functional teams
• Superordinate goals
• Rules and procedures
• Physical proximity and accessibility
• Cooperation—increased interaction and communication
Interpretive barriers
Interpretive barriers
• Technology-market linking—overcome interpretive and organizational barriers
• Different “thought worlds” successfully brought together
Architectural innovation
Architectural innovation
• Seemingly small changes result in large effects
• Changes in organizational communication
Analysis of Communication in the Product Development
Analysis of Communication in the Product Development
• Superordinate Goals were clear and contributed to positive outcome
• Flat hierarchy contributed to easy accessibility
• Members were in close proximity
• Effective Cross-functional cooperation
• Every member involved in drafting & owning Vision Statement
Strengths—Cross Functional Teams
Analysis of Communication in the Product Development
Analysis of Communication in the Product Development
• Procedures and rules undefined at beginning
• Each team had own set of norms and took time to adjust to new sets of “SuperTeam”
• This delayed the development and implementation process significantly
• However, the issue corrected itself and allowed divergent thoughts to be articulated in the process.
Weaknesses—Cross Functional Teams
Analysis of Communication in the Product Development
Analysis of Communication in the Product Development
• “Process-market linking” allowed new insights & old premises to be reconsidered
• Managers did not create organizational barriers of predictable behavior patterns
• Instead, they contributed to changing normal routines
• Different “thought worlds” of individual teams were easily overcome
Interpretive Barriers
Analysis of Structure of the Product Development
Analysis of Structure of the Product Development
• Used existing resources in a new architecture
• Built new knowledge in team reconfiguration and interactions
• Created new communication channels
• Major weakness: takes time and resources to recognize what is useful and what is not
Architectural Innovation
Recommendations—Short Term
Recommendations—Short Term
• Use the cross-functional team idea in future programs
• Keep the same flat hierarchy structure for member accessibility and active participation.
• Define Superordinate goals
• Set rules and procedures early in the process to avoid delays and confusion.
• Identify the type of innovative structure desired, by determining its components
Recommendations—Long Term
Recommendations—Long Term
• Consider radical innovation in using this model in larger organizational structures and dimensions.
• Implement the same “no hierarchy” idea in a permanent team
• Use diversity in selecting team members
• Allow adequate amount of time for restructuring and adjustments to the process.
Future challenges to overcome
Future challenges to overcome
• Outside of the Alumni Relations office, this innovative process could be quite difficult or unattainable.
• The office is part of a very hierarchical institution—Northwestern University.
• This affects accessibility
• Goals outside the office may not be superordinate for all members of a cross-functional team without right leadership or mandate.
• Radical innovation difficult because of the office’s position within the university.
Process AuditNorthwestern Alumni Relations
Tatiana Avdjiev & Jay MastinMSC 515, Spring 2010Professor Paul LeonardiNorthwestern University