redesigning hillel

ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN LAB FINAL REPORT MAY 2019 PAGE 1

A PARTNERSHIP OF HILLEL U. & TULANE HILLEL

PUBLISHED MAY 2019

Full Report of a Two-Year Pilot Program to Transform Culture and Increase Organizational Impact

REDESIGNING HILLEL


“I have a Hillel that had been declining for years, so I had low expectations. I learned through our outcomes and growth to never minimize what’s possible. I continue to be amazed by what we can achieve.”


TABLE OF CONTENTSPROJECT BACKGROUND 4

EVALUATION METHODS 5

JEWISH AMERICAN LANDSCAPE 6

TULANE HILLEL’S TRANSFORMATION 8

SCALING NATIONALLY 9

OUTCOMES 13

LEARNINGS AND INSIGHTS 43

CONCLUSION 45

RECOGNITION & CREDITS 47


BACKGROUND

ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN LAB FINAL REPORT APRIL 2019 PAGE 4

From mid-2016 to mid-2018, eight Hillels took part in a two-year transformation process, as part of a pilot program developed by Tulane Hillel. An external evaluation was conducted six months after the completion of the cohort experience to collect and analyze both qualitative and quantitative results. The following report is based on the evaluation and summarizes the design of the program, the out-comes for the participants and their organizations, and the learnings that will help improve the program as it expands.


EVALUATION METHODSTobin Belzer, PhD, took an exploratory approach to investigating and articulating the transformative processes and initial outcomes of the ODL pilot. This inquiry was designed to gather empirical evidence to contribute to key stakeholders’ understanding about how, and to what extent, cohort members effectively employed a user-centric approach that enabled them to engage a broader demographic of students.

DATA COLLECTION

A triangulation of methods was used to collect data:

» Participant observations, including informal interviews, were conducted at the second cohort gathering.

» Baseline and follow-up output data were internally collected at key moments during and after the pilot.

» In-depth, open-ended interviews were conducted with a total of 24 key stake-holders, including two to three leaders from each campus, Springboard fellows, students, and the ODL change- management consultant.

» Analysis of program-related docu-ments provided background informa-tion and context.

DATA ANALYSIS

» Data was collected about what variables contributed to and detracted from the efficacy of the transforma-tional process on their campuses.

» A retrospective methodology was utilized to assess individuals’ self-reported cognitive, affective and behavioral changes.

» Interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. In this method, findings were derived from themes that surface inductively.

» Data were analyzed by identifying recurring ideas using a series of codes, which are then grouped by theme.

» Quotes were selected because they articulate the sentiments of several respondents.


JEWISH AMERICAN LANDSCAPEJewish organizational life has historically played a critical role in ensuring the sustainability and longevity of the Jewish community. Yet, Jewish institutions have steadily fallen out of step with a large majority of our people, with our organiza-tional impact increasingly becoming insular and homogeneous. Jewish institutions now know they need to undergo significant changes and evolu-tions if there are to be relevant for the next gener-ation. How we think and behave as organizations will determine if we can continue to play our role as leaders in creating Jewish life for the future.

Our previous assumptions led us to believe that Jewish people will get involved in formal Jewish community based on a sense of responsibility and obligation. Although 94% of the broader Jewish demographic claim they are “proud to be Jewish,” we’ve seen a decrease in involvement, investment, and engagement from a wide spectrum of Jews. This has resulted in a separate formal Jewish com-munity, isolated from the vast majority of Jewish populations who are active and vibrant members of their broader communities.

75%

DID NOT ATTEND A JEWISH

DAY SCHOOL

CLAIM THEY ARE “PROUD TO

BE JEWISH”

COME FROM HOUSE-HOLDS WITH INTER-MARRIED PARENTS

HAVE CHRISTMAS TREES IN THEIR

HOMES

JEWS UNDER 40 WHO DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS HAVING NO RELIGION

55% 32%35%94%

JEW WITH MOSTLY NON-JEWISH

FRIENDS

75%

DATA FROM THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER, “A PORTRAIT OF JEWISH AMERICANS,” OCTOBER 2013


For the Jewish institutional world to better align itself with the needs, values, and passions of the broader Jewish population, fostering greater relevance, participation, and impact.

THE OPPORTUNITY


The Organizational Design Lab (ODL) was devel-oped based on the understanding that demo-graphic and social changes affecting Jewish identity have outpaced Jewish organizations’ ability to adapt. ODL aims to disrupt institutional stagnation by applying the principles and practices of design thinking to affect organization-al change at Hillels on university campuses across the US and Canada.

ODL was inspired by the fast and dramatic growth experienced at Tulane Hillel. The ODL program was developed and protoyped at Tulane Hillel by Executive Director, Yonah Schiller, ODL Founder and Senior Project Advisor. Using a design- thinking-inspired approach, they redesigned their institutional mindset, priorities, and operations. The success of their effort led to the two-year ODL pilot program, a replicable and scalable model that can be tailored to distinct organizations.

ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN LAB



ODL’s PROGRAM DESIGN

Eight Hillels took part in a two-year intensive program that fostered new ways of thinking about Jewish institution-building, supporting cohort members to establish a culture of strategic thinking and intentional organizational practices. Participating Hillels aimed to address both qualitative and quantitative areas of growth:

» Question working assumptions regarding programmatic drivers and outputs

» Revisit and redevelop priorities and working as-sumptions to chart the organizational direction

» Position themselves on campus for maximum relevancy, impact, and longevity

» Increase the numbers of students engaged

» Increase the diversity of students engaged

Hillels redesigned their inward- and outward- facing operations based on a user-centric organi-zational mindset and approach and a systematic change process. Inspired by design thinking, the ODL approach included five phases:

DISCOVERY

SYNTHESIS

IDEATION

PROTOTYPING

ITERATION


COHORT

Participating campuses varied by size: they are considered medium (3) and large (5), with popula-tions of approximately 5000 (Princeton University) to more than 70,000 (University of Toronto).

The Jewish student popula-tions ranged from 22% at Boston University to 1% at University of California, San Diego. The cohort included three private and five public institutions. Six of the campuses are residential and two are con-sidered commuter schools.

Participating Hillels were selected for the pilot through an application process. Campuses were chosen based on criteria related to their executive directors’ leadership qualities and record, desire to affect organizational change, and openness to experimentation.


KEY TOUCHPOINTSODL developed a highly adaptive curriculum, which was iterated on throughout the implemen-tation based on cohort experience and feedback. The educational arc was facilitated through bi-annual gatherings, site visits from ODL leaders, monthly webinars, bi-weekly video conference check-ins with ODL leaders, and ongoing coaching. Hillels were also provided with more than a dozen customizable tools and templates throughout the five phases of the process.

PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE CALLS EARLY SUMMER OF 2016

Scoping project together, sharing and reviewing information, requesting cohort feedback and beginning the pre-assessment process with the cohort participants.

KICK-OFF GATHERING IN NEW ORLEANS LATE SUMMER 2016

A three-day intensive meeting for the cohort to take a deep dive into the curriculum, the project’s process, and begin individual and cohort institutional design conversations.

SITE VISITS – DIAGNOSTIC FALL 2016

The Director and Senior Advisor engaged in organizational assessment visits to local Hillels, meeting with key stake-holders and developing comprehensive organizational understanding.

THEMATIC WEBINARS & GROUP CHATS ONGOING

While participants worked on their individual design and implementation plans, these webinars added value for cohort sharing, support and ideation.

INDIVIDUAL CALLS/CLIENT MANAGEMENTONGOING

The Director spoke regularly to each individual participant throughout the project, providing case management and working toward process progress.

DEVELOPMENT OF CUSTOMIZED DESIGN PLANS AND SUPPORTBEGINNING AFTER SITE VISITS

Working with the Director, participants developed their campus design plans. Together they set goals, identified priori-ties and established operating processes and organizational infrastructure.


THE JOURNEY

Each campus prototyped meth-odologies that would enable them to co-create initiatives and events that are grounded in students’ interests and values. The Hillels all designed proto-types that shared some common features: year-long community-

building experiences that activate students to generate experiences for their peers and the larger campus community by providing per-sonalized support in the form of mentorship, coaching, and leadership retreats.

Hillel leaders first engaged in a wide-ranging process of self- assessment. Using templates provided by ODL, they gathered data to better understand: the social and demographic land-scape of their campuses, Hillel student and staff demographics, and student identity trends.

Then staff teams engaged in an empathy-based discovery pro-cess that involved interviewing a broad range of constituents on their campuses. To understand the texture of students’ lives, staff members conducted hour-long strategic empathy inter-views with 30-100 individuals. Interviews sought to learn about Jewish students who have rarely or never interacted with Hillel.

Questions were formulated to better understand students’ day-to-day lives: how these stu-dents spend their energy, with whom they spend their time, and what values inform their behavioral choices. Interviews also gathered data from a broad audience of faculty, administra-tors, and students to learn about their perceptions of Hillel.

DISCOVERY SYNTHESIS

IDEATION

PROTOTYPING

ITERATION

Staff teams from each Hillel were then supported to articu-late insights about broader student narratives and the trans-formative opportunities they pose. These insights informed the development of structures and methods for engaging a broader diversity of students.

These findings were used to generate ideas about how to leverage their resources to provide value to the entire campus community.

Hillels are continuing to hone and refine their platforms through an ongoing iterative process. Some Hillels have subsequently embarked on a second round of discovery.


OUTCOMES


Participation in the ODL Pilot resulted in numerous outcomes for students, staff members and organizations alike. All eight Hillels increased the breadth and depth of student engagement. New modes of involvement were created, and a greater diversity of stu-dents participated. The experience influenced staff members’ ori-entation to their work and affected their professional paths. Hillels’ workplace dynamics and organizational culture also improved. Here we’ve outlined the findings from the external evaluation.


Median increase in number of

students engaged six or more times

DEPTH

Median increase in number of

students engaged at least once

BREADTH



Hillels increased the breadth and depth of student engagement.Over the course of the ODL process, every Hillel increased the number of students they engaged at least once. Two schools saw particularly dra-matic increases in students who engaged at least once. Additionally, ODL also enabled every Hillel to increase the number of students engaged six or more times. Four schools enjoyed increases of over 100%.

Data collected six months after the end of the pilot indicated that engagement numbers are continuing to flourish. Data available from five Hillels showed they are on track to match or exceed their 2017-2018 depth and breadth oriented engagement numbers.

STUDENTS: INCREASED ENGAGEMENT


+7%

+10 %

+17%

+41%

+22%

+55%

+41%

+127%

+74%

+202%

+204%

+243%

+390%

+7400%

157

0

770

75

236

49

717

168

214

47

373

142

640

56

902

127

245

320

300

496

319

107

373

151

1976

173

2122

191

THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS THEY ENGAGED

ALL HILLELS INCREASED

ALL HILLELS INCREASEDTHE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS THEY ENGAGED

SIX OR MORE TIMES

AT LEAST ONCE

DATA WAS COLLECTED FROM SEVEN OF THE EIGHT HILLELS IN THE ODL PROGRAM

2015-16 2017-18


“Our numbers have continued to grow. It’s just snowballed!”“Our Hillel changed dramatically. You wouldn’t recognize it. The foot traffic in the building used to be 5 student regulars. Now it’s the same 30-70 people. We get huge numbers for Shabbat: one hundred students every week…and that’s huge for a commuter school.”

“Three years ago, we had ten people at Shabbat dinner. We recently had a dinner with 85 students and it continues to blossom. Before this we had given up trying and had written off Shabbat dinners.”


Hillels increased the diversity of students engaged.

STUDENTS: DIVERSIFIED ENGAGEMENT

Adopting a user-centered mindset enabled Hillels to serve an increasingly broad array of students and expand their reach on campus. Staff members employed an iterative approach that enabled them to be responsive to students’ interests, perspectives, and feedback. The adaptable nature of the ODL method makes it sustainable, even with the continuous cycle of students arriving and graduating.

For some Hillels, the change was dramatic. The influx of new students brought vibrant energy that revitalized Jewish life on campus. Bringing in more diverse student voices has begun to change the organizational culture at some Hillels. Respondents mentioned engaging greater numbers of Jews of color, Israelis, Persians, non-Jews, gender non-binary students and those involved in Greek life. Students who experienced themselves outside or on the fringes of Jewish life now feel a sense of belonging. By bringing along their peers, newly involved students are continuing to amplify the expanded reach.


“We’ve seen a culture change. We are reaching people who didn’t think they belonged here.”“There are cross over social groups that are coming together: Israelis, Persians, non-Jews, and Greeks. I was blown away by the number and diversity of students who want to participate [in the prototype]”… We had a big aha moment where we looked at the leadership cohort and realized that almost 30% of the students were Jews of color. That was telling us our efforts to connect with a broader range of students was working.”

“Before this, the [student] board was only interested in being the ‘in-crowd’, and were not interested in reaching out. It went from a board of 12 to 40 students who were less connected to the institutional Jewish community.”

“We’ve seen a greater diversity of students in terms of observance level, gender, and Greeks. Before it was the same nebishy people. Because we emphasized inclusivity, we had a student who was part of Challah for Hunger who wasn’t Jewish. We were welcoming and she loved the program. Because of that, she brought her Jewish sorority sisters to Hillel.”

“We have a non-binary student who is having a b’nai mitzvah in the spring. We’re focusing on bringing in the most fringe groups.”

“It’s broadened who we reach. You meet more diverse people and they drive the car. They want to be the leaders and they’ve started to see themselves that way.”


The user-centered approach influenced the quality of student engagement.

STUDENTS: NEW ENGAGEMENT MODEL

Respondents described how their definition of success shifted from counting the number of stu-dents who attend to focusing on how participat-ing affects students’ lives. Rather than promoting participation, staff directed their energy toward empowering students to drive the development of programs.

Almost every Hillel reported providing a greater diversity of programs. In addition to Shabbat,

holiday, and Jewish educational offerings, Hillels increased their programs focused on activism, arts, athletics, community-building, entrepre-neurship, environmental issues, food, leadership training, LGBTQ, and wellness.

Students who see themselves as Hillel leaders are increasingly diverse. Every Hillel increased the percentage of student leaders who do not have extensive Jewish educational backgrounds.


7

90

69

190

7

52

59

142

16

23

58

71

15

20

35

17

38

15

53

40

24

12

37

25

115

3

97

57

ALMOST EVERY HILLEL INCREASED THE NUMBER OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL

STUDENT LEADERS2015-16 2017-18

ALMOST EVERY HILLEL INCREASED THE NUMBER OF

STUDENT-INITIATED PROGRAMS

DATA WAS COLLECTED FROM SEVEN OF THE EIGHT HILLELS IN THE ODL PROGRAM


“Our building is full every day which wasn’t the case before. People hang out here now.”“We’ve run more programs than ever, and they are all student run programs. Before I was much more focused on: “are we going to hit our recruitment goal?” Now, my benchmark/goal is: how many students’ lives are we changing?”

“Before, at the end of every year, students board members were frustrated, and left having had bad experiences. This is the first year students felt proud and excited about what they did.”

“The first year we had 40 Jewish social entrepreneurs. …We wanted to help them do what they wanted to do better. For example we used to do a Hanukah night club party in the middle of exams every year. When we asked students, we learned they were interested in latkas and chill at lunch. They wanted a klezmer band and exam de-stressors. We had 60 people… a whole other group of people who don’t usually come.”

“Our staff started to manage people not programs. …We had 50 students who start-ed 25 initiatives and we supported them. Then we doubled the size of [the prototype] and we had 115 student doing 35 projects with several staff members managing them. There were six tracks focused on different themes.”


The discovery process challenged Hillel staff members to examine their long-held beliefs.

STUDENTS: TRANSFORMED PERSPECTIVES

Engaging directly with students enabled ODL participants to challenge the assumptions that drive their work. They asked different questions and listened to the perspectives of a broader range of students. Their belief that students are reluctant consumers of Jewish community was disrupted. This process helped respondents recognize that many of the stories they had been telling themselves about students’ needs and interests were false.

As they dismantled their collective myths, they also investigated the ways in which their erroneous ideas informed their organizational strategies. The discovery process resulted in a mindset shift among staff that changed their approach to serving students. They realized their assumptions had become obstacles to change and growth. Learning about students’ needs and challenges enabled staff members to engage them more effectively.


“We dispelled lots of myths. We thought they wanted a break from Judaism.”“We were concerned about making our Hillel “too Jewish.” We were hesitant to use Hebrew, because we wanted to be accessi-ble. That assumption colored everything, so once we dispelled that, we shifted how we do programming. In reality, students wanted prayers on Shabbat. They wanted to be in a Jewish space and they wanted to learn.”

“We learned we were dealing with high student crises compared to other campus-es. They don’t have the skillset, wellness, or support to survive and the campus doesn’t have resources. We were dealing with students who were coming out in

intersectional ways, have mental health issues and face housing insecurity. They were lost and isolated and needed a place to go.”

“Through Discovery we realized we were wrong about where students were and what they were involved with. So many of our students were involved in [an inter-national NGO] that we didn’t even know about. We didn’t even know that was a thing students cared about, and figured out a lot of our Jewish student leaders were involved. As a result of that learning, we did some Discovery with their leaders so we could learn more.”

“We didn’t appreciate how unfriendly the university is to undergrads. We learned from our empathy interviews: classes are all over the place and hard to get to. The geography of the school is unruly and that means social experiences are difficult. We also learned that people didn’t know what Hillel was.”


Their shift in mindset changed leaders’ orientation to their work.

STAFF: SHIFTED MINDSETS

Once myths were dispelled, Hillel leaders were able to attend more directly to their students’ diverse needs. They were able to make strategic decisions based on students’ lived experiences, rather than on their preconceived assumptions. In some cases, staff members’ roles and job descriptions changed. Developing authentic relationships with students became a stronger priority. Staff members were more oriented toward supporting students to be their best selves within a Jewish context. They realized that creating a more inclusive Hillel is key to support-ing their communities to thrive.

Respondents described how they are using design thinking to approach a wide range of orga-nizational challenges. In addition to transforming their approach to student engagement, respon-dents described how they used design thinking to renovate their space, address major strategic challenges, and envision their careers.


“It forced us to ask bigger and harder questions.”“It changed the way I approach my work at Hillel. I felt like all my training was about getting people to come to things. What I loved about design thinking was: the goal was to understand what students care about and understand where Hillel could fit. My relationships with students are now a lot more meaningful. I started to see myself as more of a mentor than a personal shlepper.”

“It was about shifting how we think about creating Jewish community on campus. We realized that a large part of the solution was that Jews and non-Jews would help Hillel thrive. It was mind-blowing.”

“It gave us a new lens to set visions for the organization and for us to coalesce around. It’s a framework around mentoring and activating students. It’s not about: what theme Shabbat should we do? Instead its about: what are you passionate about? And then we help offer a Jewish frame.”

“It’s changed our staff roles and the way we engage students. We’ve increased the number of students and how students are owning their experience. We changed job titles and descriptions. Their primary role is as mentors. They are not doing program-ming themselves anymore. Their job is to inspire students to create by activating their passion.”

“We let go of the ‘should’ model of student engagement. Our job is not about telling people what they should be doing. It’s not about getting more students engaging with Israel and Shabbat. It’s about creating an environment where they choose that. It’s that they feel welcomed and empow-ered and that transforms how they relate to community. They feel proud but ill-equipped and disempowered. My job is to empower them.”


The process influenced the language staff used to talk about their work.

STAFF: CHANGED LANGUAGE

The change process provided a vocabulary to articulate their organizational approach. Respon-dents recognized the importance of aligning their language with their intentions. They more deeply understood that their ability to achieve their goals

was influenced by how they talk about their work and their constituents. Staff members learned that attentiveness to language when engaging with students can be a valuable asset.


“Before we ‘planned’, now we ‘learn’ what are students interested in.”“We have a shared language when we onboard our innovation specialists. Language is so important. … I used to talk about how we foster Jewish identity. Now we talk about realizing students’ existing passions in a Jewish context. We enable and empower folks to own Judaism. We realized our power and authority is linked to our ability to understand students’ needs.”

“[ODL] completely changed the way we talk about Hillel. Design thinking has its own language and methodology. Discovery interviews, iterations… it changed our language and the method.”

“We stopped wondering why so few stu-dents showed up and stopped trying to convince them to come. We stopped using

“get involved” which implies you’ll be asked to do something and creates an insider/outsider paradigm which is alienating.”

“Because we want to be radically inclusive and we don’t want to turn people off, we now talk about engaging students instead of saying we’re a place for Jewish students. We wouldn’t have done that before. That was a big scary moment.”


The experience enriched and improved staff dynamics.

STAFF: IMPROVED DYNAMICS

The ODL process supported the articulation of objectives and the development of concrete strat-egies to achieve outcomes. Having a collective understanding of their goals gave staff members a shared sense of purpose that reinvigorated their work and influenced them to work more effectively as individuals and as teams.

ODL influenced hiring processes, onboarding and supervision. Participating increased organi-zational efficiency, clarified roles and enriched collaboration. Staff teams took risks and devel-oped greater trust. The experience provided opportunities for Hillel professionals at all levels to grow their leadership. Supervisors improved their ability to manage, support and empower their team. Staff members took on more responsi-bility and showed more initiative.


“We’re figuring it out and learning together which is fun and humbling.”

“ODL has helped provide a foundation for us to be a senior management team rather than an executive director and an associate director. It’s made me more confident in [my associate director’s] ability to step in so I can step back and do what I need to do.”

“All of our meeting structures have changed. We’ve changed our supervision structures for our students and each other. Its more holistic: it starts with wellness, weekly wins, and challenges.”

“We did great work and it was very collabo-rative. Each of us took the lead on different parts. I learned how to help them grow. It brought us closer because we had a shared vision we believed in and it created a pro-ductive team atmosphere. It was our joint project that we all had ownership of.”

“My staff are excited by the work. We’ve evolved the process of onboarding. We orient them to what are we about and why and what does that look like. We get their buy-in and it empowers them to flourish.”

“It shaped how I supervise people. I trust the people I supervise more now. I’ve learned a lot about power and authority. I’ve learned to compromise.”

“We changed our hiring process based on design thinking. We have students involved now, and ask different questions. I shared our “How Might We” statement and asked them to share how they would start to figure out what the answers are. It was surprising how few people thought to ask students what they want.”


Participating improved staff members’ outlook.

STAFF: ENHANCED OUTLOOKS

Implementing the ODL process increased staff members’ sense of investment in their work. They felt more effective in their roles because they could clearly see how their professional efforts positively affected outcomes for students and for their Hillels.

Staff members improved their attitudes toward their work: they were less frustrated and more fulfilled in their roles. ODL also influenced staff retention. For some, a consequence of participa-tion was their desire to remain in their jobs.


“I’m most proud of the work I did for the past two years. It re-energized and inspired me.”“I’m better for having participated. I love creativity, so giving me the opportunity to help the students come out of their shell aligned perfectly with what I love doing. Asking students what they are interested in and helping them bring it to life made my experience in my job better. I’m very grateful.”

“I attribute a lot of my happiness at work because of ODL. I stayed…I was so excited by all the things we implemented.”

“ODL mitigated some of frustration of the staff and they stayed instead of leaving. They told me they want to stick around to see what happened.”

“The year before, I was about to quit. I was exhausted when we entered this. We were leading without student ownership. I would have burnt out, and couldn’t continue with that model. Without ODL, I wouldn’t have stayed.”

“We created a space to look at our work honestly. We wanted to make things better and we needed more information and a model. I was going to be very unhappy if we hadn’t committed to making these changes. I wouldn’t still be in this role. If we weren’t going to be organization-ally brave I wouldn’t still be in the work.”


The experience influenced leaders’ career trajectories and self-conceptions.

STAFF: INFLUENCED CAREERS

Hillel professionals gained insights about their career interests and affirmed their professional choices. Several respondents mentioned how ODL taught them transferable skills and tools they intend to continue to apply to their work. They gained perspective about the Jewish communal sector.

They gained experience and competency teaching design thinking. They have facilitated workshops with staff and students at different organizations across their campuses. Since taking part in the cohort, two respondents have launched design thinking-oriented consulting practices.


“Design thinking is an amazing framework that will now infuse my work wherever I end up.”“Before this, I would never want to be an ED, because of what I thought that meant. That’s shifting. Now I’m considering and exploring that, because now I know this is possible.”

“I learned this was a career I really wanted to be in. When I started working at Hillel, it was because I fell into it. I thought I would be here for a couple of years. But through this process, I learned that I want to be a Jewish professional.”

“[The ODL experience] raised my standards. It made me more aware of the Jewish professional world, and I have to say, I’m disappointed by the work other Jewish organizations are doing.”


Participating gave emerging Jewish professionals opportunities to excel.

STAFF: EMPOWERED STAFF

Junior staff members described how participating in ODL served as vital professional development. They gained experience and confidence in them-selves as leaders. Participating in the process of organizational change inspired them.

ODL gave them unique access and exposure to leaders in the field who became mentors. They developed and enhanced their professional reputations. The experience positively influenced their perceptions of Hillel.


“This was the most inspiring thing I’ve done in the Hillel world. I got to step forward as the project lead.” “[Through ODL], I was exposed to how oth-er schools operate. People around me were noticing things I was doing. It elevated me as an innovative thinker in the Hillel world and gave me a spotlight. I was inspired by Yonah and he was a mentor for me.”

“Being a young Hillel professional, I’ve been exposed [by ODL] to countless men-tors. I love working with Charlie. I’m build-ing relationships with senior professionals. We’re problem solving as colleagues and working together to transform Hillel from the inside.”

“As a new professional, I had doubts about Hillel. As a student, Hillel wasn’t my space. ODL was people trying to make change within. It allowed me to critique Hillel and engage in it to try to improve things. ODL held us to a greater standard and pushed us to be better professionals, better people, better Jews.”

“[ODL] was one of the first times I was in spaces with executive leadership and treat-ed as an expert. I really benefited from being in those conversations. I was a young assistant director and our executive direc-tor brought me along. It changed the way I walk into spaces as a younger professional: I’m confident to share my opinion in a way I wouldn’t have before. I learned I should trust my instincts. I anticipated things that weren’t going to work and they didn’t and I learned to speak up about it.”


Coupling the ODL experience with the Springboard Fellowship proved especially beneficial.

ORGANIZATION: LEVERAGED OPPORTUNITY

The Springboard Fellowship is a paid, two-year fellowship that brings recent college grads to college campuses across North America to reimagine and redesign Jewish student life. Trained in Design Thinking methodology, Fellows are charged with sparking new ideas on campus and helping to infuse creative innovation into all aspects of Hillel’s work.

Campuses participating in ODL provided a labora-tory for Fellows to apply their Springboard inno-vation training. Hillels appreciated the addition of a staff person who received training and support to actualize design thinking on their campuses. Fellows also benefited from additional mentoring and supervision from the ODL staff.


“Unlike other Fellows, my Hillel knew about design thinking and was signed on to the process. I got double the training.”“We strongly pursued having a Springboard Fellow. Because of ODL, we are the best landing spot for them. They get trained in design thinking and we can provide a great experience for them because we speak that language.”

“As a Springboard Fellow, I’d recommend that any school applying for Springboard should also do ODL. Sharing the mindset is important. I had more support and was at a different stage of work than other Springboard Fellows.”

“I really appreciated the mentorship ses-sions with Charlie and Yonah. They pushed us to try things. They helped me stick up for myself with my ED and hold my high-er-ups accountable. I had a very different experience than the other Springboard Fellows.”


ODL increased Hillels’ footprint on campus and off.

ORGANIZATION: INCREASED FOOTPRINT

Staff and students formed relationships with individuals across their campuses and developed new organizational partnerships. Respondents mentioned how their participation in ODL led to partnerships with multi-faith groups, LGBTQ groups, counseling services, and offices of student life. A respondent mentioned that they plan to give a presentation about their user- centered organizational change process to the vice president of student affairs. Another connected with their campus’ design thinking office for the first time.

Several people mentioned how ODL enabled them to be more discerning about partnerships. When approached by external organizations offering to bring speakers to campuses, they began to make programming decisions by first gauging student interest.

Hillels in the pilot received recognition for their work from their universities, the Schusterman International Center, and their local communities. Participating in ODL also helped them raise funds.


“Now we’re seen as a leader in terms of what student groups can accomplish.”

“I got an email today from the Muslim Life program. They are going to replicate what we are doing. They see that empow-ering students to create for themselves is a great idea.”

“We were practicing inclusivity which led to different connections and more relationship and we won a Student Govern-ment Association award for collaboration.”

“I built a relationship with the director of the multi-faith center and we got funding for an intern who works on interfaith programming based at Hillel.”

“People on campus were interested and they saw our clear vision. It elevated us and the way people thought about what we were doing.


The cohort evolved into an ongoing community of practice.

ORGANIZATION: DEVELOPED COLLABORATORS

ODL helped respondents understand their work in the context of a larger movement. They see them-selves as part of a vibrant network and feel proud to be counted among their colleagues. They in-creased their confidence in their ability as leaders

and change agents. They developed important relationships with colleagues across the ODL net-work. They actively seek and provide support to one another.


“My connection with people in the cohort is the biggest personal take away from ODL.”“I have more confidence because the people in the cohort are tremendous. We’re supporting each other’s success and it helps to dispel my imposter syndrome. The cohort is who I call.”

“Two people in the cohort won an Exemplars of Excellence award from Hillel. I felt proud and identi-fied with them.”

“The main benefit for me has been the professional networking. ODL has given me a cohort and the ability to build relationships with people who are doing big things in the Hillel movement.”

“I’m proud to have been part of a group of Hillels willing to redesign what Hillel looks like from the ground up. I’m proud to be within the movement. I know I can call on other leaders who are committed to what is important to me.”

“When I have a problem, I think: what would Charlie say? He’s very smart. He’s an academic, sociologist, and caring rabbi. I appreciate his hu-mility. Everything we came up with was challenged: he asked insightful questions to make sure we were being true to our vision. He did it in a way that was supportive. He let us make our own decisions. He used humor a lot. Our conversations were deep with laughter. I felt comfortable sharing my insecurities.”

“It feels like we are on the vanguard. We’re some of the most innovative Hillels out there and they were great colleagues. Charlie is one of the most valuable mentors I’ve ever had. It gave me confidence. Doing this helped me grow my reputation. I started to get recognition in the SIC movement. I was noticed locally too.”


LEARNINGS


During the formal program evaluation—and through informal conversations and observations throughout the pilot—team members described the process and the challenges they faced as they implemented the organizational change program. That feedback has been compiled as a set of insights to strengthen the ODL program and increase its impact going forward.


ADOPTING A USER-CENTERED, ITERATIVE APPROACH REQUIRES THE COURAGE TO CEDE CONTROL AND TAKE RISKS.

Resistance to change from various stakeholders was often the biggest hurdle. Some felt more comfortable with a new process than others. Teams experienced pushback from students, colleagues, supervisors and from donors and board members. Some teams reflected on their own lingering resistance to change.

BUY-IN FROM THE ENTIRE STAFF IS CRITICAL, BUT SOMETIMES NOT REALISTIC.

Several participants asserted that achieving buy-in from the entire staff is essential. Others did not see widespread buy-in as a possibility in their Hillels, and worked to make substan-tive change despite that. For some, the process of achieving buy-in from staff members was ongoing. They expressed concern that staff members would be inclined to “go back to the antiquated models.”

IT’S HARD TO CONVEY LEARNINGS TO STAKEHOLDERS WHO AREN’T GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS THEMSELVES.

Some leaders struggled to effectively convey to peers what they learned during gatherings at Tulane Hillel. For some, ODL leaders’ site visits were pivotal moments in the process—they made the process more concrete for staff members who had not been at the gatherings. And seeing their campuses from ODL leaders’ perspectives was a particularly effective teach-ing tool.

THE PACE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE CAN BE SLOW AND REQUIRES PATIENCE.

Several respondents remarked about the slow pace of organizational change. Some Hillels are implementing the old and new models simultaneously. A couple of respondents men-tioned their Hillels’ continued struggle to resist the “tyranny of immediacy.” They expressed frustration that they cannot allot more staff time to support their prototype.

STAFF MEMBERS WANT ONGOING SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE TAILORED TO THEIR ORG.

As Hillels continue to engage in the iterative process, staff members expressed the need for ongoing support. A couple said they needed more support for deconstructing their entrenched organizational practices from the beginning. Others wanted guidance about how to most effectively engage in a change process that is not organization-wide.

TEAM MEMBERS VALUE THE RELATIONSHIPS THEY’VE DEVELOPED WITH OTHERS IN THE COHORT.

Respondents are grateful that ODL leaders are still making themselves available and they have continue to reach out to one another. A couple mentioned their desire to engage with subsequent cohorts to expand the network of support for Hillels are engaged in transformative change.

TEAMS DON’T KNOW HOW TO TELL THE STORY OF THEIR CHANGE PROCESS.

Several asserted that they have not yet mastered how to effectively tell the story of their change process and would like support in that area.

INSIGHTS


CONCLUSION


The ODL pilot program has shown that this process leads to increased participation, relevancy, and growth. As organizations seek more effective strategies to engage a wider audience, ODL’s user-centered approach can be leveraged toward broader impact. Hillels and other organizations can become a magnet and a conve-ner, because the constituents helped to create its identity and have co-authored its programming and organizational culture.


NEXT STEPS

12

3ITERATEContinue Cohort work to increase field-wide impact and value creation for national Hillel ecosystem.

EXPANDDesign and implement key processes/methodologies to benefit larger Hillel field.

EXPLOREIdentify applications for other institutional challenges inside and outside of Jewish communal space.


Members of the pilot cohort have been acknowledged and awarded for their efforts both in and outside of the larger Hillel ecosystem. Hillels and staff members have received recognition for their leadership from the Schusterman International Center, their uni-versities, and their local Jewish communities.

This initial pilot was generously funded by the One8 Foundation and CLAL: The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. Recognizing the transformative potential of ODL, the One8 Foundation and Schusterman International Center have partnered to support the second cohort, which is currently underway.

RECOGNITION


CREDITSFOUNDER AND CHIEF PROJECT ADVISORYONAH SCHILLER

Yonah is the Executive Director of Tulane Hillel. He provided the vision and overall supervision for the ODL pilot through ongoing strategic consultation, site visits, cohort trainings, and thought partnerships with all Hillel participants. Contact: [email protected]

DIRECTORCHARLIE BUCKHOLTZ

Charlie is a rabbi, author, educator, and leader, with over 15 years of Jewish community- building experience. Charlie worked directly with each local Hillel, leading all day-to-day operations, as well as maintaining cohort- wide ongoing support, counsel and training. Contact: [email protected]

PROJECT CONSULTANTSTREPWISE

trepwise is an organizational growth consul-tancy firm based in New Orleans specializing in change management and growth strategy. They provided additional strategic, training, and logistical assistance.

KATIE MATTHEWS

Katie is an independent consultant who uses research and stories to inspire design for clients in consumer goods, education, public sector and technology industries. She led workshops at ODL cohort gatherings.

EXTERNAL EVALUATOR TOBIN BELZER, PHD

Tobin conducted the final evaluation of the ODL pilot. She is an applied sociologist whose research and program evaluations have focused on experiential education, leadership training, organizational culture, congregation-al studies, Jewish identity, among other areas.

EXTERNAL CONTRIBUTOR ELLEN SITKIN

Ellen is an independent design and strategy consultant who uses visual language and design thinking to help colleagues, clients, and end-users articulate problems and explore solutions. She provided editorial support and visual design for the final report.

https://www.tulanehillel.org/yonah-schiller/

http://trepwise.com/

https://crcc.usc.edu/people/tobin-belzer/

https://www.ellensitkin.com/


FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT YONAH SCHILLER

[email protected]

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