Strategy

SCARF  ::  Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness In last week’s Tuesday Reading, we introduced the concept that our brains have developed in such a way that we are extremely sensitive to threats from change and ambiguity.  We noted how our brains are constantly scanning our environment to detect such threats at a rapid rate.  We […]

Earlier this summer, on June 14, MOR Associates hosted a virtual conference focused on the theme Reimagining IT as University Needs and Technology Evolves.  There we heard from five university CIOs about the changes underway at their universities.  [Their remarks can be found here.]  Two weeks ago, in the Tuesday Reading Revolutionary Relationships, I asked, as we did […]

Today’s Tuesday Reading, “Plusing Up” and the Princess Doll, is an essay by Jerry Wood, Director of Information Technology, for Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Michigan.  The essay first appeared as a program reflection earlier this year.   One of my biggest professional passions is providing great customer service.  I think it’s an art […]

Yesterday was the 240th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  This document announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule, and instead in a […]

… at this year’s commencement exercises This year’s spring graduation season has come to an end.  About 4,700 degree granting public and private, two and four year institutions awarded some 2.8 million degrees at their commencement exercises.  And, every one of these gatherings had speakers that spoke of not giving into the darkness and despair of […]

On June 14, the MOR Virtual Conference brought together over 1,200 leaders from over 25 universities to jump-start the discussion on “Reimagining IT.” From MOR’s vantage point the rate of change in the external environment is accelerating. We believe universities need to respond to this by exploring how their IT communities can work collaboratively to […]

Video Library from the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference: 1. Conference Opening Video 2. The Essence of Leadership – General Colin Powell 3. Digital Transformation — We Havent Seen Anything Yet – Andrew McAfee 4. Bruce Maas, University of Wisconsin-Madison 5. Len Peters, Yale University 6. Sue Workman, Case Western Reserve University 7. John Gohsman, Washington University in St. Louis […]

Bruce Maas, Vice Provost for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, at the University of Wisconsin, keynote video at the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference. Forces and Trends Part I and II. Video of Bruce Maas, University of Wisconsin-Madison, MOR Leaders Conference – Part 1 Video of Bruce Maas, University of Wisconsin-Madison, MOR Leaders Conference – […]

Len Peters, CIO and Associate Vice President at Yale University, keynote video for the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference. Video of Len Peters, Yale University, MOR Leaders Conference    

Steve Fleagle, University of Iowa, CIO and Director of Information Technology Services at the University of Iowa, keynote video for the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference. Video of Steve Fleagle, University of Iowa, MOR Leaders Conference  

John Gohsman, Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Washington University in St. Louis keynote video for the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference. Video of John Gohsman, WashU, MOR Leaders Conference To learn more about the program the team at Wash U is working on, please visit: http://itservicesprogram.wustl.edu/

Last week, many of us participated in the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference, Reimagining IT as University Needs and Technology Evolve.  There we were encouraged to think about our university’s IT and what it could become.  And, we were asked to identify one idea that we each could take action on?  I want to take this […]

Today’s Tuesday Reading, Who I think about as “My Leader,” is an essay by Paula Torres, Senior Educational Design Technologist, Global Learning and Innovation, NYU Information Technology.  Her essay first appeared as a program reflection last year. The one person I think of when I think of leadership was not my manager, supervisor, or even […]

The important thing is not to stop questioning…  Never lose a holy curiosity.         – Albert Einstein During World War II when I was a young boy, we lived with my mother’s parents while my father worked about 100 miles away in an oil refinery and commuted back to our small town […]

Every one of us has, at one time or another, disappointed a colleague or friend.  No matter how hard you try, sometimes a deadline will be missed or a commitment not met.  Many of these misses don’t carry huge consequences – almost always some disappointment, sometimes inconvenience, and perhaps some loss of credibility.  And, some […]

Overcoming a Bad One The very first exercise we do in the MOR Leaders Programs is one on first impressions.  Sit or stand in a circle, take notes on the first impression you have of the individuals in your circle, add some notes about the first impression that you think you create, and share.  For […]

Not the grit you think of in “gritty from hard work in a grimy, greasy environment.”  But rather, it’s the grit that Angela Duckworth defines, in her 2013 TED Talk, “as the passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.”  In this view, grit is having stamina, it is sticking with your future, day in, day […]

Today’s Tuesday Reading – Use the 4Is, or expect our history to repeat itself – is an essay by Richard Knepper, Manager, Campus Bridging and Research Infrastructure, Research Technologies, University Information Technology, Indiana University.  His original essay first appeared as a program reflection last year.   At the beginning of this year I was coming off […]

The attached is part of a series of case studies supporting our clients as they recognize leading change is a campaign and engaging others in that process is critical as they move ideas forward in their environment.   Enjoy!  And thanks to Jim Willson from MSU for partnering with us on this write up. MSU-Case-Study-Building-Leadership-Community.pdf

You can find many lists of leadership competencies.  Some result from a careful examination of the work in a particular job family or from role descriptions.  Some come from discussions about what it takes to be a really good leader in a mid-level position at, say, an education institution.  Other lists are developed based on […]