Preparing for Change

In summary of Section II it has been determined that processes for schools preparing for change involve reassessing what business they are in and involving all stakeholders for commitment to the change endeavor. A major key to effective change is learning, which is discussed in more detail in section IV - Maximize with Learning. Electronic practice fields designed with team learning in mind and designed to resemble real work situation(s) are effective for building high-performance teams. Electronic practice fields allow compression of time and space by manipulating multiple variables simultaneously. Electronic practice fields also eliminate the one person thinking and talking at one time while offering a simulation of reality.

Team core competencies are unique skills and technologies for effective technology teaming. Team core competencies need to be correlated to services and are required for sustaining core values. Technology teams are mission-focused, and their technologies need to be user-driven in the sense that they can be adapted by team members themselves. Technology teams utilize technology systems that communicate with each other through continuous changes in processes and technologies. Information technology systems must be flexible for designing not only present work, but also future work.

Organizational memory is expanded with the use of team-support technologies that also enables building team memory. Technologies capture and store a record of communication and provide a repository of shared documents and other information for later work and learning. High-performance is possible with the knowledge of knowing where to route information and where to locate information for later use. Through technology, teamwork becomes more visible to team members, and new members can be integrated more quickly with access to the team's interaction history. Organizational memory contains hard data as well as participatory data that utilizes full-text retrieval systems.

Telepresence and interpersonal computing eliminates requirements of face-to-face meetings. This requires a paradigm shift of becoming accustomed to communicating and collaborating with people through technology and a shift in mindset toward sensing the presence of others being at the other end of their technological tools. There are generally two types of technologies used for telepresence (group and environmental telepresence). Group presence is one that is related to the quality of communications use by group members and supported by the technology. Environmental telepresence attempts to engage participants in the environment of the task or operation.

Training technology teams requires users sharing their experiences. Readily available resources such as online help systems are helpful for training technology teams because the natural work environment of technology teams is in digital space and time without physical boundaries. Multiple modes of communication are the means for developing relationships virtually in cyberspace, and the cumulative effects of interactions in cyberspace help teams reach levels of high-performance. Virtual relationships are as real as face-to-face relationships and encompass emotions such as feelings of belonging to a prestigious group or trust in fellow team members.

Technology teams are self-managing because of the nature of connecting online that requires a natural level of independence. Technology teams possess a strong element of shared leadership and require more than one strong leader because of the high levels of interdependence. Technology teams cannot grow and learn without emerging technologies, and the need to collaborate in new ways requires new technologies for teams to succeed.

Section I - Extend with Technology
	Teams	Technology	Learning
Preparing for Change	Change is easier to implement with teams that have shared vision and goals.	Engaging stakeholders with hands-on experiences can facilitate people accepting the new technologies.	Developing learning teams. Learning in teams is an effective method for dealing with change.
Electronic Practice Fields	Like other types of teams, practice is performed in close to real work environments.	Enables real work environments for practice.	Learning occurs through team processes without fear of consequences.
Team Core Competencies	Team core competencies are required to sustain core values and accomplish core goals.	Core competencies are the unique skills and technologies required for effective technology teaming.	Learning is one core competency necessary for building learning teams.
Technology Teams	Higher levels of performance are possible with teams using technology.	Technology facilitates and enhances teaming processes of learning and performing work.	Captured teamwork results in learning for new team members and the school organization.
Organizational Memory	Teams contribute more to the organization through captured learning and processes.	Enables the capturing of learning and team processes automatically.	Learning that is captured as the result of using technologies.
Virtual Teaming	Using a combination of real-life teaming and new teaming skills for enhanced learning and performance.	Enables teaming without having to meet face-to-face.	Learning is continuous and ongoing instead of waiting until the "next meeting" to continue processes.
Training Technology Teams	Training members occurs anytime, anyplace without having to meet face-to-face.	Training is ongoing and perpetual with continuously changing technologies.	Learning is continuous with perpetual training for new and emerging technologies.

Last updated: March 10, 1998