Browsing by Subject "Improvement"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Assessing the Viability of a Business Improvement District in North St. Paul
    (Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2014-05-08) Boulay, William; Clarksen, Robert; Darnell, Charles
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    How schools can effectively plan to meet the goal of improving student learning.
    (2010-02) Grumdahl, Constance Rae
    Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify the impact on achievement when schools implement a continuous improvement model using Total Quality Management (TQM) principles aligned to strategic planning and the culture of the school. Data collection and analysis: The study combined qualitative and quantitative methods and was conducted in two phases. Three elementary schools within a suburban school district were the units of analysis in this case study. The district was chosen because of the stable commitment to training in TQM and because the researcher had access to data about the district, the schools and the initiative. The sampling intentionally selected schools representing varying levels of socioeconomic and cultural diversity. Phase I involved the administration of the University of Minnesota School Culture Survey. The questionnaire addressed the implementation of TQM principles and was administered to a total of 65 teachers in three schools. The surveys were analyzed for descriptive data. Commonalities and differences from the survey were used to develop the interview questions. Phase II involved fifteen teachers and three administrators from the three schools, drawing on the survey results and probing into the day to day experience of teachers and administrators facing the initiatives of school improvement planning. The principals of these schools were interviewed again at the conclusion of the study to update the sustainability of the continuous improvement efforts. The superintendent was also interviewed at this time to give a district perspective on student achievement over time. Findings: First, TQM principles have successfully been implemented in all three schools with an emphasis on a systems approach to increase student learning. Second, principals have a critical role in holding and sharing the vision, implementing shared leadership, providing professional development and utilizing data to drive instructional decisions. Third, with the implementation of quality tools, all schools demonstrated improvement. Higher levels of achievement were attained in schools with consistent enrollment and minimal demographic changes. Fourth, the combination of TQM principles, strategic planning and supportive school culture positively impact the achievement gap. The findings of this study are useful to teachers and administrators whose main goal is improving student learning.
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    Minnesota transit laboratory: phase 1 conclusions: improving transit service
    (1989) Stephanedes, Yorgos J.; Doumbia, Bangali
    The desire to increase the attractiveness and use of transit has led the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Center for Transportation Studies, and the Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering at the University of Minnesota to set up a Laboratory for developing improved service and encouraging innovation in transit. Prior to seeking improvement of transit operations and the attractiveness of public travel, the problems of the transit industry had to be clearly defined. To that effect, an initial set of eight problem areas was defined and prioritized on the basis of short- and long-term by a group of local experts. However, as seeking solution to all the problems hence defined would be a most demanding task, it was desirable to reduce the set to a more manageable size that included the problems that were well defined, important, feasible and desirable for analysis and solution in Minnesota and elsewhere. To conduct this analysis, a well known and proven methodology, the Delphi Technique, was used. The findings of the Delphi procedure indicate a prioritization that is, in principle, different from what was initially suggested by the group of local experts. Both groups - the Delphi participants and the local experts ? did concur on the ratings of a few problems (e.g., EFFECT OF COLD CLIMATE). The results of the Delphi procedure and the suggested prioritization of the local experts are exhibited on the following page.
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    Multiple levels of ambidexterity in managing the innovation-improvement dilemma: evidence from high technology organizations.
    (2009-06) Chandrasekaran, Aravind
    The goal of this dissertation is to understand how high technology organizations simultaneously innovate and improve to maintain a competitive advantage. Too much attention paid to innovation does not address the problems of today, while too much attention paid to improvement may not build a better tomorrow. Gaining a competitive advantage requires that organizations balance both innovation and improvement. Ambidexterity is one mechanism that allows organizations to achieve the proper balance of the two. However, theoretical knowledge on ambidexterity is relatively new. Toward this end, this dissertation develops a multilevel theory on organizational ambidexterity through three interrelated essays. The first essay, "Multiple Levels of Ambidexterity in Managing the Innovation and Improvement Dilemma: Evidence from Case Studies," adopts a grounded theory building approach using a case study design to develop a multilevel theory on organizational ambidexterity. Data for this study is collected from four high technology divisions and involves over 198 respondents. Both qualitative (53 semi-structured interviews) and quantitative data are collected from multiple levels within each division. Case study analyses indicate three complementary solutions to balancing: cognitive ambidexterity, contextual ambidexterity, and structural ambidexterity. Cognitive ambidexterity, a dynamic capability at the strategic level, facilitates decisions on the right balance of innovation and improvement. Contextual ambidexterity helps align decisions between the strategic and the project levels through disciplined project management, metric alignment, and roll-over of divisional plans. Finally structural ambidexterity helps facilitate simultaneous execution of innovation and improvement at the project level through distinct rewards, project team and leadership structures. The second essay, "Antecedents to Organizational Ambidexterity - A Multilevel Investigation," empirically tests the theories developed from the case studies. Data for this study is collected through an online survey conducted at 34 high technology divisions and involves 110 innovation and improvement projects. Informants from multiple levels within each division are used in the data collection process. Results from this research suggest that organizational processes such as information analysis and methods, customer and market focus, and inter functional multilevel planning teams (grouped as scanning practices) synthesize internal and external information and predict cognitive ambidexterity, the ability to resolve strategic contradiction between innovation and improvement. Disciplined project management and scorecard approach are approaches to connect innovation and improvement project level decisions with the division's strategies and promote contextual ambidexterity. Both cognitive and contextual ambidexterity impact the division's ability to simultaneously pursue innovation and improvement strategies. The third essay, "Explaining Structural Ambidexterity in High Technology Organizations," delineates structural ambidexterity into two different contexts: macro organizational contexts (e.g., organizational processes, organizational structures) and micro organizational contexts (e.g., team leadership, team incentives, project team structures). Using multilevel data collected from 34 high technology divisions and 110 innovation and improvement projects, this research examines the effects of macro and micro organizational contexts on innovation and improvement project performance. Results from this multilevel research suggest that improvement projects benefit from both organizational macro contexts and certain micro contexts (project team leadership and project team incentives). Innovation projects, on the other hand, mainly depend on micro contexts and are negatively affected by organizational macro contexts. Results from this research also introduce a third classification of projects - hybrid projects -which have both innovation and improvement goals embedded in them. Theoretical and practical implications from this research are discussed. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the key findings from each of the three essays. Limitations and directions for future research are also identified.
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    A study to determine the practices of high school principals and central office administrators who effectively foster continuous professional learning in high schools.
    (2009-12) Borchers, Bruce Todd
    The purpose of this study was to discover the ways that central office and school level leaders initiate and advance a culture of continuous professional learning in high schools. The conceptual framework for this study was built from a synthesis of literature related to professional learning and leadership for continuous improvement. Relying heavily on the five dimensions of professional learning communities advanced by Shirley Hord (2004), multiple descriptive research methods were used to investigate the leadership practices and development processes that resulted in a learning culture in two high schools. A survey (Oliver, Hipp, & Huffman, 2003) was given to all licensed staff in order to assess the perceptions about the leadership practices and development processes. Interviews were conducted with administrator and teacher leaders. Documents that archived the aspects of the development process also were sought and used in the data analysis. Findings revealed the following development strategies were employed by leaders in both school districts and high schools: (1) defining a reason for change, (2) aligning resources to the mission and vision, (3) engaging in shared decision-making that is accepted and practiced by all, (4) offering high quality professional development, (5) supporting and respecting teacher leaders, (6) creating structures for accountability and reflection, and (7) designating leaders to provide accurate and purposeful data on which to base instructional decisions. Each high school was able to create a culture of continuous professional learning by implementing these seven dimensions at critical periods during their journey. Further, a three-stage framework became apparent during data analysis that provides a chronological description of how the two high schools journeyed to create a culture of continuous improvement and professional learning. Specific implications for practice, policy and research are offered in the concluding sections of this thesis.