Copyright 1998 EDUCAUSE. From CAUSE/EFFECT Volume 21, Number 2, 1998, pp.59-61. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, the EDUCAUSE copyright and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of EDUCAUSE. To disseminate otherwise, or to republish, requires written permission. For further information, contact Jim Roche at EDUCAUSE, 4840 Pearl East Circle, Suite 302E, Boulder, CO 80301 USA; 303-939-0308; e-mail: jroche@educause.edu
Recommended Reading
The Future Compatible Campus
edited by Diana G. Oblinger and Sean C. Rush
Anker Publishing Co., Inc., 1998,
304 pages, $35.95
ISBN 1-882982-19-3Reviewed by Polley Ann McClure
It is quite clear to most higher education professionals that technology must become an integral part of their institutions’ operations, teaching and learning, and strategic planning. Less obvious is how this transformation will occur.
It is easier to recognize that something must be done than it is to know how to do it, particularly in the relatively new and ever-changing arena of information technology. How does one articulate needs, develop sound plans, and effectively carry out those plans for the campus of the future?
One helpful tool is The Future Compatible Campus: Planning, Designing and Implementing Information Technology in the Academy, the newest offering by Diana G. Oblinger, Sean C. Rush, and an array of savvy contributors who have been trailblazers in such efforts.
Oblinger, who is the manager of Academic Programs and Strategy for IBM, and Rush, who is general manager of IBM’s Global Education Industry, have brought together educational leaders who share their real experiences in integrating information technology into colleges and universities. This is not a theoretical reverie: It is firmly grounded, providing concrete information and advice for those who are in the position of leading technology initiatives at their institutions.
Wisely, the book covers a wide range of topics related to information technology in higher education. Chapters examine such issues as formulating a vision, a mission, and goals; developing investment strategies; planning and implementation; improving student satisfaction; enhancing teaching and learning; re-envisioning libraries; and evaluating success. Also covered are technical matters, such as developing a network infrastructure, and project management strategies.
This is a book that is rich with ideas, useful caveats, and practical strategies. Each chapter is an accessible blueprint and offers references and suggested readings. While each chapter has value on its own, together they offer a handbook, a seasoned guide that shows us a path to making information technology serve higher education.
The Future Compatible Campus can assist all of us in framing a workable plan and translating that plan into action. We know that we must prepare for the future; Oblinger and Rush help us do so with intelligence and forethought.
Reviewer Polley Ann McClure is chief information officer at the University of Virginia and chair of the EDUCAUSE Board of Directors. This review was adapted from Multiversity magazine.
Managers As Facilitators: A Practical Guide to Getting Work Done in a Changing Workplace
by Richard G. Weaver and John D. Farrell
(Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 1997, $27.95, 250 pages)
ISBN 1-576750-16-7Reviewed by Barbara Horgan
With today’s focus on teamwork, this book is a valuable addition to any manager’s bookshelf. It emphasizes successful groups rather than individual achievement. The authors begin by distinguishing among three roles: manager (doing things right); leader (doing the right things); and facilitator (helping people do things). The facilitation model described in the book includes four elements: task, self, group, and process.
The most valuable parts of the book, however, are handy tables that outline specific questions, tools, and tips for facilitating successful groups. Management theories and approaches are followed by specific, step-by-step instructions on implementation of tasks ranging from drafting a charter, to conducting effective meetings, to resolving conflicts. Especially useful is the book’s last chapter, which describes quick fixes for fifteen common group problems.
The authors also focus on what they consider to be key facilitation skills, such as active listening and managing conflict. Conflict, the authors note, can be viewed simply as “unresolved differences” that are important to successful, dynamic groups. A chapter entitled “Facilitation as Change Management” has particularly useful insights and tips on dealing with staff reaction to change, a process the authors describe as a natural one that can, like conflict, result in better ideas.
The authors encourage readers to avoid labeling opponents to change as “resistors.” Instead, they suggest, think of staff as progressing through stages of adopting change. Managers, who are often responsible for or involved earlier in decisions that result in change, need to acknowledge staff who are grieving over the loss that accompanies change, feeling at the bottom of a new learning curve, or have insights to offer.
Managers As Facilitators is an excellent reference for both novice and experienced managers and team leaders. It provides a practical set of tools about group processes and interpersonal dynamics and proves valuable both as a refresher and as a primer.
Reviewer Barbara Horgan is director of information technology at the University of Washington, Tacoma.
Trust in the Balance: The Foundation for Business Success
by Robert Bruce Shaw
(Jossey-Bass, 1997, $25, 256 pages)
ISBN: 0-787902-86-1Reviewed by Mary Molinaro
Few issues are as critical to the success of an organization as trust. But as more organizations move toward shared leadership and team-based management, building trust becomes difficult. And a lack of it can undermine even a well-planned reorganization.
Trust in the Balance addresses the issue of trust in an easy-to-understand manner without presuming to serve as a how-to manual. And while it targets corporate leaders, the principles it outlines easily transfer to academia. Shaw starts by examining the basic elements of trust and how it develops within an organization. He explains relationships and levels of trust, and uses a number of real business situations as examples.
The second part of the book details the key principles of building trust: achieving results, acting with integrity, and demonstrating concern. Some chapters close with assessment surveys for determining performance on issues of trust within an organization or team.
The book also examines the role of leadership and an organization’s culture in the level of trust among a corporation’s employees. And Shaw points out how situations such as downsizing and reengineering can erode trust. He also suggests strategies for dealing with that lack of trust.
Many who have experienced change in a large organization maintain that trust is hard to win and easy to lose. Further, Shawn notes, it is much easier to build trust than to regain it once it has been lost. He suggests strategies for handling both situations, using real-life examples as illustrations.
This book should be on the must-read list for any leader who is contemplating reorganization, downsizing, or a move to shared leadership.
Reviewer Mary Molinaro is the team leader of the William T. Young Library, part of the University of Kentucky Libraries in Lexington.
Thoughtware
by J. Philip Kirby and David Hughes
(Productivity Press, 1997, $35, 271 pages)
ISBN 1-56327-106-0Reviewed by Alan McCord
It is puzzling that 46 percent of Fortune 500 companies failed during the 1980s, even though most used state-of-the-art management programs like Total Quality Management and Process Reengineering. Kirby and Hughes argue that these programs represent “old thoughtware” that conserve traditional ways of doing business. Distance education and e-commerce, the authors note, are two examples of higher education’s struggle against traditional thinking and work processes. What these institutions need, they say, is some “new thoughtware.”
Higher education’s use of a multitude of change programs, the authors note, is merely “programmatic addition.” Its reliance on such “bolt-on initiatives” as process improvement, administrative downsizing, outsourcing, and TQM has not proved successful, say the authors, who argue that these programs are too conservative. And there’s evidence to support their claim: most colleges and universities still operate on a one-year planning and budgeting cycle; many look to the institutions’ financial statements as a measure of effectiveness; and most continue to focus administrative time on managing the budget rather than on developing human capital.
In Thoughtware, the authors propose to replace the old framework of central authority, division of labor, departmentalization, and limited span of control with a new one: distributed authority, knowledge of the whole, meaningful measurement, and reducing time to action.
Thoughtware introduces the thought-provoking concept of “allowment.” Kirby and Hughes dismiss today’s buzzword--empowerment---as a hollow promise, saying that without information, skills, and authority, empowerment can be more dangerous than helpful. Allowment is a key element of the new organizational framework.
Finally, Thoughtware proposes a cascading “installation plan” for new thoughtware, beginning with the existing management team, moving to a transitional management structure, and, at last, instituting an ongoing process of evolutionary management. For each stage, Kirby and Hughes propose specific activities with concrete outcomes. This useful blueprint could be adapted to most institutions.
Of course, installing new thoughtware in any institution requires a unified commitment by senior management and effective and persistent sponsorship of the change process. So, implementing the ideas contained in Thoughtware as simply one more “bolt-on” program won’t work; indeed, the authors’ intent is just the opposite.
Reviewer Alan McCord is director of Operations Management for the Information Technology Division at the University of Michigan, and is chair of the EDUCAUSE Editorial Committee.
Building a Web-Based Education System
by Colin McCormack and David Jones
(Wiley Computer Publishing, 1997, $49.95, 446 pages)
ISBN 0-471-19162-0Reviewed by Karen L. Smith
Whether you are building your first Web site or looking for a quick reference to Web tools, Building a Web-Based Education System will meet your needs. This text plus CD plus Web site package offers a comprehensive approach to Web course design that includes definitions, tutorials, examples, basic templates, and comparisons of software tools. The charts comparing features of commercial packages are particularly useful, for they allow even inexperienced users to make informed decisions regarding the tools they need. Templates are clear instructional guides and models that faculty can transport to their own Web sites to make start-up a breeze.
Chapter 9 offers an overview of three Web classroom builders. This comparison examines the strengths, weaknesses, and functions of these complex tools. Page images and tables help readers understand the tools and how they can be applied to personal course-development efforts. Tables 9.6 through 9.9 are particularly useful, for they offer an at-a-glance comparison of how the three top Web class builders handle four major tasks: information distribution, communication, assessment, and class management. The discussion of assessment and tracking (Chapter 7) is particularly useful, for it describes both sides of the issue: how the technology can enhance and detract from the assessment process. The page-review log found on the CD is an excellent guide for limiting subjective evaluations by helping Web-site reviewers focus on key issues. The resource URLs in the book and CD did not all work; however, the publisher’s Web site provides corrections and updates to those who have received a USERID and password.
This book is an excellent guide for beginners and advanced users. It contains useful reference tools, excellent templates for jumpstarting the Web development process, and clear explanations regarding the “hows” of Web development. Its biggest weakness stems from the lack of foundation in learning theories. Treat it as a great training tool and use it in conjunction with theoretical and applied materials to address the issues of how we can use technology to add value to existing approaches to education and let learning goals, not the technology, guide our decisions.
Reviewer Karen L. Smith is director of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Central Florida. She coordinates efforts to provide professional development support for faculty and help them complete curriculum innovation projects.
