Using evidence for advantage
Providing the certainty to improve
Building Optimistic and Innovative Workplaces
to Enhance Student Experience
VASSP 2012 Annual Conference
Grand Hyatt - 27-28 August 2012
Insight SRC Pty Ltd
Level 5, 34 Queen Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 03 8611 0600
Email: info@insightsrc.com.au
Website: www.insightsrc.com.au
About Insight SRC ...
Insight SRC is a highly-skilled consulting organisation capable of building the productivity
and effectiveness of schools through innovative and empowering leadership and school
improvement strategies.
We deal with the problem, not the symptom, by creating the tools, knowledge and capacity
that our clients can then apply to a self-managed process for cultural and
organisational change.
Insight SRC works as a strategic partner with our clients to develop long-lasting
relationships. You have the expert understanding of your school environment. We have the
deep conceptual knowledge of school improvement and the powerful statistical tools and
change processes to back it up.
The solutions we develop are not off-the-shelf formats. Our flexibility in thinking and
deployment is a result of a holistic approach to school improvement.
Together we work to give you insight into the way your people work, and the pathways for
improvement.
As partners, we create knowledge – the most powerful tool of the contemporary and
progressive school.
1
© 2012 Insight SRC Pty Ltd, Level 5, 34 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia. The content of this document is subject to copyright and is not to be copied,
reproduced or used without the prior written permission of Insight SRC (info@insightsrc.com.au).
Organisational health framework – the beginnings …
The Organisational Health Framework has been an important part of Victorian government
school life for the past 22 years:

The conceptual model was developed between 1990 and 1996
The Organisational Health Framework was initially developed through research with Victoria Police and
Victorian government schools and then validated in a wide range of public and private sector organisations
with support of the Australian Research Council and National Health and Medical Research Council.

Original focus on building a link between staff wellbeing and performance
The Organisational Health Framework grew out of a concern that research and policy relating to staff wellbeing
and occupational stress failed to recognise that the primary focus of organisations is to optimise the bottom
line – in schools that is the delivery of educational services and the best possible outcomes for students.

Laid the foundation for the positive school of psychology
The Organisational Health Framework was one of the first frameworks to introduce the focus on positive
psychology and emphasise that the morale of staff and students is critical to their success – and Victorian
schools have been the front runners in showing how that focus can be used to build a great education system

Developed the initial School Organisational Health Questionnaire in 1992
The research, policy and practice associated with the Organisational Health Framework required the
development of new assessment tools that would provide an accurate assessment of the cultural behaviours
that underpinned wellbeing and performance.
2
Organisational health framework – 22 years on …
The Organisational Health Framework is now part of a world of research, policy and practice
that goes by many different names, including positive psychology and engagement. It has
been used extensively in private and public sector organisations to underpin organisational
development and change initiatives. Some examples include:

State and national workers’ compensation authorities
The OHF has been used to drive the preventive strategies in a number of jurisdictions throughout Australia.

Global financial services firm
The OHF was used to help the Australian and New Zealand part of a global financial services firm to achieve
#1 in its world group of companies with respect to its leader and cultural behaviour, and this was followed 12
months later by significant improvement in profitability.

Global aerospace and defence organisation
The OHF was used to assist a global aerospace and defence organisation improve the leader and cultural
behaviours that contributed to innovation and quality ahead of the company being awarded the top national
Business Excellence Award.

Australian Psychological Society
The OHF has been adopted as the standard for describing and assessing the cultural behaviours that underpin
psychologically healthy workplaces - which optimise staff wellbeing and organisational performance.
3
Organisational health framework – the education story…
Victorian government schools have led the way in using the Organisational Health
Framework and School Organisational Health Questionnaire to assess, monitor and facilitate
school improvement. The framework and associated tools are now used in a wide variety of
education settings. Some examples include:

Australian universities
The OHF, SOHQ and associated organisational development tools have been used to assist Australian
universities to assess, monitor and improve the leader and cultural behaviours that underpin staff engagement
and determine how staff engagement contributes to the quality of teaching and research output.

Independent schools in Victoria
The OHF, SOHQ and associated school improvement tools have been used to assess school climate and staff
morale in a large number of Victorian independent schools since 2006.

Lutheran Education Australia
The OHF, SOHQ and associated school improvement tools have been used by Lutheran Education Australia
since 2004 to monitor and improve the wellbeing of principals and assist schools in building the leader and
cultural behaviours that optimise student outcomes.

Catholic education
The OHF, SOHQ and associated school improvement tools have been used since 2006 in catholic schools
throughout Victoria and since 2012 in New South Wales and Western Australia.

4
Government school systems
The OHF, SOHQ and associated school improvement tools have been used in DEECD, Tasmanian Education,
Queensland Education, Western Australian Education and now the Northern Territory.
The focus is now on three key areas …
Given that there has now been 22 years of research, policy and practice associated with the
Organisational Health Framework and the related school improvement tools, can this
experience help us to sharpen our focus:



5
Student engagement
•
What is student engagement
•
What is the link to student wellbeing
•
Can we use this knowledge to enhance the experience of students
Staff engagement
•
What is staff engagement
•
What is the link to student experience
•
Can we use this knowledge to build optimistic and innovative workplaces
School improvement
•
How do we engage staff in school improvement
•
What tools can we use to help staff take responsibility for improving student outcomes
•
How do we make sense of coaching, mentoring, training, action learning ...
Wellbeing is the key to engagement …
Engagement is the key to school effectiveness:
 Engagement is a positive psychological state that links people and their environments with the
performance-related behaviours that underpin success (Hart et al., 2010; Rich et al., 2010)
 It is now commonly accepted that staff and student engagement are multi-dimensional constructs
that include behavioural, cognitive and emotional components (i.e., engagement is an attitude)
Staff
Wellbeing
Staff
Engagement
Ensuring Students’
Grow, Learn and Thrive
6
Student
Wellbeing
Student
Engagement
Developing the
Whole Person
Academic
Achievement
Defining student wellbeing …
Definition of Student Wellbeing
Student Wellbeing
A student’s emotional, cognitive and social
capacity to engage effectively in learning
and school life more generally
Components of Student Wellbeing
7
Emotional Wellbeing
A student’s positive and negative emotional
experiences whilst at school
Cognitive Wellbeing
A student’s belief and confidence in his or
her ability to learn
Social Wellbeing
A student’s sense of safety and
connectedness to their peers and teachers
Measuring student wellbeing …
Components of Wellbeing Measured by the SASS
Emotional Wellbeing
Student Morale
School Connectedness
Student Motivation
Student Distress
Social Wellbeing
Student Safety
Connectedness to Peers
Classroom Behaviour
Cognitive Wellbeing
8
Learning Confidence
Using student surveys to understand wellbeing …
Wellbeing
Attitudes to School (Student) Survey
Strengths and Weaknesses against all schools with yr7-12 data
Student Morale
Wellbeing
A student’s emotional, cognitive and social
capacity to engage effectively in learning and
school life more generally
Emotional
A student’s positive and negative emotional
experiences whilst at school
Teaching & Learning
Student Distress
Teacher Empathy
Stimulating Learning
School Connectedness
Student Motivation
Cognitive
A student’s belief and confidence in his or her
ability to learn
LearningConfidence
Confidence
Learning
Student Relationships
Social
A student’s sense of safety and
connectedness to their peers and teachers
Teacher Effectiveness
Connectedness to Peers
Classroom Behaviour
Student Safety
0%
9
25%
50%
75%
100%
What is staff engagement …
A common thread in the literature on staff engagement is that it is a positive psychological
state that connects people in cognitive, affective and behavioural ways to their work and job
performance:

Khan (1990, 1992)
Introduced the notion of engagement and argued that engaged employees are physically, cognitively and
emotionally connected to their work and to others – this was later considered ‘psychological presence’.

Schaufeli, Martinez, Marques-Pinto, Salanova & Bakker (2002)
Engagement is a positive and fulfilling work-related state of mind that is characterised by vigour, dedication,
and absorption.

Macey & Schneider (2008)
Developed a series of propositions that focused on trait, state and behavioural engagement.

Hart, Caballero & Cooper (2010)
Engagement is a positive psychological state that links the person and their environment with the performancerelated behaviours and outcomes that underpin organizational success.

Engagement is a multi-dimensional construct
Morale – energy, enthusiasm, pride and passion at the individual and team levels
Affective Commitment – emotional attachment to the organisation
Continuance Commitment – the desire to remain with the organisation for the medium to long-term
Job Involvement – a positive connection to one’s work
10
Current research into staff engagement …
Engagement is an attitude that underpins organisational performance:
Employee engagement can be defined as a positive work-related attitude comprising cognitive, emotional,
and behavioural elements that enable people to achieve individual, team and organizational goals (Fisher,
2012; Rich et al., 2010)
11
Personal
Characteristics
Cognitive
Engagement
Individual
Performance
Organisational
Characteristics
Emotional
Engagement
Team
Performance
Contextual
Characteristics
Behavioural
Engagement
Organisational
Performance
Correlations between staff and student indicators …
The evidence from 1,413 Government schools in Victoria.
Student
Morale
Student
Distress
Teacher
Effectiveness
Teacher
Empathy
Stimulating
Learning
Connected
to School
Student
Motivation
Learning
Confidence
Connected
to Peers
Classroom
Behaviour
Student
Safety
Individual Morale
0.54
-0.54
0.58
0.58
0.55
0.59
0.45
0.46
0.43
0.34
0.30
School Morale
0.52
-0.53
0.57
0.57
0.53
0.58
0.43
0.45
0.43
0.34
0.31
Supportive Leadership
0.44
-0.44
0.49
0.49
0.46
0.48
0.36
0.36
0.34
0.27
0.22
Role Clarity
0.52
-0.53
0.56
0.56
0.53
0.56
0.44
0.45
0.43
0.34
0.30
Professional Interaction
0.51
-0.51
0.56
0.56
0.53
0.56
0.42
0.44
0.42
0.31
0.27
Empowerment
0.47
-0.49
0.54
0.54
0.51
0.52
0.39
0.40
0.37
0.29
0.25
0.59
-0.59
0.64
0.64
0.60
0.64
0.51
0.51
0.47
0.36
0.32
0.52
-0.52
0.56
0.56
0.54
0.55
0.43
0.44
0.40
0.31
0.27
0.46
-0.47
0.51
0.51
0.49
0.51
0.39
0.40
0.37
0.29
0.25
Curriculum Processes
0.54
-0.54
0.61
0.60
0.58
0.60
0.48
0.49
0.43
0.33
0.28
Student Management
0.57
-0.57
0.62
0.62
0.58
0.61
0.49
0.50
0.46
0.38
0.32
0.60
-0.61
0.67
0.66
0.63
0.67
0.52
0.54
0.48
0.39
0.35
0.65
-0.67
0.69
0.69
0.65
0.71
0.59
0.59
0.54
0.45
0.42
0.46
-0.48
0.48
0.48
0.46
0.49
0.39
0.41
0.38
0.34
0.31
0.63
-0.62
0.69
0.68
0.65
0.68
0.55
0.56
0.51
0.40
0.35
-0.54
0.59
-0.56
-0.56
-0.51
-0.61
-0.49
-0.49
-0.48
-0.47
-0.47
Student Misbehaviour (Classroom)
-0.40
0.44
-0.40
-0.40
-0.37
-0.44
-0.37
-0.36
-0.35
-0.38
-0.37
Excessive Work Demands
-0.45
0.46
-0.50
-0.50
-0.48
-0.50
-0.37
-0.38
-0.33
-0.29
-0.22
Individual Distress
-0.47
0.48
-0.52
-0.53
-0.50
-0.52
-0.40
-0.40
-0.37
-0.33
-0.27
School Distress
-0.49
0.51
-0.53
-0.53
-0.49
-0.54
-0.41
-0.42
-0.39
-0.35
-0.31
Overall Climate Index
0.53
-0.53
0.58
0.58
0.55
0.58
0.44
0.45
0.42
0.33
0.28
Ownership
Feedback
Employee Development
Student Focus
Student Motivation
Student Empowerment
Quality Teaching
Student Misbehaviour (school)
12
*
*
*
Staff survey predicts student outcomes better than wellbeing outcomes ...
Demographic Indicator
Student Family
Occupation
Certified Sick
Leave (SSO)
Non-Certified
Sick Leave
(SSO)
Certified Sick
Leave
(Teachers)
Non-Certified
Sick Leave
(Teachers)
AIM Maths
Student Absent
Days
Mean VCE
Scores*
Mean VCE
English
Scores*
AIM English
Mean VCE
Maths Scores*
Individual Morale
-0.11
-0.14
-0.25
-0.12
-0.42
0.10
0.14
-0.26
0.27
0.18
0.17
School Morale
-0.17
-0.14
-0.25
-0.13
-0.43
0.13
0.16
-0.26
0.32
0.20
0.18
Supportive Leadership
-0.05
-0.13
-0.28
-0.11
-0.43
0.01
0.06
-0.19
0.12
0.04
0.03
Role Clarity
-0.07
-0.10
-0.24
-0.12
-0.41
0.06
0.10
-0.24
0.19
0.13
0.04
Professional Interaction
-0.09
-0.11
-0.25
-0.11
-0.43
0.04
0.07
-0.21
0.11
0.05
0.04
Empowerment
-0.09
-0.12
-0.28
-0.10
-0.46
0.02
0.07
-0.20
0.16
0.05
0.04
Ownership
-0.16
-0.13
-0.24
-0.10
-0.43
0.11
0.13
-0.29
0.30
0.18
0.14
Feedback
-0.06
-0.11
-0.23
-0.10
-0.42
0.04
0.09
-0.19
0.15
0.07
0.04
Employee Development
-0.08
-0.14
-0.29
-0.10
-0.46
0.06
0.11
-0.18
0.21
0.11
0.13
Curriculum Processes
-0.09
-0.10
-0.20
-0.09
-0.39
0.08
0.10
-0.24
0.19
0.08
0.11
Student Management
-0.13
-0.13
-0.25
-0.09
-0.41
0.11
0.12
-0.30
0.27
0.17
0.18
Student Focus
-0.24
-0.11
-0.21
-0.08
-0.43
0.17
0.17
-0.28
0.38
0.26
0.23
Student Motivation
-0.36
-0.10
-0.20
-0.09
-0.35
0.34
0.31
-0.43
0.69
0.62
0.51
Student Decision-Making
-0.23
-0.12
-0.21
-0.08
-0.34
0.20
0.21
-0.25
0.22
0.19
0.14
Quality Teaching
-0.18
-0.10
-0.17
-0.12
-0.37
0.17
0.17
-0.31
0.40
0.28
0.24
Student Misbehaviour
0.40
0.10
0.22
0.10
0.33
-0.38
-0.36
0.43
-0.63
-0.55
-0.50
Classroom Misbehaviour
0.28
0.11
0.27
0.07
0.29
-0.33
-0.31
0.48
-0.56
-0.50
-0.42
Excessive Work Demands
-0.01
0.12
0.21
0.10
0.36
-0.01
-0.07
0.15
0.00
0.10
0.06
Individual Distress
0.07
0.11
0.24
0.14
0.39
-0.08
-0.11
0.24
-0.22
-0.13
-0.09
School Distress
0.12
0.14
0.27
0.13
0.42
-0.11
-0.15
0.27
-0.24
-0.14
-0.12
Staff Survey Indicator
13
Outcome Indicators
Note. Pairwise deletion of missing data (minimum N = 1456) Critical r (two-tailed): 0.05 at .05 level; 0.07 at .01 level; 0.09 at .001 level.
* For VCE variables, pairwise deletion of missing data (minimum N = 279) Critical r (two-tailed): 0.12 at .05 level; 0.15 at .01 level; 0.2 at .001 level.
Linking leadership, wellbeing and student experience …
.96
Student
Wellbeing
.91
Student
Morale
Student
Distress
.48
Individual
Morale
Connectedness
to School
.58
School
Morale
.50
.94
Transformational
Leadership
.88
.96
.99
.99
Healthy
Workplace
Teaching &
Learning
.60
.97
.97
School
Climate
Stimulating
Learning
.35
Student
Motivation
Learning
Confidence
.63
Student
Relationships
14
Teacher
Empathy
.54
.39
.45
Teacher
Effectiveness
Connectedness
to Peers
.89
.64
Classroom
Behaviour
.64
Safety
The four pillars of culture …
Staff
Wellbeing
Performance
Behaviours
Staff
Retention
Absence
Cost
Student
Wellbeing
Teaching &
Learning
85%
60%
25%
24%
38%
40%
the leader and cultural behaviours that form the foundations of wellbeing and performance
Four Pillars of Leader and Cultural Behaviour
Clarity
Learning
Empathy
Engagement
15
The real focus of leaders ...
Focus
Psychology of People
Persecutor
Rescuer
Feedback
Purpose
Accountability
Permissions
+
Process
Reactive
Proactive
Job
Relevant
Agreed
Behaviours
+
Accountability
16
Learned
Helplessness
Active
Learner
School climate is the root cause ...
Emotionality
+
Emotion
Focused
Coping
+
+
+
Absence
Behaviour
+
Negative
Experiences
Distress
_
Student
Management
_
_
_
+
School
Climate
+
+
Problem
Focused
Coping
Innovation
_
+
+
Quality
Teaching
+
+
Positive
Experiences
Morale
Student
Outcomes
+
+
+
Sociability
Hart & Cooper (2001) Handbook of Industrial, Work, & Organizational Psychology
17
Parent
Satisfaction
Building the process ...
Leader
Behaviour
Team
Behaviour
Outcomes
Decision
Empathy
Engagement
Teamwork
Clarity
18
Empowerment
Ownership
Action
Accountability
School improvement strategies that work …
The research evidence demonstrates that action learning is the key to school improvement.
Action learning has been around for more than 50 years, and used extensively throughout
the world to develop leaders and organisations:

Marquardt et al. (2009)
Action learning develops the ability to collaborate, partner, share, and follow as well as lead
naturally through the process of solving real and complex organisational issues … in additional
to learning, participants also experience first hand the value of being better team and
organisational members.


Three simple questions for school improvement
•
What is working
•
What can be improved
•
What will we do differently in the future
How will action learning assist
It is one of the most powerful tools for engaging staff in school improvement and enabling
school leaders to leverage the capability of staff to develop innovative and creative solutions to
challenges were the solution is not known or the typical solution is not acceptable.
19
The value of action learning …
The principles, methodology and tools of action learning will be explored in the concurrent
workshops. When linked with programmed learning, team coaching and the use of
appropriate data, it is the most powerful way of building an optimistic and innovative
workplace that enhances student experience.

20
Action learning enables schools to build shared leadership that delivers creative
and innovative solutions by enabling leaders and staff to learn:
•
When to lead and when to follow
•
When to be directive and when to encourage collaboration and consensus
•
How to use intrinsic and extrinsic motivators to keep staff engaged
•
How to engage people’s idealism and desire for professional development and growth
•
How to empower staff to use their capabilities to self manage and lead
•
How to develop a mind set for continuous improvement throughout the school

There can be no action without learning, and no learning without action
Raven’s (1998) – the founder of action learning.

Optimism and Innovation: Tools to Engage Staff – A concurrent workshop that
is based on an action learning case study from a Catholic secondary college that
has in excess of 1,200 students and 140 staff.
The quality of school climate in Victorian government schools ...
Staff Wellbeing
100
Empathy
Clarity
Engagement
Learning
Outcomes
10.68
6.20
9.25
9.66
4.74
5.33
3.00
5.61
9.86
5.39
7.94
7.78
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
80
Improvement
Improvement
60
40
20
0
LEGEND
1.
2.
3.
4.
Individual Morale
School Morale
Individual Distress
School Distress
5.
6.
7.
8.
Supportive Leadership
Role Clarity
Professional Interaction
Empowerment
Australian Average
21
9.
10.
11.
12.
Ownership
Appraisal & Recognition
Employee Development
Work Demands
DEECD 2011 (41766)
1-4
5
6
7-9
10-11
12
Staff Wellbeing
Empathy
Clarity
Engagement
Learning
Outcomes
The quality of leadership in Victorian government schools ...
People Focus
100
Development Focus
Core Business Focus
0.49
4.55
4.49
2.43
2.05
4.33
4.94
6.13
8.06
5.87
5.32
5.86
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
80
Improvement
Improvement
60
40
20
0
LEGEND
1.
2.
3.
4.
Manages People
Seeks Feedback
Builds Relationships
Supports Staff
5.
6.
7.
8.
Coaches Staff
Effectively Manages Change
Values Training & Development
Builds Own Skills
Australian Average
1-4
People Focus
22
9.
10.
11.
12.
Is Entrepreneurial
Creates a Quality Environment
Provides Direction
Effectively Manages Projects
DEECD 2011 (41766)
5-7
Development Focus
8-12
Core Business Focus
Your views are important ...
Providing us with feedback
Please help us get better at what we do by providing feedback.
Victorian government schools are already positive, optimistic and
innovative workplaces – how can we make them better!
23
Using evidence for advantage
Providing the certainty to improve
Building Optimistic and Innovative Workplaces
to Enhance Student Experience
VASSP 2012 Annual Conference
Grand Hyatt - 27-28 August 2012
Insight SRC Pty Ltd
Level 5, 34 Queen Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 03 8611 0600
Email: info@insightsrc.com.au
Website: www.insightsrc.com.au