Installing 4DX within my Organization

Great leadership and change initiatives do not happen by accident. Careful planning and decision making must take place. The 4 Disciplines of Execution, 4DX, is a set of proven practices that enables leaders to execute a strategy which requires a lasting change in the behavior of others (McChesney et al., 2021). Being a leader means empowering those in your organization to work together for common goals. Below, I will share how I plan on using Covey's set of practices to ensure that I can successfully implement a blended learning model in my classroom using my innovation plan.

The 4 Disciplines of Execution

Focus on the Wildly Important

Identify the one objective that must be given your intense focus (McChesney et al., 2021).

Act on the Lead Measures

Lead measures are the "measurable drivers that actually lead to WIG achievement (McChesney et al., 2021). These lead measures predict if we are able to achieve our goal.

Keep a Compelling Scoreboard

This piece ensures that everyone in the organization knows the score so they can see if they are or are not "winning" (McChesney et al., 2021).

Create a Cadence of Accountability

In these meetings, leaders will create a cycle of accountability that focuses on past performance as well as future behaviors that will keep moving the score forward (McChesney et al., 2021).

The Five Stages of Change

McChesney et al. (2021) has found that changing human behavior does not come without its own obstacles. They have shared five stages of behavior change that most teams go through. Knowing these can help prepare for overcoming any deficits.

Stage 1: Getting Clear

Students in my class know that growth is expected on their BOY-MOY-EOY assessments. However, explaining our class goal would motivate each student to be involved because they know what we are working toward as a whole. I feel not only would they be motivated for themselves, but they would enjoy supporting each other and helping each individual classmate work toward meeting our goal.

The Best of Both Worlds

In a previous post, I have highlighted how using the 6 Sources of Influence would empower the learners in my classroom to take charge of their own learning. This Influencer Strategy which focuses on the motivation and ability of others along with key components of 4DX, will ensure that I have a well thought out plan when implementing change within my classroom before sharing this method with my team (Crucial Dimensions, 2016). A combination of these two views work together nicely since a lot of the vital behaviors mentioned in my previous plan come into play when describing lead measures. You also see a blend of ideas when reading about the motivational sources of influence in my influencer strategy and the section explaining how to keep a compelling scoreboard. Personally, I feel that the 4DX model provides a great overview for implementing a successful change in behavior while The Influencer Strategy allows for more detail in carrying out a plan. Despite favoring The Influencer Strategy, I plan on using the best ideas of both views when implementing my change within my organization.

References

Crucial Dimensions. (2016, February 1). The six sources of influence on human behaviour. [Video].

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2haOstf5oA&t=3s

McChesney, C., Covey S., Huling, J., Walker, B., & Thele, S. (2021). The 4 disciplines of execution.

revised and updated: achieving your wildly important goals. Simon & Schuster.

"The most important thing that schools can do is not to use technology in the curriculum more, but to use it more effectively." John G. Palfrey and Urs Gasser www.geckoandfly.com