President Mark Emmert has announced a major new initiative that will examine leadership and values throughout the University.
He hopes to create an environment that 鈥渞ecognizes, enhances and sustains leadership鈥� at all levels of the community.
The initiative will focus on how the mission of the University can be supported better through high-quality leadership at all levels. 鈥淏y focusing on leadership,鈥� Emmert says, 鈥渨e are explicitly acknowledging that people are the University鈥檚 most valuable asset.鈥�
鈥淚n my first eight months here,鈥� Emmert says, 鈥淚鈥檝e been tremendously impressed by the talent and dedication of people working at this University. Their achievements are remarkable.
鈥淏ut I鈥檝e also found that the UW, like most academic institutions, has not given the same kind of serious attention to issues of leadership and values that it gives to issues of research and teaching. And that has consequences. Many of the problems and frustrations we experience here, both as individuals and as a University, are things that we can change. Certainly we can improve on how we motivate great work, how we communicate, how we recognize achievement and how we address resource needs.鈥�
Many people assume positions of leadership without any formal training or even any mentoring, he says. 鈥淲hen we think about research and teaching today, we realize that these activities are highly collaborative. But collaboration is not a spontaneous activity, and it does not occur effectively without good leadership. As research universities grow and change, there is an increasing need for excellent leadership at all levels.鈥�
When people are well led, he says, both morale and effectiveness rise. 鈥淲e know what good leadership does. It provides people with the tools and resources and information they need to do their job. It communicates. It explains the reasons behind decisions and policy, and it engages people in the process of work-related decisions that affect them. It encourages both teamwork and individual development. It helps employees understand their role in the University鈥檚 mission. It acknowledges their good work. It puts a premium on integrity, and it fosters trust 鈥� both inside and outside.鈥�
Emmert also outlined the values that people have told him are important to the character of the UW. These include rigor, integrity, innovation, collegiality, inclusiveness and connectedness. 鈥淲e should acknowledge that these values are important to the institution鈥檚 continued excellence, and we need to find ways of promoting these values consistently,鈥� he says.
Emmert, through the Provost鈥檚 Office, has appointed a Leadership and Values Initiative Team that will be facilitated by Patti Carson, vice president for human resources. Members of the team are: Jerry Baldasty, chair and professor of communications; Stephanie Camp, associate professor of history; Jim Antony, associate professor of education; Shaoyi Jiang, associate professor of chemical engineering; Merri Huffine, administrator in family & child nursing; Jill McKinstry, head of Odegaard Undergraduate Library; Linda Barrett, director of budget operations, Planning & Budgeting; Carmen Sidbury, diversity director, College of Engineering; Christina Surawicz, professor of gastroenterology, Harborview Medical Center; Larry Robinson, professor and chair of rehabilitation medicine, 91探花Medicine; Gene Woodard, director of custodial services; Jeff Compher, executive associate athletics director; Jason Smith, director of student services, Evans School of Public Affairs; Naomi Sanchez, assistant dean of career services, Law School; Sara Contreras, manager of program operations, Education Program, 91探花Tacoma; Arthur Nowell, dean of the College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences; Susan Jeffords, vice provost for academic planning; Rusty Barcelo, vice president and vice provost for minority affairs; Ana Mari Cauce, professor and chair, Psychology Department; and Lea Vaughn, secretary, Faculty Senate. Project specialists are Beth Warrick, director of Training and Development; and David Hekman, a doctoral candidate in business administration.
One of the team鈥檚 first tasks will be conducting Universitywide surveys to determine faculty and staff impressions of the values, culture, work environment and diversity within the broad 91探花work environment. The surveys will be available to all faculty and staff and the process will include in-depth interviews with members of various groups, including the Faculty Senate, the deans and heads of major administrative units, the Regents, union representatives, members of the Professional Staff Organization, and representatives of AS 91探花and GPSS. The team will also hold discussion groups throughout the University to supplement the surveys. These discussion groups will be widely communicated so interested faculty and staff can attend. From this research, the team will begin to generate strategic ideas for change.
鈥淭he advisory team will be gathering the best ideas it can find,鈥� says Carson, 鈥渨hether from our own faculty and staff, from other higher education institutions or from the private sector. The kinds of issues that the 91探花 faces are not unusual. We can learn from other successful organizations. But we recognize that the 91探花is a unique entity and everything has to be tailored to our academic mission and values. Ultimately, this initiative is about improving the faculty and staff work experience by creating a positive culture of leadership and involvement for those who choose to do their work here.鈥�
The UW, Emmert believes, has created an enviable culture of entrepreneurship through a highly decentralized management structure. 鈥淭his culture encourages the individual initiative of faculty and staff,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t also encourages work across disciplinary boundaries to help address real-world problems with the appropriate team of experts.
鈥淏ut this highly decentralized structure can also undermine our sense of community and common purpose,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e need to develop the kind of leadership, at all levels, that conveys common values and a common sense of mission.鈥�
All this, Carson notes, affects the UW鈥檚 ability to attract and retain the very best people. 鈥淔or most people,鈥� she says, 鈥渨here they work and who they work with are of vital importance in decisions about taking or leaving a job. We have an opportunity every day to make the work experience at the University a key factor in retaining our people and recruiting the kind of talent that is integral to our future.
鈥淭his is truly a competitive advantage whether we are recruiting faculty, staff or students. The people we have here already are the strongest voice to encourage others to come to the 91探花. The very fact that so many have invested years here speaks to the commitment and pride in being a part of the UW. For many, there is a family tradition of education and employment here.鈥�
鈥淢any good things will flow from a consistent approach to issues of leadership,鈥� Emmert says. 鈥淧eople who rise to positions of leadership, whether as department chairs or staff supervisors or heads of administrative units, will be better prepared and better equipped to lead. That will make it easier for all of us to make timely, thoughtful decisions that support the University鈥檚 mission. We can develop a better-informed and more disciplined approach to allocating funds. And we can make more efficient and effective use of all our resources 鈥� human, physical and financial.鈥�
鈥淚 believe that the 91探花 can become a place that is just as exemplary for the quality of its leadership and working environment as for the quality of its teaching and research,鈥� Emmert says. That is the goal of this initiative. To succeed, it will need broad involvement and support. Those associated with this project will work hard to canvass the University community for ideas and input. It is ultimately up to every one of us to decide how to contribute positively to these possibilities. We will continue to provide updates and share progress over the next six months as the process unfolds.鈥�