Overview
NorthStar Education Partners collaborated with Facing History and Ourselves to create guidelines differentiating the roles of their regional and headquarters offices, supported by a theory of action. This partnership involved characterizing their service model, clarifying decision rights, and aligning their product suite with their strategic goals.
Objectives
Facing History and Ourselves partnered with NorthStar to:
- Service Characterization: Define who they are serving and how they want to serve them.
- Diverse Leadership: Employ a diverse group of senior leaders.
- Clarify Decision Rights: Clarify decision rights and roles between regional and headquarters offices, as well as goals for each organizational layer.
- Theory of Action: Draft a new theory of action for impact, services offered, and how those impact students.
- Standardize Services: Define which services would be standardized across client regions and what programs could be customized based on partner needs.
Partner
Facing History and Ourselves
Location: Brookline, Massachusetts
Staff
180 staff members in the main office and other U.S. states
Mission Statement
Facing History and Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate.
Key Activities & Deliverables
Diverse Leadership and Service Characterization
- Senior Leadership Group: Created a diverse group of senior leaders to shape their Theory of Change and Theory of Impact.
- Service Model: Characterized who Facing History and Ourselves is serving and how they want to serve them, aligning their product suite with their theory of action.
Clarifying Decision Rights and Roles
- Landscape Analysis: Provided a landscape analysis of organizational structures, from decentralized models to traditional structures.
- Decision Rights and Roles: Clarified decision rights and roles between regional and headquarters offices, establishing clear goals for each organizational layer.
Developing a Theory of Action
- Theory of Action: Drafted a new theory of action that addresses problematic impacts, services offered, and how those services impact students.
- Standardization vs. Customization: Defined which services would be standardized across client regions and what programs could be customized based on the needs of their partners.
Outcomes
NorthStar and Facing History and Ourselves successfully developed guidelines and a theory of action that clarified organizational roles and decision rights. This strategic plan has led to:
- Clear Organizational Structure: A well-defined structure that differentiates roles between regional and headquarters offices.
- Enhanced Leadership Diversity: A diverse group of senior leaders driving the organization forward.
- Aligned Services and Impact: Services that are aligned with the organization’s theory of action, leading to improved impact on students.
- Standardization and Customization: A balanced approach to standardizing services while allowing customization based on partner needs.
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