DILTS Pyramid of Logical Levels

 

The Dilts Pyramid of Logical Levels is a holistic decision-making framework that provides a structured approach to understanding and influencing various factors that contribute to our choices.

• Structured like a pyramid (hierarchy)
• The function of each level is to synthesize, organize and direct the interactions on the level below
• When you change things higher up, lower systems need to be changed in order to support it. But this does not necessarily work the other way around (lower changes, affect higher)

Considerations (factors affecting the decision):

Environment, Behavior, Capability, Belief, Values, Identity, Purpose

Lower levels represent concrete thoughts and actions vs. higher levels are complex, abstract and meaningful. To identify the level someone maybe working on, you can analyze the language they use when they present a problem/situation.

1. Environment (Lowest Level): external conditions that would affect a person/organization

2. Behavior: Encompassing individual actions and words. For a group, this would be patterns of work or interactions.

3. Capabilities: Individual (learning, decision making, creativity) Organization (infrastructure supporting communication, innovation and planning)

4. Values & Beliefs: What are the values and beliefs that underpin each capability? Finding meaning

5. Identity: Organizational sense of identity - vision and mission (who we are now)

6. Vision: force that guides and shapes the life of an individual or business, what is the purpose of the institution as a whole? (where we want to be)

IN PRACTICE:

1. Collect as much information regarding your problem as possible

2. Determine the level of your problem according to the Dilts pyramid (you will understand what is causing it and what can impact further changes)

3. Finding a solution at higher levels of the pyramid

REFLECTION:

I definitely think this is a useful model. It links perfectly to the Congruency Model where the Vision of the organization/individual is the starting and ending point to all decisions. It is much easier to filter out "poor" decisions when you are able to initially identify whether or not they align with one's vision. The success of any person or organization is solely determined by the execution or achievement of the outlined vision. The other component I really love about DILTS model is that it tackles problems/solutions at a systemic level. It makes finding solutions to root problems much easier as you would identify changes in levels above the particular problem.

I think this model would be best used when dealing with problems that arise from systemic challenges.

Ethical Dilema

 

Dilemma 1:

During my first year as a Grade Level Leader, I became aware of a teacher who would often get backlogged with grading. In order to upload quarterly or final grades on time she would assign students random grades, just to pass them through the class and meet deadlines. Although I was aware that this was happening, she did not fall under my team and reported to a different division principal, so I struggled with the dilemma of whether or not to report this. 

Question 1: Is there a problem?

Yes, there is a problem. Students are being assigned unjustified grades in order to pass them through to the next year. This is not only a clear violation of fairness but also jeopardizes the learning process. This also indicates a systemic problem that administration accepts grades with no system of feedback or justification. There is also no system of accountability, if this teachers direct supervisor is not moderating or checking grades and assignments to ensure fairness and accountability. 

Question 2: Who are the actors?

I am responsible for the ethical outcome of this scenario. The teacher in question, their supervisor and the students are all affected by any outcome of this scenario. 

Question 3: Is this a right vs. wrong dilemma?

This is a right vs. wrong dilemma. It is ethically and morally wrong for a teacher to fabricate grades. 

Dilema 2:

Every year I conduct admission assessments for incoming students. Although the assessments are assigned by the admission office, usually the students that teachers assess are placed in their class. Last year, I assessed a student that presented with multiple challenging behaviors but passed the assessment according to the criteria, additionally, although I did indicate my observations on my report, I knew the student would be admitted because he had multiple siblings in the school. I knew I had a good relationship with the admissions officer, so once I admitted the student, I asked that he be moved to a different class and replaced with another. Consciously, I knew that my intentions were guided by the fact that I did not want to deal with his challenging behavior for an entire year, but at the time I did not question my own ethics. Looking back, I know that I live by the philosophy of "no child left behind", I know that I have the capabilities of supporting a struggling student, but at that moment, I had ethically drifted. 

Assessing VIS Vision Statement

 

Vision International School - Vision Statement

VIS empowers passionate, lifelong learners, driven to positively impact the world.

Ranking:

Focused on Student Success: 8

Inspiring: 7

Aspirational: 9

Concise: 10

Memorable: 10

Clear: 7

Revised Vision:

VIS develops well rounded, confident and responsible individuals within an inclusive environment, who are empowered to positively impact the greater community. 

Justification:

I felt it was necessary to include specific terms that would determine student success (well-rounded, confident and responsible), this would be used when designing learning and the types of ways teachers assess students. Additionally, I felt it was necessary to include an aspect of diversity where the school creates a culture and environment for inclusivity within physical spaces as well as academically (i.e. no student left behind). I also wanted to be more intentional and realistic regarding the previous vision statement "positively impact the world", this seemed too broad. Alternatively, I rephrased and directed the statement to "positively impact the greater community", I feel that the revised statement is more realistic and easier to drive decisions. In this way, teachers and administrators would create opportunities for students to be present in their local communities and eventually broaden this to a more global goal. 

Overall, I believe that the vision needs to be something that any stakeholder can use as a direction both inside and outside the classroom. The revised statement I developed does achieve that to a better degree than the original. 

Daily Action

3 September, 2023

Developing Common Purpose

As a Grade Level Leader I usually categorize decision making according to current needs. For example, selection of baseline assessments will be prioritized at the beginning of the year. I would like to shift this into starting each year developing yearly goals for my team to achieve. This would ideally be the foundation of all decision making as it would serve as a common purpose. For example: Developing readers and writers within a play-based curriculum as a yearly goal, would influence baseline assessments at the beginning of the year, where the Kindergarten team would gather data on student's readiness to start reading and writing. This would ensure that at least most decisions regarding teaching and learning would have a starting point of a clear vision and purpose. 

4 September, 2023

Interrogating Information Prior to Making Decisions

Often as a school leader, when I face any challenges or a solution needs to be found, I blindly trust the information I am given without interrogating and digging deeper. Sometimes, due to time constraints or other variables it is "easier" to find the quickest solution that meets current needs, but this rarely translates into a sustainable change - we are basically slapping a band-aid on problems in order to tackle the next. I would like to challenge myself to slow down and dig deeper into information or data that I am presented with and rather adopt a trial solution model, where all solutions are able to be tested and from various perspectives. This can be achieved by seeking alternative perspectives from all stakeholders or even seeking advice from an objective party. 

5 September, 2023

The Eisenhower Matrix

There is nothing I thrive off more than making a good list. I find that organizing my thoughts on paper frees up my mental load and calms me down in order to complete tasks that seem overwhelming. Through my research on the Eisenhower Matrix I came across a quote that encompasses my understanding of the theory - Brian Tracy, a motivational speaker once said "when you make a to-do-list, you should also make a not-to-do list (...) some of those little tasks won't matter as long as you get the big tasks done."

One of the biggest challenges I have is being able to delegate. I think this stems from being a control-freak and also not having control over the team that I work with. I really want to try to challenge myself to delegate more often and put more effort into supporting my team in order to delegate tasks, as I do usually end up working after hours or on weekends in order to complete tasks before deadlines in order to reduce the stress of working under pressure.

6 September, 2023

Decision Making

After learning about different decision making frameworks, I realized that they all had one common thread. Making decisions are not solely focused on finding the best solution, but rather identification of the context in which the problem lies. Once context has been identified, one can dig deeper and reflect on perspectives and systematic problems that give rise to the problem at hand. 

Often as a teacher and Grade Level Leader I am faced with symptoms of systemic issues. I would like to change my approach when dealing with problems, which has been very surface level. For example, this week, after running diagnostics and baseline assessments with my Kindergarten class, collecting grade level data I realized 

7 September, 2023

Kidder's Ethical Checkpoints

Understanding Kidder's Ethical Checkpoints, I have been able to identify a personal area for growth. Kidder's Ethical Checkpoints outlines Step 5 as testing for right vs. wrong as well as right vs. right. In this model, context and specifics of a situation need to be separated from the ethical dilemma itself. By separating these specifics it avoids a conflict between finding the right in the wrong (e.g. yes he stole money, but he stole it to feed his family). I would definitely consider myself as being compassionate and generally a "sucker for a sob story". I am easily emotionally influenced, and trust that people always have good intentions. Although this can be a beneficial trait as a leader (being able to humanize the decision making process), I do believe that it hinders my ability to see right and wrong as clear as black and white. 

An area that I would like to start developing in myself is being able to stop at any decision/dilemma and first separate the contextual specifics in order to determine whether the dilemma is right vs. wrong, if it is, then I would stop there and not allow justifications to cloud my judgement. Once I have determined if something is right/wrong, I would then dig deeper to understand specifics, this would solely be for the purpose of determining considerations of the outcome of the dilemma. 

My Favorite Worst Decision

In 2020 I had to escape the pandemic as I was teaching Kindergarten in Shanghai, China. During this time, I accepted a position as a Grade 5 and 6 ELA and Social Studies teacher in Qatar. I spent a year questioning my choices of being a teacher, questioning why I was not cool enough to understand obscure TikTok references and drowning in grading. I very swiftly put in my resignation and moved back to my "home" in  Kindergarten. My favorite worst decision was accepting to teach middle school and finally being able to appreciate the pure and innocent joys of teaching Kindergarten again. 

REFLECTION: WHY WE MAKE BAD DECISIONS

Confirming Evidence Trap: Seeking evidence that supports our existing instinct

One of the influencing factors of my bad decision was the collection of "bias" data. I was basing my decision solely on evidence that I was an ineffective teacher and that the fact that it was taking longer to build relationships with my students was proof enough that I should return to Early Childhood. If I had collected data that was more objective in order to make a decision, I could have considered the following alternatives that may have altered my decision:

1. Older students may take more time than younger students to develop trust and understanding. 

2. That COVID restrictions were causing me to adapt my teaching practice, and it could have been equally as challenging if I stayed in an EC classroom. 

3. That learning a new skill always takes time and practice and that I may have been too hard on myself looking to be immediately proficient at a new skill. 

Ultimately, I realize how easily one can get trapped into making decisions, even unconsciously. It is important to take a step back and analyze data, ask advise and take your time when making any major decisions. 

Trade - Off: Selecting one option that could resulting in benefitting in one way but losing out on another

My decision was solely based on not wanting to be unemployed and to remain a teacher. What I did not fully factor in was that my knowledge and skills were not as easily transferrable as I had anticipated and it could impact my overall confidence in my ability and have me start to question myself. If I had considered the benefits of all perspectives, I could have also seen the value of expanding my skill set and the opportunity to learn now skills that I could possibly adapt for my future classrooms. 

e.g. I was able to explore and learn how to integrate technology into the classroom which I had never been able to do teaching Kindergarten as we are usually trying to minimize their screen time and create more opportunities for sensory and kinistetic learning. 

Problems of Leadership Reflections

3 September, 2023

Strategic Direction 

"You never need permission to lead" -  Effective leaders are able to identify "problems" and find solutions to causes rather than symptoms. Leaders collaborate with various parties in order to find the root of challenges and facilitate changes in order to support the community they lead. 

In order to ensure that leaders are involving all parties in the decision making process it is vital that strategic directions are set. This will ensure that all parties are working towards a common goal and have a common understanding of the purpose of the organization. All decisions should align with a common goal/purpose. Common strategic direction additionally ensures accountability. If everyone is working towards the same goal, leaders and their teams are able to hold each other accountable towards a common understanding of purpose. 

In order for leaders to effectively lead it is vital to build strong positive relationships with all stakeholders within a team. Cultivating a culture of trust and understanding is key to fostering effectiveness and efficiency of the common goal/purpose. 

4 September, 2023

Hidden Traps in Decision Making

"Good decisions come from experience, experience comes from making bad decisions" - Mark Twain

I was born into a culture of Asian parents where perfection was demanded. Making mistakes was a sign of weakness. I will never forget the overwhelming anxiety of my mother sending me into the supermarket to purchase tomatoes she needed to prepare our dinner. The eight year old me stood in front of a tower of tomatoes in the produce section, staring at the overwhelming options of tomatoes in various stages of ripeness. The questions and thoughts running through my head informed my feverishly scanning eyes of which shade of red, combined with texture of squishiness and size as I stuffed the exact amount she asked for in a clear plastic produce bag. 

Thinking back on this, my ability to sift through information, consideration of purpose and a general sense of logic has greatly impacted how I make decisions. Although my background has influenced my decision making process, or heuristics, it is vital for me to utilize both my experience as well as my understanding of my own mental traps in order to make better decisions. 

 Hidden Traps in Decision Making:

1. The Anchoring Trap: Framing information influences decision making (e.g. making a customer feel like they're getting a better deal when items are "marked down")

2. The Status-Quo Trap: Confronting bias and being afraid of change

3. The Sunk-Cost Trap: Making decisions that justify past choices

4. The Confirming - Evidence Trap: Seeking evidence that supports our existing instinct.

5. The Framing Trap: Framing questions can be dangerous as framing establishes status-quo. 

6. The Estimating & Forecasting Trap: Basing decisions on overconfident or overly cautious estimates. 

5 September, 2023

Participatory Decision Making 

Leading teams within a school can be particularly challenging as schools function as communities. In order for the organization to be successful and for there to be progress a certain level of democracy must take place in order for all stakeholders to have bought-in to any particular decision that is being made. Participatory decision making is a vital tool for school leaders to utilize in order to make decisions that are based on reliable data and are realistic. There are multiple factors that one must take into consideration when using a participatory decision making model:

• Ensure that the right people are influencing the decision
• Ensure that a common purpose or vision is established and understood
• Ensure that data collected is interrogated, questioned, verified and challenged if need be
• Ensure that all participants are aware of their level of participation as well as their level of decision making power. (not all participatory decision making processes require equal decision making power)

When listening to the stories/reflections of everyone's example of good leadership, I realized that the common thread was that every individual felt heard and understood by their leader. When making decisions, it is important to involve relevant stakeholders and actively listen and consider and their contributions in order to develop the best possible solution.

6 September, 2023

The Congruence Model

Aligns all systems in schools around the vision statement

1. Perform root cause analysis

e.g. If Jon had to ask for a loan, you would first ask various questions before making a decision. Why does he need it? Why doesn't he have it?

Symptoms vs. Root Cause

Symptoms - result or outcome of the problem // what you see as a problem (usually obvious)

The Problem - Gap from goal or standard

Causes- System below the surface, bringing about the problem

The systemic issue

Example: A problem I have been facing at school is teachers inability to follow an indoor playground schedule. Teaching Early Childhood in Qatar summer months comes with its own challenges, where students are not permitted to play outdoors when temperatures rise to a certain degree. The school has provided an indoor soft gym/playground for PreK- KG2 students to use during this time. This means that over a 5 hour school day, 11 classes sign up for 30 minute playground slots in order to provide students with a space to develop gross motor skills. The schedule is sent out as a shared document at the beginning of the school year and teachers schedule their classes into the specified time-slots.

Recently, teachers have been complaining that some classes have not been following the schedule which has resulted in certain classes missing their time slots for the day. This has caused tension between teachers and grade-level teams.

Possible symptom:

1. Teachers do not want to follow the schedule

2. Teachers do not want to schedule playground time first thing in the morning

3. Teachers are using the playground as a brain break, not structured time to develop gross motor skills

4. Teachers sign up for 30 minute slots, maybe the time can be reduced

Root Cause:

There is only one indoor playground for 11 classes in a 5 hour day. The allocated space does not match the capacity of students and classes who utilize it.

Root causes will always deal with systemic issues

2. Check for organizational alignment

5 building blocks, - all the blocks need to work together to perform

a) critical tasks and interdependence: what work is being done in the building

is the right material being taught with the right pedagogy in the right sequence.

b) culture: norms, values and beliefs of the people in the organization

c) structure & systems: roles, responsibilities, formal reporting structure etc.

Do the structures at my school (space of building, schedule, data systems etc)

e) capabilities: skills, capacities and attitudes of people who carry out the organization's critical tasks

Are the capabilities of staff aligned with the work that is being done? Do they have the skills?

f) leadership: style and competencies

The above work as a system, all components need to be aligned

Lack of alignment degrades the whole system.

7 September, 2023

Kidder's Ethical Checkpoints

1. Recognize that there is a problem
- Try to avoid black and white thinking, consider the nuances of a specific situation.
- Avoid ONLY thinking in the gray area, "what battles do I fight?"
- Care vs. Flex
- What is evil? the intention AND effect of causing harm or destruction, usually the perception of violating a moral code
- Consider the moral implications of doing nothing
- Understand that we are constantly engaged in moral decisions
- "Muted" organizational reality (its the system, what can I do?)
- Harm can be caused consciously or unconsciously. Regardless, evil is evil

2. Determine the "actors"
- ask, "who's dilemma is this?"
- ask, whether we are involved but whether we are responsible - whether I am morally obligated and empowered to do anything in the face of the moral issues
- sometimes the ethical dilemma can be "right/right", do I show mercy and compassion?
- Am i ethically responsible for the outcome of this decision? what is your impact on the outcome?

3. Gather facts
- check against common decision making errors
- give yourself time

4. Test for right-versus-wrong issues
- Determine if it is a right vs wrong issue, if so, then it should stop there
- Moral relativism: a view that rejects the existence of any objective, absolute or universal moral truths that govern our morality (e.g. If you sit with anything long enough, you can learn to justify it)

Factors that Influence Decision Making

 Decision Making:

a) Collection of as much data as possible is key to effective decision making. 

During the ice-breaker activity once everyone had read out their cards, it gave rise to deeper conversations and groupings could be amended or shifted. This relates to effective decision making that before reaching conclusions, once must prioritize collecting information or data in order to support the final decision being made. 

b) Decisions never have to be final

School environments are constantly changing according to needs and circumstances. It is important as leaders that we make the best decision possible at the time but be open to assessing the efficacy of the outcome and adapting solutions to best meet the current situation.