Organizational Effectiveness

All of the resources are FULL and INCLUSIVE; they are designed to be used without any or much additional help. You may download the audio files that accompany some resources here, but be aware that they are between 30 and 60 megabytes each! Help applying this information and more is also available.

(88 pages)
From a fuzzy and nebulous concept to a concrete, useful framework.  Understand clearly what makes a camp culture and how far reaching it is.  Determine how yours rates.  Discover best practices in creating an exceptional culture.  Learn how to develop or change your current culture without hitting the land mines.  Understand why Bob Ditter called this approach “the next level” in camp performance.

(39 pages)
The book “The Fifth Discipline” made this concept popular, but a lot has happened in the decade since that research was done.  There are eight pillars of a learning organization.  Understand what they are and how to assess where you stand on each pillar by using an administrator and counselor survey – provided.

(47 slides)
Audio
Knowledge management will save you time, money, be a staff perk, and help you achieve your mission much more effectively.  Simple idea, difficult to implement well, profound results.  More specific implementation advice and lists are provided as well as models to help organize efforts.  Once you engage this tool, you’ll wonder how you ever did without it!

(12 pages)
Survey.  Domains and examples for KM content. Log form. Suggestion form – general and specific.  Yellow pages form.  The OWL Librarian.  Advanced knowledge management systems.

(122 pages)
This resource is a thorough overview of the factors responsible for a motivated staff.  Addressed are:  the role of stories, speeches, and pep talks; staff quality; staff quantity; pay; camp culture; performance reviews; discipline; empowering staff; providing value to your staff; vision and mission; praise and recognition; setting expectations; and perks and benefits.  Understand how to “get more from your staff without even asking.”

(15 pages)
Only 1 out of 130 businesses ever manages to go from good to great.  By reading this resource, you’ll understand the 7 key elements that enables them to make the leap.  These principles were discovered via the largest single scientific research endeavor on this topic of our time.  You’ll also be able to assess where your specific camp is (alive, okay, good, pretty good, great), and receive the detailed knowledge of how your camp can move up a notch, or all the way to great.

(58 slides)
Audio
Directors, staff, and campers all make plenty of slip-ups.  Learn the differences between mistakes and failure and how to find the humor and wisdom in life’s disappointments.  Teach children, staff, and your organization how to “fail forward.”  There isn’t a single aspect of organizations or personal life this doesn’t apply to!

(9 pages)
A table of contents is offered along with several more quotes, stories, and examples.

(53 pages)
Audio
Learn how to take your camp training from good to best practice.  Understand how to convey information so that it will be remembered and used.  Learn how to capture the heart in addition to the mind.  Understand how to make in-the-trenches training as effective as possible – includes guidelines for supervisors.  Fortune 500 leadership training, Parent Effectiveness Training, and camp orientations don’t achieve their objectives at an alarming rate.  Learn why orientations, special trainings, and in-services fail and what to do about it.

(28 pages)
This written summary complements the presentation, rather than replacing it.  Both offer plenty of principles, examples, and specifics.

(7 pages)
A general list of principles to keep in mind when training adults is provided.  An excellent checklist for trainers to study is also included.

(1 pages)
This is a useful “game” to play when you are having almost any kind of controversial discussion, or are trying to increase creativity.  Place the one-page description in front of everyone at the meeting, allow everyone to read it, and get ready to have a more open, creative, and, ultimately more productive discussion/meeting.

(14 pages)
The topics presented here are definitely considered by camps, and often agonized about at length.  The goal is to hopefully offer a nugget or two of new information, or new lines of thought.  Addressed are camper return rates and session length, staff return rates, appropriate staffing levels, and staff quality.

(48 slides)
Audio
Follow the Fortune 1000 in using this tool to develop your staff.  You will get an overview of 360 degree evaluation, understand why it is so beneficial, understand how to conduct them, and become aware of the pitfalls and stumbling blocks.

(70 slides)
Benchmarking is the process of identifying, understanding, and adapting outstanding practices from any organization to help your camp improve it’s performance and outcomes.  Follow the Fortune companies in profiting from this tool.  Also includes the American Productivity and Quality Center’s process classification framework in detail.

(4 pages)
Ethical guidelines that organizations use when they benchmark one another.  Source is American Productivity and Quality Center.

Innovation and continuous improvement

What, Why, and How.  From the fuzzy to the concrete:  Gain a useful framework of what makes up these nebulous concepts.  Understand how to use these tools to help campers, counselors, yourself, and your camp make positive changes that will stick.  (IN PROGRESS)