CollegeRecruiter.com Blog

This is the fourth of a multi-part case study that discusses the radical, strategic, necessary, and successful changes implemented by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second largest public school district in the nation. The LAUSD was able to implement a large scale $95 million enterprise resource solution a full four years ahead of schedule, which clearly demonstrates how processes or technology alone can never transform an organization’s culture. To read the case study from the beginning, go to Part I.

The Solution:

There comes a time in the life cycle of any organization, if it is to survive, where necessity truly does become the mother of invention. No one could credibly argue that the Los Angeles Unified School District had a well functioning recruiting function. It was, as all could see, incredibly dysfunctional. While that was bad enough, the LAUSD was being battered by competition from the growing charter school movement and legal burdens were mounting, including those in the “No Child Left Behind Act.” To survive, the LAUSD had to act fast.

In “The Heart of Change: Real Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations,” John Kotter and Dan Cohen advocate as step one the tenet of “push urgency up.” Fortunately, the school board demonstrated their understanding of the situation and showed great wisdom, foresight and determination to transform the district’s organizational culture by seeking the best possible new superintendent, even if it meant that the selected individual was a non-educator. The school board hired as their new Chief of Schools the 74-year old Roy Romer, former Governor of the State of Colorado and former Chairman of the Democratic National Party. Romer proposed a five-step action plan to turn around the Los Angeles Unified School District’s failing Human Resource Department.

1: Hire an expert with a proven track record, who is also an outstanding leader, to head up the recruiting efforts.

As a non-traditionalist, Romer was open minded and sought to bring diverse talent into the school district. He promptly hired three former navy captains: one to be responsible for the building and facilities program, a second to helm the information technology division with its almost $100 million ERP purchase and implementation, and a third to lead his 450 member human resources team and help the district come into compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act. This third person was Deborah Hirsch, whose credentials included having served for 26 years on active duty in the Navy, of which 12 were spent in Navy recruiting.

Some expected Hirsch to clean house by getting rid of as many of the former teachers and other non-traditional recruiters from her new recruitment team. Instead, Hirsch saw that they were not a threat and actually could be regarded as an opportunity. She felt that the team was comprised of individuals who worked very hard and possessed tremendous pride in their chosen professions. Hirsch also believed that extraordinary efforts can be coaxed out of ordinary people. But to do this successfully, Hirsch felt that she needed to find at least one superstar who would be her ally, friend, and harbor master as Hirsch knew that she was facing a significant challenge in her upcoming efforts of trying to gain the support of an ingrained, insular bureaucracy that didn’t trust “outsiders” such as her.

As Hirsch held the job of overseeing the broader spectrum of the human resources division, she sought out someone who knew even more about recruiting than she did—someone who also happened to be a former Navy Captain -- to serve as her deputy and to oversee the re-engineering of the District’s $10 million recruiting effort.

Results of Step 1: The LAUSD human resources team was now being led by true leaders who knew how to implement large scale projects and operations. Given the experience and skills these leaders possessed, their cost was quite affordable for the LAUSD.

To continue reading this case study, please go to Part V.