An effective housing professional recognizes that change is an inherent reality of the work and commits to removing outdated policies, procedures, and practices that prevent students from accessing the support and resources needed for their learning. Housing organizations must be centered as learning organizations that accept the consistency of change, learn from past mistakes, and embrace future considerations.
Centering housing in operational learning is vital because not only does it allow housing and residence life departments to meet current challenges, but it also prepares individual staff and the organization as a whole to meet future challenges as they emerge; potentially even proactively averting them before they occur. To achieve this benchmark, departments must begin their work from a solid foundation, be aware of external factors that can affect their work, find assistance from available resources, and instill a culture of trust, flexibility, and a willingness to accept change. The following definition establishes a goal for housing and residence life departments and begins the process of moving toward it.
Learning as an Organization
A thriving housing and residence life department commits to being a learning organization that creates an exceptional experience for both team members and students. Fundamental to creating a true learning organization is a commitment to individual and collective exploration centered by a clear vision and purpose. The culture of a learning organization fosters growth by creating spaces for ongoing dialogue, offering a variety of opportunities for individuals to learn, and intentionally structuring time to engage in learning activities.
Housing and residence life learning organizations hold ongoing feedback as a core principle. Everyone on the team is heard and valued, the team is committed to inclusivity, and it utilizes intercultural contexts to guide and support their work. Actively gathering feedback from all voices in the organization and utilizing feedback loops ensure that learning is not static.
Obstacles are viewed as opportunities and failure is viewed as an additional opening to learn, evolve, and improve. Having a growth mindset is integrated into planning, programming, and supervising. There is intentionality in paying attention to organizational conditions that advance fiscal, facility, and programmatic decisions that align with institutional values and data-informed approaches. Members of HRL learning organizations are curious, dynamic, nimble, and embrace focused and intentional change.