Jobs to be Done Theory Applied to Schools

Colleagues:

I'm in the middle of reading Clayton Christensen's book entitled Competing Against Luck. As Clayton says: "it's all about the struggles we all face to make progress in our lives." 

The book motivated me to write this post. Clayton uses the Jobs to be Done Theory to analyze why people "hire" specific products and services to accomplish the jobs they face in their work or personal lives. One of the key questions he raises is: "What job did you hire that product to do?" The success of this approach requires knowing your customers' jobs, the context in which they occur, and customizing solutions. The book is very pragmatic and offers insightful examples in business, education, and health services.

Jobs to be Done Theory "explains why customers pull certain products and services into their lives...to resolve highly important, unsatisfied jobs that arise." For example, a school-based job arises when teachers are not satisfied with student progress in their classroom. What "product or service" do they hire to help do the job of increasing student learning that results in student and teacher success? And when a crisis emerges such as COVID-19, what solutions do leaders of learning "hire" to offer social distance strategies through virtual learning? 

This blog post offers my first attempt at applying the Jobs to be Done Theory to support schools and leaders of learning to make progress toward their goals for success. 

See my 5 jobs to done in schools here. Your feedback would be valued and appreciated.

Nick