Creating Change: Transforming Instruction for Students
with Deafblindness
Marina McCormick,
Region 4 Education Service Center,
marina.mccormick@esc4.net
Introduction
In 2004, the online shoe company Zappos decided to stage a daring
move regarding staffing in order to meet customers' needs. Tony Hsieh, then
CEO of the company, had a vision for the company that he communicated
regularly with his staff: They would make the online buying experience a
complete pleasure for their customers. Customer service was not to be
handled by only one department; it was to be the responsibility of the entire
company. So to meet staffing needs, Hsieh decided that the company would
move its entire headquarters from San Francisco to Las Vegas. Surprisingly,
78% of the employees were willing to uproot their lives and make the leap
with the company (Hsieh, 2010).
Change does not occur easily, but when employees understand that
change events are part of a larger transformative process tied to the
company's vision and goals, businesses can thrive during these challenging
moments. As in business, changes in education are themselves not isolated
46
