Beth SchaeferJune 4, 2024Business Architecture, For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

How Mature Are You? | A Workplace Blog

By Beth Schaefer

IPD Director

Over the years, IPD has offered several courses on solving problems:

  • Solve the Right Problem
  • Are You Fixing or Solving?
  • Continuous Improvement Training: Learn and Do
  • Building the Business Case for Change

The one thing that each of these courses has in common is the emphasis on defining the problem you are trying to solve before you start picking a solution.  Undefined problems are often the reason why many initiatives do not succeed.

It can be the same issue for training.  There are good reasons for doing training such as employee retention or leadership pipeline development, but if you are not sure what you want to accomplish with the training, those good reasons can still end up being a waste of resources: both time and money.

A tool that I find useful for helping to define all sorts of problems – including training – is the capability maturity model or capability maturity continuum.  You will have people at every level of the maturity continuum; however, if you can determine where most of your organization is living, and focus training at that maturity level, you will be able to move the organization as a whole along the maturity continuum toward your goal.

Capability Maturity Model

I find that you can take a generic maturity continuum and fill in your topic to help you define the problem. This approach is not as detailed or accurate as a full-blown consultant report, but it takes a lot less time and money!  And often the information a consultant taps you to collect on their behalf is the same information you can apply to the continuum.  Or you can use the continuum as a starting place to write questions for an employee survey.

To illustrate how to use the maturity continuum as a quick evaluation tool, IPD has taken the maturity continuum and used it to define DEI maturity for an imagined client.  If you find that most people are on the left of the continuum, you would offer training on the 4 tools for navigating DEI.  Or if you find that most of your people are at the defined level, you would offer DEI workplace influencer training for key leaders to implement policy.  You can see how tailoring training for maturity helps you define the problem or opportunity you wish to address with training.  Targeting training to move along the continuum is more effective than constantly offering and reoffering training at the same level of maturity.

If you search capability maturity models, you will find several hundred to pick from varying with the number of levels and the names of levels.  Pick the one that works for your organization, and start assessing your maturity on any initiative to help you define your problem, define your needs and, in turn, help define your solution.

 

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Beth SchaeferAugust 23, 2023For the Public Sector, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

Public Sector Hiring Challenges (and Solutions)- Part 2: Disrupt and Innovate | A Workplace Blog

Public Sector Hiring Challenges (and Solutions)

Part 2: Disrupt and Innovate

By Beth Schaefer

IPD Director

In the previous article, I presented 6 steps you can take to give your public sector organization a recruiting edge.

This article moves from the concrete to the abstract.  It is the hope of a 7th action step that is yet to be defined.

Be disruptive and innovative

While I hope the 6 action steps can assist your organization with recruitment, nothing in that list is innovative.  As someone who has spent her entire career in the public sector, I find it sad that the organizations that grow and maintain our democracy are in a talent crisis.  I also find it ironic that so many of our roles focus on helping people with their career pathways, yet our own public sector pathway is hidden.

I stumbled into my public sector career- perhaps like many of you.  I started as a public-school teacher – which I did not even associate with being a public sector role.  When I was ready to move into leadership, I kept finding that the jobs I found appealing required a Master’s degree in Public Administration.  I had never even heard of that degree, but I enrolled in a program, earned the degree, and continued my public sector career in higher education.

I am fortunate that my heart for service could be supported with resources for the convoluted career pathway I took; not everyone has the same resources that I had.  Once they stumble onto the public sector pathway, they may not have the resources to make that change.

This hidden pathway leads me to ask some larger questions:

  • Could we be doing more to promote this career pathway?
  • Are there actions we could take as a collective to promote public sector careers?
  • Could we start the recruiting process in middle school or high school rather than waiting for people to stumble into a public sector career?

Let’s be a choice, not a default.

To me, the younger generation is much more focused on community and service than my 80’s generation ever was.  Let’s leverage those values and show those at the start of their careers that almost every profession and almost any interest can be found in the wide array of public sector roles.

If you want to be disruptive and innovative, here are some links to organizations and events that start their industry recruiting early; maybe they will ignite a spark for the Minnesota Public Sector to collectively promote ourselves as a great career option.

MN Technology Association

Statewide Tour of Manufacturing

4 Ways to Sell Your Program at Parent-Teacher Conferences

Conferences, Job Fair coming April 25th

Southwest Minnesota Career Expo

Perhaps there is a way for us to join forces and collaboratively build the talent pool rather than compete against each other for qualified candidates.

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Beth SchaeferJuly 31, 2023For the Public Sector, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

Public Sector Hiring Challenges (and Solutions) Part 1: Recruit | A Workplace Blog

Part 1: Recruit

Compiled by Beth Schaefer

IPD Director

While almost every industry sector is suffering from the challenge of the Great Resignation, the public sector is suffering more than others.  Sources report a 25% vacancy rate for government jobs – up from 13% before the pandemic.

Several factors contribute to this crisis; The Public sector is:

  1. Experiencing high levels of retirement
  2. Requiring non-essential years of experience or degrees for positions – especially since 2/3 of Americans over the age of 25 do not hold a bachelor’s degree
  3. Moving too slowly through the hiring process and losing candidates before the offer phase
  4. Losing the recruitment banner of “great benefits” as corporate benefits have caught up or surpassed government benefits
  5. Trailing on inflation: public sector wage growth has only been 3.4% compared to 5.5% in the private sector

Insufficient qualified candidates prompted 51% of surveyed Public Sector HR Managers to reopen and extend their recruitment period.

What is Working

The National League of Cities surveyed Public Sector Managers who could check any and as many recruitment tactics they thought produced results.  Here is what the survey revealed:

55% or More Selected

Government Websites
Social Media
Employee Referrals

54-30% Selected

Profession-Specific Media
Commercial Websites
College Outreach/Partnerships
Job Fairs

29- 20% Selected

Internships
Apprenticeships

16 other options received 20% or less approval from HR Managers as being effective.

6 Talent-Recruiting Actions to Find Public Sector Employees in Minnesota

For those of you who are part of Minnesota’s public sector infrastructure, here are 6 actions steps that you can take to increase the probability of hiring qualified candidates for your open positions.

1.  Partner with Metro State University’s programs for Public Sector Administration Degrees.

Contact Dr. Crystal Fashant to learn more about providing capstone projects to Metro State students.  This program is a win/win.  Graduate students receive real-world experience and your organization gets to know a qualified potential employee.

Dr. Crystal Saric Fashant, MPNA DBA (she/her)
Associate Professor and Department Chair
Department of Public and Nonprofit Leadership, College of Community Studies and Public Affairs

 651.999.5853 | crystal.fashant@metrostate.edu

 

2.  Become a vendor at the annual Law Enforcement Opportunities (LEO) Career Fair.

Metro State partners with Hennepin Tech and a small nonprofit to host this annual career fair. Contact Mary Schober Martin, the program advisor or the link to get more information.

Mary Schober Martin (she/her)
Academic Advisor
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (SCJ)

mary.schobermartin@metrostate.edu

LEO Career Fair

 

3.  Post jobs on Metro State’s Career Center

Current Metro State students and alumni have access to Handshake, an online recruiting platform.  Use this link for Handshake information and registration.  The Career Center may also be able to assist you with internships and apprenticeships – especially for roles in IT.  Contact Emily Johnson, the Internship and Apprenticeship Coordinator.

Emily Johnson (she/her)
Internship and Apprenticeship Coordinator, Career Center

651.793.1513 | metrostate.edu

Emily.Johnson@MetroState.edu

Metro State Career Center Handshake

 

4.  Grow your employees by assisting them with a defined career path.

Use these links for more information on building a career path that combines experience with education.  Combine this with a re-examination of your education requirements when posting a position. Here is a sampling of links for Metro State programs – many with online options:

Public Administration

Criminal Justice

Human Services

Search all Programs

 

5.  Support employees with professional development offered through Metro State IPD.

Word of mouth on how well you treat your employees will boost recruitment efforts. Plus, you can build leadership skills with those who are already have experience and knowledge specific to their roles.  Use this link to check out public sector training options or contact IPD to build your own.

Metro State Professional Development

 

6.  Join Minnesota cooperative groups that post public sector roles

Use these links to find out more about these options.

Association of Minnesota Counties

League of Minnesota Cities

 

While I have provided the links and contact information, IPD is part of the Metro State team, and I would be happy to help you connect with the right person with an option(s) that work for you.

Beth.Schaefer@metrostate.edu

Resources

Governing: The Future of States and Localities

American City & County: Overcoming Worker Shortages in Public Sector Amidst Growing Demand

National League of Cities: The Public Workforce Recruitment Challenge: New Data

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Beth SchaeferSeptember 26, 2022For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

Employee Retention Part 4: Six Things You Can Skip to Improve Employee Engagement | A Workplace Blog

[themesingleimage image=”12919″ color=”#ff0000″][/themesingleimage]
Beth Schaefer | IPD Director

Have you noted the uptick in employee engagement information since we started this series of articles?  Chicken or Egg?

Is everyone suddenly more interested in Employee Engagement – or – because we now have Employee Engagement on our radar, we notice it more?

Case in point: This article appeared in the Huffington Post, You Could Be ‘Quiet Quitting’ Your Job And Not Even Know It.

I heard this article being discussed on the radio and sought it out because when I was at a BBQ for the National Night Out, several of my neighbors and I were discussing a group of workers we were calling the slowly retiring.

I, of course, immediately connected ‘Quiet Quitters’ and ‘The Slowly Retiring’ to Employee Engagement.

My previous article in this series gave 6 actions that immediate supervisors could take to immediately increase employee engagement since they are the ones who have the most influence on engagement.

This article will discuss the 6 myths your organization should avoid if it wants to help those immediate supervisors maintain engaged employees.

Myth 1: Supervisors are too busy for training

Many supervisors are promoted for their technical skills and knowledge.   They are experts in the work, not necessarily, experts in researched proven aspects of leadership.  Research says that 70% of employee engagement is in the hands of the immediate supervisor, but only 26% of leaders say that employee engagement is part of their job that requires daily attention.

My note: Do the math: quite a gap between 70% and 26%.  If your organization believes that not taking time to train supervisors is doing them a favor, you should rethink.  Yes, they are busy – very busy, but if you structure your training so that it:

  • targets their needs
  • helps them solve issues they find challenging
  • provides time to interact and get to know each other
  • allows them to have some fun,

then, they will appreciate the new skills and knowledge.  They may gripe on the way into training, but they should be re-energized on the way out.

Myth 2: We all need to agree on the perfect definition and measurement of Employee Engagement before we begin

The ultimate measurement of employee engagement is to simply see if your employee retention rate improves.

My notes: Just start.  Share the 6 quick start tips with your supervisors.

With that said, having some training where you help your supervisors with engagement best practices and define what might be “in scope” or what might be “out of scope” on engagement tactics could be a helpful discussion for supervisors.   Help supervisors determine what is feasible, viable, and desirable for employee recognition. The intersection of those three is the sweet spot for engagement.

Myth 3: Engagement surveys are the first step for improving employee engagement

Actually, most engagement survey results have only a small impact improving employee engagement.

My notes: Move forward without the survey.  A common misstep of many organizations is to spend a bunch of time, money, and resources on an engagement survey and results sharing, but then run out of steam (or time, money, and resources) to form and implement an action plan that addresses engagement.  Suddenly, it is time for the next survey without any meaningful interventions having taken place since the last one was issued.  Interventions change survey results, not survey-taking.

Myth 4: Employee Engagement is fueled by high level inspirational speeches from CEO’s

Speeches do not do any harm, but no need to wait for a formal launch with the CEO.

My notes: Skip the speech.  Spend the time equipping supervisors and let them start.   Even if the CEO does not even believe in employee engagement, a supervisor can still implement the 6 quick start tips and have a positive effect on their staff and their engagement.

Myth 5: Internal branding and messaging will increase employee engagement

Research says that employees will stay and be engaged if they enjoy the people they work with.  They need coworker friends to connect them to the company culture.

My notes: Put your energy into creating spaces that allow for interaction and fun.  Do not think that the employee newsletter (while informative) will generate excitement needed for long-term employee retention.

Myth 6: Employees’ affection can be bought

If we have enough gifts and material incentives for achieving targets, employees will work hard to accumulate those things.

My notes: Focus on creating a career pathway.  While most employees would not turn away gifts and perks, these alone will not hold them to a position where they see no opportunity for growth and/or do not enjoy working with their team.  I know what you want to tell me: some employee do not want to move on.  That is OK.  The conversation will still acknowledge their talents and contributions to the organization. Still a win.

What Can the Organization Do?

If HR is not excited about leaving employee engagement to immediate supervisors, one action item they can do to help (besides training and equipping immediate supervisors) is to ensure that supervisors write individual employee performance goals that connect to the organization’s performance goals.  That way, if most individual employees are meeting their performance goals and the organization is under-performing, leaders will at least know that it is not an employee performance or employee engagement issue.   No survey needed.

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Beth SchaeferAugust 9, 2021For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

The Top Four Obstacles to Problem Solving | A Workplace Blog

 

This month we are featuring a free webinar on how to solve problems so that you do not need to solve them again.

 

So, I took a quick look out on the world wide web, to see what obstacles people are facing to getting problems solved – especially as many of us are in transition from remote working to being back in the office.

 

Turns out that, at least at a high level, it does not matter if you are remote or in the office or somewhere in between.   The obstacles seem to be the same.

 

  1. Lack of communication and sharing of information
  2. Lack of long-term thinking
  3. Silos, and along with that, not having everyone moving towards the same goal or in the same direction
  4. People who seem uninterested in engaging in problem-solving

 

Depending on the survey or article, these will change in order, but they remain quite consistent.

 

Consider this – do you have a process to solve problems?   Defining a problem-solving process and reflecting on how to make it better each time you finish solving a problem will help you address these four obstacles.

 

We are interested in hearing from you.  Take a minute to answer our survey question.   We will share the results in our webinar on August 25th.

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Beth SchaeferMay 6, 2021For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

Why It Makes Dollars and Sense to Improve Workplace Mental Health | A Workplace Blog

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Things You Can Do Now To Improve Your Organization’s Mental Health – Even While Working From Home

In the past, I would have dismissed this topic as something that is so distant to me, I would not even need to glance in its direction.

I would much rather focus on other topics that can claim May as their month:

American Cheese – and not just the slices in cellophane wrappers, but the artisan chesses.  The American Cheese Society encourages you to visit a local cheese producer.

Asparagus- hard to grow, but easy to cook.

Barbecue – obviously, go out to eat

Bikes – featuring National Bike to School Day on May 5th

Even, Correct Your Posture Month sounds more appealing than a discussion about mental health, and oh, so easy, to celebrate.  This website says to stand up from your desk every 30 minutes.

 

Mental Health – no so fun and not so easy to focus on.

While, in theory I know the stigma attached to mental health and seeking help needs to be removed; when it comes to myself it is easy to think, “I am just fine – thank you very much.”

In actuality, being just fine would put me in the minority. 

Forbes reported that 75% of U.S. Workers have struggled at work this past year due to anxiety caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and other recent current events.

While many companies are mentioning their support systems more frequently to help their employees with mental health – like the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that Metro State employees can tap into, I feel it quite unlikely that I would make that call because I feel “stressed.”  Perhaps, you are like me.  Even though you are struggling with stress, you are not ready to make an official call for help.

So, what can you and I do to contribute to positive mental health of our workplace – especially when working from home?

#1. Take Care of Me

Yes, you first.  

You cannot help others if you are unhealthy.

  1. Keep a regular schedule each day that includes specific times to:
    1. Stop and start work
    2. Connect with family and friends, and
    3. Provide self -care (time to eat, exercise, and sleep).
  2. Use relaxation techniques, such as the 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique
  3. Distract and redirect energy into activities that bring joy – for me – gardening
  4. Schedule time away from screens and get fresh air
  5. Set up an ergonomically correct work station

 

#2. Take Care of Your Coworkers

Now that you cannot gather around the water cooler each day, this is even more important.

  1. Show empathy when others share their anxiety
  2. Schedule time to routinely check in with coworkers to ward off isolation
  3. Encourage them to use the EAP if you hear something troubling
  4. Encourage them to be assertive, yet courteous, and say “no” to work or deadlines that go beyond understood boundaries
  5. Encourage them to do the five items above in “Taking Care of Me”

 

#3. Take Care of Your Staff

Leaders have extra responsibility in maintaining a health workplace culture.

  1. Make sure your staff is aware of EAP resources
  2. Routinely schedule 1:1 time with team members:
    1. Provide space for them to “not be OK”
    2. Help them feel connected to the vision and mission of the organization
    3. Clarify their role and responsibilities
  3. Encourage staff to set and keep regular work hours. Make sure they know that working from home does not equate to being available 24/7
  4. As guidelines change, create coworking spaces where your team can meet in person now and then
  5. If the position allows, provide flexibility for staff to control their own schedules

 

If your organization needs some nudging to help you create a healthy work- from-home structure, remind them that

healthy people are more productive:  they…

  • Call in sick less
  • Reduce the organization’s turnover rate
  • Have more brain capacity available to be problem-solvers
  • Reduce healthcare costs

One final note, *I am not a mental health professional.*

This blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, medical treatment or therapy.

Now, quit reading this screen and go for a walk.

 

Resources
5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique for Anxiety from Behavioral Health Partners Blog from the University of Rochester Medical Center
Coping with Stress on Healthline
How to Keep Your Mental Health in Check When You Work From Home from We Work Remotely
How Working from Home is Impacting our Mental Health by Bethany Garner from Business Because
The Impact of Mental Health on Employees’ Productivity by Dennis Relojo-Howell on Psychreg
Mental Health and Remote Work: Survey Reveals 80% Would Quit their Jobs for This by Chris Westfall on Forbes
What Employers Need to Know About Mental Health in the Workplace published on McLean: Harvard Medical School Affiliate
Working Remotely During Covid-19  Center for Workplace Mental Health sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association Foundation
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Beth SchaeferMarch 10, 2020Business Architecture, For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

Your Organization Needs Business Architecture | A Workplace Blog

Why Your Organization Can Use Business Architecture

Since business architecture is an emerging discipline, you may be hesitant to commit to paying for someone at your organization to attend business architecture training.  Here are 5 reasons why your investment would be wise.

Business architecture concepts can be used every day to help your organization grow and prosper.

Even if you do not have the role of  “Business Architect” at your organization, having people who understand business architecture will still be a benefit. Just like millions of people use project management tools as part of their daily jobs without the title of  “Project Manager,” your organization can benefit from the immediate use of the techniques and concepts learned in a business architecture certification course.

Business Architects are neutral problem-solvers that break down silos.

Business architects have tools that they can use at any point of a business problem to help business leaders and operational leaders define problems and solutions at a department level, a division level, or (ideally) an enterprise level. Business architects operate outside the silos that can hinder your organization’s ability to work cross-functionally toward one set of objectives.  Unless your organization is problem-free, you can use these skills and tools.

Business Architects draw the connection between where you are today and where you envision being in the future.

Besides tools, business architecture teaches people a new way of thinking.  It provides a lens that allows a business architect to ask the right questions that define a business strategy or growth opportunity and create the roadmap (literally, there are a variety of roadmaps) to show the way from the current state to future potential.

Business Architects get the strategy right the first time.

Do you sometimes roll out initiatives that miss the mark?   Do they create less value than anticipated, or do they actually make things worse for your customers?  Business architects learn about relationship management.  They find out who needs to be at the table and heard before strategic initiatives get speeding along in the wrong direction.

Business Architects help you prioritize resources.

Does your organization have more improvements and initiatives than it has resources to invest in? Business Architecture can help your company align its resources (people, data, technology, and processes) with what it needs to grow.

Do not wait for the official title. Do not wait for the official department. Do not wait to start using business architecture everyday in your organization because…

Business Architecture solves business problems!

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Beth SchaeferNovember 16, 2018Business Architecture, For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog, Workplace Wins

Leadership – How do you encourage Agile and innovation in a Bureaucracy? | A Workplace Blog

How does Leadership encourage Agile and innovation in a Bureaucracy?

By: Beth Schaefer    Director, Institute for Professional Development

Are you a leader supporting Agile efforts in a large traditional or bureaucratic organization? Let’s help each other.

I have Agile going on two fronts now – well, three if count our Agile training programs.

  1. My department is designing and building new business architecture courses with an agile or iterative approach. More on this in the next pocket agile blog.
  2. On the university org. chart, my department has been housed in the Center for Education Innovation (CEI) for the last two years. We are in talks of how to be agile in a government institution like a university.

What is the Center for Education Innovation (CEI)?

The Center is comprised of what I consider the most entrepreneurial of the university departments (although I am sure some would argue otherwise) because they are departments that say, “yes” to new ideas and then figure out a way to do it.  As department leaders, we are all calculated risk takers.

  • The CEI Current status?

Up until now, despite being under the same org. chart umbrella, our departments have largely worked independently of each other or, at best, done some ad hoc, as-needed collaborations.   We do talk about making sure we maintain a culture of innovation, and we have loosely defined what the elements of that culture need to be.

  • CEI Future state?

As often happens on the organizational maturity continuum, we are looking at moving from ad hoc to standardizing or making our innovation efforts more intentional.  We have started informal discussions on what the value proposition of the CEI should be, who the CEI customers are, and who (what other departments or roles) might be necessary to enable CEI to be Agile and innovative amid a large bureaucracy.

So, here are my big questions –

  1. If the Agile approach is a necessary component of innovation, how does one blend Agile with bureaucratic processes?
  2. If we start formalizing our CEI to better navigate existing processes, at what point, is the CEI no longer entrepreneurial and just another branch of the bureaucracy?

What is your best lesson learned to share with the rest of us? I am curious to hear from you.  

To help, I found this snippet in a longer article in the Harvard Review called Agile at Scale.  I think it provides an interesting intersection between agile pockets and traditional organizational structure.

When leaders haven’t themselves understood and adopted agile approaches, they may try to scale up agile the way they have attacked other change initiatives: through top-down plans and directives.

The track record is better when they behave like an agile team. That means viewing various parts of the organization as their customers—people and groups whose needs differ, are probably misunderstood, and will evolve as agile takes hold.

The executive team sets priorities and sequences opportunities to improve those customers’ experiences and increase their success. Leaders plunge in to solve problems and remove constraints rather than delegate that work to subordinates. The agile leadership team, like any other agile team, has an “initiative owner” who is responsible for overall results and a facilitator who coaches team members and helps keep everyone actively engaged.

I have sent this article to the other directors under the Center of Education Innovation umbrella, and await their thoughts as to our next steps.

In addition, I am interested in knowing other leaders successes or failures.

Please comment on our LinkedIn or Facebook pages.

 

 

 

 

 

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Beth SchaeferAugust 14, 2018Business Architecture, For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog, Workplace Wins

Value the Voice of Customer | A Workplace Blog

By: Beth Schaefer    Director, Institute for Professional Development

It happened again last week.  I was at a meeting where a policy revision was announced.  As the policy changes were being laid out, several people in the room had questions that did not have answers.  It became clear to me that the customer had not been included in the policy redesign.

And, it eventually became clear to the person presenting the new policy.  As the questions were being asked, I could see the “ah ha moment” occur.  The lightbulb went on that the policy had addressed a symptom of the problem and not the actual root cause of the problem.   So much so that the person said, “The real problem here is….”  The policy went back to the drawing board.

I get it…  

  • You may not think you have customers for internal processes.
  • You already have a pretty clear idea of what will work and getting customers involved takes time – You can roll things out faster if you just do it.
  • Your department owns the process. You know best.
  • Your department has the power to set your policies.
  • Not every little change needs to be a big deal.

I, too, am tempted to just get things done. I love crossing tasks off my checklist.  I want to skip the meetings, the feedback, the extra time and extra steps – besides, it is not like I can every make everybody happy.

I do not think making everyone happy can be a goal, but even spending a little bit of time on customer viewpoint will reap benefits.

The Voice of Customer (VOC) Benefits:

  • The customer’s voice focuses on the root cause of the problem/opportunity.

As you talk with your customers about the problem you are solving, they can help you with their struggles.  The nuances that they bring to the problem will ensure that you are solving the root cause of the problem rather than addressing a symptom.  For instance, maybe you will discover that the process is sufficient, but nobody is aware of it.  Better communication, not a new process, would solve the problem.

  • The VOC can make solutions better.

The variety of viewpoints that customers bring to the problem can be an opportunity to be creative with your solution.  When you use something every day multiple times a day, you may get tunnel vision.  Opening your perspective can help you use a new lens to view a routine situation.

  • You avoid rework.

Solving the wrong problem.  Designing a process that is too cumbersome. Coming up with a partial solution.  These are all mistakes that can be avoided if you take the time to seek feedback from the people who will use the policy or process.

  • Customer voice determines the communication plan.

The best solution can be lost with bad communication.  Understanding who your customers are and how they use the policy or process should help you tailor the communication on the change.  It should tell you the best method of communication.  It should tell you where to store the information for reference.  It should tell you the level of detail and the vocabulary you need for people to understand the change.

  • Identifying your customers helps you implement the policy or process.

Audience is important for buy-in.  You can make any changes you want, but if people do not buy into the change, you have more work on your hands.  Yes, you can order people to do things, but, people have tactics to resist – especially here in the passive/aggressive Midwest.  Do these sound familiar?

  • I did not know we had started that yet.
  • I could not find the new policy/form/process.
  • I was on vacation, so I did not know.
  • I tried, but my computer would not open the (document, form, link).
  • I was using the new process, but (insert name here) did not know about it, so I quit doing it
  • The old way is easier and faster; I do not have time for the new way
  • I am waiting for the official training before I start
  • My supervisor has not told me to start that yet…

I could go on and so could you.

Even the smallest changes can benefit from some feedback.  Think of your VOC as an accordion.   If the change is small, spend a little bit of time on VOC.  If the change is large, spend a lot of time on VOC.  And, the larger the impact, the more time I would spend on determining your value proposition – matching your solution to get gains for your customer pains.

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Beth SchaeferOctober 20, 2015Business Architecture, For the Public Sector, Leadership and Strategy Blogs, Professional Development and Career Advancement Blog

Why change initiatives fail: it’s not me, it’s you … except when it’s not | A Workplace Blog

 

By Beth Schaefer
Director, Institute for Professional Development

As leaders, we blame resisters when change initiatives are not embraced.

Our reasoning:

  • People are scared
  • People are lazy
  • People are set in their ways and do not want to experience discomfort

Yet, have YOU ever been critical of a proposed change? Do YOU consider yourself lazy or afraid of the future? By admitting that other reasons for change resistance exist, you can more effectively lead people through the change phases.

Often these are the real reasons people resist change:

  1. People are unaware that there is a business need for the change.
    Take time to get buy-in. Make sure people know the “why” not just the “what” and “how.”
  2. There is too much change: people do have a limit on how much change they can deal with at one time.
    Check the culture and be aware of other big initiatives. Timing matters.
  3. Bad communication: people just do not know what is going on.
    Change can bring new procedures, new reporting structures, and/or new employees.
    Make sure communication is clear and people know what to expect.
  4. Been there … Done that. Believe it or not, most people have a history of being a part of a change initiative that they worked hard on, but was never followed through to implementation. Too many bad experiences leave people leery that this next new big thing will not even be around long enough to worry about.
    Be patient and communicate what is being done differently this time to ensure success.

 

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