Summary of Engagement
In 1991, the City of Minneapolis was coping with the crunch between shrinking resources and greater demands for service. Sponsored by the Joint Labor Management Committee, initiatives were focused around two pillars: service quality and the quality of work life. Activities were undertaken to improve the quality of services rendered to citizens and to improve the employee work environment.
The engagement began with a retreat of the City Council, top management and labor union leadership. An ambitious change agenda resulted and was signed by the involved parties. PSG's role was to assist in implementing the change plan over a two-year period. The City Coordinator was a champion of this change plan. PSG worked closely with him until his departure.
Results Achieved
- Labor and management reached an unprecedented level of trust and cooperation in moving the city forward.
- The city's budget system was redesigned so that it was performance-based and gave managers latitude in producing results.
- A cadre of internal consultants were trained to support the changing process.
- The city's performance review system was redesigned to be continuous rather than annual, driven by employees rather than bosses, and focused on improvement and not judgement.
- Leadership training was provided to 120 city leaders.
- The City Council put parameters on its financial resources and on the results it wanted to produce. Performance metrics for the quality of service and for worklife were developed. Surveys of citizens and employees were completed
Specific Activities
Strategic and Action Planning (October 1991)
The Public Strategies Group helped the Citywide Labor Management Committee develop a strategy for undertaking a long-term organizational change processdesigned to increase the value of services delivered and create a more trusting and supportive environment for City employees. This assessment consisted of defining goals, limitations, scope, and other paramenters to help in the change process; in-depth interviews with a cross-representation of 30-40 City employees; informational meetings with the Quality Task Force, Budget Review Team, the Budget Office and other consultants; and facilitation of a 2-day retreat of City leaders.
Citizen and Employee Surveys (August - November 1992)
PSG created a survey for the assessment of citizen-defined quality. A telephone survey of 600 randomly selected citizens was completed in September 1992. A cross-section team of public affairs staff, city employees, and officials participated in the direction of the survey. The Public Strategies Group facilitated the team's work. Interviews were handled by an outside polling firm.
PSG conducted a baseline assessment of a sample of employees' views and attitudes about their work environment. About 100 employees were randomly selected. The survey was designed to measure characteristics of the work environment.
Leadership Training (November 1992)
Objectives were to acquaint the City's leaders with the Riverwood Agreements and the City's approach to change and to enlist active support and commitment to same by training at least one-third of up to 120 City leaders who were not in attendance at Riverwood. There were two days of "core training" with 60 participants in each session.
Administrative System Redesign (October 1992 - November 1993)
PSG designed a mechanism to enhance individual and team performance as a replacement for the City's current performance review system consistent with the Riverwood Agreement. A small team consisting of a crosssection of city employees undertook the design process. The team collected data on the needs which various facets of city government expect to be fulfilled by the replacement mechanism. The design team developed more detailed operating guidelines and procedures. The team was led by and worked with PSG, which facilitated the team's work and contributed ideas for improving the replacement mechanism.
PSG redesigned the City's budget system to assure that it reinforced the City's quality improvement strategy. Led by Finance officers and working with The Public Strategies Group, the Design Team-- made up of a cross section of city employees--undertook the budget system redesign. The team built on the work of the Budget Review Task Force. PSG was responsible for recommending alternative design approaches, challenging assumptions and, at the request of the chair, drafting Design Team products.
Change Management (October 1992 - November 1993)
The Public Strategies Group advised the City Coordinator on quality and the overall process of change. PSG outlined alternatives for specific problems, generated plans and/or strategies in regards to issues identified, and met with the City Coordinator on a biweekly basis, as deemed appropriate.
Internal Consultants (ICG'S) were made familiar with basic principles of consultation. Thirty ICG's were trained to apply the principles of the Riverwood Agreement to change efforts throughout the City, to understand the scope and boundaries of continuous improvement projects, to assess readiness for continuous improvement projects and redesign projects, and to support project teams throughout the continuous improvement projects.
PSG also developed a list of communication strategies which would assure that employees understood that a process of change was occurring and build employees' commitment to change. The Steering Committee approved a charter and selected the employee members of the communications task force. The Steering Committee received the list of proposed strategies. PSG drafted a charter for the communications task force, facilitated the task force's meetings, and prepared the final list of recommended strategies.
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