Voices from a Transformational Partnership
By Peter Beck
Last month, PSG wrapped up one of its longest and most transformational projects on record. For the past five years, PSG and Iowa have maintained a partnership aimed at fundamentally changing the way state government operates. We entered the partnership because the State of Iowa wanted to improve results for Iowans. They were willing to tackle anything - from the tactical process of making budgetary decisions to the revitalization of ubiquitous organizational culture. The scope of the project was no less than full-scale, post-bureaucratic transformation -- from the employees working on the front line to the “shirts and suspenders” within the office of the Governor.
Looking back on five years of work within Iowa, I’d like to summarize what our transformation partnership was, and reflect on the successes and shortcomings of our partnership as voiced by our partners in Iowa.
In the words of PSG CEO Babak Armajani, a “transformation partnership,” connotes “those special PSG projects that have a major impact on the client, on public sector reinvention, and on our business. They have historical significance. Deep transformation projects are big. They are comprehensive; they go deep; they have a duration sufficient to bring about significant change. They involve a whole team of PSG folks and Network colleagues over several years. Deep transformation projects employ many different interventions pursuing all the major levers of change.”
In Iowa’s partnership, a “transformation blueprint” was developed that visually captured those ‘major levers of change.’ Based on this blueprint, the partnership initiated and supported a number of mutually reinforcing, strategically aligned projects. They include:
Alongside the larger projects listed above, the partnership also developed a number of smaller and more targeted transformation support activities to keep momentum building and increase the synergy across projects. Examples of these include, but are not limited to, the:
I encourage you to click on any of the above links to learn more about each of these projects, and to review the results our partnership was able to achieve.
Many of the significant partners in the Iowa Reinvention Partnership convened at The Iowa Living History Farm in October 2006 to debrief our experiences, share the lessons learned along the way, and to celebrate. Participants were also interviewed in a more personal face-to-face setting and asked to share their high points, low points, and turning points. Here are what the some of PSG’s partners from inside Iowa government had to say:
“Our umbrella achievement is that we can now explain to Iowans what they get for their tax dollars.”
Cynthia Eisenhauer, Office of the Governor
“I’ve noticed cross-pollination of reinvention activities. Charter agencies write better Purchasing Results offers. Purchasing Results and Entrepreneurial Management at the Department of Administrative Services are reinforcing. Budget offers used to be about direct costs. Now, we can allow agencies to choose how much of a service they want. The pieces are in place.”
Jim Chrisinger, Iowa Department of Management
“A result of reinvention is that customers are better served. We’ve begun transformations in pharmacy, banking, transportation, accounting, procurement and more. We’ve tied in transformation and leadership with evidence based practices.
This wouldn’t have happened as quickly without Charter Agency status. Now we’re just doing it. We have people at all different levels within the organization doing the work, such as a team of business managers, pharmacists and procurement experts. Our staff hasn’t gotten along this well in years.”
John Baldwin, Department of Corrections
“Think BIGGER about reform. Many of these big ideas worked.”
Michael Tramontina, Department of Management
“I’ve experienced a mindset change. I can’t go back to work at a company or organization where I don’t know how my work contributes to the main goal.”
Heidi Patterson, Office of the Governor
“Don’t be afraid to fine-tune the system.”
Mollie Anderson, Department of Administrative Services
“The idea behind Kaizen Lean Process Improvement is to go an inch wide (rather than a mile wide) and a mile deep. In the Human Services sector we have a lot of complex process maps. You’ve got to go down into the weeds and kick over the rocks.”
Teresa McMahon, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
“We’ve taken the Purchasing Results idea into our technology projects. We’ve begun asking our employees requesting technology to write out the results they want and tie it to the purchase price.”
Liz Christenson, Department of Natural Resources
“Reinvention is an art. It depends on the characteristics of people, each with their own definition of success. Some want to participate, and others want a homerun. It flies or dies based on individual willingness to meet the challenge.”
Paul Carlson, Department of Administrative Services
“When I worked for other states, I was often told to “think outside the box,” but was only allowed to think inside. Charter Agency status allowed us to step outside the box. When we actually stepped outside the box, we weren’t punished. This built trust.”
Gary Maynard, Department of Corrections
“Organizations either manage people or engage people. To move an organization you must engage.”
Linda Leto, Department of Management
Looking back at our ambitious plans, I’ve learned that a certain level of naiveté combined with a vision of the future is necessary. In order to achieve major change, it is first necessary to believe that big changes are possible. Then, you have to be willing to work hard, keep focused on results, and build relationships with the teams and individuals who are the ones who ultimately take ownership and make it happen. What a partnership!
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