Assessing Your Agency: The Intersection of HR and OD. Kathleen M. Immordino, Ph.D. IPMA Eastern Regional Conference 2010

Transcription

1 Assessing Your Agency: The Intersection of HR and OD Kathleen M. Immordino, Ph.D. IPMA Eastern Regional Conference 2010

2 Organizational development (OD) Organizational development is an effort to increase organizational effectiveness and health through planned intervention in the organization s processes using behavioral science knowledge Beckhard (1969) Organizational Development: Strategies and Models Views organizations as systems and considers how the parts of the system work together Includes the members of the organization in the diagnosis and recommends change that can be implemented by its members Helps individuals understand and initiate change Educates employees about how the organization functions Encourages a long-term view of organizational improvement Requires and supports personal and organizational learning

3 Steps in OD Diagnosis Feedback Discussion Intervention Most organizational development initiatives = Consultants Most organizational assessment processes = Internal Assessment provides a unique opportunity for Human Resource professionals to utilize their strengths and organizational knowledge to benefit the overall operation of the organization

4 HR as a strategic partner It is a mistake to assume we know any system s productive capacity before we involve people in shaking out the bugs Weisbord (1987) Productive Workplaces Traditional view: HR as a technical, and not a core management function Strategic Human Resource Management: the distinctions, strengths, and weaknesses of employees become part of the organization s long term resource development strategy Patricia Ingraham

5 Strategic Human Resource Management Traditional Transactional Operational Based on a need to provide stability and security for the workforce Specific and narrowly defined jobs and tasks People viewed as a cost to be contained Strategic Transformational Strategic Matching of jobs, skills, talents and expertise necessary to complete the agency s mission People as an organizational resource Responsibility for organizational culture

6 What is organizational assessment? Organizational assessment is a systematic process for examining an organization to create a shared understanding of the current state of the elements that are critical to successful achievement of its purposes. Immordino (2009) Organizational Assessment and Improvement in the Public Sector

7 Public Sector Assessment Challenges Public perceptions of bureaucracy The complex nature of government service Lack of control over inputs Competing perspectives Consequences for poor performance A culture of risk aversion The public nature of work, successes, and failures Reconciling priorities of elected officials and career staff Opportunities Focus attention on the organization Creating a basis for improvement Defining success factors Creating awareness about other sectors

8 Why are you considering assessment? To set the stage for a strategic planning initiative To provide new leaders with an understanding of the agency To improve communication across and among the agency s leaders and major work areas In response to an identified problem To determine the best possible use of an infusion of resources To determine how to reallocate reduced resources In response to increasing demands In response to changes in available talent As a way to deal with changing and conflicting priorities

9 What outcomes can you expect from an organizational assessment? Identify strengths and opportunities for improvement Create agreement on: core and support functions constituents and beneficiaries key goals critical issues and relative priorities Increase shared knowledge about the agency Build a shared sense of responsibility for organizational outcomes

10 Why should HR take a critical role in assessment? Opportunity to use workforce planning and strategic planning to your advantage Emergence of organizational performance as a priority Link between your role and organizational performance Individual performance matters, but collective performance is key Ability to move forward with programs and services that benefit employees Who knows better than you? Incentive for being proactive

11 The challenge for Human Resource professionals is to use assessment to foster a greater emphasis on results, value-added outcomes and impact and to link the assessment activities to planning and improvement.

12 The Public Sector Assessment and Improvement Model Human Factors Operational Factors

13 Fundamental Assessment Questions What are we trying to accomplish? How do we evaluate our progress? How effective/successful are we in our efforts? How are we using this knowledge to improve what we do? Ruben, B.D. (2007)Assessment Basics. National Association of College and University Business Officers)

14 The Assessment, Planning and Improvement Cycle Assessment Information gathering stage What do we know What do we need to find out Who do we need to find out from What do our constituents expect Comparative stage What are our trends With whom should we compare ourselves What are others doing What should our benchmarks be Planning What are our strengths What are the opportunities for improvement What are the priorities for change What can we reasonably do Improvement What will we do Who will be responsible How will be measure our accomplishments

15 The Organizational Assessment Process Plan the Assessment Conduct the Assessment Prioritize Areas for Improvement Plan and Implement Improvement Projects

16 Planning the assessment Determining your readiness as an organization Identifying the scope of the assessment Selecting an assessment model Choosing an implementation method Identifying an individual or team to lead the effort Identifying and preparing the participants Communicating plans

17 Preliminary assessment Constituents and Beneficiaries Valid across the agency Valid for many areas Valid for some areas Not valid The major constituent groups can be readily identified Information about the expectations of constituents is collected and shared Constituent information is incorporated in planning Constituent satisfaction is assessed on a regular basis Performance measures include expectations for constituent service Attention is paid to whether constituents have access to services

18 Assessment Readiness Checklist Are the time and resources that must be invested in the process available, and is the organization willing to commit to them? Level of Leadership Support Agency head Senior leadership team Current Workforce Climate Timing and Agency Priorities Cyclical work processes Election and transition

19 Leadership Support Leadership Support Pre-Assessment Planning Stage Assessment Process Prioritizing/ Improvement Projects Approval Allocation of Resources Communication Access to Information Project approval Support for implementation

20 Leadership Support Opens internal and external doors Endorsement may be open or implied Enables access to information at all levels/parts Provides access to external constituent groups Sends a formal signal to the agency that participation is requested and welcomed Provides a bridge to political leaders Indicates willingness to make resources available Sanctions the process through communication with employees

21 Assessment Readiness Checklist Indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements: Leadership Senior leaders are interested in determining the current level of performance Senior leaders are willing to support an assessment process Senior leaders are willing to make the results of the process available throughout the organization Senior leaders are willing to act on the results of the process and implement improvement recommendations

22 Workforce Climate The potential response of the agency s workforce depends on the degree to which the climate is positive or negative Openness to change Willingness to participate Support for the open exchange of information Success relies on willingness of staff to participate by: Providing needed information Serving as active participants Accepting and implementing outcomes

23 Assessment Readiness Checklist Indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements: Workforce Climate Staff members are willing to contribute time and energy to this process Staff members are willing to contribute information It would not be difficult to get volunteer employee participants Managers are willing to allow their staff to participate

24 Timing and Agency Priorities Timing as it relates to other priorities in the organization? What else will compete for time and resources? Will staff and leadership be able to devote both attention and resources? What is the annual cycle of agency s core processes? Election process

25 Assessment Readiness Checklist Indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements: Timing There are no major events or agency commitments which would prohibit an assessment at this time Resources are currently available, including the time and energy of the staff, to allow an assessment to take place

26 Planning the implementation Assessing your readiness as an organization Identifying the scope of the assessment Selecting an assessment model Choosing an implementation method Identifying an individual or team to lead the effort Identifying and preparing the participants Communicating plans

27 Planning the implementation Assessing your readiness as an organization Identifying the scope of the assessment Selecting an assessment model Choosing an implementation method Identifying an individual or team to lead the effort Identifying and preparing the participants Communicating plans

28 Planning the implementation Assessing your readiness as an organization Identifying the scope of the assessment Selecting an assessment model Choosing an implementation method Identifying an individual or team to lead the effort Identifying and preparing the participants Communicating plans

29 Choosing an assessment method

30 Planning the implementation Assessing your readiness as an organization Identifying the scope of the assessment Selecting an assessment model Choosing an implementation method Identifying an individual or team to lead the effort Identifying and preparing the participants Communicating plans

31 Planning the implementation Assessing your readiness as an organization Identifying the scope of the assessment Selecting an assessment model Choosing an implementation method Identifying an individual or team to lead the effort Identifying and preparing the participants Communicating plans

32 Engaging employees in assessment Bring together organizational and personal knowledge Create new knowledge and shared understanding Build a case for change Give people a common language to discuss improvement Enable fact-based decision making Organizational Information Learning Negotiation Consensus Personal Knowledge Shared understanding of critical issues Common language to discuss them

33 Planning the implementation Assessing your readiness as an organization Identifying the scope of the assessment Selecting an assessment model Choosing an implementation method Identifying an individual or team to lead the effort Identifying and preparing the participants Communicating plans

34 Keys to success Focus on the process, not the label Create realistic expectations Find a champion Pay attention to the demographics Let political and career staff learn from each other Capture organizational stories Create an environment where people can challenge information

35 Critical factors for Human Resource engagement in assessment Ability to think long-term while responding to short term change Focus on outcomes: organizational performance Ability to communicate effectively Ability to link human resources to overall effective organizational performance Prepare yourself and your staff for greater flexibility and responsiveness to change Be able to articulate the strategic value of HR Ability to make recommendations on prioritizing functions Organizational courage

36 The process gave people direction on areas to be improved and an awareness of what to focus on Participants were more in agreement on challenges facing the division, because they represented every unit in the division so people became more aware of what every individual unit faces. People had a better understanding of why decisions were made.