Question Authority?

Yes, I really mean it. As I review the many comments received from the supervisors survey and the Baldrige Express survey, I see several mentions of "UT's bureaucracy", "IPS rules", "red tape", and "layers of approval."

There are some things we cannot change, so I don't spend a lot of energy on those. We are part of the University of Tennessee and part of the State of Tennessee. Therefore, we must comply with all state laws and university policies and procedures (although I have often challenged some of the policies and occasionally won an argument or two.) Let's accept those and move on to those things we can do something about.

We are in full control of the policies we set at IPS and at the agency level. We have too much bureaucracy in some areas. For example, someone noted in a comment that we have multiple approvals for travel reimbursements. Only ONE approval is required. The IPS central office approves NO travel reimbursements unless they require an exception to policy (and policy requires that the CBO approve exceptions), for example if an employee stayed at a hotel that costs more than the allowable rate. So, if there are too many layers of approval in your agency, that is in your agency's control to change.

Let's improve processes that are cumbersome and in our control. Let's understand those that are not in our control and learn to navigate them as efficiently as possible. We can be a more efficient and effective organization while serving our customers well.