More on Baldrige Express

Among the 175 pages of data we have the top five strengths and the top five opportunities for improvement.

Top 5 Strengths

*Performance measurement: selecting measures and collecting data to track daily operations and overall organizational performance

*Building a customer culture: ensure a consistently positive customer experience and contribute to customer engagement

*Workforce climate: provide benefits and services and create a safe, secure, and healthful work environment

*Strategy development process: developing strategic plans

*Vision, Values, and Mission: personally promoting a climate for legal and ethical behavior


Top 5 Opportunities for Improvement

*Analysis and use of customer data: determining customer groups and segments

*Emergency Readiness: preparing the work system and the workplace for emergencies and disasters

*Workforce Enrichment: performance management system to support high performance work and workforce engagement

*Vision, Values and Mission: sustaining the organization through innovation, learning, organizational agility, and developing leaders

*Communications and Organizational Performance: effectively communicating, engaging, and encouraging workers to take action to improve performance and create customer value

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The performance evaluation team will use these ten items as the jumping off point to start the plan for improvement. Thanks for all the feedback!

Generations Training

I won't spoil the fun for those of you who have not attended the training yet, but since it's fresh on my mind after attending recently, I have to comment!

First, the program and Macel were great. It is among the most enjoyable programs I've attended - and I've attended a lot in my 26 years at UT!

What strikes me as we focus on this issue is the demographics of the IPS work force. We have a few traditionalists and a few Gen Y's. But, the bulk of our work force is baby boomers. I guess that's not surprising given the nature of our work.

We all work and communicate differently and we each have an obligation to learn from and appreciate all styles. Work can be serious and enjoyable at the same time. Right Macel? Weltanschauung!

Baldrige Express Survey

Speaking of collecting a lot of stuff! The Baldrige Express Feedback report came in and it is 175 pages long! Chuck and I are trying to determine how to best digest this much information. Never fear, you'll get to read the entire report, if you choose. We'll be posting it on the Intranet very soon, but we are also looking for ways to present it in smaller chunks.


First, why did we conduct the survey? Our performance evaluation strategic planning team is helping us benchmark where we are and how we can improve using data. We aspire to be "the best in the business", so we decided to compare ourselves to the best in the business. Thanks to Chuck Shoopman, Bill Nusbaum, Mary Ann Moon, Nathan Lefebvre, Macel Ely and Lisa Shipley for leading this effort.

We had a phenomenal 78% response rate. That tells me that you really want to help us be a better organization. Thank you for taking the time to make it all the way through that long survey!



We had broad participation from across the institute including by position, location, headquarters and years of service:





Stayed tuned for more information on the results!

What do we do with all those data?

We (which mostly means you, the staff) collect a lot of stuff! Customer surveys, supervisor surveys, Baldrige survey, annual conference evaluations, training evaluations, APRs, not to mention all the MIS data! Ever wonder what we do with all that stuff?

I'm going to address these a few at a time over the coming weeks to help everyone better understand why we collect the information and some of the ways we use it - because there are many! Perhaps there are data elements that we are collecting "because we always have" that we need to reevaluate. When was the last time we stopped doing something?

Let me know if you have suggestions as we move along through this discussion.

New Projects

Exciting things are happening all across IPS. We have been working with the Department of Economic and Community Development for several weeks on a grant that will fund training for city and county officials from under-served communities in Tennessee. A team from MTAS and CTAS is planning the project. In addition, several participants from these same communities will receive a scholarship to participate in the 40-hour Basic Economic Development course next spring. Beth Phillips coordinates this project.

And, CIS has been asked to participate in UT's new solar initiative. We are working out the details of this project, but it will affect companies who are willing to install solar panels and improve their organizations in a variety of ways. This is a great opportunity for CIS to expand its customer base. Chuck Shoopman and Paul Jennings are working with the UT Research Foundation on the deliverables.

Congratulations on these new opportunities!

Welcome

Increasing communication among our staff is a consistent theme I hear from across the Institute. Scott Gordy and Susan Robertson helped me get this blog started after I learned my friend who is director at the UNC Chapel Hill Institute of Government was using one to communicate with his staff.

You will find the complete history of the Organizational Review Committee as my first series of posts. Please give me feedback on what you would like to hear.

Org Review

This week the Organizational Review Committee met in Nashville. Eighteen IPS customers, stakeholders, advisory committee members and association directors spent time with the committee discussing (1) what IPS means to them, (2) their satisfaction with our services, (3) suggestions for future services, and (4) implications of any potential change in reporting relationships.

The message was loud and clear. Your work is important, it is excellent, and our customers are very satisfied. Overall the committee was very impressed with what they heard. The committee’s final meeting is scheduled December 10. A recommendation to the president will follow shortly thereafter. I suspect the president will share his decision with the board of trustees prior to making an announcement that I anticipate would come shortly after the first of the year.

If you have an opportunity to see any of the meeting participants, please thank them for their support. They include Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield, Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland, Tipton County Executive Jeff Huffman, Davidson County Trustee Charlie Cardwell, Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson, Goodlettsville City Manager Jim Thomas, TBI Director Mark Gwyn, DCS Electronics President Chris Combs, Metal Products Company President Jim Dyer, ECD Assistant Commissioner Rick Meredith, Local Government Corporation President Mickey Wilson, TN Technology Development Corporation President Eric Cromwell, TN Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Wayne Scharber, TCSA Executive Director David Seivers, TCCA Executive Director David Connors, COAT Executive Director Jay West, TML Executive Director Margaret Mahery, TML Risk Management Pool Executive Vice President Dawn Crawford and TCMA Executive Director Fred Congdon.

Thanks for your continuing excellent work. You represent us well!

Veterans Salute

Thanks to all the men and women of IPS who serve or have served in the Armed Forces. We appreciate the sacrifices you have made for us. We also appreciate the support for spouses, children, grandchildren and others who serve or have served in the Armed Forces. Without all of them, we would not enjoy the freedoms we take for granted every day.