Transforming The Way We Think and Work The Way We Were HPO Transforming Way We Think Transforming Way We Do Business Transforming The Way We Think and Work One Agency’s Story Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation Services

The Way We Were 70% turnover in management in 2 years – no succession plan Limited cross-agency collaboration Probable merger of service areas into other agencies Limited promotional opportunities Limited employee involvement in decision-making Poor internal communications (50% of staff decentralized) Changing recreation environment – Staff no longer had needed core competencies Transformation of recreation as a Human Service HPO – Train Station

Values to Work Culture Clarified the organizational pressures and stakeholder expectations Benchmarked high performance organizations, learning about high performance Assessed current organization strengths and weaknesses Created an organization operating philosophy Learned facilitative leadership skills Dealt with change resistance in positive way Created positive mindsets Empathized for the "sense of loss"

Vision to Performance Identified key variances in the technical system and people system Assessed and developed a plan to redesign the work system including jobs, roles, and responsibilities Designed a performance measurement and management plan Assessed and developed a plan redesigned the enabling support systems Created a system for organizational development: training, development, continual learning Developed a transition plan to manage the change Provided for continual renewal to ensure adapting to changing environment

Achieving Our Vision – Action Plan for the Next 5 years Strategic Area 1 Develop Comprehensive Recreational Programs Create a flexible system that provides creative and innovative community, educational, social and recreation programs that promote the following service outcomes: 1) healthy/well children and adults; 2) involved citizens and connected communities; 3) accessible communities and services; 4) resilient youth; 5) citizens committed to personal growth. Target Success: 75% of customers report satisfaction with type of programs and services 60% of customers report programs help sustain a healthy lifestyle 40% of customers report participation as a volunteer in one or more programs 85% of customers report satisfaction with youth, teen, senior programs 20% agency-wide increase in activity/center attendance

Short-Range Action Steps (2002 – 2004) Initiative/Action Accomplished Key Partners Priority Result Create the opportunity to develop and implement new recreation programs as experimental projects.  5/02 Dream Catcher Program funds two pilot projects Programming Team Director’s office DHSA-Budget 1 Developed a Dream Catcher Program to fund experimental or innovative program ideas as pilots Expand exercise programs for seniors Exercise requirement is incorporated in senior standards AAA Senior Center Directors Communication & Planning FCPS Completed revisions to senior programming standards to emphasis daily fitness activities; 100% of senior centers scheduled 30 minutes of exercise activities daily and a fitness walking program was installed at all centers. Review athletic scheduling procedures to ensure opportunity and fairness for new emerging sports that are of interests to specific cultural groups.  12/02 New field policy approved by BOS Athletic Council Athletic Services Division Completed a new County-wide policy for Public Athletic Field Allocation; 100% of field applicants received the allowable allocated space; appeal request dropped by 250%.

Leadership Challenges Aligning work to the work of the County and Human Services systems Making changes within corporate work structures and systems Developing effective communication systems and implementing the communication plan Pacing and keeping the changes moving Making the tough decisions to release old work styles and service areas that no longer fit with mission Balancing and supporting the needs of the entire workforce Accepting that some “initiatives” may not work but staying focused to find solutions

What We Have learned Creating high performance organizations is a collaborative effort Success comes from a participative design process Leadership is the engine that pulls the train but engine can’t deliver the service to our customers

Continue working force improvement efforts; assess efficacy of efforts HPO Where Do We Go from Here Continue working force improvement efforts; assess efficacy of efforts Evaluate strategic initiatives and customer service outcomes Continue implementation of strategic plan Supporting and strengthening linkages to County and Human Service strategic directions