Workplace Success Stories - Best Practices 2003
Maximizing Employee Input in Managerial Decision-Making

Practice Name: Department Operational Objectives/Staff Director Collaboration Department: Administrative Systems Department Contact Person: Gina Blednyh, Adm. Analyst Phone: (510) 642-0239 Email: bledgina@uclink.berkeley.edu Web: Dept/Unit Head: Kelley Haberer, Director Control Unit: EVCP

Workplace Issues Addressed: Communication & info sharing, customer service, productivity Category: Operational Improvement/Effectiveness

Description of the practice
The director's attendance at unit meetings allows staff to engage in a dialog with each other and the director and to provide direct input into the creation of formal Administrative Systems Department (ASD) operational objectives. Objectives are modified as new issues arise. The Operational Objectives contain customer service standards which staff members helped to create.

Benefits of adopting the practice
Staff members now have a tangible document that they helped to create and to which they can refer, if there are questions about department standards.

How this practice works
The director attends unit meetings once or twice a year. Goals are reviewed annually and everyone in the department is involved. Each unit brainstorms what is needed to achieve goals. Real life examples go with the objectives. Staff feedback is recorded on a large board and then input into a computer. This process is “bottom-up” ¾ not “top-down”.

What you need in place to replicate this practice
To replicate this practice, a department needs a director willing to do it; time to have meetings, and a process that allows people to speak up. Time is also needed to go to CORE to get help in building trust with employees. Trust in management is essential.

Tangible improvements to the department as a result of adopting this practice
Ambiguity has been eliminated. The director has taken this document to the clients and they are impressed. This is a customer service model. Before this practice, people were less willing to share ideas; now people are seeing ideas being implemented. The department believes that if employees feel important because they have a voice and ability to change their work environment positively, productivity may increase (as measured by fewer absences).

Why this practice was so successful and is worth replicating
The department took the time to work on building trust. Staff members are highly valued and see that their input is incorporated.