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Best Practices
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The Delmar Division has instituted many programs and initiatives to improve the our office. We have included noteworthy examples of these best practices below.
Delmar Division Leadership Development Program
Problem or Issue Addressed:
Effective administration of Federal-aid program and accomplishment of agency vision, mission, and strategic goals require technical credibility as well as many other leadership attributes such as communication, creativity, problem solving, partnering, and strategic thinking. As an agency we need to implement strategies that would enhance employee skills that match our organizational mission and needs.
Idea/Best Practice:
Maryland Division Leadership Academy was initiated in August 2004 as part of the Division's Corporate Management strategy in human resource development/management area. The Leadership Academy enables participants to learn and practice skills that are usually acquired through participation in often expensive, off site long-term leadership programs. It is designed to develop leaders for today and tomorrow by:
- Introducing leadership competencies
- Creating an environment which fosters learning
- Providing a forum to practice and demonstrate visionary leadership
With the Delmar Division pilot, it has become the Delmar Division Leadership Academy.
Participation:
Participation in the program is strictly voluntary and will remain open to those who later decide to join the group. However, it is expected that once joined the members will actively participate in the program and show a commitment to develop the needed competencies. It is envisioned that participants will complete the requirements as any other on-the-job training and would not have to work on their own time.
Key Components:
The key components of this program include the following:
- Initial Meeting
- The initial meeting would serve as a discussion forum on the program as well as a question/answer session. The DA/ADA would lead the session.
- Self-Assessment
- As a prerequisite, volunteers will complete a self-assessment instrument to assess their leadership attributes using a leadership inventory (see attached). The DA & ADA and a peer from the leadership group will also complete the same instrument for each volunteer. After the instrument is completed, the DA, ADA and the participant will meet to discuss the assessment and identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.
- Leadership Project
- As part of the feedback discussion on the self-assessment, each participant will be asked to identify and initiate a leadership project within six months of joining the program. The purpose of the project would be to practice/implement leadership concepts learned at the Academy. The project could be a work related undertaking or an offsite activity.
- Monthly Meetings
- Attendance at the monthly meetings will serve as the key requirement of this program. Once a month, all of the volunteers, along with the DA and ADA, will meet for approximately one hour, to discuss various leadership concepts discovered through suggested readings, videos, case studies, speakers bureaus, self-assessments, etc. The DA/ADA will initially facilitate these meetings. However, it is envisioned that after a few meetings, the facilitation role will shift to the participants with a different facilitator at each monthly meeting.
- Book Discussions
- At the onset of the program, a number of leadership books will be selected to focus our discussions throughout the program. After the entire book or designated chapters have been read, the group of volunteers, along with the DA and ADA, will discuss how the concepts in the book can be applied to the Division Office as well as each individual.
- Myers-Briggs
- All participants will complete the personality profile during one of early sessions and discussion will be held on the applicability of this instrument in the work place.
- Videos
- Selected leadership training videos will also be viewed and discussed during the monthly meetings to help participants gain a better understanding of leadership attributes. The videos will focus on SES core qualifications.
- Case Studies
- The participants, DA and ADA will identify and discuss workplace case studies with focus on applying leadership concepts in improving processes, resolving issues, and improving employee satisfaction. As a result of this discussion and other program activities it is expected that new ideas will surface that would improve the way we do business.
- 360-degree Feedback
- The 360-degree self-assessment will be offered to the group. The participants in this feedback program will be asked to select 1-2 areas where they wished to focus on during the next calendar year and place these initiatives in their IPO's. The group may also be asked to develop leadership activities for our periodic leadership retreats.
- Speakers Bureaus
- From time to time, guest speakers who are in executive positions from various organizations will be invited to give a presentation on their leadership experiences, leadership styles, and ways to implement various leadership systems. They will also be encouraged to give sound advice to the volunteers, which should help them in their leadership endeavors.
- Benchmarking
- It is envisioned that the group would visit other public/private facilities to view and bring back exemplary practices implemented at those organizations.
- Program Assessment/Results
- Program evaluations will be conducted periodically to ensure that it is achieving its intended results. Appropriate modifications will be made as appropriate. Marketing - Academy experiences/results will be actively shared with other units within FHWA and DOTs.
Our Results:
- Increase in leadership awareness and competencies
- Increase in employee satisfaction
- High acceptance of the program by division staff as evident by 21 of 25 of Division's employees participating
- Employees demonstrating increased leadership competencies
New Employee Orientation
Problem or Issue Addressed:
Division success depends a great deal on the knowledge, skills, and availability of its limited staff. If the staff is not fully familiar with the internal procedures or how the things are handled with the partners the Division effectiveness in accomplishing its mission is reduced.
The new employees also appreciate working in positive and supportive organizations that welcome them by assisting and orienting them at an early stage with the workplace and internal operating procedures, state processes, and other helpful information.
Idea/Best Practice:
DelMar Division's new employee orientation program was completed and implemented in 2005. This program is particularly important to the Division as it has faced consistently high turnover because of close proximity to HQs and RC. This program has been continuted for the Delmar Division. The program has three components: 1) meetings with the Administrative team and ADA during the first two-week of arrival, 2) introduction to state partners within 3-weeks, and 3) attendance in a formal power point orientation within 3-months of reporting.
Meeting with the Administrative Team is held soon after reporting and involves going through a checklist process, which provides the employee with the basic information on the Division policy and procedures, office services, local amenities, and location information. The new employee meets with the ADA during the second week. The discussion generally involves Division's operating philosophies and values, broad layout of office mission, and an opportunity for the employee to discuss their goals and expectations. The appropriate Team Leader is responsible for introducing the new employee to their counterparts at SHA or MPO within 3-weeks of reporting. The Power Point presentation on office programs and projects is held within the first three months (depending on the schedule) and includes the following:
Program Highlights:
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Each of the teams and program specialists in the office prepared a 30-60 minute power point presentation providing an overview of the functions and responsibilities of their program or team. The program also includes a session on performance planning.
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When new employees arrive in the office, an orientation program is scheduled. The program usually last 1 ½ day.
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The presentations are interactive and provide the new employees the opportunity to ask many questions. The team leader and team members often share the presentation duties providing employees the opportunity to communicate knowledge of their program area. Presentations are also rated by an independent panel that provides their feedback to the staff to build their presentations.
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Follow-up sessions with team leaders and program specialists are also encouraged for more detailed information on topics of interest to the new employee.
Our Results:
This program has helped to effectively integrate employees into our Division and quickly enable them to become a contributing members of the office.
Policy and Procedures Manual
Problem or Issue Addressed:
Clear guidance and direction was needed to assistant division staff with accomplishing routine task and operations. These task generated frequently questions to administrative staff as well as others which deprived time needed for more important areas.
Idea/Best Practice:
To develop a comprehensive policy and procedures manual that provides division staff with detailed information on the areas that raise frequent questions. Sections of this manual include but are not limited to:
- Administrative Procedures (letters, FOIA Mail Processing)
- Budget & Finance (GOE Planning, FMIS, Request for supplies and services)
- Electronic Communication Tools (Microsoft outlook, video conferencing)
- Equipment (copier, scanner, phones)
- GOVs
- Time and Attendance (Leave, COMP, Telecommuting)
- Training
- Travel
- Program & Project Development (codes, Environmental documents, process reviews)
Our Results:
- Reduction in the number of inquiries from staff on how to accomplish specific task.
- Administrative staff is able to concentrate time on more vital areas of the office as a result the decrease in interruptions for routine questions now covered in the procedures manual.
Customer Focus/Partnerships
Problem or Issue Addressed:
FHWA achieves success through extensive cooperation and partnering with State and local transportation and resource agencies, MPO's, the industry, academia, and others committed to quality transportation. To increase our customer and partner satisfaction, we need to establish processes and procedures to determine customer's requirements and expectations, use such input, and then adjust our processes to an ever-changing environment.
Idea/Best Practice:
Delmar Division has made partner/customer focus as one of its values and emphasis areas. To improve their satisfaction as well as achieve our national goals we have instituted a number of strategies.
Key Strategies
- In 2005 we started regular quarterly meetings between Division leadership (DA, ADA, Team Leaders) and SHA's senior leadership. The objective of these meeting is to discuss significant challenges, discuss mutual goals, and enhance collaboration on initiatives. This partnership has recently facilitated a focused discussion on implementation of SAFETEA-LU changes.
- In 2006 we launched a new initiative "mutual service standards" with the SHA. These standards identify quality and timeliness expectations and cover services and products involving program delivery.
- We have initiated a formal listening session program between our team leaders/program mangers and their counterparts at SHA and MPOs. The objective of these formal sessions is to have a frank discussion with our partners to determine if our services and products are of relevance and what further improvements could be made. These listening sessions are timed to seek input on our annual performance plan as well.
- We have established a partnership with resource agencies at the leadership level to effectively address delays and significant environmental issues to expedite environmental process.
Our Results:
- Feedback from SHA and internal staff regarding quarterly meetings between Division leadership (DA, ADA, Team Leaders) and SHA's senior leadership has been enthusiastic.
- Starting in 2006, we will monitor and track the data to evaluate our respective performance and commitments from the mutual service standards.
- An annual report will be prepared in FY 2006 to capture feedback and quality and relevance of our services as determined through the formal listening session program.
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