From Aug. 11 through 13, the Senior Executive Team (SET) and division leaders will be in a retreat to meet Laboratory Director G. Peter Nanos' strategic and business planning objectives.
The retreat is a major step forward in what Nanos calls meeting the need to develop a Laboratorywide "corporate outlook." One outcome of the meeting will be a broad plan for the Laboratory on which individual division-level business plans can be based.
Incorporating division-level managers in the process for the first time, the retreat will be important for another reason, Nanos said. It will begin demonstrating the need for a span of control and a diversity of experience that is broader than that which can now be provided by senior management alone.
"It's simply not possible for a senior management team to reach down to all the critical levels of Laboratory operation," Nanos said. "This new approach is essential to operating effectively. "And it's the strategy that will put UC and this Lab over the top when it comes to competing for the Department of Energy contract."
Nanos' efforts to involve division-level managers directly in the planning process is his next step in a strategic process that began with an effort aimed at group leaders. The Group Leaders Action Council was formed first to begin the process of "bubbling up" issues and concerns from the first level of supervision through division management and, ultimately, to senior management. The council is making good progress in its work, Nanos said.
Based on that success, the Division Leaders Council received the go-ahead in June to launch its work. This council will focus on resolving business and program issues, such as development of a pricing strategy and costing model for uniform use, and the development and implementation of Labwide policies.
Among other recommended actions for the council is finding ways to nurture relationships with customers and suppliers and between support and technical organizations. The notion of a "shared fate" among all parties is central to the project, Nanos said. To establish a framework for next week's retreat and subsequent strategic and business plans, the SET last month created a new vision statement for the Laboratory. It also modified the mission statement to read: "Our mission is national security. We develop and apply science and technology to ensure the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent; reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction, proliferation and terrorism; solve national problems in defense, energy, environment and infrastructure."
The vision statement defines the underlying philosophy that supports the mission. It characterizes the Laboratory as "The trusted, competitive scientific solution for today's and tomorrow's national security challenges."
At a recent Laboratory Information Meeting, Bill Wadt, director of the Quality Improvement (QIO) Office said each of the words in the vision statement packs meaning:
- The – means the Laboratory is number 1
- Trusted – we've built customer loyalty and credibility among stakeholders
- Competitive –the Lab's work is cost effective
- Scientific – science is the source of the Lab's value to its customers
- Solution – the Lab's focus is on the customer
- Today's – the Lab delivers on current customer needs
- Tomorrow's – the Lab anticipates future needs
- National security – this is the Lab's market
- Challenges – the focus is on the tough problems.
During the retreat itself, all they have to supply is time and energy, Nanos said. Afterward, they'll be charged with creating organizational business plans that align with the institutional plan hammered out at the retreat.
A report on the retreat's outcomes will be provided to the Lab work force.
For more information about the division leader's retreat, go to http://int.lanl.gov/projects/planning/ online. Access to the Web site is restricted to the Senior Executive Team (SET) and division leaders. Authorized users can gain access to the site with their Z number and CRYPTOcard.