Lean

As a manager, are you using the disruption of the pandemic to just get by or to thrive? That's right … we said thrive!

Virtual everything is the name of the game now. And the Center for Government Innovation is right there with you.

Six months ago, few local governments had telework policies in place. In response to the statewide COVID-19 shutdown, remote work very quickly became the norm.

Today, Washington's local governments are facing different challenges. Some teams have become a hybrid of in-office and remote workers, to accommodate individual needs and duties. Or maybe, based on your experience, you are now considering remote work as a possibility for the future, a great perk that can help you recruit from a wider pool of candidates.

During the statewide COVID-19 shutdown, government managers had to shift rapidly from having their team in an office setting to leading a team remotely. Some employees may now be returning to their offices, but some continue to work in a virtual environment. Even face-to-face team meetings have a new challenge because of social distancing rules.

Managing remote teams

By Debra Hentz, Center for Government Innovation

“It had to get done quickly.”

“It was hard to explain it to others.”

“My team is inexperienced.”

“It was just easier to do it myself.”

“I wanted it done my way.”

These are some of the excuses I made in the past for why I was doing great work rather than leading my team to reach our goals. Then I realized that to become a better leader and build a high-performing team, I needed to admit that I was doing the work rather than leading the organization.

When it comes to financial transaction approvals, more is better, right? Not necessarily.

When we have a “close call,” such as an invoice approval when there was no budget authority, we often hope we can avoid future problems by putting “one more set of eyes” on the situation.

Over time, the number of signature lines grows. So how many approvals do you actually need?

It starts with asking one question

It sounds simple, but just asking each approver, “When this form comes to you, what do you do?” can tell you a lot.

COVID-19 has challenged many governments to consider remote work strategies and how their work processes would need to change. Process improvement specialists have started gathering – virtually – to share their experiences and lessons learned during the pandemic. We are calling these sessions “Virtual Lean Coffee.”

From stickies to screens

By The Center for Government Innovation

Have you ever had this experience? You go to a co-worker's desk to collaborate on a project and you see them use a familiar software tool do something amazing that you hadn't thought of. It happens to me more often that I care to admit. This is most frustrating when I know I was introduced to that function during a past training but didn't retain and master it.

By The Center for Government Innovation

By Steven Thomson
The Center for Government Innovation