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East Bay Municipal Utility District’s
Water Treatment Section Implements Assessment Recommendations
Four years ago
EBMUD’s Water Treatment Section faced a number of significant issues.
To help the section get a handle on these issues, the district elected
to participate in the Environmental Protection Agency/American Water
Works Association’s Partnership for Safe Water. The program
report, completed in February, 1998, identified a number of issues,
including several management and administrative concerns. In addition,
there had been
some grievance issues
and discipline items that were difficult for the operating staff to
accept. Shortly after the partnership project’s assessment was
completed, the water plant operators, traditionally one of EBMUD’s few
non-union groups, voted to join the Stationary Engineers union, local
39.
It was apparent that
some definite action needed to be taken, but what? Where to start?
Richard Sykes, Manager of Water Treatment and Distribution, identified
some of the issues; “We wanted to create a more effective organization
and to improve performance, consistency and employee morale. To do
that we felt we needed to develop an understanding of the personnel,
union, and business operation dynamics of the Water Treatment Section.
In addition, we wanted to create more of a team based type of
operation. TAP Resource Development Group’s Organizational
Culture and Leadership Alignment assessment process seemed to be just
the tool we needed to create
a foundation, a place
to begin” said Mike Carpenter, Water Treatment Superintendent.
To develop an
organization in an effective manner, it’s important to have an
understanding of the character and personality – the culture – of the
organization, including what the organization has done well. In
addition, understanding both how leadership works within the
organization and if Leadership and Culture are aligned with the
Organization’s Strategic Purpose.
The assessment
process began in February, 1999 with an examination of section mission,
vision, and planning information and a series of interviews with section
and plant leaders. This information assisted TAP Resource’s
consultants and the section’s leadership team in identifying the
section’s strategic purpose. Next came the cultural assessment; a
process designed to clearly identify in measurable, quantifiable terms
the culture of the Water Treatment Section and the culture of each of
the district’s five water treatment plants. Every employee within
the section was asked to participate in
the cultural assessment process to insure that the base of information
was as inclusive as possible.
Also included in the
project was a 360° leadership assessment. This activity looked, in
a non-judgmental way, at the leadership attributes of the section’s
leadership team. It compared those attributes with the leadership
needs of the section based on its strategic purpose. The last
phase of the project was a two-day workshop in May, 1999 designed to
help the leadership team understand the data, the implications of the
data, develop recommendations and outline action plans for implementing
the recommendations.
The assessment clearly indicated that the section’s strategic purpose is
 strongly
one of
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The section’s
culture was a strong “In Control” culture. This type of culture
fits well with and is supportive of an “Operational Excellence”
strategy.
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The section’s core
culture showed significant signs of being out of balance.
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There was not a
consistent leadership pattern. The result was a low degree of
alignment of leadership with an “Operational Excellence” strategy.
Of particular importance were the low Results and Production scores of
the leadership team.
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There was a lack of
cultural consistency among the five water treatment plants and with
the section’s core strategy.
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Decision making
within the section is divided between “In Control” and “Collaborative”
based decision-making.
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People Development
and Promotional Practices are not well integrated with the section’s
strategic purpose.
These findings were
discussed in detail during the workshop and two primary recommendations
were developed as a place to start:
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The section should
implement a comprehensive Leadership Development Program
for all leaders
within the section.
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An Organizational
Performance Management System (OPMS) should be developed to
systematize a strong results focus and build leadership.
With its roadmap
clearly in mind, the section began implementing both of the above
recommendations in August, 1999. “TAP Resource’s assessment process gave
us a different perspective and objectivity on strategies and how we do
business, how we see ourselves as leaders and as a work unit. It helped
in seeing and identifying what strategies might work to get to where we
want to be with team work and improving consistency,” states Richard
Sykes. “We were able to identify strengths and weakness as
individual leaders, as a leadership team and as a section, to better
know
where to direct our
leadership improvement efforts.” Each member of the leadership team is
using the information developed during the project to develop a
leadership development plan for themselves. At the same
time, the section is creating an Organizational Performance Management
System to formalize and strengthen their results orientation.
“With TAP Resource’s assistance, we hope to have a fully functioning
Leadership Development Program and an Organizational Performance
Management System completed by the end of the year. In the near
future, we would like to leverage both the OPMS and the leadership
skills enhancement to other work units,” says Sykes.
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