Employee-Driven Process Improvements

Cities, counties, and states are increasingly giving employees the tools they need to tap into their ideas and innovate the processes and policies that govern their work. Frontline employees are the ones who often best know how to solve a problem because they live and breathe it in their daily work — theirs is a unique perspective on the process. According to Stephen Goldsmith, Daniel Paul Professor of the Practice of Government at Harvard Kennedy School, former deputy mayor for Operations in New York City, and mayor of Indianapolis, “While mayor of Indianapolis, I used to walk around offices and talk to field crews, asking them what one thing they would change to improve their jobs. Almost everyone had a worthwhile idea. What governments too often lack is a plan to change the culture and support those ideas, operationalizing enough of them to provide an incentive to those interested in continuous improvement.” READ MORE…