Transforming state government through leadership

A Spectrum, by Randy Lorenz

The past 30 years I have observed many management styles and I have found one that I believe works, this transformation must take place through a directed effort from the public, the Legislature and the executive branches of government making decisions and flying the banner of a sweeping change. The need for state government to change its management style with regards to industry and the public is imperative if Alaska plans to attract new industries, expand its economic base, and regain the public's trust.

Alaska's government has historically planned for the future by ignoring economic trends, wasting manpower, materials, space, resources and funds. This is ultimately passed on to all Alaskans in the form of marginal services and a growing state bureaucracy. Like the private sector, Alaska's government must become leaner, because Alaskan's are tired of being asked to subsidize this waste. We especially see this in an increased lack of confidence and support for both government and those who work for it. Performance of state management should be measured by improvement of services to the public with a decrease in the cost to provide those services, not by monthly, quarterly, or yearly report figures. It is no longer fiscally acceptable to exponentially increase the size of state government while services decline. Poor public service is not foreordained, nor is it inevitable. It is man-made.

The basic cause of sickness, time-off, job transfers and lack of motivation among Alaska State employees is failure of top management to manage.

The failure in this state government is increased cost for operation, with "unforeseen cost overruns," and lack of adequately trained employees. In reality the actual cause, pure and simple, is bad management.

History has shown that this state government, like most of its counterparts in the Lower 48 has failed to learn what must be accomplished to achieve fiscal restraint and improve quality of service. Drastic changes within the state system are required. The first step in the transformation is to learn how to change.

Long-term commitment to embrace a new idea and new philosophy is required by the State of Alaska if the state truly seeks to decrease the cost of state government and provide improved services to all Alaskans.

Much effort over the past legislative sessions has been in resolving administration problems and attempting to legislate shortfalls in the department process. These attempts have not halted the decline of Alaska's state government, because of resistance by the administration to protect its own. Benefits of expanding state government, or implementing results-based funding constitute a vain hope. These activities make their contribution; however, attempts at fixing the problem within the same management plan only prolongs the life of an out-dated dinosaur and cannot halt the decline of quality service, at a reasonable cost. Only transformation of Alaska's style of management and of government relations with industry and the public can halt this trend.

The concept of a radical change is not politically popular, but often neither is true leadership. When Alaskans size up the job ahead, it is obvious that I am talking about a long thorny road. However, we can reap positive results in a relatively short time, if we start now. I believe there are 14 essential first steps we must be willing to take to transform Alaska's state government:

1) Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of state service.

2) Adopt a new management philosophy. We are in a new economic age. State government must learn its responsibilities and take on leadership for a change.

3) Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection by building quality into the service in the first place.

4) End the practice of awarding business and contracts on the basis of price. Instead, minimize total cost by moving toward a best-buy strategy.

5) Constantly improve the system of productivity and service. Improving quality and service will decrease costs.

6) Institute On-Job-Training.

7) Institute leadership. The aim of supervision should be to help individuals do a better job.

8) Drive out fear so that everyone may work effectively toward a common goal.

9) Break down barriers between departments. Departments and divisions must work as a team to foresee problems of service that may be encountered with service delivery.

10) Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the employees. Asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity only create adversarial relationships. The main cause of low quality and poor public service belongs to the system and is beyond the power of the state workers.

11) Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the service worker and eliminate management by objective, numbers, or numerical goals. Substitute leadership.

12) Remove barriers that rob individuals of his/her right to take pride in workmanship. The responsibility of supervisors must be changed from sheer numbers to quality. Also remove the barriers that rob management of their right to take pride in workmanship.

13) Institute a program of education and self-improvement.

14) Encourage every state employee to work to accomplish the transformation. Transformation is everybody's job.

No. 14 may well be one of the most valuable, if not one of the most difficult steps. Responsibility, authority and accountability must begin at, and constantly include, the lowest level of state government. This will result in a corresponding decrease in the layers of management and thus a decrease in the over cost of state government. Improvement to Alaska's state government requires nothing less than a transformation of management style. State management's failure to plan for the future has brought us to where we are today.

I believe that if we work together Alaska's government can provide the excellent services that are cost effective.

Randall C. Lorenz is a candidate for State House 13.