GovernmentExecutive.com

April 1997

REINVENTION REVOLUTION: REPORT FROM THE FEDERAL-FRONT LINES

Transitions: Working in the Federal Government in the 21st Century

Speakers: Lance Cope, NPR's Coordinator for Reinvention Labrotories
Nedra Klee Hartzell, PhD, Career Development and Transition Consultant
Kathy Trickey, Education Specialist, Organizational and Professional Development USDA/APHIS
Nadine Bruh-Schiffer, United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Date: April 9, 1997 11:15 AM

The purpose of this learning lab was to help participants embrace change and career transitions both individually and within their organization. This is an important topic because adults are increasingly transient in today's workforce. "Adult life is one transition after another: professionally, personally, and socially". The United States Department of Labor estimates that adults go through an average of seven major career transitions. Since this transition is such a way of life, workers should have the knowledge to deal with it.

The Changing Workplace

The following were identified as forces driving change in organizations:

• Less support staff due to downsizing and rightsizing
• Growth and use of technological innovations
• Changing managerial expectations (do more with less)
• given more responsibility
• increased delegation and accountability
• Multi-Tasking: blurring of responsibility
• Focus on Customer Service
• New Vocabulary within the organization
• Executive Orders and Congressional Mandates
• Base Closures; Mix of civilian and military personnel
• Privatization
• Changing organizational structure: becoming flatter
• Global factors including international trade and a changing world order
• Increase outreach and partnership efforts

All of these factors drive change in the contemporary workplace.

The following effects on the workplace and its employees are:

• Less emplyoment stability
• Need to acquire new skills
• Loss of organizational and individual focus
• Loss of productivity
• Need for individuals to take on more responsibility
• Need for continual learning and training
• Change in the job mix: position may remain, but the skills associated with performing in the
• position may change
• Need for teamwork
• Less loyalty and identification with the agency

Taking Control of Your Career: Individual Characteristics and Strategies

The participants broke into two groups to discuss individual characteristics and strategies in career transitions. A spokesperson for each group reported back to the whole. What characterisitces do individuals need to deal with change and career transitions positively?

• Flexibility
• Open-mindedness
• Multi-talented
• Team-player
• Self-confidence
• Patience/Persistence
• Lead and be led
• Curiosity
• Seek out people on the periphery of your discipline
• Feel your value and know your contribution
• Focus on the post-change, not the transition itself
• Ability to see the big picture

What strategies can individuals utilize to deal with change and career transitions positively?

• Remain poised to take advantage of career opportunities
• Learn to be a team player
• Get into a position that will help you develop leadership skills
• Consider lateral moves
• Be open-minded to change and expectations of yourself and others
• Take initaitve to plan your career
• Set clear goals
• Know your organization and positions within the agency
• Be assertive/network
• Increase knowledge base
• Early financial planning
• Strengthen general skills to make yourself more marketable
• Develop interpersonal, teaming, and communication skills
• Join and participate in professional organizations
• Attain a mentor; be a mentor

Building Organizational Capacity

How can organizations foster and sustain employee transitions?

• Open door policies, both horizontally and vertically
• Set goals as an organization
• Conduct town hall type meetings facilitated by employees
• Clarify organizational mission, goals, and values
• Goal setting must be a group process to have buy-in from all members of the organization
• Forward thinking
• Environment that supports cultural change and risk taking
• Take systems approach to personnel managment
• Willing-Able-Allow: Organization goals get accomplished when these three think intersect

Lessons Learned

"No one person can meet all characteristics; organizations are made of many people who balance out to create strong individuals and a strong work environment."

"You spend most of your life at your job and you need to make it as enjoyable as possible."

"Take care of emplyees - if they do bad, you do bad."