Government Executive - Authors - Joy Hahn

3 Ways to Better Organize Team Meetings

Joy Hahn, VA Center for Innovation — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:03:00 -0500

Bill Gates says, “I’m a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other...” At the Veterans Affairs Innovation Initiative (VAi2), how we communicate within our team drives success. VAi2 is a flat organization – instead of a rigid, hierarchical one – comprised of an adaptable team. It is not uncommon for staff, including leadership, to share and trade duties in this high velocity environment.

The VAi2 team uses three open communication pathways to make it all work on a daily, weekly, and as needed basis:

Daily Scrum: Adapting a concept from the “agile” method of software development, our team convenes every morning for 30 minutes to conduct an all hands check-in called “scrum.” This round-robin sequence is designed to give everybody on the team an opportunity to say what they accomplished yesterday, what they plan to accomplish today, and what they need help with from other members on the team. The Director of VAi2 leads the conversation and keeps our team on the same page.
Weekly Sync: Every Monday, the VAi2 team gathers for a roundtable discussion called “sync” for an in-depth 90-minute staff meeting about the week’s priorities or future upcoming objectives across the VAi2 program areas.
‘Face-time’: Not the Apple widget, but rather actual in-person time with our Director outside these team meetings provide critical opportunities to obtain support, guidance, or on-the-fly problem solving whenever necessary. The team has access to the Director’s online calendar and can schedule time to meet with him, or he will drop in for opportunities to engage VAi2 staff when opportunities – or crises – arise.

These three methods help generate success within our organization because open communication – with deliberate structure where possible – is effective. Has your team found other ways to create open communications?

(Image via STILLFX / Shutterstock.com)

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It’s Time to Let Government Workers Sleep on the Job

Joy Hahn — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 08:29:00 -0500

Exhaustion: Do you feel it? You throw on a smile, walk into your building, down a coffee or two, and push through the next 8 - 10 hours. “Soon I’ll be home to rest,” you tell yourself. Sometimes that exhaustion is more than a case of the Mondays . It’s your body telling you it needs a rest. According to a survey by the National Sleep Foundation, nearly 30 percent of workers report falling asleep or becoming very sleepy at work most months. And 65 percent of respondents admitted experiencing performance issues.

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Research suggests that you’re more productive, no surprise, when you’ve had adequate sleep. Studies also show that napping 26 minutes per day can boost performance by as much as 34 percent and alertness by 54 percent. In the private sector, big businesses such as Google, Nike, and British Airways have responded to these findings by providing their employees with napping stations to improve performance and therefore their bottom line.

Bringing naps to the public sector might be more challenging, especially when napping is usually rewarded with ridicule or a swift firing.

According to The Washington Post, when workers in the Census Bureau were caught sleeping on the job, the penalties included public humiliation and advice for medical attention. A memo “urged employees to take leave if necessary and to seek medical help if they are feeling tired or drowsy…A Census spokesman confirmed that ‘a handful’ of census workers had been found in recent weeks napping in the lobby, library and cafeteria of the agency’s headquarters… It is manifestly unprofessional and creates an impression of carelessness.” Perhaps implementing resting stations in private areas would prevent judgments of unprofessionalism?

Similarly, the notorious air-control nappers of the Federal Aviation Administration were disciplined with suspension for falling asleep on the job. Sleep experts say it demonstrates that the FAA faces a systemic issue with the thousands of people expected to work through the night in safety-critical jobs. Greg Belenky, who heads the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington, recently told USA Today , “I would guess that this is one of those things that’s been going on for some time and it is just now coming to attention.” Belenky and others say the answer is to allow controlled napping.

If employees were granted an allotted time to revive their bodies, they would work with more focus and stamina. Sleepiness should not be an excuse for laziness, but sometimes drowsiness is due to exhaustion rather than apathy. Designating a few minutes to rest is a more practical solution than the extreme of seeking medical help for fatigue.

The public sector is ripe to benefit from the benefits of napping. Despite what you hear in the news, government workers are human too. Our bodies function the same as those of our private sector brethren. Departments and agencies could emulate companies that are currently reaping viable benefits from the theory of naptime. A mere 10 to 20 minute nap during an 8 hour day can increase energy, performance, attitude, mindset, and health.

Perhaps allowing government workers to briefly “sleep on the job” is worth the leap of faith? This idea is really no different than any coffee or cigarette break (except it’s probably healthier than both of those). The most substantial cost would be the purchase of dark and comfortable sleeping pods/stations, but it could potentially be recouped through productivity gains.

Bringing napping to public sector employees would place them in good company. It’s thought that Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were all proponents of the power nap. Would the government have more power on power naps? It’s certainly worth finding out. Here are a few things to consider when implementing a power napping program (or any similarly innovative, perhaps unorthodox program).

Keep naps short – The main complaint is evident: Why use taxpayer dollars to pay government employees for sleep sessions? Designating a “napping area” and enforcing time restrictions would hopefully limit concerns about oversleeping and help napping command the seriousness it deserves. Taxpayer dollars wouldn’t go towards sleeping, but rather napping—a method of break and rejuvenation during workflow for the ultimate benefit of the taxpayer.
Pilot the theory – Every department is different, and some may not have the resources to set up this sort of system. This is, of course, understandable. Nevertheless, people always make time for the things they want to make time for. If this innovation promotes wellness and leads to a healthier work environment, then we owe it to employees to give it a trial run.
Survey results after implementation – After said trial period, it’s critical to evaluate the effects of napping by interviewing the employees themselves. For instance, an effective napping program at Veterans Affairs may not be as effective in the Department of Justice. Implementation of any innovative idea should be catered to your specific organization.

David Wescott of Business Week agrees: “Rather than fighting to stay awake at your desk with diminishing cognitive returns, work on it in your sleep,” Wescott writes. “Your brain continues to be productive while you’re unconscious.” So kick the current stigmas (laziness, slacking, boredom, etc) connected with sleeping at work to the curb—we’re even working while we’re asleep.

Would you allow your employees to nap on the clock with enforced parameters? Would you yourself nap during work, knowing the benefits? Have you heard of any agencies giving this a try? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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3 Ways to Find Innovation in Your Organization

Joy Hahn, VA Center for Innovation — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 05:38:00 -0500

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This fast-paced political city has an atmosphere thick with ambition. Everyone seems to have a mission in Washington D.C. I admire the air of professionalism on the morning commute, the suits and ties, the business skirt-sneaker combos. We walk with purpose, aiming to accomplish our daily tasks efficiently, awaiting relief on Friday at 5 p.m. This world is new to me and when I first joined the Veterans Affairs Innovation Initiative team (VAi2) I did not expect my daily tasks to bring about actual change. But they have.

Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” The internal working environment at VAi2 is coherent and fluid; not only do my teammates succeed by working together, but this collaboration is the essence of innovation. It results in and an abundance of productivity and perspective.

As a result, we recognize that some of the best ideas lie outside our little office. “VAi2 brings fresh thinking to Departmental challenges,” says Jonah Czerwinski, director of VAi2, “by sourcing ideas from VA employees, entrepreneurs, and industry.”

In order to reach those ideas, we gather information from the VA employees working on the front lines with our Veterans. To do so, we host:

Industry competitions. We find new solutions outside of government. The Industry Innovation Competitions are held annually and are designed to obtain ideas from the private sector in order to solve the Department’s most pressing challenges. Solutions will then come from all sorts of organizations - businesses large and small, start-ups, non-profits, and academic/research institutions.
Employee competitions. Employees on the front line are often in the best position to identity areas for innovation. They know their needs; they understand and see problems firsthand. By providing these innovators with funding and support, we enable them to transform their ideas into reality.
Prize contests. These contests are an alternative method for engaging the private sector. We voice a problem at hand and outline the solution we are trying to achieve, and then award prizes to contestants with the best solutions.

Veterans have put their lives on the line for our country. They deserve the very best in care and benefits. And by tapping into the talent and expertise of individuals in and outside of government to contribute creative ideas, we get results.

Check back for upcoming posts where we'll detail some of those innovations. In the meantime, what challenges does your agency face when implementing innovations?

(Image via Peshkova /Shutterstock.com)

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