Questions, Answers, and Problem Solving

Transcription

1 GOVERNMENT Questions, Answers, and Problem Solving in the public sector BY ANDREW RAHAMAN ction learning is a familiar concept in the private sector, where experience is leveraged, diverse ideas are explored, and reflection is supported to keep fast-moving organizations nimble. And increasingly, its potential to create a collaborative, peer-to-peer problem-solving environment is introducing flexibility and strengthening leadership decisions in the public sector as well. Action learning is the consummate learning-while-doing experience, built on the idea that when workers are encouraged to ask open-ended questions they will explore solutions to solve urgent and real problems rooted in the context of their work. Although action learning has been used successfully across a wide array of industries in the private and nonprofit sectors, the theory and practice of action learning holds particular value for public agencies. 48 TD March 2016 PHOTO: GETTY

2 podcast Action learning can transform the way decisions are made within an agency, and improve the processes by which an agency operates. March 2016 TD 49

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4 In the public sector, action learning manifests itself slightly differently than in the private and nonprofit worlds. Many government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of the Interior, are much larger than private-sector organizations. These massive government agencies have well-organized structures for reporting and decision making. The beauty of action learning in the public sector is its ability to weave knowledge throughout these organizational structures to the entire agency. In fact, action learning creates leaders at all agency levels, all of whom are empowered to solve problems creatively and quickly by reaching across the agency to gain diverse perspectives. This ability is critically important, particularly in government agencies, which are often viewed as slow to respond to internal issues, and are bogged down with a that s how we ve always done it mentality. By incorporating multiple perspectives, action learning ensures a solution will have broad support from the agency, rather than relying on directives passed down from higher-ups. An effective strategy Many agencies already have seen the benefits of enacting an action learning program. Back in the early 2000s the National Institutes of Health enacted an action learning initiative as part of a larger leadership development program. The U.S. Department of Ag- MANY AGENCIES ALREADY HAVE SEEN THE BENEFITS OF ENACTING AN ACTION LEARNING PROGRAM. riculture also used action learning in a leadership development capacity, as well as part of an executive leadership skills program. The U.S. Department of the Interior used action learning as part of a senior leaders forum for them to solve their organizational challenges and to their own development. Other agencies have used action learning to create coherent onboarding programs, streamline agency processes to improve overall efficiencies, and ensure that all stakeholders are represented and satisfied. From my experience as an actively practicing executive leader coach, faculty member at American University, and leadership facilitator/executive coach for the Center for Creative Leadership, and having spent 26 years in government service, I ve come to understand that the challenges leaders in government agencies face at the individual, team, and organizational level are multifaceted across a complex and interdependent operating environment. The challenges agencies often must overcome include: working across stakeholder boundaries developing an enterprise-wide perspective operating in an ambiguous environment adapting to shifting strategies as the external and internal pressures change creating the conditions for adaptive change to develop leaders and their team creating commitment and leadership at all levels of the organization. Action learning is a proven and effective methodology to address these challenges by sharing individually held information and experiences in a group. It s also an effective process for change at an enterprise level for the leader, the team, and the agency as a whole. What sets action learning apart from other training formats is that participants are encouraged to ask questions instead of assuming that they alone have to solve the problem. In a government environment that increasingly depends on autonomous decision making and the ability to do more with less, this is an espe- cially important skill to master. Participants come to understand that some problems need novel solutions that are best created by the experience of the group, not from one person. This process allows real issues to be examined from multiple perspectives, as all participants own the problem. Action learning in action I recently had the opportunity to work with six individuals from a smaller government budgetary agency over the course of six months on a problem that was slowing innovation and efficiency, particularly as it pertained to decision making. The action learning group s mission

5 was to develop solutions for an organizationwide problem, work across boundaries, and develop leadership skills. Action learning was chosen as the most effective strategy to pursue because it is inherently different from traditional training programs or other leadership development initiatives. Participants were working on a problem that was organization-wide, so they recognized the importance of operating within the context of their own culture and developing skills needed to succeed in the organization. During the development of our action learning approach, the agency s real problem emerged and was successfully addressed from different perspectives. The team found that while there was great coordination every day, there were alignment and process issues. Hence, the original problem changed from integrating to identifying, solving, and recommending a standardized yet flexible process for budget development and legislative coordination. What ensued were recommendations that were briefed to the senior team on developing a formal process of coordination that was baked in at every stage, a process for budget and legislative coordination, and a scorecard to measure implementation. Key executive sponsors supported the solutions because they were involved in sharing the perspectives and the brief given to the agency director. Six reasons why it works Action learning proved to be an important vehicle for helping reach across this working division, creating momentum and encouraging collaboration. But what prompted this? First, participants worked on real-time, taskcentered problems and were challenged to solve issues that related to the global practices of the organization and all of its members, representing more than 1,000 people. Second, the issues the agency faced weren t going to be solved by the right technical expert, nor did the issues have one right answer. Each member of the action learning team represented a different part of the organization and was able to bring his perspective to the problem. These issues were unique to the agency and required intense questioning and a diversity of thought to best understand the root causes and assumptions that created them, as well as to generate the novel solutions required to solve them. Third, open-ended questions led to the tive problem solving.

6 creation of a learning environment. This diversity of questions brought to light the unique challenges, constraints, and needs of the membership from their points of view, while helping others to see the issue from a new vantage point. A central element of the action learning process was the method of asking open-ended questions. The art of using open-ended questions is that it also slows down stakeholders when a default to the easiest solutions based on the way things are always done looks like the best option. One federal employee on the action learning team said, Action learning and the use of open-ended questions helped me to slow down and see the problem from different perspectives, and to be open to the other innovative possibilities. It takes discipline to simply ask the questions. Fourth, the process generated actionable steps that could be tested and endorsed by membership which produces the most meaningful outcomes. This group leveraged the learning, thinking, and questioning style needed to maximize the number of solutions available. Combined, the perspectives were relevant to the broader organizational mission and strategic goals. Fifth, in this case, statements were only made in response to a question. This simple rule kept participants focused on answering the question that was asked instead of simply sharing war stories. This increased the quality of the questions as participants built on each other s questions instead of offering solutions. It also allowed them to probe the root causes of these issues instead of assuming the problem had already been defined, and asked creative questions of what could be possible instead of telling others the right answer. Finally, the process of asking open-ended questions, sharing perspectives, and making statements only in response to questions effectively made the agency a learning organization by capitalizing on the knowledge, perspectives, and experiences of each of the participants. The respective ideas were summarized for each problem and action steps readily developed. Challenges for agencies Action learning helped this agency overcome its organizational issues; however, there are several roadblocks government agencies must consider when implementing an action learning initiative. One of the first challenges agencies will face in implementing an action learning program is in gaining executive support. If an action learning program doesn t first have executive support, then all the work of the team members runs the risk of sitting in a binder in the executive s office as nothing more than a collection

7 of recommendations. This particular agency understood the necessity of first gaining this support; the agency s director also was on board from the beginning, allowing the solutions that were developed over the six-month process to actually be implemented. Another issue for agencies thinking about implementing an action learning program is the identification of a tangible problem that must be fixed a problem that, if not tackled, will have consequences for the agency. Action learning in a government agency environment draws its strength from its real-world applicability, and shouldn t be implemented until nebulous issues can be nailed down into concrete problems. The agency I worked with was able to identify its issues clearly and concisely, so the solutions that were ultimately reached had real impact. At the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the problem identified was one that many agencies face: the higher a leader rises in the organization, the weaker her individual mechanisms for feedback become. To combat this problem, the USDA implemented action learning as part of an executive training course meant to reconnect the highest levels of management with the workers who make up the agency to break down the barriers that were blocking creative problem solving from taking place. Another potential problem for agencies is that the processes of action learning can feel awkward at first. In the example of the small budget agency that I outlined earlier, participants on the team found that asking open-ended questions was an uncomfortable process because, as the organization s leaders, they were more familiar with providing answers than questions. They immediately wanted to move into problem-solving mode by telling the leader with the challenge how to solve the problem. Over time, they learned the value of good questions that could be focused on solving the problem or understanding the issues. By overcoming these obstacles, agencies will see real value from action learning programs. At its heart, action learning is all about exposing people to new ideas, and aligning organizational cultures with the best possible, diversely sourced solutions available. As the roles of governmental agencies shift and the requirement to become more nimble while offering the best possible services becomes more pronounced, action learning will only become more important in the public sector. Andrew Rahaman is on the faculty of American University and teaches courses in organizational leader- ship and change. He is also chairman of the World Institute of Action Learning, a nonprofit focused on developing lead- ers and creating organizational learning through action learning; rahaman@american.edu.