Work Unit Councils
The Work Unit Council model is a unique and exciting addition to the communications and performance improvement efforts of the Division of Business & Finance that is intended to serve as a complement to (not a replacement for) the division-wide activities of the Focus For Excellence program. The Work Unit Council puts decision making responsibility in the hands of those employees who deliver services to and create value for the customer.
This document is a brief introduction to the Work Unit Council approach. Note that before establishing a Work Unit Council, all members attend a one-hour training session. This training session is critical because the Work Unit Council model is constantly being improved based on experiences of existing councils.
Why Work Unit Councils?
Who are the members and when do they meet?
What does a Work Unit Council actually do?
How does a Work Unit Council operate?
How do we know if the Work Unit Councils are "working"?
There are four interrelated purposes of a Work Unit Council:
- To improve communication and collaboration among employees.
- To develop and enhance mutual trust and respect among employees and between employees and their manager.
- To share values and gain commitment for achieving the common goals of the work group and the goals of the Division.
- To empower employees.
Who are the members and when do they meet?
The Work Unit Council members are:
- The manager/supervisor of a work group, who chairs the meetings.
- The immediate manager of the manager/supervisor.
- All employees who report to that manager/supervisor.
Council members may on occasion decide to invite people from outside their work group to attend a meeting(s). This might occur when the group seeks expertise in a particular area, i.e., technology, group dynamics, etc.
The Work Unit Council meets at least twice per month. However, the manager of the work group's manager/supervisor joins the council meeting just once per month. The work group's manager/supervisor schedules and chairs the meeting, although agenda items can be set by any council member.
What does a Work Unit Council actually do?
The Councils are typically given seven functions:
1) Promote the continuous improvement of the unit's work, the employees' and team's capability to do that work, and the service provided and processes followed in their work. This is done in at least two ways:
a) Once every six months, employees meet as a group without their manager to identify, discuss, and prioritize suggestions that they then present in a full Work Unit Council meeting. These suggestions would address things that their manager could do to enable them to improve their work. In response to each suggestion, the manager/supervisor has three options:
- Yes, we will implement that suggestion.
- No, we cannot do it, and here is why
- I don't know. I will need to investigate further. However, manager must provide a response to the Council within one month.
b) Manager presents suggestions to employees as to how they (the employees) might do things differently to improve the manager's (or the entire group's) work.
2) Plan - contribute to strategic planning efforts and implement plans for improvements.
3) Make policies related to the operation of the work group.
4) Coordinate activities horizontally with other work groups.
5) Integrate the plans and policies of higher and lower units into their work.
6) Undertake efforts to improve the quality of their work life.
7) Provide a forum for the evaluation of the manager/supervisor.
How does a Work Unit Council operate?
To succeed, Work Unit Councils must enjoy free and open conversation in all meetings. To achieve this, Council meetings operate under the following guidelines:
1) Always have the meeting as scheduled on a set schedule. If necessary, let something else slide.
2) Always have an agenda.
3) Always have a time contract (between 60 and 90 minutes) and stick to it.
4) Conversations are conducted through dialogue, not debate. Some Work Unit Councils have found it useful to adopt and post guidelines for their meetings (to illustrate, see sample meeting guidelines).
5) At the close of each meeting, discuss the benefits of the meeting, identify any concerns, and specify next steps.
6) Keep records of Work Unit Council activities, including notes (not minutes) from each meeting identifying improvement suggestions and how each one was resolved. Maintain these records in a notebook or other such format.
How do we know if the Work Unit Councils are "working"?
Work Unit Councils will be evaluated approximately one year after they are established. These evaluations are primarily qualitative in nature. Three separate interviews are held: one with the members of the work group, one with the manager, and one with the manager's manager.