HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Objectives:
- Explore best practices, tools, processes, methods and approaches for effectiveness and efficiency in providing service
- Enhance communication and relationships within the HRA community
- Improve clarity of understanding of roles, responsibilities and relationships between HRAs and HROs
- Develop concrete and specific actions designed to “Reduce the Burden” in staffing and classification
- use a proactive and positive process approach so that participants have fun while collaborating
Note: Objectives were built based on the email from Cindy dated
Time
MARCH 23
1630-1830h
Activity
Meet and greet – mixer for HRAs
OPI/ Materials needed
Cindy, Marc, Lou-Ann, Patty, Jonathan
HRAs
Time
MARCH 24
0800-0830h
Activity
Arrival of participants
0830 – 0845
(15 min)
SPONSORS GREETINGS
Welcome to “your meeting”
Opening remarks – director written, delivered by Cindy herself (director)
OPI/ Materials needed
Cindy
Jonathan
1
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
0845 – 0905h
(20 min)
Activity
Administrative points – bathrooms, breaks, lunch, closure, evening activities, who will be here and
when
Overall Review of Agenda and Objectives for the 2 days (written on flip chart) + ground
rules
OPI/ Materials needed
Jonathan /
Flipchart – agenda, objectives, ground
rules
name tags via Tent Cards on table
 Ground Rules
 Use language of choice
 Participate actively
 Start and end on time
 Be present – mobile phones off / vibrate mode
 Let yourself have fun
+/ Facilitator Roles:
 Guide the process
 Support staying focused
 Mindful of time
+/Helpful Guidelines
2
comment about snacks, food
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
0905 - 0925
(20 min)
Activity
Icebreaker - getting to know each other
Let’s get to know each other on a personal note….
- As we pass around the roll of toilet paper….
- You are invited to “take as much as you need”
- Does everyone have some?
- Now please share something about yourself, that nobody else in the room knows.
This is a chance to stretch a bit. To take a risk. To share something about yourself, that normally
you may not have shared, but today, you are willing to break free and share it. What you share
should be something that nobody in this room already knows.
- -eg., I have blue polka dots on the bottom of my shoes, or that I have an excellent
relationship with my puppydog
OPI/ Materials needed
facilitator bridges the outputs from this icebreaker with the objectives of the event, to have
fun, to work on our communication skills, to get to know each other, to build a stronger
HRA community. The precious gift of our time together, “in paradise”. Enjoy.
0925-0935h
Paired interviews (using structured questionnaire)
Actual
935-945
945-950
10 mins – Definition of inquiry topic “creating an optimal staffing and classification system”
950-1000
1000-1005
Introduce process as high involvement, reinforcement of the relationship / community building
theme / objective.
Discovery – via paired story telling; regroup into pairs with another person who you know
the least
Read aloud the interview questions:
 You have most likely had a career highlight experience with classification or staffing where
3
Facilitator – time keeper (chimes)
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
Activity
you lived effectiveness at its best. An experience which is a high point in your career as an
HRA. A point in time where you felt excited, energized and engaged.



Briefly tell me a story about this best experience with staffing or classification.
What happened? Who was present and involved? What was the climate like? How did you
feel during the experience? What was going on for you in the experience? What did you
learn that you valued?
What do you value most about your work as an HRA, and what do you value most about
your organization?
If you could create an optimal staffing and/or classification system, what one wish would you
have?
As an HRA, Where are your greatest opportunities for influence? (Keeping in mind staffing
and classification focus)
Optional
 Looking into the future, what is the staffing and/or classification system being called to
become?
 What factors breathe life into the staffing and/or classification system? Or
What are the core factors that give life to the staffing system?
30 mins – 15 mins each person (15min x 2)
Conduct interviews, listening to understand, taking some notes about what you are hearing.
Say “You will be invited to share highlights of your interviewees story and answers to questions
later in the next phase.”
0935-1005h
4
HEALTH BREAK
OPI/ Materials needed
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
OPI/ Materials needed
Activity
1005-1020h
Plan
1020-1050h
SHARING
Re-group from single pairs to double pairs, that is, join another pair. Any other pair.
That is, you should now be in groups of four (4) people. (4 x 4 persons + 1 group of 5)
Actual
1025-1055
1040 = ½ way
30 mins – sharing of personal interviews
Sharing highlights from what you have gathered from their interviewee’s responses gives us a
shared understanding of exceptional moments, values, wishes, ideas that grabbed you, all
grounded in our past.
-
f/c guidance by jonathan
Share BRIEF highlights of your interviewee’s story / experience with your group of 4
(or 5)
one key aspect from the story
one main wish regarding an optimal staffing and/or classification system
what he/she values most about the work of the HRA
No need to flip chart. Please share, listen and learn from each other.
1050-1120h
CORE LIFE GIVING FACTORS
30 mins
You have now heard your own story as well as each others stories told through the eyes of the
listeners. I asked you previously to hold back from flip charting, but to take your own notes.
Now, I invite you to consider what you have heard from all the stories and to share through
brainstorming, “the core factors which contribute to an optimal staffing and classification
system”.
5
f/c guidance by jonathan
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
Plan
1120-1155h
1120-1135
Activity
In existing groups develop a list of “core factors” on a flip chart.
Later I will ask groups to share the core factors in plenary with other groups.
BUILDING OUR “CORE FACTORS CLUSTER”
45 mins
In plenary, groups presentation of core factors lists by each group. (pl 20 mins / actual 15 mins)
From these core factors, what messages are emerging for you? (plan 15 mins / actual 10 mins)
What 3-5 themes are emerging?
Group discussion about the themes & messages (10 mins) (inclusive&expansive, NOT reducing)
1155-1200h
1200-1300h
1300-1330h
Debrief on morning (highs lows, energy, thermostat)
LUNCH BREAK
CREATING IMAGES OF THE FUTURE
30 mins
Imagine a classification and staffing system, which is at it’s best.
Visualize, 1-3 years from now. Leadership has completely sponsored an improvement to the
staffing and classification systems and we have had resources and support required to make it a
reality. The systems are working perfectly, effective, smooth, healthy, TRULY optimal!
In this ideal or optimal future state, what do you see? Who is there? What are people doing? What
tools are you using? What is the climate like? With whom do you interface? What do you
influence? How does it feel to be an HRA in this ideal place & time?
Please re-shape yourselves into new groups of 5.
Using a marker, express your vision of the optimal future state on a flip chart. You can use words,
pictures, etc. “I invite you to Put your vision on paper in your own unique way.”
6
OPI/ Materials needed
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
1330-1415h
1335-1355h
Activity
30 mins
Interpreters for each group, explain your “work of creation”, to the plenary group. 5 mins / group =
15 + overlap = 20 mins
1355-1400
Posting of works onto wall. Individuals get up and take notes on appreciations. (pl 10 mins /actl 5)
1400-1415h
Group discussion of highlights, AH-HA-s, opportunities, strengths, appreciations 15 mins
1430-1500h
HEALTH BREAK
1430-1510h
DESIGN
We now have a collection of stories about what gives life to the staffing & classification system, a
picture of the ideal system. Now we are going to work on translating the picture into what is
going to happen when we arrive at the destination of the ideal s&c system.
We are now going to brainstorm the high priority areas, from the previous activity.
What things stand out as needing some attention?
What areas of the dream are calling out for help?
For example.. are there
- Process changes that will need to be made…
- Addition or changes to tools, templates, processes, procedures, SOPs…
- Communication changes necessary…
- Role / responsibility changes
- Authority or delegation changes
- Decision making changes
- Leadership initiatives
- Relationships or interpersonal dynamics which must shift…
Plan 1430-1445 Plan 15mins / actual 20 mins
Actl 1435-1455 In groups of 5, please brainstorm this and prepare to present on a flip chart.
7
OPI/ Materials needed
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
Activity
1455-1505
Plan 15 mins / actual 10 mins
Presentation of areas needing help in plenary b y each group.
1505-1510
Plan 10 mins / actual 5 mins
Choosing 3 top priority areas. Using voting/dots/checkmarks on flip charts posted on wall
1510-1540h
In your groups, with your top priority area, inspired by the previous activity, building on the ideal
images from the previous “works of creation”. I invite you to write “provocative propositions” /
“stretch statements” about the future staffing & classification system.
Intro
1510-1515h
These statements must “challenge the status quo”, stretch the realm of what is considered possible
and be written as if we are already there. Consider the dream drawing. Put this drawing into words,
into stretch statements, describing the staffing system, how it would look and feel, when all of the
chosen themes are at their best.
1515-1545h
30 mins
Writing statements in groups on note pads / paper
1545-1555h
10 mins
Preparing flipcharts
1555-1605h
Plan 30 mins / actual 10 mins
Presentations of the statements in plenary
1605-1615h
10 mins
Invitation to share appreciations about statements.
1615-1630
Evening Close-Out - 15 mins
What have you appreciated about how we are doing thus far?
Wishes for tomorrow?
8
OPI/ Materials needed
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
Activity
What’s on for tonight?
MARCH 25
0830-0850h
Start-Up 20 mins
Learnings after reflection last evening?
Anything you would like to share /
What’s on your mind?
0850-0950h
FORCE FIELD
Yesterday we left off with stretch statements. You shared your appreciations about these
statements and have had the night to let those concepts grow.
Today, I’d like you to look further into those stretch statements and to understand what it will take
to bring these concepts to life. We are going to use a tool called the “force field”.
0850-0920
20 mins
Please go back into your groups of 5.
On a flip chart, I invite you to brainstorm the proposition/statement for what supports the change
and what does not support the change, what helps and what hinders, what is driving and what is
restraining.
0920-0935h
Switch f/c to new groups (add new group comments to previous ff/c)
0935-0950h
Switch f/c again and add comments.
0950-1005h
HEALTH BREAK 15 mins
9
OPI/ Materials needed
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
Activity
Preparing for presentation of change propositions
0950-1005h
10 mins
Present “commitment model”
1005-1015h
1015-1045h
Discuss the commitment model, implications to how change is managed in their region.
Lessons learned from it.
1020-1030
1030-1040
Team analysis by table group about how your organization deals with change.
1040-1110h
Presentation by group about lessons learned in how your org deals with change.
1110-1130h
Review of propositions to ensure:
- the “Need for change” and the “Nature of Change” are clearly articulated
- What’s in it for me (the HRA) is clearly articulated
- What’s in it for the Managers is clearly articulated
In groups, invitation for changes / revisions to the proposition statements
1130-1200h
Preparing for afternoon with HR Managers
Discussion about expectations, important considerations and roles.
What do the HRA’s wish to achieve in meeting with the managers?
Is this realistic?
What will the Managers want from the meeting?
What is important for the HRAs?
Process & Roles?
Ready?
10
OPI/ Materials needed
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
1200-1305h
Activity
Lunch BREAK
1305-1330h
BLENDING HR Managers and HRAs.
- 118 years of HRA experience
Icebreaker “Change partners”
- Divide into A and Bs
- As stand in a line. Bs Relocate to stand in front of someone else
- Both people turn around so your backs are almost touching
- As make 5 changes to yourself, without talking.
- As turn around. Bs identify the changes
- As turn around again. As make 10 more changes to yourself. Bs identify the changes.
Icebreaker Debrief:
- difficulty to let things go,
- noticing changes are hard,
- fear of changing too much, etc.
Learnings and invitation to be mindful of how can we apply this learning to what we will do this
afternoon.
1330-1345h
11
Process overview / update thus far – (plan 10 mins / actual 15 mins)
- Explored what worked in the past, wishes for an ideal or optimal staffing & classification
system
- Shared experiences, grounded in the past and devised future scenarios in groups, based on
what has worked in the past.
- Considered change process, things that will help the change concept move forward and
possible resistance.
- Invitation but no Revisions to the propositions ensuring readiness for sharing with invitees
OPI/ Materials needed
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
1345-1400h
Activity
Sharing of Propositions - 20 mins
Gallery walk
1400-1405h
HEALTH BREAK (if needed)
DESTINY - Plenary: Requests, Offers, Commitments - 40 mins
On sticky notes, prepare to make simple “commitments”, “offers” and “requests” which you
will later share with the group.(plan PREP - 20 mins; SHARING – 30 mins)
1405-1425h
Actual: start with requests
1425-1540
Continue with Offers & commitments
In sharing, offer opportunity to refine, combine, collaborate.
1500-1550h
Say …
“Commitments are actions that can be easily taken, within existing authority and available
resources to the person making the commitment.
Offers are gifts. An offer may be in response to a request for collaboration.
Requests are statements made from one person or organization to another person or organization,
expressing a need and a desire to have support in fulfilling the need.”
1540-1610h
12
What’s Next
Discussion of what needs still need to be addressed?
What to do about this?
What to do with the outcomes from this session?
Suggestions for keeping the progress alive?
OPI/ Materials needed
HRA Event –Design
Delta X, room # X
March 23-26th, 200X
Time
Activity
1610-1630h
Appreciation Ceremony
Prep Individual appreciation certificates for plenary - 5 mins
Share appreciations – 15 mins
1630h
CLOSE-OUT
13
OPI/ Materials needed