First Who, Then What: Implementing Effective Change Through Quality Team Building.
1.
Overview:
Our idea was to effectively implement change through quality team building designed
at improving the custodial maintenance operations of the district to provide a learning
environment that is safe, secure, clean and conducive to learning! Building a team that
worked well together required focus, a clear understanding of District goals, creativity,
communication and tenacity. The work, very simply was to professionalize the custodial
maintenance staff, enhance each employee’s professional self-concept, inculcate values, and
create a vision that would motivate people to high achievement.
2.
Purpose: The purpose was to improve district operations in the area of building &
grounds through effective team building. The goal of our project was to find the “right people”
who view their duties as a responsibility vs. a Job! Upon my arrival in the district in 2003, the
district possessed high quality teams to include: Directors Team (Board of Ed.), Administrative
Team (Cabinet – Central & Building Administrators), and Educational Team (Liaisons & Dept.
Chairs); the Building and Grounds Team was lacking! Building systems had deteriorated and
were in constant need of repair, morale was poor, and community support had begun to erode as
evidence by two failed referendums (2004, 2005) as well as the school budget in 2005.
3.
Making a difference in student achievement: By identifying leaders within our
organization through promotion and re-assignment in addition to hiring successful new personnel
from the outside, we were able to integrate all members of the custodial maintenance operation
into a core district team as opposed to the previous building mentality. Others began to see that
it was possible to advance based on performance and negative influencers were soon quelled
with departures from the district in some cases. Thus our team building approach led to higher
productivity and overall motivation as individuals were recognized for their accomplishments
and began to see themselves as an integral part of the overall process. This in turn resulted in
cleaner buildings through successful district projects that included revitalization of classrooms
and general learning areas, reclaiming classroom space through in-district demolition,
remodeling and construction led projects re-allocating office and storage space, successful site
based security programs including: ID badges, perimeter checks, exterior window and door
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First Who, Then What: Implementing Effective Change Through Quality Team Building.
numbering, installation of security cameras, window and door replacement programs, as well as
two successful facilities bond proposals (2006, and 2007) totaling $3.8 Million dollars that
included new roofs at two elementary schools and a new roof and boiler system along with 17
new unit ventilators and 69 new panel radiators at the middle school. Additionally, a new Fire
Alarm system and continued roof replacements are scheduled for this summer at the middle
school and replacement/upgrades of the electrical systems at all four schools. The culmination
of these successful outcomes provided for a safer environment conducive to learning. In 2006,
students in grades 3 through 8 outscored the State, County and District Factor Group (DFG) in
13 out of 14 indicators on Statewide Standardized Testing. Additionally, community support
and public confidence was restored with passage of the annual school budget in 2006 and 2007.
4.
Cost Analysis: In analyzing the costs of this initiative, like any other business function,
one must focus on ROI (Return on Investment). Overall program costs for maintenance of
facilities and maintenance of plant services increased by $23,120.00 or 1.2% in the 2006-2007
operating budget for a combined cost of $1,895,542.00 on a $23 million dollar budget.
Fund 12 Capital Outlay experienced a dramatic increase of $514,401.00 or 309%, with
$631,857.00 allocated to Construction Services and Repairs of Building/Maintenance. At the
same time the district was successful in achieving a Aa rating from Moody’s on our bonds sold
along with a combined $262,400.00 Facilities Grant from the State and 40% Funding or
$154,872.00 per year in State Aid through successful Debt Service Applications. This
concerted effort in addressing critical building infrastructure needs has enabled the Board and
Administration to craft a facilities/maintenance budget for the 2007-2008 school year that retains
all quality maintenance operations, supplies, preventive maintenance programs, newly enacted
service agreements and introduction of a new facilities web based management program,
allowing us to maintain a highly efficient and effective facility maintenance program that is vital
to our continued success at a reduction of $20,848 or 1.10% in the general operating budget.
Likewise, the 2007-2008 Fund 12 Capital Outlay budget has been reduced to $87,300.00.
Through direct team member involvement and initiatives, much of the costs associated
with these projects have been minimized as a result of in-house labor and expertise in areas such
as cabling for security camera installations, demolition, clean up and removal of debris
associated with remodeling, electrical, plumbing, landscape design, and painting along with on-
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First Who, Then What: Implementing Effective Change Through Quality Team Building.
site inspection/coordination of construction projects to assure compliance with plan and/or
specifications, review of shop drawings, and participation in the selection of potential
bidders/contractors through careful review of plans and specifications aimed at decreasing
potential change orders. These activities have accounted for increased dollars to the classroom
putting our direct classroom expenditures at 65% for the 2007-2008 school year budget.
5.
Evaluation: In particular the approach of “First Who, Then What,” focusing on putting
the right people in the right positions, has allowed the district to employ an innovative approach
to team building given the constraints of tenure, seniority, past practice and inherent ideology of
site based vs. district staffing that was entrenched in the past. Over that time, the district had not
exercised the right of assignment with regards to the custodial maintenance staff and promotions
were based on seniority. Grievances were avoided at all costs and sub-standard performance was
left unmitigated. With implementation of the new team building program, evaluations of
building head custodians, formerly completed by Building Principals alone, were now
additionally completed by the myself as BA with the assistance of the Building & Grounds
Supervisor. Individuals lacking the discipline and desire to accomplish the organization’s
mission and goals, after careful consideration and remediation (progressive discipline) should be
let go. This philosophy has restored accountability, improved performance and has not been met
with any grievances! Additionally, monthly Building and Grounds Meetings are held at the
Administrative Building and include the Head Custodians, Maintenance Specialist, Supervisor of
B&G, and the Business Administrator. Leadership as well as District and Department Goals are
presented, discussed, and shared, along with a host of items on an agenda developed with input
from all levels of the team. Concerns, projects and critical information are relayed to the Board,
administration, night supervisors and all custodial team members. Together the team achieved
the first department goal in 2005, earning a coveted State-wide Safety Award which we repeated
in 2006 and 2007, and currently is working toward a new goal of the obtaining the ASBO
Facilities Masters Award.
We remain pleased with the progress of the initiative and feel that multiple interviews by
different interviewers provide better insight into the optimum candidate for selection. Further we
have learned that simply not settling for the best candidate available from the pool at the time of
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First Who, Then What: Implementing Effective Change Through Quality Team Building.
the search and simply re-advertising or deferring the appointment to acquire a superior applicant
better serves the long term needs of the district and ensures the quality of the team.
6.
Conveyance: This approach to effective team building can be easily assimilated into any
district regardless of size, organizational structure or resources. However its success is
predicated on acceptance, conveyance and reinforcement. Effective change will never succeed
without the support and acceptance of those involved in the change. “Buying in,” requires faith,
trust and commitment to the organization and those entrusted with its daily operation. One
critical element in leadership is leadership by example. Over and over again we witness
ineffective leaders issuing new policies and procedures that go largely ignored. Resistance to
change is real. Often resistors to change are as committed to undermining the changes as those
devoted to its success. The challenge is to cultivate a climate in which perception is reality. The
change must be clearly understood, attainable and necessary in order to achieve realistic results.
After substantial review and positive feedback, we began to communicate our efforts to
members of the board, community and colleagues through various mediums to include facilities
presentations at Board of Education meetings, informal dialog with administrators at county and
regional meetings, an article published in our statewide publication, and a program presentation
involving the Superintendent, Business Administrator, Supervisor of Building & Grounds and a
Head Custodian from one of our schools, at our Statewide ASBO conference in 2006. We are
pleased to have been requested and selected as presenters for our 2007 Statewide ASBO
conference by a prominent architectural firm based on our districts success of maintaining
effective facility maintenance programs in the face of decreased funding.
As previously stated, the measure of any successful program is the return on
investment… we are extremely please with the end result! While successful in the intermediate
stages of our program that rolled out in June 2004, our District Goal: “Providing safe, clean
buildings conducive to learning,” has been achieved. This has clearly enhanced the overall
operation of the district as well as the profession with particular notice to our teams:
Appearance, Attitude, Communications, Cooperation, Creativity, Dependability, Enthusiasm,
Initiative, Productivity, Work Quality & Consistency, and Teamwork, all items for measuring
success.
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