MIDDLETOWN
STANDARD VOLUME 1 / NO. 4 December 2002
BUILDING A LEARNING COMMUNITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
From the Director of Facilities Management. . .Beth Perrin
Doing more with less…
can it really be done? Oh YES!!
Ever since there have been places that hire lots of people and there have been “bosses” to lead them, there have been teams. Someone has always led groups of people to achieve more than an individual would be able to do alone. By definition teams are a group of two or more entities linked by a common bond to foster the achievement of a common goal.
One type of team that I feel is particularly useful in a school setting is the “self-directed work team”. It is designed to give managers such as myself (and my managers) peace of mind. Leaders that are trained in excellent communication and empowerment can increase productivity (i.e.: Do more with less!). Self-directed teams are empowered to make decisions on their own activities. This is the direction that the Middletown Public Schools Facilities Management Team is headed.
Empowering employees and teams is not a free for all! There are still rules, missions and hierarchies. Boundaries must be created and are needed in order for the “traditional leader” to give some of the decision making to their employees that otherwise is made by them. Employees need to know their boundaries, be encouraged to take risks, and when to go to others for information or help. When an employee is empowered this means that they have been given the opportunity to make a decision independently, however it is important to the employee/team member to include others in the decision. This is where communication is very important to the self-directed work team. In addition, this is where self-conflict can occur. Members of a team must also be trained and willing to make decisions that may be in conflict with personal goals, but are important to the goals of the team.
Training a leader to become a facilitator is also extremely important to the development of a self-directed work team. Accountability continues to remain with the leader/facilitator; therefore, continuous feedback is necessary between the team and its leader. Training the team to actively communicate with the facilitator and make decisions representative of the facilitator is important to the decision making process of each team member. Self-directed work teams do not function without excellent communication skills. An action taken without communication can lead to chaos or more importantly safety problems. It is for this very reason that training in decision-making, as well as, communication skills is absolutely necessary. The members of a self-directed work team must be amenable to learning a new way of working, trust that his/her fellow workers also buy into working as a team instead of in a vacuum, and learn that the most valuable tool they have is communication. One of the very first things put into place for our new self -directed facility team was a networked computerized work order system. This communication tool will play a major part in working as a communicating, highly functional team.
One of the major reasons self-directed work teams yield higher performance than employees working independently under control of a “boss” is the synergy created by group thinking. By creating work teams, employees must become involved in their jobs, because they are empowered to make decisions. Increasing empowerment of employees gives them greater responsibilities, thus creating a feeling of ownership.
So now let’s ask my original question again with a slightly different twist: “Can Middletown Public Schools do more with less” and still accomplish our mission? OH YES! The Facilities Management Team is here to support Middletown Public Schools mission by: Keeping our schools Safe, Attractive, Functional, and Efficient! We are evolving into a self-directed team.
OH YES!