One of the most powerful tools for modern organizations to enhance productivity is technology; however information technology is only viable if the information, processes and people behind it are also up to par. Antiquated data systems must be replaced with new technology where data can be shared and managed effectively to multiply its value and reduce or eliminate redundancy. Strong information technology support will be needed, with expertise provided by employees skilled in information technology management. While there are challenges associated with new information systems, these can be overcome with strong commitment from leadership.
The Service can also increase productivity by adopting communication tools that facilitate the exchange of experience, knowledge and ideas among Service staff, and with practitioners and specialists from other areas and organizations. At present, such “communities of practice” are too often isolated from each other by regional or administrative barriers, or “stovepipes.” These barriers must be broken down. Sharing knowledge is a fundamental strategy for adapting during periods of rapid change. It promotes the transfer of hard-won experience and knowledge from an experienced workforce to a new generation of Service employees, and provides examples of how practitioners in other areas have dealt with similar issues.
New technology can also be used as a means to effectively deliver on-the-ground conservation actions now and in the future. The Service must provide managers with the capacity to try innovative on-the-ground conservation techniques, and allow them to take risks in hopes of developing more effective practices. This is particularly true when it comes to trying to adapt to large-scale threats such as climate change and invasive species.
Recommendation: Become more productive and efficient in internal and external communications and business processes, using new social media tools, web-based communications and online training.
Recommendation: Antiquated data systems will be replaced with technology that shares and manages data effectively.
Recommendation: Identify data management technologies that improve on-the-ground conservation delivery capabilities and empower managers to use them risk-free.
The use of technology will increase the Refuge System’s productivity. But it should not supplant essential personal contact. Being able to meet in person to better connect and build trust will enhance employee morale, public satisfaction and greater fish, wildlife and habitat conservation.
Excellent organizations operate at peak efficiency by ensuring that the workforce is appropriately sized and placed to do the job at hand. Excellent organizations are also able to change direction quickly when circumstances dictate that change is necessary and prioritize mission-critical work when challenges exceed the fiscal and human resources necessary to address them.
Recommendation: Mandate an annual review of each Refuge unit’s activities to ensure that operations are compliant and mission critical.
The skills required for refuge management are also evolving and mandate that the Service focus on developing outstanding supervisors and executives. The development of executive skills is as important as technical skills in an ever-changing landscape. The complexities of America’s workplace and challenges of land management require that an appropriate balance be struck.
Recommendation: Invest in providing executive management training to the Refuge System’s workforce, especially to those in supervisory positions, and in developing systems to track effective supervisory performance.
Effective supervisors must provide for the training and development of all employees but should also be supported when they must make the difficult decisions regarding performance standards. All employees, including supervisors and managers, must be held accountable for contributing to this culture of success.
Comment below and/or move on to next section of Chapter 5 - The Right Training for the 21st Century
3 Comments in this post »
RSS feed for comments on this post.
I’ve had a long career with the USFWS managing National Wildlife Refuges from the Atlantic to the Pacific. During my tenure I now see more refuge staff spend most of their time staring at computers, Blackberries, or other electronic devices than spending time in the field. Our new young staff think this is the way to perform management at our refuges. I disagree, the more we depend on electronics to do our business, the less we are in touch with our environment. I feel it should be mandatory that our visitor service managers, biologists and refuge managers spend at least half of their work week in the field experiencing all the sounds, smells and beauty of our lands and critters, otherwise we may as well work from our computers at home.
A couple of thoughts. (Note, I am a volunteer and friends group board member who has worked in technology for 26 years)
Communities of Practice – I have been involved with these and have seen them be very successful when done right. I recommend following the CoP practices suggested by Richard McDermott and Etienne Wenger. At my work we hired Richard as a consultant to help us design socio-technical “knowledge systems” which included CoP.
Use of Technology – If refuge staff are a bit intimidated by technology, have them job-shadow someone who works in a technology company (or any reasonably modern company) for a day. It feels like many refuge staff are at least 10 years behind in terms of technology adoption. e.g. I still cannot convince our refuge manager to host a meeting on the phone, something we have been doing at work for 25 years. These days the majority of our meetings at work are on the phone/computer, and include people from all over the planet. I understand that Uncle Sam moves slower than “corporate America” but I think it is important to at least understand what “normal” technology use looks like to people outside the service. Also I don’t buy the argument that the service cannot afford newer technology – companies usually buy newer technology and train their people on it because it saves them money.
If national wildlife refuges could be managed ‘virtually’ on line, like Farmville, the “Increased Productivity” section would be right on target. That isn’t reality, however. Increasing productivity on refuges involves hands-on management.
Today’s refuges operate with only skeletal staff. Mandatory databases and accountability reporting measures hold employees captive in the office, pounding away on a keyboard for hours a day. This is the one-two punch that threatens day to day operations and erodes productivity. Organizational excellence must include acknowledgement of these staffing problems.
I agree that improving communication with social technology and social media and better data management should be included somewhere in this Vision document, most likely Chapter 3 – Communication, Collaborations . . . Facebook is an excellent vehicle for sharing information and uniting people. Every refuge could use a Facebook page. Flickr images show the world the magnificence of our refuge landscapes and seascapes, and the wildlife that depend on them. Online databases for research, inventory and monitoring are also vital.
The odd regulatory recommendation on refuge compliance with mission criticality was out in left field. How would this regulatory measure increase productivity? Who would serve as the ‘mission critical’ police?
On an individual basis refuge employees are highly productive, but not due to their access to social media or computer based technologies. Lacking sufficient hours in the workday to complete both the mandatory administrative measures plus manage habitat for wildlife, many refuge employees work late into the night answering the datacalls and completing the accountability measures. In this section, “Increased Productivity” we should address productivity with respect to the work we accomplish on the ground for habitat and wildlife. We should articulate the impediments to productivity and craft recommendations for how to improve productivity. Yes – we could find ways to work more efficiently, manage habitat to deliver better results, and improve our ability to benefit either more wildlife or the right wildlife. The key to increasing productivity is to support the people who do the work. When staffing is reduced to numbers sufficient only to ‘keep the boat afloat’ excellence has already been lost. Add back the lost workforce capacity and productivity will follow.