Teaching Performance, not just improving it
The power of continuous learning and improvement
Why are some organizations able to produce goods or services that are more creative and work more reliably than their competitors year after year? How can we bring this innovation and reliability to city services? These are the questions that the newly formed Innovation Team at the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Innovation & Performance (I&P) is working to answer. By training staff throughout the city how to understand their processes and tackle change using simple improvement tools, we are working to improve how the city delivers services and to empower staff to initiate improvements.
Industry has been wrestling with questions of high-reliability and the ability to innovate for years. Harvard Business School and MIT professor Steven Spear set out to answer the questions of why some companies are always ahead of the pack in his book, The High-Velocity Edge: How Market Leaders Leverage Operational Excellence to Beat the Competition. In it, he finds answers by examining the successes of companies as varied as Toyota’s highly reliable automobiles, the immaculate safety record of Navy nuclear submarines, Pittsburgh-based Alcoa’s ability to become the safest large manufacturing employer in the US, and hospitals that strive to provide excellent care of all patients.
“Thank you for the fabulous class…Your class has given me hope to alleviate a lot of unnecessary stress here.”
Participant in City of Pittsburgh Gold Belt workshop
Spear identifies two critical overarching elements that unite these diverse enterprises. Structurally, they are laser focused on understanding the overall process needed to get work done and how individual efforts impact the overall process. They work to break free of silos separating departments. Dynamically, there is a relentless focus on continually improving the process and bringing problems to the attention of those who can best solve them. Problems are seen as valuable learning opportunities to more fully understand the system. Staff are empowered to speak up and suggest solutions.
Recently, city governments across the country are working to replicate the successes of these high-velocity companies by empowering their front-line staff to continuously innovate and problem solve. Denver created Peak Academy, which trains and coaches employees at all levels to improve the way government works. Bloomberg Cities is working with cities across the country to bring data-driven decision making to cities so they can better serve citizens’ needs. Pittsburgh’s Department of Innovation and Performance has created an interactive, 1/2 day Gold Belt workshop that teaches simple but powerful change tools such as process mapping, waste identification, 6S, and checklist creation. These tools allow staff to make real-world changes in their everyday work.
“I feel more empowered by having tools to present to my supervisor so he can clearly see my vision of process changes.”
Participant in City of Pittsburgh Gold Belt workshop
In addition, the City of Pittsburgh I&P Department has formed an Innovation Team bringing together business relationship managers, civic innovators, performance improvement coaches, and data analysts to better meet the needs of city departments. By providing a coordinated range of services and tools to directors, managers, and front-line staff, and strengthening the connections between city departments, the Innovation Team is working to bring a culture of innovation and change to the City of Pittsburgh.
As of today, City of Pittsburgh employees have provided nearly $200,000 worth of value for the city. This blog series will not only track the value-add but uncover the stories behind the innovation. If you are a city employee who has taken the Gold Belt Workshop, remember you can still receive your certification — Just do it!
