Workshops in Arizona focus on improving management

Food and Nutrition, July, 1986 by Dee Amaden

Workshops in Arizona Focus On Improving Management

First-line supervisors for Arizona's food stamp agency came away from a 1984 training program with more than the usual assortment of notes and handouts on management concepts. They had worked hard and come up with 60 recommendations for improving the way they did their jobs.

The recommendations came out of a series of eight training sessions held throughout the state. Called "Productivity Colleges,' the sessions focused on identifying and analyzing problems shared by local staff.

Problem-solving techniques taught

According to Diane Ross, manager of the state's program review unit, getting first-line supervisors involved was the key. "We felt that the best people to ask how to do the job were the people doing the job,' she says. "We really just needed to bring them together and give them the tools.'

The tools they learned were problem-solving techniques presented by a consultant during the training sessions. These included general brainstorming and decision-making techniques, team-building activities, methods of forming a consensus, and a process for problem identification and clarification they called "fishboning.' Participants spent 1-1/2 days acquiring the tools, and then put their newly found skills to use.

For 3-1/2 days, participants worked in small groups, usually with other first-line supervisors from their own districts. They began by brainstorming to identify general areas they wanted to improve, then focused on issues on which they could have an impact. Using the fishboning technique, they identified as many causes as possible for each problem, eventually pinpointing the most significant.

A management level support staff gathered data for the groups to aid them in analyzing problems and developing solutions or alternatives that would have the most impact for the least cost.

After additional brainstorming, analyzing, and refining, the groups presented their proposals to top agency staff, including agency director Douglas Patino, who was supportive of the training from its inception.

Many supervisors still involved

For many of the supervisors, involvement in program management improvements didn't end with graduation from the "Productivity Colleges.' Some are participating in the work groups that have been charged with following through on the recommendations. More than 30 of the 60 recommendations have been implemented to date.

Some recommendations implemented statewide were directed toward reducing forms and paperwork, and streamlining and simplifying the application process. Other recommendations were aimed at improving district or local office management, such as adding or reallocating staff to target needs, improving outreach and home visit procedures, and making alterations to office space.

Diane Ross says the results of the "Productivity Colleges' go beyond the administrative improvements, citing higher morale and better communication between local, district, and state levels. She also feels that the participants have more confidence, enabling them to take a more active role in improving management.

"Supervisors took these lessons back to their offices and are using the problem-solving skills they learned with their own staff to look for new ways to improve local office management,' she says.

The state staff plan to train new supervisors in "Productivity College' techniques and hope to provide refresher courses to graduates. An annual statewide conference, called SHARE (Supervisors Helping Arizona Reach Excellence), will continue to bring first-line supervisors together to share ideas on how they can improve program management.

Overall, both Ross and the participants give the "Productivity Colleges' high marks.