People: It's not them . . . it's you.

Civil servants don’t get enough respect. They will never make a million dollars and very few people will ever know the great work they do, but their mistakes get plastered all over local news. If you are a government manager getting disappointed in the lack of action coming from employees, it’s important to keep one thing in mind: It’s not them . . . it’s you.

Why do people in government not take proactive action to improve performance?

They don’t feel empowered. Many government employees feel powerless to change something about the way programs are run.

• Why? Because decisions are always escalated higher and higher up the management chain. The phrase “that’s above my pay grade” is commonly heard among employees who don’t feel empowered.

  • What can you do about it? Establish clear escalation criteria as you push decision-making authority in the organization to the levels most appropriate to resolve the problems confronted by employees. Only bigger and more visible issues, where there is genuine disagreement, should rise to senior management.

• Why? Because they’re being micromanaged. Micromanagement is extremely toxic, and only appropriate in very specific circumstances. It occurs most frequently when managers want to feel more in control but don’t trust employees to handle the project or situation effectively. Unfortunately, that exercise of control often doesn’t coincide with clear guidance from managers, so employees are left feeling powerless and destined to disappoint a boss who expects them to read her mind.

  • What can you do about it? First, understand why micromanagement is occurring. Then set clear priorities and expectations and communicate them to employees in writing. Don’t just say them. Employees can’t read minds, so make it very clear how you expect the program to be delivered. Finally, slowly pull back from the behaviors that undermine employee empowerment without becoming disengaged.

They’re intimidated. Employees are sometimes afraid taking action will have negative consequences for them personally and professionally.

• Why? Many government performance management programs are modeled after New York’s CompSTAT and anyone who has seen The Wire believes that process doesn’t end well for employees in the hot seat. The fear of performance management being used as a tool to separate “contenders” from the “pretenders” as Harvard’s Bob Behn calls them, is a lasting legacy of many Stat programs and it’s not a sustainable feature worth replicating.

  • What can you do about it? Strike a balance. Research suggests people are motivated by positive feedback more than negative (often labeled “constructive”), and the balance should tip considerably toward the positive. Managers should make it clear that taking risks based on sound information and reasoned judgment is okay, and innovative employees will be rewarded, not punished, because the organization prioritizes continuous learning over continuous punishing.

The City of Alexandria, Virginia frames their AlexStat program as a “continuous improvement” process and describes it as “a collaborative analysis and discussion that helps you and the City Manager’s Office.”

They aren’t prepared. Inaction often occurs because employees don’t have the knowledge or training necessary to execute their work effectively.

• Why? If people weren't included in the process that leading up to a decision, then they aren't likely to support it with their time and energy.

  • What can you do about it? Research supports the inclusion of employees in management decisions that affect them - and if they’re going to carry out actions to change programs, then their inclusion and participation is vital. When people understand the reasons for change, they’re more likely to support it. This is one of the underlying fundamentals of change management theory.

Chattanooga’s Budgeting for Outcomes initiative includes stakeholders at every step of the way. The City provides several training opportunities to help budget offer writers understand the process, and even includes staff to be part of the Results Team, which ranks the offers. These rankings are critical in determining recommendations for funding. Involving staff in the budget process helps to mitigate perceptions that these decisions are made behind closed doors, while giving employees more ownership.

• Why? If people have no education or training about the problem being solved or the action being taken, then they aren’t likely to know HOW to help.

  • What can you do about it? If employees have no existing knowledge base of the problem being solved or the action(s) being taken, then managers have to educate and train them. Training an existing employee is cheaper than hiring a new one and training has never been cheaper to provide, so there is no excuse for leaving employees unprepared to take action on important issues.

Denver’s Peak Academy is one of the most transformational programs operating in city government and their goal is to train and coach employees at all levels to improve the way government works. They train city employees relentlessly in continuous improvement, identifying waste, and eliminating it.