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The organizational infrastructure to support and sustain transformation

The organizational infrastructure to support and sustain transformation

The organizational infrastructure should be built on a framework of five principle responsibilities:

Conduct organizational assessments – Reviews of state and local government entities that determine opportunities for increased efficiency, effectiveness, and new ways of doing business.
Create an improvement clearinghouse – A web-based resource center that provides information and resources for improving organizational performance and service delivery, plus benchmarking data for use by state and local governments in conjunction with performance measurement efforts.
Create networks and partnerships – Link state and local governments to expert resources for solving challenges, such as the consultant referral network established by the Minnesota Council for Quality or the communities-of-practice model that features practitioners engaging in informal peer-to-peer collaboration to solve problems, share ideas, and develop relationships.
Serve as a forum for leaders and professionals – Share information on principles, processes, and practices that improve the innovation and performance of organizations, individuals, and communities.
Provide venture capital – Intellectual and financial capital are necessary for early-stage, high-potential startup ideas for innovation and the transformation of organizations, programs, and services.

There are several other elements needed, in addition to an imbedded and continuous emphasis on transformation of government:

Individual agencies at the state and local levels need to be empowered and provided with the tools to bring about change within their operations. Two key tools that deserve attention are (1) business process improvement tools to increase efficiency, and (2) performance measurement tools to enhance effectiveness and accountability.
The legislature must continue to remove roadblocks to the redesign of programs and services, including a shift from mandating the delivery of programs and services to a focus on expected outcomes and accountability for achieving outcomes; simplification of program requirements, particularly in the delivery of health and human service programs; and providing for “charter agencies” that commit to producing measureable results, improving those results, and lowering operating expenses in return for being given waiver from certain rules and special authorities.

Investments will be needed to create the infrastructure necessary to support and sustain transformation. It is a priority of the public. Minnesotans want the state to increase productivity. And while a reliable stream of revenue will be needed at the outset, entities established to foster government innovation and transformation could be substantially supported in the longer-term by the savings generated by state agencies and local governments as shared and consolidated services, business process improvements, and other changes are implemented.