HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-13-2006 Council Work Session Packet (�
Council Work Session
6:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 13
Orono City Council Chambers
AGENDA
1. Council/Staff Strategic Visioning/Retreat Proposal
2. Council Chambers Audio/Visual/Presentation Technology Update
3. Navarre Planning Process Update
4. Stonebay Stormwater Issues Update
5. Stonebay Outlot A Comprehensive Plan amendment
6. Orono/Long Lake Joint Utility Agreement Update
7. Other
Strategic
Visioning
Positioning Orono for
The Next Generation of Challenges
Project Proposal
Ron Moorse
City of Orono
PO Box 66
Crystal Bay, Minnesota 55323-0066
Dated: February 8,2007
In a changing,turbulent world that is unpredictable,challenging and full of possibilities
Insight,Alignment and Action are your best approaches for growth,transition and
change.
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Submitted to:
Mr.Ron Moorse
City Administrator
City of Orono
PO Box 66
Orono, Mi�v�esota 55323-0066
Contact
Richard Fusman
Organization Development Consultant/Specialist
Cell: 651-338.2533
Fax: 651-493 3448
Email: richardfursmann�maiLcom
Richard Fursman &
Associates
�6��v�u�e�r����i LdSt
su�re�
':VIa}�le�va�d,Minnesota 55109
Authorized Signature
Richard Fursman
President
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CITY OF ORONO INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY:PROJECT PROPOSAL
Project Overview
Introduction
City Administrator Ron Moorse has been administrating the City of Orono for several councils over the past
decade plus. The organization has many strengths which are built on a foundation of particularly dedicated
employees. As the arganization and community continue to evolve,the readiness to effectively meet the
challenges of change should be examined,evaluated and discussed. The organization has come to reflect the
personality and leadership style of Mr.Moorse and the department heads. New faces and priorities on the
council and a refonnulated management team have provided an opportunity to revisit the identity or culture
of the organization. Mr. Moorse is attempting to examine the goals, mission,culture and focus of the
organization, including the council and staff,to ensure that it accurately reflects what is desired and needed
to enable the organization to meet the next generation of challenges.
Project Goal
A group of people who are continually enhancing their capability to create their future so
that they produce results they care about,and accomplish things that are important to them.
The goal of the strategic visioning process is to ensure that a desired culture is identified and
ultimately aligned with mission, goals and objectives of the city council and staff. Mr.
Moorse desires to move toward a collaboratively constructed organization that can build and
achieve goals, policies and work plans. The process to be used to achieve the goal is a
learning organization model that uses the concepts of systems thinking, personal mastery,
mental models, shared vision and team learning. Simply put- people should examine their
old ways of thinking (mental models) learn to be open with others (personal mastery),
understand how the organization really works (systems thinking), form a plan everyone can
agree on (shared vision) and then work together to achieve that vision (team learning).
The concepts are further defined as:
1. Systems thinking: Views the Orono organization as a living entity, with its own behavior
and learning patterns. The idea is to help staff spot repetitive patterns that are leading to
recurrent problems or limits to growth.
2. Personal mastery: The objective is to develop skills and competencies in individuals, and
introduce the importance of deep individual growth. This helps us to learn how to see the
current reality more clearly and to openly communicate about it with others. By highlighting
the difference between vision and the current reality a creative tension is generated, out of
which successful learning arises.
3. Mental models: Staff and Managers construct mental models for the driving forces behind
the organization's values and principles. Here we are alerted to the impact of our habits and
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CITY OF ORONO INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY:PROJECT PROPOSAL
acquired patterns of thinking at the organizational level and the need to develop non-defensive
mechanisms for examining and sharing (talking about) the nature of these patterns.
4. Shared vision: True creativity and innovation are based on group (staff, elected officials,
commissions & residents) creativity. The shared vision the group depends on, can only be
built on the personal vision of its members. The shared vision occurs when the vision is no
longer seen by the team members as separate from the self.
5. Team learning: Effective team learning involves alternating processes for dialogue and
discussion. Dialogue is used as an exploratory exercise that widens possibilities, whereas
discussion narrows down the options to find the best alternatives for future decisions.
Understanding of the Strategic Questions:
Based on discussions with tlle City Administrator on the current status of the City the following Strategic
Questions are raised:
• What is the culture individuals experience when they work with Orono staff?
o Are the current values or is the current culture properly ali��ed with the mission of the staff
and council?
• Is the mission well defined and accepted?
• What are the strengths,weaknesses of the organization?
• What opportunities and threats are present?
• Are employees aware of their individual and team responsibilities for tl�e wellbeing of their
department and the organization?
Project Objectives
In order to meet the goals of the study project,the following key objectives have been identified:
1. Complete an Internal Organizational Study of Culture and Organizational Health by February_
containing:
• A detailed characterization of the current culture with respect to the effective delivery of
City services,organization and staffing
• Initial identification of ideal models for service,organization and staffing.
2. Facilitate the identificatio�l and movement toward a shai-ed vision of an effective City of Orono
organizational culture by March_.
• A S.W.O.T. analysis ofthe organization as part of a retreat. Facilitate the self-
identification of the cuirent culture and values that characterize the functioning of the
organization,and the ways in which tllose are functional and dysfunctional.
• Implementation strategies to move from the current state involving services/service levels,
organizational structure,organizational culture and staffing levels to the ideal state.
3. Facilitate a strategic plani�ing/goal setting retreat for the cou��cil &manager&department heads
building fi-om the agreed organizational vision(or sha��ed vision of an effective organization,or
organizational culture).
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CITY OF ORONO INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY:PROJECT PROPOSAL
ProjectApproach Summary
Richard Fursman understands the critical nature of this project and has developed an approach that will
meet the needs of the Administrator and City.
• Efficient collection of current infonnation—I will be using a process to quickly gather infonnation
on the current city services,orga��ization and staffing while mi��imizing the time spent by city staff.
I will employ a combination of city document research(minimal)and structured interviews to
gather infonnation. I will also use focus groups to examine artifacts and values of the organization
to develop cultural assumptions. (The detection of cultural assumptions cannot be detected through
individual inquiry,as culture is held by groups.—Peter Senge).
• Sensitivity to the difficulty of or�anizational transition—The focus of this u�tervention is to establish
� a"cultural shift"to a collaboratively constructed o�ganization based on the needs of the
community. Experience has taugllt us that the real issue in organizations is not so much the
identification of a new model, but the ability to move the organization to the new modeL History
and research have proven that change, even positive change, is likely to be met with some
resistance. It is important that the organization recognize and plan for this likelihood. One of the
major strengths of Mr. Fursman's career is his experience in assisting organizations to move
towards theu�new vision. Even during this study,steps can be taken that will make it easier for the
organization to move to the new model. Far example it is unportant to make sure that-all of the
people who might be affected by the change are kept in the loop even at this early phase. The plan
therefore calls far the process to engage the staff and council for input at strategic stages in the study
not only to share the infoimation and ideas that are being developed but also to obtain their input to
ensure that the implementation of the model or"culture"recommended is feasible in the Orono
environment. Involving the staffat the right times also sets the stage for a more successful
implementation since they would have a knowledge of and a connection to the ideal model.
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CITY OF ORONO INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY:PROJECT PROPOSAL
Deliverables
There are two major deliverables for this project: Facilitate the development of a collaboratively consb�ucted
organization for the City of Orono,and facilitate ret�-eats designed to set goals,objectives and work plans
working within the context of the defined culture.
Deliverable#1: Facilitated Identification of Culture
Sections and Content:
1. Understanding the Current Culture
a. Current organizational model
b. Summa�y of the services currently provided by each department
c. Summary of Cultural Values when approaching service delivery
(Items 2-4 to be accomplislaed during a pl7ase I retreat)
2. Ideal Future State of a Collaboratively Desigi�ed Culture
a. Draft Vision Statement
b. Summary of services needed for current,five years and ten years
c. Draft ideal organizational cultura) model(s)/statement for services,organization and staffing
3. Gap Analysis
4. Refined Mission/Culture Statement
a. Draft recommended ideal Organizationa]Culture modeL
• Organizational model
■ Ideal se�vice delivery philosophy
• Customer Service Impacts
5. Implementation strategy recommendations-
Deliverable#2: Strategic Plan Facilitation&Report (From Interviews,Group Work& Strategic
Retreat)
Sections and Content:
1. Understanding the Current State
a. Current/Recent Past Goals
b. Su�nmary of the progress on the goals.
• What are we doing well?
• Wllat could we do better/
■ What are we doing that we should not?
■ What are we not doing that we should?
c. Current staffing levels
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CITY OF ORONO INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY:PROJECT PROPOSAL
2. Ideal State
a. Examine collaboratively conslructed organization Statement
b. Summary of services needed for cun-ent,five years and ten years
c. Final ideal organizational model(s)for services,organization and staffing
3. Gap Analysis—
a. Compare results of City's existing goals&resources to the recommended goals&collaboratively
constructed organizatiorr Statement.
4. Organizational, Service and Staffing Recommendations
a. 2007&Beyond work plan
■ Organizational model
■ Ideal service delivery groupings
■ Staffing levels needed for service delivery
b. Final Areas of I�npacts
■ Fiscal impacts
■ Customer service impacts
■ Staffing levels(internal,externally, contracted)
■ Additional recommendations that could assist the City.
5. Implementation strategy recommendations
a. Implementation strategies to move from the current services/service levels,organizational culture,
and staffing levels to the ideal state.
■ Identification of additional resource allocation if i�eeded.
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CITY OF ORONO INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY:PROJECT PROPOSAL
Figure 1 -General Project Schedule Diagram
February 2007 Marcl�/Aprif 2007 April 2007
Week Endin Week Endin Week Endin Week Endin Week Endin Week Endin Week Endin Week Endin Week Endin
02/16 02/16 02/23 02/23 02/28 TBA TBA TBA TBA
Sponsor a � o 0
Meeting
(02/13)
Invitation CoLlabocatively Final
Letter to Constructed Report
Participate Organization (TBA)
Assess Cun�ent State
(See figure 2)
ID Ideal Culture
Retreat Prep
Council StaffRetreat
Report Draft Review with Ron
Moorse
Develop Final
Report
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CITY OF ORONO INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY:PROJECT PROPOSAL
Figure 2. Assessing the Culture and Designing Change
Mid February Late February Late February
o a
. o
Clarify the Purpose
What will this get us? Initiate Cultural Change
• What results and new
Gather Artifacts �vays of working do we
Assemble Focus Visible org struchu-es and want to create?
processes � • Which Characteristics of
Groups. Narrow Down Cultural
the culture(especially
(So��cil) Espoused Values Diagnosis —� cuttural assumptions)are
(Management) What has led the organization �nost likely to hinder the
(Other) to do things this way? cllange?
• Wtlich characteristics are
most likely to help?
• To develop the results we
Cultural Assumptions want,what attitudes
Sources of Meaning and would have to s11ift?
Contradiction o Ho���much of a
change of
viewpoint would
that require?
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CITY OF ORONO INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY:PROJECT PROPOSAL
Critical Success Measures
The suggested critical success measures for this project are:
• The current state infonnation is accurate
• The ideal state recommendations are creative yet practical
• The gap between the curre��t state and the ideal state is clearly described
• The strategies for transition to the ideal state are well thought out,time tested and useful
• The two reports are produced on time
Critical Success Factors
The suggested critical success factors(i.e.,what has to happen in order for the Critical Success Measures to
be met)for this project are:
• Outstanding communication between the Mr. Fursman and the sponsor
• Responsiveness of the city to the requests of Mr. Fursman for information, meetings,reviews,etc.
• Eff�ective project management
Communication
The communication planning for this project covers two general areas: communication within the project
and communication outside of the project. In order to ensure there is good communication within the project,
Mr.Fursman will:
• Provide a weekly status report to the city administrator
• Contact the administrator immediately if there is a concern that impacts on the project
• Meet face to face with the administrator whenever needed
The communication plan outside the project will be the responsibility of the city administrator with the
advice of Mr.Fursman.A meeting will be held with the administrator and city staff to work out the plan.
The goal would be that all of the stakeholders get the right information at the right time.The very existence
of this project may cause concem for many people and there must be clear messages to all stakeholders
about the puipose and scope of the project.These people must also be provided avenues for input and be
provided with information so that there are no secrets that drive the rumor mill.
Assumptions
1. Tl�e city will identify in a timely fashion all of the people on staff,council,and commissions who have
critical infonnation and that Richard Fursman will have full and timely access to those individuals.
2. The city will provide a contact person for timely set up of interviews with key staff and other meetings
and presentations
3. The city administrator and council will fully support the project to insure its success
Compensation �
The total number of hours cannot be determined until the scope is fully refined and the number of
individuals involved are identified. It is anticipated that between 40—80 hours of work will be needed to
complete all the tasks, it may be more or less depending on the number of people involved. At a billing rate
of$135/hour the project cost is estimated to run fi�om$5,400 to$11,000.
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