Empowering Front Line Workers

An Experience of Change An Experience of Change

at the at the

U.S. Department of LaborU.S. Department of Labor

Bruce A. WaltuckBruce A. WaltuckCo-creator, USDOL Employee Involvement Co-creator, USDOL Employee Involvement

and and

Quality Improvement SystemQuality Improvement System

im4xlns@hotmail.comim4xlns@hotmail.com

EIQI Joint Statement of PurposeUSDOL and NCFLL, August 1990

““We recognize that our We recognize that our employees are our greatest employees are our greatest

asset. . .”asset. . .”

The “Dreaded ‘E’ Word” What does What does

EMPOWERMENT mean EMPOWERMENT mean to YOU, in YOUR to YOU, in YOUR organization?organization?

What SHOULD What SHOULD Empowerment mean?Empowerment mean?

Who fears the Who fears the empowerment of front-empowerment of front-line employees the most? line employees the most? Why?Why?

What can you do to truly What can you do to truly empower people?empower people?

Empowerment is. . .

““Giving people meaningful input into the Giving people meaningful input into the decisions that affect them.”decisions that affect them.”

Bruce WaltuckBruce Waltuck

Unions, Management and QualityUnions, Management and Quality

Irwin Professional Books, 1994Irwin Professional Books, 1994

Questions. . .

About the U.S. Department of Labor--About the U.S. Department of Labor-- Why Did We Change?Why Did We Change? What is the EIQI Partnership System?What is the EIQI Partnership System? How Did EIQI Empower People?How Did EIQI Empower People? How Did EIQI Do?How Did EIQI Do? What Happened to EIQI and What Happened to EIQI and

Empowerment?Empowerment?

U.S. Department of Labor

Principal Organization of the U.S . Departm ent of Labor

10,000 Em ployees at Approxim ately 900 W orksites

A /S ec re ta ryA d m in is tra tion

an dM an ag em en t

A /S ec re ta ryB u reau o f

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A /S ec re ta ryE m p loym en t

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an dTra in in g A d m .

A /S ec re ta ryM in e S a fe ty

an dH ea lth A d m in .

A /S ec re ta ryO ccu p a tion a l

S a fe ty an dH ea lth A d m in .

E lizab e th D o leS ec re ta ry o f L ab or

National Council of Field Labor LocalsNational Executive Committee

R ep res en tin g O ver 8 ,0 0 0 W orkers a t N early 9 0 0 W orks ites W ith 2 3 A ffilia ted L oca l U n ion O rg an iza tion s

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F ran k D an cyV ic e

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R og erJack son

V ic eP res id en t

K enM ag lic ic

V ic eP res id en t

H u g h S m ithV ic e

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Jess e R iosP res id en t

Traditional Decision-Making

Command & ControlCommand & Control Management by Management by

ObjectivesObjectives Adversarial Labor-Adversarial Labor-

Management RelationsManagement Relations No Mandate to No Mandate to

ImproveImprove No Accountability for No Accountability for

Change ManagementChange Management

Why Did We Change?

Economic, Political Economic, Political and Social Factorsand Social Factors

Productivity MandateProductivity Mandate World-wide Focus on World-wide Focus on

TQMTQM Inefficiency of Inefficiency of

Adversarial Labor-Adversarial Labor-Management Management Relationship Relationship

Elements of the EIQI SystemSuccess Leaves Clues

Team-Based Approach to Decision-MakingTeam-Based Approach to Decision-Making Decisions by ConsensusDecisions by Consensus Data-Based LearningData-Based Learning Structured Approach to Problem-SolvingStructured Approach to Problem-Solving Process-OrientationProcess-Orientation (See Peter Scholtes’ “Team Handbook”)(See Peter Scholtes’ “Team Handbook”)

Elements of the EIQI SystemSpecific DOL/EIQI Objectives

Broad Employee InvolvementBroad Employee Involvement Labor-Management PartnershipLabor-Management Partnership Minimal BureaucracyMinimal Bureaucracy FlexibleFlexible Tool-kit ApproachTool-kit Approach New Leadership InfrastructureNew Leadership Infrastructure

The Legal LandscapeIncentives to Cooperate

Greater Leadership Commitment

Broad Employee Support Increased Quality and

Productivity Expand Bargaining

Scope Past Legal Limits Maintain Jobs Build Better and

Stronger Union

Linkage:Traditional L-MR vs. EIQI

ISSUE

INCONTRACT?

EIQI Team

Team Decision

ImpactWorking

Conditions?

IMPLEMENT

Change Working Conditions?

Notice to Union?

Bargaining?

Resolved?

IMPASS..MOUIMPLEMENT

<<LMR>> <<EIQI>>

Y N

N Y

Y N N

Y*

*

* OK to use team. RequiresWaiver.

Note that new issuesmay be given overfrom traditionalL-MR to EIQI

Note that copy ofevery completedteam report goesto union reps beforeany implementation

Flowchart © Bruce A. Waltuck 1991

EIQI Administration

Unique Union-Management Pair StructureUnique Union-Management Pair Structure Reduced “Committees” to Minimum Reduced “Committees” to Minimum Full Support of Respective LeadersFull Support of Respective Leaders One Pair for Each Principal AgencyOne Pair for Each Principal Agency Pairs Responsible forPairs Responsible for ALL ALL EIQI EIQI

Development and Implementation IssuesDevelopment and Implementation Issues National U-M Coordinators National U-M Coordinators

Groundrules for L-M Partners

No “Embarrassments”No “Embarrassments” No “Ex Parte” ActionsNo “Ex Parte” Actions No “11th Hour” No “11th Hour”

DeadlinesDeadlines Shared OpportunitiesShared Opportunities No “Gotchas”No “Gotchas” Prompt RepliesPrompt Replies Can “Agree to Can “Agree to

Disagree”Disagree”

The FOUR C’sCornerstones of Partnership and Empowerment

COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATION

CONSULTATIONCONSULTATION

CONSIDERATIONCONSIDERATION

COMMITMENTCOMMITMENT

What Has EIQI Done?

““Win-Win” ContractsWin-Win” Contracts Serving Our Customer Serving Our Customer

10,000 Improvements10,000 Improvements Improvement Teams Improvement Teams

Saving $$$$Saving $$$$ Aligned Employees Aligned Employees

With Strategic GoalsWith Strategic Goals Provided Meaningful Provided Meaningful

Input to DecisionsInput to Decisions

EIQI Empowerment

Over 200 process Over 200 process improvement teams improvement teams nationwide at peaknationwide at peak

Front-Line leaders and Front-Line leaders and team members team members participating as equals participating as equals with management with management nationwide in every nationwide in every principal agencyprincipal agency

The Legal Landscape

EIQI Empowerment created in early 1990

AFGE Policy on Partnerships written late 1990

Clinton Executive Order 1993

Bush Executive Order 2001

The Rise - and Fall - of Empowerment

Discontinuity - Discontinuity - Leadership changesLeadership changes

Vocal advocates of Vocal advocates of POSITION-based, POSITION-based, ADVERSARIAL ADVERSARIAL processprocess

Win/LOSE not Win/LOSE not Win/WINWin/WIN

Empowerment without Empowerment without accountabilityaccountability

Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

Fragile trust Fragile trust deteriorates as deteriorates as obstinate leaders are obstinate leaders are not held accountable not held accountable for progressfor progress

Bush rescinds Clinton Bush rescinds Clinton E.O. - partnership and E.O. - partnership and empowerment empowerment declared “dead”declared “dead”

It’s Not Over ‘til It’s Over. . . U-M Pairs continue to U-M Pairs continue to

exist in agenciesexist in agencies Workforce Excellence Workforce Excellence

system is great successsystem is great success New DOL-NCFLL New DOL-NCFLL

CBA removes CBA removes partnership referencespartnership references

Managers and Managers and employees want employees want empowermentempowerment

EIQI Joint Statement of PurposeUSDOL and NCFLL, August 1990

““We recognize the need to build We recognize the need to build cooperative and participative cooperative and participative

work relationships among work relationships among employees, union officials, and employees, union officials, and

managers.”managers.”

Focus on Empowerment

1. Create constancy of purpose1. Create constancy of purpose

8. Drive out fear, build trust8. Drive out fear, build trust - -

W. Edwards Deming, The 14 PointsW. Edwards Deming, The 14 Points Listen to each other, talk to each other, Listen to each other, talk to each other,

respect each other, work together to make respect each other, work together to make things better - things better - B. WaltuckB. Waltuck