Operator Retention and Attraction

1ANS 2003 UWC

Amelia Island, FLAugust 5, 2003

Operator Retention and Attraction:The Social Considerations

Presented to: The American Nuclear Society

2003 Utility Working ConferenceOperations TrackAmelia Island, FL

August 5, 2003

Michael D. Quinn, Sc.D.

2ANS 2003 UWC


In Today’s Discussion We Will :• look at the challenges of retention and attraction . . . . . in a

social-technical-structural context . . . . . . . with a focus onsocial factors

• overview the importance and implications of a focusedretention-attraction strategy

• discuss the vital role of the Operations Manager/ Director/Vice President in the retention-attraction mix

• promote understanding of the need to be an ‘Employer of Choice’• illuminate what Operations Managers and Officers can

consider when tackling this challenge

3ANS 2003 UWC


The Challenge Has BeenWith Us for Some Time:

• Industry estimates in 2002 indicatedthat 50 percent of the domestic nuclearindustry workforce will be eligible toretire in the next three to five years,likely creating a workforce shortagethat can seriously challenge operationalperformance

• Industry restructuring, layoffs, mergersand acquisitions, are often conductedabsent well-designed workforce plans,have contributed to the challenge

• It’s not the 1970s Toto

Coaching and Mentoring

4ANS 2003 UWC


How Do We Maintain and Growthe Operations Staffing Bench

for the Future?• The challenge of staffing operations

positions is in many cases the mostdifficult within a nuclear station

• Operator positions require specializededucation in the field — and can beparticularly difficult to fill - as youwell know.

• Many organizations have individualswho have the training, but not theknowledge and experience thedepartment will be losing

• Minting ROs and SROs . . . . . . . . .Upcoming Jedi Operators in Training

5ANS 2003 UWC


No Surprise . . . . . The ChallengeReduces to Balancing Three Factors:

Cost

Safety

QualityOperationsDepartmentPerformance

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So Is It SimplyRetention and Attraction?

i.e.,

• Retaining our staff . . . career life extension?• Designing, developing and engaging the Pipeline?• And . . . . . . . . Or?

7ANS 2003 UWC


It’s Also a Question of S-T-S Balance

OperationsDepartmentPerformance

TechnicalSocia

l

Structural

8ANS 2003 UWC


What Are These Characteristics?

• Social: organizational behavior attributed tobiological, psychological, behavioral, cultural andclimate traits

• Technical: in the context of mechanical andphysical laws, those tools, techniques, andmethods that result in products and services

• Structural: the organizational framework andinterface within which the social and technicaldomains interact

9ANS 2003 UWC


Responsibility

PerformanceMetrics

RoleModeling

Training

Design Basis

Processes

Conflict

RIFDecisions

Legacy Issues

Vision/ Mission

Long-term Relationships

Resistance to Change

Respect

Repeated Cycles of Behavior

Entitlement

Baggage

Previous Experience

Accountability

Leadership Skills

CorrectiveAction Process

Collaboration

ManagementCredibility

WorkEnvironment

Critical Incidents

CriticalIncidents

Critical Incidents

Socia

l

Technical

OpsEffectiveness

Structural

Social, Technical, and StructuralImpacts on

Operator RetentionANS

August 5, 2003

Stewardship

Standards

Procedures

Programs

PerformanceManagement CRs, ARs, PIRs

Self-Assessment

Root Cause

Listening

Job Satisfaction

Employee Commitment

Technical Conceit

InformationFlow

InformationFlow

Power

Trust

Coaching

Values

LeadershipPractices

Attributes ofa SCWE

Attributes ofa VCWE

Decision Making

OrgStructure

Leadership Development

Employee Development

Job/ Career Design

Selection

Locus ofInertia

Labor Organization

LessonsLearned

InformationFlow

CivilTreatment Feedback

PathwaysExpectations

EmployeeInvolvement

EmployeeRecognition

SupervisoryEffectiveness

Cross-FunctionalTeam Effectiveness

ManagementAuthorityand C of C

Turnover

Values

Technical

Structural

Social

Values andGoal Alignment

Technical Arrogance

InterpersonalSkills

ProblemResolution

Cost

Quality

Regulations

OrgPrograms

External Assessments

R&D Prod/ Ops

Design

SafetyReadiness to Change

The Plant

© 2002 Michael D. Quinn

10ANS 2003 UWC


The Turnover Wheel

Industry Reputation

Community Reputation

Employee Word of Mouth

Sector Attraction Factors

Specific Attraction Factors

Screening

Recruitment

Retention Factors

Compensation

Culture and Climate

Leadership Practices

Employee Development

Benefits

Work and Safety Rules

Safety

Plant Condition

Environmental Factors

Attraction, Screening, SelectionFactors

RetentionFactors

Even Less So

Not EZ

11ANS 2003 UWC


Why Would an Individual [Operator]Choose to Work at a

Particular Nuclear Site?

Why Do Operators Leave?

12ANS 2003 UWC


The Apparent Long TermChallenge is

Workforce Planning and Deployment . . .

while the underlying challenge isStewardship of

Your Knowledge and Experience Capital- A PROBLEM IN THE SOCIAL DOMAIN -

13ANS 2003 UWC


Why is This Important?

It is a nuclear organization’s importantresponsibility to protect the public,

employee, and environmenthealth and safety in its

activities and operations

14ANS 2003 UWC


To That End . . . .

Operator Retention, Attraction, and

Management of Your Staff’s Knowledge Capital and Experience

are as important as keeping up with the PMs and CMs that

Support Plant Safety and Reliability

15ANS 2003 UWC


Implications

• Not attending to the Precursors, which asidefrom obvious staffing challenges,

could lead to:– an increase in triggering event frequency– critical incident significance– exacerbating factors up, mitigating factors

down(See Bill Corcoran on Precursors)

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What You as Decision Makers Can DoOperations Managers, Directors, and VPs need to:• Understand the impact of the social element in your

organizational setting, and its role in balancing STS,CQS, and the various risk-benefit-cost permutations

• Consider the presented concepts to enhance vigor ofoperations bench strength in your organization

• Employ an intrinsic approach to improve careerextension, and better enable knowledge andexperience transfer

This is not Pollyanna

17ANS 2003 UWC


Become an Employer Of ChoiceFeel their work and contributions are valued

Find purpose and meaning in the work they do

Feel the company’s mission and values are aligned with their own

Know their work makes an impact and contributes the corporate strategy

Have their efforts acknowledged and rewarded: both personally and financially

Know conflict resolution is available, and practiced in a safe environment

Feel communication lines are open, and are building healthy relationships between management and staff

18ANS 2003 UWC


Become an Employer Of Choice - (cont’d)

• Know they are improving and learning through constructive feedback

• Feel their work/ life balance issues are supported in a flexible way

• Know organizational structures are in place to support work flow

• See teamwork efforts established that support themselves and the organization

• Feel challenged by new responsibilities, and that their professional skill level is growing

• Know the organization is committed to diversity, and their life experience will be broadened by interactions at work

• Feel their organization is ethical, socially conscious, and gives something back to society and the environment

• Know their creativity and spirit can be expressed without fear - www.corporatehealers.com

19ANS 2003 UWC


Derailers To Watch For . . . . .

This is the Audience Participation Portion of the Program

Some Business Thermodynamics Principles May Be Helpful . . . . .

20ANS 2003 UWC


In Summary . . . . . . . We:• looked at retention/ attraction from a social-technical-

structural perspective• reviewed the importance and implications of a focused

retention-attraction strategy• discussed the vital role of the Operations Manager/

Director/ Vice President in the retention-attraction mix• promoted understanding of the need to be an ‘Employer of Choice’• illuminated retention elements that Operations Managers

and Officers can consider when tackling this challenge

21ANS 2003 UWC


Questions/ Comments?

22ANS 2003 UWC


Presenter BackgroundMICHAEL D. QUINN, Sc.D.

Michael D. Quinn is a Principal in a consulting practice that focuses on change management and optimizing employee–managementrelations. Dr. Quinn brings a background of nuclear operations, organizational design experience, and formal education to diagnose,

recommend, implement, and facilitate actions to achieve improved organizational and human performance, effectiveness, and development.

Prior to co-founding WorkPlace Cornerstone Group, Michael had over 25 years of nuclear industry leadership and development experience invarious capacities, including director of nuclear station services, director of nuclear station emergency operations, operations duty officer,

station operations review committee member and chair, and member of a nuclear safety assessment board committee.As well, he has experience as an internal consultant, manager of planning and strategy, chemistry, and corporate business practices departments,

founding member of an Executive Review Board, and chair of a group over-sighting a safety conscious work environment,as part of the recovery team at a shut down, multi-unit nuclear power facility.

While engaged in the commercial nuclear power field and various business sectors, he has facilitated effective interventions at organizational levelsranging from non-exempts to executives. These interventions have included coaching, change management, conflict resolution,

work effectiveness, corrective action, targeted selection, root cause evaluations, training, strategic planning,organizational assessments, readiness for change assessments, and human performance improvement initiatives.

Inclusive in his experience are 18 years of facilitating management – collective bargaining unit interventions in a nuclear facilityenvironment. Michael has taught seminars and coursework including systems management, organizational change, safety culture, and vision/

values, in business environments and at the undergraduate and graduate level in university settings.He currently serves on the Connecticut Community Care Inc. Board of Directors.

Dr. Quinn holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry, a Masters in Business Administration with a focus inorganizational behavior, and a Doctor of Science in Organizational Management Systems.

ACCOMPANYING QUALIFICATIONS

U. S. NRC Senior Reactor Operator’s License 10071Nuclear Safety Review Concepts Event Evaluation ®

FPI/ PII Prevention and Reduction of Organizational and Programmatic Failures ® (certified root cause investigator)Hogan Assessment Systems ® (individual selection, executive and management coaching and development)

DDI Assessment Center ® and DDI Certified Behavioral Interviewing ®Community Conflict Transformation

Clark Wilson Group Certification ® (executive, management, group, and team assessments)Contact Information: 877.595.0899 [email protected]

Operator Retention and Attraction

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