Session A

A1 (Part 1) Walking the Walk: Growing Racially Diverse Organizations in Minnesota (Part 2: B1)

James Bonilla, Associate Professor, Hamline University Graduate School of Management

This session will provide participants with a model as well as an opportunity to explore what stage their organization is in as it relates to racial diversity.  Based on participants' hands-on diagnoses, strategies for creating more racially diverse organizations will be then reviewed and discussed.

A2 Best Practices: DPS Customer Service Initiative

Patricia McCormack, Director, Driver and Vehicle Services, Department of Public Safety

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DVS kicked off its Customer Service Initiative in 2007, focusing on improving services to internal and external customers through cultivating Service, Teamwork, Attitude, and Results (STAR) Power. This session will inform participants of the plan’s goals and objectives as well as its initial successes and lessons learned. Participants will also exchange additional best practices and lessons learned in strengthening customer service skills.

A3 Preparing for the New Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities for State Managers (repeat: B3)

Tom Norman, Unit Director, University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing Education

Workforce planning is becoming the management challenge of the decade. Increasingly, public organizations are challenged to come to grips on how to align an organization’s strategic workforce direction with a rapidly changing labor market. This interactive presentation will focus on this issue while identifying practical starting points for state managers interested in the following issues: With all the talk about workforce shortages, will we really need to change what is working now? Based on changes in the labor force, how can state leaders diagnose their workforce issues and plan accordingly? What are the best practices around creating a strategic workforce plan?

A4 (Part 1) Managing Intercultural Conflict: New Skills for Managers (Part 2: B4)
(cancelled)

A5 Building a High Performance Work Team (repeat: B5)

Marilyn Condon, Principal, M.M. Condon & Associates

Click here to download presentation handout

 Learn the characteristics of a high performing team.  Assess your team using the High Performing model and identify where and how you as a team leader can impact performance. 

A6 (Part 1) Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Dealing with Paradox (Part 2: B6)

Ralph Jacobson, The Leader's Toolbox, Inc.

Click here to download presentation handout

Are you caught between the interests of differing constituencies?  Does attending to one ignite the other resulting in longer term political difficulty?   Ralph Jacobson of The Leader's Toolbox, Inc. will describe a practical approach to deal with these intractable issues.  He will provide you with an easy-to-learn framework that shows how to incorporate seemingly competing points of view to create win-win vs. win-lose outcomes.  This method also encourages greater positive dialogue between diverse stakeholders.  You will learn 1) to distinguish between a problem to be solved and a paradox to be balanced; 2) the predictable path of a paradox over time; 3) how to balance competing interests inherent in every paradox; and 4) to apply the learning to help you address a difficult issue back at the ranch.

A7 Managing the Project Manager (repeat: B7)

Bob Monson, Senior Engineering Manager, Lockheed Martin Tactical Systems

The difficulty in managing projects is compounded when required to manage multiple projects. It is further convoluted when managing several people who are each managing several projects. The effective leadership of a project management organization requires effective Project Sponsorship. Sponsorship considers the roles and responsibilities of the both the project manager and the sponsoring organization, both of whom are strongly interested in the future success of the projects, and both of whom have significant impact on that success.

A8 Beyond Cake and Coffee: How to Honor and Leverage the Contributions of Departing Employees (repeat: D1)

Erika Tierney, Organization Development and Training, Department of Natural Resources

A statewide work group formed last year to examine how state agencies respond to the departure of increasing numbers of employees and the institutional knowledge they hold. Learn what the group has discovered about these workforce planning practices at the state: 1) Retention strategies used to incite staff to continue working with the organization; 2) How state agencies and institutions recognize retiring employees and other voluntarily separating employees (“alumni”); 3) Additional recommended practices to appropriately honor their contributions; and 4) Knowledge capture and transfer practices to be used once an employee decides to leave the organization. You will receive the workgroup’s final product (HOT off the presses!) -- a “menu” of workforce planning practices that can be used at a workgroup, divisional, or whole agency level. These practices will be displayed along a continuum from HIGH effort and cost  --to -- LOW effort and cost. The intended user group for this menu is managers, supervisors, and HR staff.

A9 Contract Negotiation, Not a Spectator Sport (repeat: C9)

Justin Kaufman, Negotiation Specialist, MN Department of Administration, Materials Management Division

Click here to download presentation handout

How often do you or your staff negotiate contracts?  How many formal conversations have you had with your staff about contract negotiation?  In this seminar, we will focus on basic negotiation skills, including Ten Practical Tips for Successful Negotiation, and how you can pass those skills to your staff with nearly instant results.  We will also discuss the basic apprehensions that State employees have about contract negotiation and discuss skills for managing those apprehensions.

A10 Leading in an Era of Exponential Change (repeat: B10)

Jack Uldrich, Author and President of NanoVeritas Group

Click here to download presentation handout

In the past 100 years, the world has witnessed a startling amount of change—everything from mass industrialization and globalization to space flight and longer life expectancies. Due to the accelerating pace of technological advancements, experts are now predicting that society will witness a comparable amount of change within the next 25 years. Leading people and organizations into this unpredictable future will test even the most successful and well-run institutions. Noted futurist and leadership expert, Jack Uldrich, will outline what lessons state managers can apply in order to prepare for and exploit this exciting future.

A11 Securing a Clean Energy Future

PANEL: Dave Fielding, Director, Plant Management Division, Department of Administration; Linda Kane, Project Manager, Minnesota Department of Administration, Real Estate and Construction Services; Tim Morse, Director, Fleet and Surplus Services Division, Department of Administration; and Janet Streff, Manager, State Energy Office, Minnesota Department of Commerce

The State of Minnesota has been a national leader in renewable energy, energy conservation, clean air and sustainable design initiatives for a number of years reflected in the following: 1) Next Generation Energy Act of 2007; 2) Fleet and Travel Management – Executive Orders 04-08, 04-10; 3) Biodiesel Initiative – August 2007; 4) Reduction and Conservation of Energy – Executive Order 05-16; 5) Waste Reduction and Recycling – Minnesota Statute 115A.15 subd.9; and Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines (B3) of 2001. At this session you’ll learn more about these initiatives, how we’re doing in achieving their objectives and what you can do to support our continuing progress.

A12 Customer Service: Back to the Basics-Building Blocks for Success (repeat: B12)

Carol Pankow, Executive Director, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry

Click here to download presentation handout

Are you ever frustrated with internal customer service at your agency?  Back to the Basics focuses on the nuances of customer service as it relates to governmental entities, tips for creating a foundation for outstanding internal customer service, and how to's for you the manager.

Session B

B1 (Part 2) Walking the Walk: Growing Racially Diverse Organizations in Minnesota (Part 1: A1)

James Bonilla, Associate Professor, Hamline University Graduate School of Management

This session will provide participants with a model as well as an opportunity to explore what stage their organization is in as it relates to racial diversity.  Based on participants' hands-on diagnoses, strategies for creating more racially diverse organizations will be then reviewed and discussed.

B2 Leading Organizations to Improved Performance

John Vollum, Owner, The Wellspring Group

Most leaders want to help their organizations get better results and yet so few are able to sustain their results over time. We will explore important things to know and do to build sustainable improvement capabilities in your organization.

B3 Preparing for the New Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities for State Managers (repeat: A3)

Tom Norman, Unit Director, University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing Education

Workforce planning is becoming the management challenge of the decade. Increasingly, public organizations are challenged to come to grips on how to align an organization’s strategic workforce direction with a rapidly changing labor market.  This interactive presentation will focus on this issue while identifying practical starting points for state managers interested in the following issues: With all the talk about workforce shortages, will we really need to change what is working now? Based on changes in the labor force, how can state leaders diagnose their workforce issues and plan accordingly? What are the best practices around creating a strategic workforce plan?

B4 (Part 2) Managing Intercultural Conflict: New Skills for Managers (Part 1: A4)

(cancelled)

B5 Building a High Performance Work Team (repeat: A5)

Marilyn Condon, Principal, M.M. Condon & Associates

Click here to download presentation handout

 Learn the characteristics of a high performing team.  Assess your team using the High Performing model and identify where and how you as a team leader can impact performance. 

B6 (Part 2) Between a Rock and a Hard Place:  Dealing with Paradox (Part 1: A6)

Ralph Jacobson, The Leader's Toolbox, Inc.

Click here to download presentation handout

Are you caught between the interests of differing constituencies?  Does attending to one ignite the other resulting in longer term political difficulty?   Ralph Jacobson of The Leader's Toolbox, Inc. will describe a practical approach to deal with these intractable issues.  He will provide you with an easy-to-learn framework that shows how to incorporate seemingly competing points of view to create win-win vs. win-lose outcomes. This method also encourages greater positive dialogue between diverse stakeholders.  You will learn 1) to distinguish between a problem to be solved and a paradox to be balanced; 2) the predictable path of a paradox over time; 3) how to balance competing interests inherent in every paradox; and 4) to apply the learning to help you address a difficult issue back at the ranch.

B7 Managing the Project Manager (repeat: A7)

Bob Monson, Senior Engineering Manager, Lockheed Martin Tactical Systems

The difficulty in managing projects is compounded when required to manage multiple projects. It is further convoluted when managing several people who are each managing several projects. The effective leadership of a project management organization requires effective Project Sponsorship. Sponsorship considers the roles and responsibilities of the both the project manager and the sponsoring organization, both of whom are strongly interested in the future success of the projects, and both of whom have significant impact on that success.

B8 Managing the Generational Mix: What Works? (repeat: D8)

Pamela Belknap, Management Analysis & Development (MAD), MN Department of Administration 

Click here to download presentation handout

One’s manager is one of the most influential factors in an employee’s decision to stay or leave an organization, and poor management can also lead to disengaged employees and decreased productivity among those who remain. This session will address generational differences that oftentimes impact employee values and needs, and provide insights on what you as a manager can do to value the differences, adapt to the differences, and thereby foster effective employee engagement across the generations.

B9 GIS: The Impact of Technology on Management Decisions (repeat: D9)

Robert Maki, Chief Information Officer, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

An overview of Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies, the value it brings to decision-making processes, and management considerations for bringing the technology into an organization.

B10 Leading in an Era of Exponential Change (repeat: A10)

Jack Uldrich, Author and President of NanoVeritas Group

Click here to download presentation handout

In the past 100 years, the world has witnessed a startling amount of change—everything from mass industrialization and globalization to space flight and longer life expectancies. Due to the accelerating pace of technological advancements, experts are now predicting that society will witness a comparable amount of change within the next 25 years. Leading people and organizations into this unpredictable future will test even the most successful and well-run institutions. Noted futurist and leadership expert, Jack Uldrich, will outline what lessons state managers can apply in order to prepare for and exploit this exciting future.

B11 Lean Methods for Organizational Transformation (repeat: C8)

Steve McConnell, Lean Sensai and Engagement Director, The George Group Consulting

Click here to download presentation handout

Lean can broadly be defined as a set of tools and techniques aimed at eliminating waste in processes, with an ultimate objective to improve customer value. While pioneered in “production” oriented processes, it has since been proven to be equally effective at improving administrative or transactional processes.  This session will provide the participant with an overview of the Lean approach to process improvement, while at the same introducing them to several Lean “tools” that they will be able to use immediately, including Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Kaizen and Mistake Proofing.

B12 Customer Service: Back to the Basics-Building Blocks for Success (repeat: A12)

Carol Pankow, Executive Director, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry

Click here to download presentation handout

Are you ever frustrated with internal customer service at your agency?  Back to the Basics focuses on the nuances of customer service as it relates to governmental entities, tips for creating a foundation for outstanding internal customer service, and how to's for you the manager.

Session C

C1 Conflict Resolution in the Workplace
Terry Carlson, Warden, Minnesota Correctional Facility WR/ML and Maria Stalzer Wyant Cuzzo, Professor of Legal Studies and Director of the Center for Excellence
The presenters will provide an overview of the Conflict Resolution Initiative (CRI) which began in 2001 at the Minnesota Correctional Facility – Willow River/Moose Lake and in 2004 expanded into an agency-wide initiative.  The vision for CRI has been to transform the work culture to one where all staff are treated and feel like they are the agency’s most valued resource.  The initiative has included equipping staff with knowledge and skills regarding conflict competency and conflict response; providing effective and efficient conflict resolution alternatives such as facilitation, workplace conferencing and circles; and creating a workplace climate that is in alignment with the vision and mission of CRI.  

C2 (Part 1) We Don’t Make Widgets – the 3 Myths that Keep Government from Radically Improving (Part 2: D2)

Ken Miller, Founder, Change and Innovation Agency

Click here to download presentation handout

We all feel the mounting pressure to do more with less, cut costs and become customer-focused, but there are three myths that keep us from radically improving our government organizations.  The myths are: 1) We Don’t Make Widgets; 2) We don’t have customers; and 3) We’re not here to make a profit.

These myths feed the greatest myth of all:  we’re different.  Rather than learning from the improvement techniques that are transforming organizations outside government, we continually turn to the same playbook – another blue ribbon commission, a different strategic planning model, new performance appraisal form – in hopes that this time they’ll actually work.  There is a better way…

In this engaging presentation, participants will learn the techniques to clear these mental hurdles allowing them to increase the value of their agencies and programs.

C3 Change is Messy! (repeat: D3)

Stephanie McGovern, High Performance Systems, Inc.

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Many approaches to managing change focus on a logical step by step framework. While this is helping in planning for change, it is often misleading about the reality of leading a change effort. Changes are often “messier” than we expect. The workshop will deal with the unexpected emotional aspects of change and how to manage “the mess in the middle”.

C4 Using Organization Development as a Manager (repeat: D4)

Lela Porter, Organization Development Consultant, Department of Human Services 

Click here to download presentation handout

This presentation will be an introduction to the use of skills and theories of organization development.  In this session, participants will be invited to see organization development in action.

C5 (Part 1) Leading Organizations to Improved Performance (Part 2: D5)

Moderator: Dennis Benson, Deputy Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Corrections

Panel: Daniel Storkamp, Director of Information and Technology, Minnesota Department of Corrections, Mark Wallace, Assistant Bureau Administrator for Management Resources, Department of Natural Resources, and James Warner, Director of Industrial Division, Minnesota, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

This is a presentation on process improvement from the experience of three agencies.  There will be an opening description of process improvement that links with the morning presentation by John Vollum.   Speakers from DNR, DOC and PCA will describe how each of their Departments began using and implementing process improvement.  They will provide a brief overview of the types of projects conducted and explain the outcomes.   The session will conclude with the full panel of presenters for a Q & A session.

C6 Recruiting/Retention (repeat: D6)

Nan Swift, Policy & Analysis, Investment Management, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Emma Corrie, Recruitment Programs Supervisor, Human Resources, Minnesota Department of Transportation, and Constance Tuck, Director of Office for Equal Opportunity, Department of Human Services

Recruitment in the public sector is being elevated in importance by many agencies to address higher turnover rates, retirements, and hard to fill occupations. Voices in the recruitment community and employee development are encouraging state agencies to proactively address work environment and retention issues as equally important. Recruiters and public sector managers have the same goals yet there are challenges for many state agencies to retain new talent and provide development opportunities to existing staff. Hear from those managing successful recruitment and diversity efforts about short and long term strategies that can positively influence the experience of those new to the public sector and developing the talent pool within.

C7 How to Establish Work Environments that Engage Employees

Gil Kinnunen, Professional Development Consultant

What can managers do to establish work environments that engage and energize employees?  Review and personalize a conceptual framework for understanding employee engagement, look at examples of best practices, identify practical approaches that will work for you, and discover resources for learning more.

C8 Lean Methods for Organizational Transformation (repeat: B11)

Steve McConnell, Lean Sensai and Engagement Director, The George Group Consulting

Click here to download presentation handout

Lean can broadly be defined as a set of tools and techniques aimed at eliminating waste in processes, with an ultimate objective to improve customer value. While pioneered in “production” oriented processes, it has since been proven to be equally effective at improving administrative or transactional processes.  This session will provide the participant with an overview of the Lean approach to process improvement, while at the same introducing them to several Lean “tools” that they will be able to use immediately, including Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Kaizen and Mistake Proofing.

C9 Contract Negotiation, Not a Spectator Sport (repeat: A9)

Justin Kaufman, Negotiation Specialist, MN Department of Administration, Materials Management Division

Click here to download presentation handout

How often do you or your staff negotiate contracts?  How many formal conversations have you had with your staff about contract negotiation?  In this seminar, we will focus on basic negotiation skills, including Ten Practical Tips for Successful Negotiation, and how you can pass those skills to your staff with nearly instant results.  We will also discuss the basic apprehensions that State employees have about contract negotiation and discuss skills for managing those apprehensions.

C10 Every Employee Counts (repeat: D10)

Vonnie Mulcahy, Human Resources System Director, Department of Employee Relations 

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What Workforce Challenges lie ahead for state government?  What are we doing to meet these challenges?  This presentation will focus on State workforce planning efforts and practical information on how to begin a workforce planning effort in your agency.

C11 Making Decisions in a Morally Diverse World (repeat: D11)

David Schultz, Professor, Graduate School of Management, Hamline University

Click here to download presentation handout

Beliefs about right and wrong may be evolving, suggesting that individuals from different backgrounds may have distinct views of ethics, morality, and styles of moral thinking. How do we make decisions in a world where coworkers and clients morally disagree on what is right and wrong? This session explores how gender, culture, religion, and other factors (including job title and position) may affect our moral beliefs, why moral diversity is a factor in the workplace, and how you can develop strategies to work with ethical differences to improve decision making on the job.

C12 Impact of Racism on Individuals and the Work Environment

Lissa Jones, Executive Director, African American Family Services

In his letter from the Birmingham jail, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. advised us that we fail to solve society’s social issues because we are unwilling to deal with the root, the essence of the real problem. Come meet in the questions of contradiction that live in the root of racism. Racism is not a disease of the few, it is a disease of the many. Thus, the work to eradicate it will require more than “a few good men.”

Session D

D1 Beyond Cake and Coffee: How to Honor and Leverage the Contributions of Departing Employees (repeat: A8)

Erika Tierney, Organization Development and Training, Department of Natural Resources

A statewide work group formed last year to examine how state agencies respond to the departure of increasing numbers of employees and the institutional knowledge they hold. Learn what the group has discovered about these workforce planning practices at the state: 1) Retention strategies used to incite staff to continue working with the organization; 2) How state agencies and institutions recognize retiring employees and other voluntarily separating employees (“alumni”); 3) Additional recommended practices to appropriately honor their contributions; and 4)            Knowledge capture and transfer practices to be used once an employee decides to leave the organization. You will receive the workgroup’s final product (HOT off the presses!) -- a “menu” of workforce planning practices that can be used at a workgroup, divisional, or whole agency level. These practices will be displayed along a continuum from HIGH effort and cost  --to -- LOW effort and cost. The intended user group for this menu is managers, supervisors, and HR staff.

D2 (Part 2) We Don’t Make Widgets – the 3 Myths that Keep Government from Radically Improving (Part 1: C2)

Ken Miller,Founder, Change and Innovation Agency

Click here to download presentation handout

We all feel the mounting pressure to do more with less, cut costs and become customer-focused, but there are three myths that keep us from radically improving our government organizations.  The myths are: 1) We Don’t Make Widgets; 2) We don’t have customers; and 3) We’re not here to make a profit.

These myths feed the greatest myth of all:  we’re different.  Rather than learning from the improvement techniques that are transforming organizations outside government, we continually turn to the same playbook – another blue ribbon commission, a different strategic planning model, new performance appraisal form – in hopes that this time they’ll actually work.  There is a better way…

In this engaging presentation, participants will learn the techniques to clear these mental hurdles allowing them to increase the value of their agencies and programs.

D3 Change is Messy! (repeat: C3)

Stephanie McGovern, High Performance Systems, Inc.

Click here to download presentation PowerPoint

Click here to download presentation worksheet

Click here to download presentation reasources

Click here to download presentation framework