Chapter Six: Discussion and Conclusions

Many concerns were identified for each area addressed in the surveys and focus group discussions. The biggest area of concern was compensation, as it was in the last survey, conducted three years ago. Unfortunately, concerns about compensation may have overridden other concerns that could have been addressed more easily. With the many constraints the organization faces in the area of compensation, it probably is the most difficult issue to address. However, knowing that NDDOT employees are concerned about compensation probably explains why they reported compensation, benefits, and job security as the most motivating aspects of their jobs, even though these answers typically are not found as top motivators in similar surveys conducted in other organizations. Nonetheless, overall the current survey results were quite positive. They showed that employees generally are happy with their work environment, especially with their co-workers, and that employees typically like the work and tasks they perform.

Although overall results from the surveys were favorable, there were many instances where employees of different work groups or locations had conflicting opinions. The groups that tended to be more negative were maintenance and construction employees and those who have been with the NDDOT for a longer period of time. Information from the focus group discussions also suggested some differences among the groups that participated. Again, the groups made up of Field employees and those with longer tenure tended to be slightly more negative. This may be due to their longer histories and negative experiences in the past. The group of managers also differed from the other groups in that their opinions were more often split, with some group members expressing more negative opinions about various issues and other members expressing support for those same issues. What resulted was a more thorough discussion of the pros and cons of each issue mentioned. Despite their differences, all the groups seemed to be appreciative of the chance to give their opinions and to try to come up with some possible ways for the organization to improve.

It also was evident from the focus groups that employees believed there were areas where the organization was doing well or at least had begun to make improvements. For example, compensation, which was rated negatively in the organizational health survey, was an area for which each focus group reported recent improvements. In addition, communication was another issue that, although we did not specifically address it during the discussions, employees reported as having changed in a positive way. Still, employees reported that they see much of this improvement as a good first step and look forward to more beneficial changes in the future. Comments from the surveys and focus group discussions suggested that employees are optimistic regarding possibilities for the organization as a result of having a new, more open group of top managers.

All of the focus groups provided good suggestions for possible improvements in the areas of work environment, performance management, human resource development, and compensation. Although many of the suggestions reflected ideas similar to those obtained from the surveys, the focus group participants spent a lot of time and effort trying to develop creative recommendations for improvements. One interesting point is that many of the suggestions made by the focus group participants are addressed by specific objectives for the new strategic plan. One example is the suggestion to develop, "a system to measure performance at the individual, group, and organizational levels." This recommendation is reflected in objective (3.1) to "develop a strategic performance measurement system." Another clear example of the match between the focus group information and objectives from the strategic plan is the desire for a succession planning program.

Summarized Recommendations

It is clear that employees care about what is happening in the organization and that their perceptions affect the overall health and climate of the NDDOT. Focus group participants noted that even a small group of negative people can affect the morale of the entire organization. Therefore, considering all of the information and suggestions that were obtained during this study, the authors have summarized several recommendations that will lead to continued improvements in the health of the NDDOT.

Continue to take advantage of opportunities for involving employees in the planning and implementation of new processes or programs.

In the focus groups and employee comments from the survey, many employees indicated that they would like to have more say in the development of new plans or processes. They also indicated that long-tenured employees are often more resistant to possible changes because they have had negative experiences in the past. One of the key ways to decrease employees' resistance to change is to have them participate in planning and allowing them to voice their concerns.

Update the PIQs and classification of workers to reflect the tasks that employees are actually doing.

Employees expressed concern about being evaluated on the performance of only parts of their jobs. They believe they should be compensated for additional responsibilities and the use of special skills.

Continue to enhance safety for NDDOT employees.

Field employees that participated in the focus groups expressed a need for new legislation for mandatory speed limits in work zones. In addition, many employees also were concerned about the condition of buildings (air quality, ventilation, etc.) in which they work.

Develop a plan to prepare for future retirements.

To transfer job knowledge from long-term employees to others in the organization, employees suggested keeping all employees involved as key players by further developing a formal mentoring program. They also suggested the creation of a formal succession planning process to ensure that gaps left by retirements will be filled expeditiously.

Re-examine salary and merit raise policies, and work to improve overall compensation levels.

Employees are concerned about competitive pay for recruiting qualified employees and wage compression. They believe that pay ranges should be revamped to allow more employees to earn more than the midpoint of the pay range. Employees participating in the focus groups indicated they would like to see more money put toward merit raises and would like to have raises based on job performance rather than on how difficult certain positions are to fill. They also suggested improving the public perception of state employees in an effort to justify increases in overall compensation for NDDOT employees.

Continue to recognize and reward employees, even when financial rewards are not possible.

Employees appreciated the support shown by the NDDOT Director in letters to the editor of the newspaper. They also expressed a desire to have other rewards for good performance, such as a day off, when money was not a possibility.

Ensure that policies are implemented in the same way throughout the entire organization.

Some of the conflicting findings from the employee surveys may have resulted from differences in the way particular policies are implemented in different areas of the organization. Concerns about these differences were also expressed in the focus group discussions.

Improve the hiring and promotion processes.

Employees responded negatively to some of the questions surrounding these processes. They felt that the interview process could be improved with better guidelines and a larger pool of candidates. They also suggested allowing employees to test for certain promotions, thereby clarifying the qualifications needed for specific jobs.

Foster the family-like atmosphere with more social events.

Employees have stayed with the NDDOT because they believe they are part of the organizational family. This feeling is one that can best be maintained by allowing employees to have informal time together in non-threatening situations.

Ensure that all supervisors receive training that emphasizes leadership and interpersonal skills.

The training must include the skills for evaluating and providing feedback to employees about their work performance and dealing with conflict. In the survey and the focus groups, there was disagreement about how employees perceived their supervisors. Some employees indicated that their immediate supervisors were supportive and easy to work for, while others felt that their supervisors lacked the appropriate interpersonal skills to manage effectively. Some employees suggested that the NDDOT implement bottom-up evaluations for supervisors for developmental purposes.

Develop a system to measure performance at the individual, group, and organizational level.

Employees suggested that this information would be useful in dealing with the public. It would allow the NDDOT to compare productivity with other state DOTs and to provide the public with information about accomplishments and efficiency.

Expand employee benefits package.

Although employees generally are satisfied with their benefits, they indicated that they would like to have expanded vision and dental coverage.

Continue to focus on training and development opportunities for all employees.

Employees in the focus groups indicated that a larger training budget is needed to create more comprehensive training in some areas. They also were interested in the possibility of a dual career track model that would allow employees to progress on either a technical or a management career path.

Communicate frequently with employees about organizational issues.

Make sure that employees out in the districts are kept informed in a timely manner. Another common request from employees was for management to explain what actions will result from the findings of this study.

Continue to survey employees every two years with a modified version of the instrument developed for this study.

This will allow top management to assess changes and determine whether improvements have had the desired effects.

Next Steps

It is important to maintain the momentum of the current situation, which includes the completion of this study and the development of the new strategic plan. Employees are committed to the organization, and they want to see progress in the future. To keep moving forward, the organization will need to use all of its internal and external resources. Internally, the NDDOT has a great group of employees that are willing to share their good ideas and strategies for improvements. The organization can benefit from the expertise and knowledge of its long-tenured workforce. Externally, there are many examples of best practices and other resources at the federal level and at other state DOTs that may serve to assist in the implementation of the strategic plan's objectives.