ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE FROM AN OD AND PR PERSPECTIVE

This paper explores the connection betweenOrganizational Development (OD) and PublicRelations (PR). The two functions meet where theysupport the agency in developing and carrying outits long-range vision in the increasingly politicizedworld of welfare reform. While OD looks at thedevelopment of internal structure and systems(strategic planning, staff development, humanresources, etc.), PR supports OD through the effec-tive communication of the Agency vision internallyand externally.

The recommendations set forth in this paper arebased on a study of San Mateo County. ContraCosta County was used as a comparative model.The human services agencies in both counties havetaken the innovative step of hiring specialized stafffor the OD and PR functions. Brief references inthe recommendation section are also made toMonterey County, where I visited for one day toobserve specific training to facilitate organizationaldevelopment through team facilitation.

This paper compares the use of the OD and PRfunctions in each of the two counties and drawsconcrete examples of what has worked well or notso well in their use. In San Mateo County the PRfunction focuses on legislative issues. Reportingdirectly to the Agency Director allows the positionaccess to information and political ties necessary tomake the creation of a politicized focus viable. TheOD specialist, on the other hand, advises the exec-utive committee but occupies a staff position undera department head. She also has the added chal-

lenge of overseeing staff development, training andplanning functions. The danger of this arrangementis the potential for OD recommendations to be seenas biased towards the needs of her Departmenthead verses coming from a desire to what will bene-fit the agency as a whole. On the other hand, theOD specialist has the potential to shape the humanresources and staff development functions to sup-port organizational changes through OD.

In Contra Costa County, the PR function is usedprimarily for media relations and the production ofcampaigns and materials to promote the agency’simage in the community. The ability to influencepoliticians through a clear, compelling messageabout the clients serviced is also masterfully ful-filled through these functions. The PR specialistsits on the executive committee and reports directlyto the Agency Director. She is a valuable source inadvising him in dealing with communication issuesthat arise. The OD specialist also reports directly tothe Agency Director and sits on the executive team.As a Department head in her own right, the ODspecialist potentially wields more power and influ-ence than does the OD specialist in San MateoCounty. The OD specialist in Contra Costa Countyhas the added duties of overseeing staff develop-ment, training and planning functions. An effectiveplan has been developed to use the two functions tofine tune training to meet the Agency’s objectivesas laid out in performance based measures for eachagency department. Because the staff development,training and planning functions work so tightlytogether to meet a common objective, bundling

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OR G A N I Z AT I O N A L CH A N G E F R O M A N OD A N D PR PE R S P E C T I V ETamarra Brown*

E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y

*Tamarra Brown is an Administrative Specialist II in the Welfare to Work Department of Alameda County’s Social Services Agency.

P a r t i c i p a n t s ’ C a s e S t u d i e s • C l a s s o f 2 0 0 0

them together under the OD specialist is seen as anasset in Contra Costa County.

Based on this study the following key actions arerecommended to generate effective organizationalchange from an OD and PR perspective in theAlameda County Social Services Agency (SSA).

• Revise the Strategic Planning Process SSA shouldconsider adopting an all staff strategic planningand review process similar to that used byContra Costa County. There each departmenthas performance-based measures that are usedto develop long-range plans and departmentspecial training needs. The staff review goalsand objectives on a regular basis to determineprogress towards meeting them.

• Hire an OD Specialist Recruitment is currentlyunderway for an Agency Planner and such aposition is important. However, the agency alsoneeds an OD Specialist who can focus on thecomprehensive development of staff andprocesses in tandem to meet Agency goals. Inaddition, an OD specialist with the necessarytraining to perform analysis and staff interven-tions as needed goes beyond the scope of a tra-ditional Human Resources Director function.

• Emphasize inter- and intra- departmental team build-ing and team facilitation Lack of communicationand shared vision facilitates poor services.Team building can effectively foster ownershipand common goals that supersede individualdepartments. Team building also facilitatescooperation and communication betweendepartments and improves customer service.

• Review and revise current communication practicesClear, consistent communication is a challengefor an agency the size of SSA, however it is crit-ical that more be done to improve internal andexternal communication. Staff needs to be as

informed about the issues that the Agency caresabout (as are outsiders).

• Hire a fulltime PR Specialist CCCHSA’s success indeveloping a premier public relations bureaulies in dedicating Lynn Yaney to focus on theagency’s media relations and public informationcampaigns. As a larger agency with much to winor lose in the political arena, SSA must do thesame. Agency needs must constantly and con-sistently be communicated to politicians andcommunity leaders with a solid understandingof the legislation and issues affecting the politi-cal climate.

B A S S C E x e c u t i v e D e v e l o p m e n t P ro g r a m

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I N T R O D U C T I O N

A child welfare worker in County B was arrested forembezzling more than $1 million using phony childand foster parent names, the B Times Reported.Staff was angered, shocked and amazed by thecrime. They wondered what would make anyonehurt the clients they dedicated themselves to helping.

Immediate co-workers learned about the crimewhen a manager gathered them together to breakthe news before the story appeared in the B Times.This was a new experience for this group. No man-ager had taken time to gather them for this type ofquick, news breaking meeting before.

Other County B staff were angry because they werenot briefed in advance. They learned about theincident when news reporters came to their officeasking questions. Director B handled media calls,talked to executive staff about the embezzlementand gave them the responsibility of informing staff.

Two eligibility workers in County A were arrestedon embezzlement charges similar to those leveledagainst the worker in County B. The story appearedin the A Times. Workers were angered by their co-workers’ behavior, accusing them of stealing fromthe clients. They felt the embezzlers’ unscrupulousbehavior reflected negatively on all agency workersto the outside world.

Director A was sensitive to the workers’ feelings.He drafted a letter to the staff expressing apprecia-tion for their dedication to serving clients. An edi-torial to the media and numerous interviews by

Director A drove home the point that County Aworkers were not like the embezzlers and that work-ers were outraged by the crime.

The preceding scenarios represent the interplay ofOD (Organizational Development) and PR (PublicRelations). From an external PR perspective, theagencies’ interactions with the press were handledwell. They were as open as the sensitivity of legalmatters allowed them to be. They did not increasesuspicion of the respective agencies by hidingbehind a wall of silence.

From an internal PR and OD perspective, however,County B failed to meet the needs of its staff, caus-ing hard feelings because not all staff were properlyinformed. No attempts were made to build moraleafter the breech of trust caused by dishonestcoworkers. This lack of sensitivity to staffs’ need forencouragement and appropriate information abouttheir work place bred lack of trust. As a result,future attempts by the agency to gain support fororganizational change were hindered if not sabo-taged. Staff lacked enthusiasm because they feltthey were not part of the “team.”

There is a natural connection between the publicOD and PR functions of a Social Services Agency.The two must work in tandem with other forces inthe agency’s environment to:

• Shape the agency’s long-term direction throughstrategic and succession planning

• Motivate the staff to support the many changesmandated by welfare reform that will lead toachieving the agency’s long-term goals

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OR G A N I Z AT I O N A L CH A N G E F R O M A N OD A N D PR PE R S P E C T I V ETamarra Brown


• Create a shared agency vision• Inform the outside world of agency goals and

strategies using staff as key sales people• Inform staff of the agency’s plans and direction

and gain their support to ensure successfulimplementation

• Build up the agency’s most important asset—itspeople

The OD function supports the development of thestaff needed to carry out the agency’s mission. ThePR function communicates that mission internallyto staff and externally to clients, advocates and sup-porters. Together the functions are powerful toolsfor preparing and motivating the staff to embracethe organizational changes needed to meet thedemands of welfare reform. Unfortunately, too fewagencies recognize the potential of this combina-tion. Most agencies fail to take full advantage of thePR function, and few work with an OD specialist.

The purpose of this paper is to make recommenda-tions for how the Alameda County Social ServicesAgency (SSA) can make full use of OD and PR fororganizational change over the long run and in theimmediate future.

What is OD?

This paper is written from the perspective that theagency is a living organism composed of a diverseworkforce that forms one body with many functions.OD then is how an agency cares for itself by:

• Developing long range plans for its future byformulating a clear, brief agency vision. To exe-cute this vision, OD builds up the skeleton orframework of the organization by developing aneffective strategic planning process that holds itresponsible for meeting specific vision-relatedgoals over time.

• Creating an organizational structure that posi-tions the agency to achieve its goals by puttinginto place the most effective processes, depart-mental configurations and partnerships to makeoptimum use of staff and resources.

• Nurturing and grooming the staff to make themost of the agency’s human potential by givingstaff the tools they need to be successful in exe-cuting existing and future goals. This occursthrough staff development, training, and thehuman resource functions of recruitment andretention, team building and staff motivation.

• Assuring healthy inter- and intra-unit communi-cations by helping groups initiate and managechange through primary emphasis on relation-ships.

All this occurs in an environment of politics, legis-lation and public opinion.

What is PR?

In the public sector the person who speaks to themedia on behalf of the agency is called a publicinformation officer (PIO). This role is too limitingfor the service agencies need today. Now agenciesneed a public relations officer to be effective in car-rying out their mission in the era of welfare reform.The difference between the two functions is critical.

• PR draws attention to the agency for the pur-pose of making its vision, accomplishments,services and needs known to the outside worldand gaining support at the grassroots, stateand/or national level. Public information (PI)gives information often as the media request it.

• PR creates events for the purpose of attractingattention, while PI responds to events usuallynot of the Agency’s choosing and usually per-ceived as negative by the agency.


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• Because PR is proactive, it helps the agencycontrol its image, secure support and win allies.PR assists in influencing legislation and con-trolling relationships with community-basedorganizations. By responding to events, PI isdefensive in nature, working in the realm of“damage control.”

• PR leverages the agency’s assets by encouragingthe world at large to get involved in its pro-grams and agenda before the “powers that be”force an agenda on it.

• PR occurs when the agency realizes it has avaluable, viable product to sell in its ability toprovide social services. PI is steeped in statusquo.

P R O J E C T D E S C R I P T I O N

I was assigned to the San Mateo County HumanServices Agency (HSA) for 15 days. The primaryresearch method used was reviewing the use of ODand PR at HSA and conducting interviews withstaff at multiple levels of the organization. The useof OD and PR in San Mateo County was comparedto the use of these functions in Contra Costa County(CCHSA), which also has in-house OD and PRfunctions. The comparison allows a wider perspec-tive from which to draw an understanding of the ODand PR functions and how SSA might best usethem. Other research activities included:

• Attending meetings on collaborative marketingefforts occurring in the HSA environment

• Interviewing a representative from The PublicMedia Center to discuss technical issuesinvolved with marketing a public agency

• Attending an offsite meeting for the formation ofa new team to work under the HSA ODSpecialist

• Visiting the CCHSA staff development center

and discussing the staff development strategiesunfolding there with the manager and the ODSpecialist

• Interviewing CCHSA staff at various levels

B A C K G R O U N D

San Mateo County is in many respects one of thestrongest counties in California. It is a leader incaseload reduction (69% between 1994 and 1999),income (an average of $10 per hour for a recipientleaving aid) and economic growth (2.1% in 1999)(FY 1998-1999 Annual Report). In 1992 HSAexperienced the first of three major organizationalchanges when it merged with the HousingDepartment and a new Director, Maureen Borland,was hired.

Borland came with a penchant for change. A stu-dent of private industry and highly experience inthe public sector, she was well suited for the majoroverhaul the agency required. In spite of itsstrengths, HSA also shared the weaknesses of manyother social services/human services agencies.

“There were a lot of negative perceptions aboutwhat the agency is,” Borland said, explaining thatthe community perceived and often experienced alack of responsiveness and partnering from HSA.“The community had no idea of what the agencywas doing. There was a lot of distrust.”

In 1992 HSA developed its first five-year strategicplan, gathering input from residents. The planfocused on achieving measurable outcomes in theareas of individual self-sufficiency, family strengthand community health. To meet the objectives ofthe plan, staff was drawn into closer partnershipswith the community and a team-based approachamong HSA staff.

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More intense change was eminent. Two years beforethe enactment of CalWORKs (California WorkOpportunities to Responsibilities to Kids), Borlandbegan preparing San Mateo for welfare reform. In1996 she made the almost unprecedented move ofhiring an internal OD specialist, Donna Wocher.Wocher’s primary background is providing teambuilding and organizational assessment services ina university setting. She holds a master’s degree incounseling and in organizational development.Wocher’s charge at HSA: navigate HSA staffthrough the rapid whirlwind of change Borland ini-tiated. Wocher was brought in as planning depart-ment staff but reported directly to Borland andserved as a consultant to the executive team. Herfirst tasks involved working with the ExecutiveTeam to help the group become more effective in itsown meeting and planning processes. From there,she quickly moved to assisting in the design andimplementation of other processes at HSA. Changesthat occurred in the agency included:

• Matrix Management A matrix management systemis one in which managers from different areas(children and family services, employment, eli-gibility, adult and aging, etc. work together as aregional team. HSA consists of three regions.Each of the three Regional Directors reportsdirectly to Borland. Each manager is nowrequired to be a generalist with a broad array ofservices under his belt.

• Integrated Services Line staff were transformedfrom paper pushing workers into serviceproviders who work in teams to meet customerneeds at a single point of entry. In the old “silo”system, workers were categorized into a narrow-ly defined benefits program or “silo.” Theyworked under a manager who specialized in oneprogram. Now a worker’s closest associates maycome from a variety of programs.

• Policy Teams The matrix system is supported bya series of policy teams. The teams consist ofmangers and some line staff from various workgroups. They are drawn together to work ontasks, issues and policies affecting a given areasuch as Family Self Sufficiency, Children andFamily Services, Medical & Nutrition Access or Human Resources. The result is a teamapproach to problem solving and planning thatinvolves multiple levels of staff and a cross-disciplinary approach.

• Internal Planning System In 1992 HSA created itsfirst five-year strategic plan. In addition, indi-vidual departments and regions developedinternal strategic plans to accomplish theirrespective missions. Each quarter staff meet toreview the Agency’s accomplishments andgauge progress. Unmet objectives are scruti-nized and plans are made to complete them.

• Regional All Staff Forums The OD Specialist facili-tated a series of All Staff Forums conducted ineach of the three service regions. These Forumsprovided an opportunity for managers and staffto share information on the changes takingplace in HSA. Managers could quickly get feed-back on what was going well, and staff becamepart of the information loop. Some concern hasbeen expressed that the Forums digressed fromtheir original purpose and became one-waycommunication vehicles for management ratherthan opportunities for two-way sharing that theywere envisioned to be.

In March 2000, the Agency went through anotherrestructuring. This time, the changes occurred pri-marily in the management ranks.

• Regional Directors Two new Regional Directorswere brought on board and another retired.


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• “General” Program Managers (PMs) PMs wereswapped between regions to complement eachRegional Director’s area of expertise. Forinstance a director strong in child welfare wasassigned PMs from employment.

• Institutionalized OD Wocher reports directly to thePlanning Director and now heads staff develop-ment, training and human resource functions.She remains on the Executive Team. Borlandreferred to this shift in Wocher’s position as“institutionalizing” the role. She believes it is anatural progression now that OD is well estab-lished in the agency and much of the initialorganizational change she hoped to implementhas been accomplished.

• Politicized PR The PR specialist remains in astaff position but now reports directly toBorland. Her focus is legislative analysis andincreasing the HSA’s visibility in the politicalarena.

A N O V E R V I E W O F T H E CCHSA M O D E L

HSA’s structure represents only one of the manyways in which an agency could organize itself.

At CCHS, OD and PR are prized assets that receiveexecutive level attention. Both the OD and PRfunctions report to the Agency Director, JohnCullen. The OD and PR specialists sit on the exec-utive team and provide valuable input to Cullen’sdecision-making process.

The OD Function at CCHSA

The OD specialist is Kerri Ray Chaudhuri.Chaudhuri brings a background in industrial andorganizational psychology and human relations toher work. Like Wocher, Chaudhuri oversees staffdevelopment and training functions for her agency.

However Chaudhuri holds an additional tool that iskey for organizational development: the planningfunction. As a result of this unique combination,there is tight control over the use of objective mea-sures to optimize organizational developmentefforts.

Prior to taking on the OD role, Chaudhuri served asCCHSA director of Planning and Development. Inthat role she assisted CCHSA in becoming an out-come measures-based agency. Each CCHSAdepartment operates based on clearly defined mea-sures. The goals are reviewed on a regular basisand have become a pivotal tool in determiningfuture training needs for CCHSA staff.

Planning staff performs research and evaluationfunctions to support staff training and developmentefforts based on each departments’ performancemeasures. Once training is complete, Planning pro-vides the follow-up evaluation to determine if staffis more effective in using trained skills three andsix months down the line. If managers are still notseeing the necessary results, an analysis of skillgaps assists in pinpointing areas for change basedon objective data. As program trends and changesare observed by planning, recommendations forfuture staff development needs are developed. Theresult: more effective long-term planning for theeffective use of staff.

All staff is kept aware of the department’s progressin meeting its performance objectives. Using care-ful analysis and tracking of worker numbers, plan-ning staff are able to track performance down to theworker. Chaudhuri said these tools are a tremen-dous help to front line supervisors and managers.

“They aren’t leading in the blind as much as theyused to,” she said.

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A Staff Development Director has been hired towork under Chaudhuri and focus on the develop-ment of training needs. Al Qatsha said his goal forSD will be to make CCHSA training more proac-tive. To do this, he will focus on assessments ofclient needs and how well CCC is meeting thoseneeds. From there, decisions will be made aboutwhat types of training can be offered to CCHSAstaff and managers to make them more effective.

The PR Function at CCHS

The PR function focuses primarily on image control to the outside world with less attention tomatters of internal communication. Cullen hastaken a visionary approach to presenting CCHSAand its message.

“We as human services directors need a moresophisticated way of educating the public and gath-ering public input from the community,” Cullensaid. “We already are spending a good deal of pub-lic money. The public needs to know what we’redoing. All our Departments do a lot more than giveout welfare checks.”

Cullen’s motivation for changing the way CCHSAcommunicates is simple. He was tired of seeing the“junk” often used to promote the valuable work ofsocial services agencies. The junk included infor-mation printed on dull, unattractive goldenrodpaper and dog-eared photocopied materials writtenin governmentese. On the other extreme were fail-ures of agencies to make any efforts to promotetheir services to the general public providing thetax dollars for programs.

Cullen enlisted Lynn Yaney, a savvy advertisingspecialist, to take control of CCHSA publicity andfulfill that vision. A member of the executive com-

mittee, she is a key advisor in assisting Cullen indealing with the media and with certain internalissues that require communicating to all staff.

One of Yaney’s major undertakings was creating animage for CCHS by taking control of promotions.An example of her success in this area is the FosterCare Adoption Program promotion. Yaney took thecomplicated world of Children and Family Servicesand reduced it to two sentences that drew hundredsof inquiries: “Kids like these need families likeours. Adopt a child or be a foster parent.” The cam-paign included bookmarks, bus stop posters, pam-phlets and brochures. Compelling visuals and asimple, powerful message drew countywide atten-tion to the need for adoption homes and wonCCHSA an award for its campaign.

Yaney’s talents bend to the simplest elements ofCCHSA presentation as well. Using photos that arerepresentative of the types of clients served byCCHSA, she created letterhead for eachDepartment in the agency (Children and Family,Workforce Services, Adult and Aging,Administration). Although each letterhead hasunique photos, taken together they have a commontheme: “We are an agency that cares for the needsof people like you.” The images of children, fami-lies, senior citizens and single adults refute thenegative stereotype the outside world usually asso-ciates with social services agencies and the peoplethey serve. This deliberate approach to creating animage has paid off for CCHSA in increased supportfrom specific politicians and the general public.CCHSA’s strategy is to target specific groups:Clients; community based organizations andchurches; politicos; city counsels, chambers ofcommerce; and fairs. In addition, county staffattend six festivals a year to provide general infor-mation, answer questions about services and recruit


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potential foster parents and staff. The reaction ofthe general public to the agency tends to be verypositive.

“CalWORKs has been a nice opportunity fordepartments to market themselves,” Cullensaid. “How do we measure the impact of com-munity support? People in the community saythings. We get commendations from public offi-cials. Some politicians are associating morewith the departments. I’ve seen our materials inthe offices of politicians. Ten years ago theywouldn’t have put out the goldenrod.”

Yaney has also proved masterful in wooing themedia even when there is no emergency demandingattention. She develops feature ideas for them andenlists their support in providing services to thecommunity such as public service announcementson children waiting for adoptive parents. The fol-lowing chart provides a brief comparison of the ODand PR at HSA and CCHS.

OD C O M E S T O S A N M AT E O : P R O B L E M S A M I D T H E P R O M I S E S

Staff are the vital organs of any organization. Nostrategic plan or lofty goal succeeds without them,and yet staff needs are often the last considerationin the planning process. “The program” or “state

regulations” come first. An OD focus gives anagency the opportunity to put people where theybelong—at the forefront of planning.

CCHSA and HSA have wisely chosen to closelylink the OD function with human resource issues insome form. At CCHSA, the OD specialist supervis-es the Staff Development and Planning functions.At HSA, the OD specialist now supervises StaffDevelopment and Human Resources.

HSA’s response to OD has been mixed. Overall,staff see the change as too much too fast. BecauseWocher was brought in as an advisor to theExecutive Team, there has been a lingering sensethat she is an “agent” of the administration. Thereis an us v. them dynamic at work. One HSA manag-er said his staff does not want to work with the ODspecialist. If differences can be worked out betweenthe OD specialist and staff, the manager said hewants Wocher to do management team developmentwith his staff.

Another manager lamented that although Wocherremained on the executive team, she is essentiallyburied in the organization now that she reports tothe Planning Director and oversees various HRfunctions. The heavy demands of HR and trainingcould cause her to lose focus, the manager said. Ifthis happens, Wocher will be unavailable to man-agers needing to resolve OD issues.

In contrast, CCHSA’s OD specialist remains at theexecutive level and reports directly to the AgencyDirector. Chaudhuri agrees there are pitfalls to hav-ing too many functions under the OD specialist.

“One thing counties have to be careful of is thatthey allow us to do OD work,” Chaudhuri said.“They tend to stack a lot of stuff on (the position).

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We probably have enough OD to keep me busy200% of the time.”

Unlike Wocher, Chaudhuri has the luxury of a StaffDevelopment Director and a Planning Team toassist her in implementing organizational change.The Staff Development Director will focus on train-ing and development issues. The Planning Teamwill focus on big picture issues affecting theagency. This frees Chaudhuri to work on OD issues.

Reporting to the right supervisor is also a majorconcern for legitimacy, Chaudhuri said. Who theOD specialist reports to will affect how importantpeople think the position is and whether they see abias in the recommendations made. To optimizeWocher’s position under Madelyn Martin, the HSAPlanning Director, Martin and Borland would haveto be on the same page about the importance anddirectives of Wocher’s role. Martin must also main-tain good standing with other Executive Team mem-bers and key managers in the agency to lend cloutto Wocher’s work.

Wocher sees her position in the PlanningDepartment as an opportunity to resolve OD issuesat a finer level of the agency’s structure and to learnmore about the agency. In contrast, her initial workat HSA during the major organizational changesfocused on big picture items. The following are afew of the issues that will comprise her focus in hernew position:

• HR The Human Resources functions needdevelopment. Trainers still tend to be special-ized in one area. The goal is to have trainerswho take lead responsibility for one area (suchas CalWORKs) but are able to train in otherareas. Most of the staff is not trained in ODprinciples. If a manager requests training, SD

staff provide it without evaluating the underly-ing issues. Often a unit experiences problemsthat are not training issues. Staff Developmentmust be trained to perform assessments to see iftraining is beneficial. Where other issues are atwork, SD staff must become adept at coachingmangers in problem resolution skills.

• Training Wocher has her staff working on thedevelopment of a comprehensive training pro-gram for agency staff based on an assessmentcomprised by an outside consulting firm.

• Team Building Wocher’s staff is a newly formedteam of people who initially worked separatelyin training, staff development and HR func-tions. Some of them have never worked togetherbefore. The group must work on OD needs forthe agency around training and staff develop-ment issues while building themselves into aneffective team.

• Succession Planning Borland and Wocher are sen-sitive to the fact that a number of key staff willretire in the near future. OD will play a part inassessing the types of skills needed to fill thosepositions and a strategy for developing the rightstaff to move into leadership.

• Recruitment and Retention Like other counties,HSA is struggling with recruitment and reten-tion, particularly for child welfare workers. Inaddition, there is the need to hire the right stafffor ongoing planning, research and direct ser-vice delivery to clients. OD will play a part indeveloping the strategies to make sure thesekey functions are filled.

PR’ S E M E R G I N G E M I N E N C E

Public relations is emerging as one of the mostimportant tools a social services agency can have inits arsenal. From a skillful lobbyist at the state andfederal level to a charismatic agency director to


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handle board questions to an effective agencynewsletter, welfare reform is creating the need foragencies to be more savvy about the images andmessages they portray. As Yaney of CCHSA states,“The better your materials, the more people willread them.” And if no one reads the materials andidentifies with the programs, they won’t support theagency’s efforts. In an age where public sector ser-vices are being privatized and patience with gov-ernment supported programs is quickly thinning,social services agencies need all the support theycan muster.

PR is a double mirror that must reflect in two direc-tions: externally and internally. From the externalperspective, PR reflects the agency’s vision, goalsand mission to the outside world. This is done inseveral ways:

• Aggressively lobbying politicos, advocates andpotential voters in the community to influencelegislation and social policy.

• Partnering with the community to bring attentionto social issues influencing or influenced by theagency, highlight joint efforts with communitybased organizations or make potential clientsaware of services.

• Inviting the media to provide news coverage ofaccomplishments, pressing issues or changes insocial services that affect the community. Theseactivities increase awareness of social servicesneeds among the general public resulting inincreased support for an agency.

• Creating a seamless, consistent image to the out-side world by 1) skillfully developing printmaterial for distribution to the general publicand key community players and 2) advisingmanagers on how to work with the press to pre-sent issues clearly and accurately.

From an internal perspective, PR has an equallyimportant partnership with OD efforts to:

• Assist in the coaching and development of man-agers who can then become good agencyspokespersons when needed for explainingtechnical or difficult issues to the media, politi-cians or staff. Well-trained managers aware ofthe agency vision, goals and needs are also thebest sales people for the agency through theirdaily contacts with the public.

• Assist in the development of strategies to commu-nicate with staff when an emergency occurs thatdirectly affects the agency or involves agencystaff.

• Generate methods of informing the staff ofchanges taking place or progress made in spe-cific efforts such as newsletters, banners, reportcards, speakers’ bureaus on public and agencypolicy and relevant current events.

The challenges of developing an effective PR func-tion at HSA are more subtle than the OD issues,but no less important. Jenny Loft is the PublicInformation Officer (PIO) at HSA. She is classifiedas a Management Analyst and originally wasassigned to the budget team in the PlanningDepartment before becoming the PIO. The role ofPIO was not highly utilized under her predecessor,Loft said. That may be due in part to the position-ing of the function as part of the Planning Depart-ment Staff. In the May 2000 reorganization, the PIOfunction became a more visible role that reportsdirectly to the agency director. Although she doesnot have an executive level position, she has agreater flow of information that is helpful to herposition, Loft said.

While CCHSA focuses primarily on media rela-tions, PR at HSA focuses primarily on legislative

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issues. The need to focus on legislation is key toBorland’s decision to move Loft to her personalstaff. In this more visible role, Loft networks heavi-ly with San Francisco and Santa Clara County togenerate support for legislation that will benefit thethree counties. Without a concise message from thedirector, staff seem slow to recognize the agency’sincreasing focus on influencing policy, however.Loft has also worked on some partnership effortswith the community such as Peninsula Works. Thecollaboration teams HSA with community basedorganizations to promote One Stop Centers in SanMateo County. An outside media consultant fromthe Public Media Center also assist with the project.

Loft does not see her role as being a direct playerin influencing internal communication. Her primaryinternal role is supervising the production of mate-rials for distribution by the Agency’s variousRegional Teams and function groups. Her goal isthat the pieces be people friendly and show that theagency care’s about people.

Wocher, on the other hand, is particularly sensitiveto the need for OD and PR to work together. In thefuture, she would like to use Loft’s skills to commu-nicate more effectively with the staff. Consistentcommunication of the agency vision is key to layinga solid groundwork for OD to take place.

Developing a powerful image for HSA based onstrong external and internal communications willrequire a concentrated focus that is not yet beenevident. The quality of printed materials such asannual reports and strategic plans is excellent.There is no focused public relations campaign tokeep the agency and its mission in the media.Internal communication remains a top downapproach. Members of the executive team pass

information to immediate subordinates to communi-cate to staff. The results are mixed. What a staffperson knows is highly dependent on the individualpersonality of the manager he works for.

W H E R E OD A N D PR M E E T: S E T T I N G T H E F U T U R E C O U R S E

HSA’s long-term goal is to foster an appreciativelearning culture. Barrett defines such a culture asone that

Emphasizes continuous experimentation, sys-temic rather than fragmented thinking, and awillingness to think outside the accepted limi-tations of a problem. It goes beyond the frame-work that created current conditions…

Appreciative comes from the word appreciate—to value what is best about a human system. Inthis sense it refers to a system’s capacity todeliberately notice, anticipate, and heightenpositive potential. Appreciation is the ability toboth see beyond obstacles, problems and limi-tations and to generate hope in the humancapacity to achieve potential.

The appreciative organization is one that makes thebest and highest use of OD by fostering the mosteffective use of PR to support internal and externalcommunications. Barrett contrasts the appreciativeorganization with the traditional problem solvingorganization in which “heroes” emerge for theirproblem solving. Problem solving creates a compet-itive environment hostile to information sharing,collaboration and risk taking. The appreciativeorganization creates an atmosphere of anticipationbased on strengths and past successes. PR fuelsmomentum by highlighting those successes to theoutside world and to staff. In spite of current abuses


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of PR to promote self-serving motives in pop cul-ture, PR need not be a negative. PR can also be-come an occasion for a public sector agency to dowhat private industry has done for years—celebratethe best and genuinely valuable within itself.

An appreciative atmosphere challenges people to gobeyond what is considered feasible or reasonable tosolve a problem and create success. Creating suc-cess can be as simple as sending an all staff letterthat says, “I know you care about the work we do.You’re nothing like the worker who embezzledmoney from our clients,” as Director B did in theopening scenario. The anticipation among staffmight then be “We are better. We can and will showwe are better.” Sending the all staff letter becomesa masterful stroke of internal PR that preserves theopportunity for future OD by motivating the staffand letting them know they are valued. Sendingthat same message the external public through newsarticles and editorials further encourages the staffwhile communicating the agency’s values to the out-side world. Too often agency managers worry aboutthe media and neglect to consider the demoralizingaffect negative media accounts may have on thestaff sitting outside their offices.

Another aspect of an appreciative learning cultureis generative competence. Barrett describes genera-tive competence as “integrative systems” are creat-ed to help staff see that their contributions make adifference in reaching a shared goal. Translation:the hierarchy of information sharing that tradition-ally occurs in bureaucracies must be discarded. Inorder for staff to work as a team, all levels ofemployees must receive information about agencygoals and visions and the progress being madetoward reaching them. Strong internal PR needs tobe a part of that integrative system. An example ishaving a quarterly review of the Strategic Plan by

staff at all levels similar to the CCHSA model. Ifthe goal isn’t met, why not? What needs to be doneto meet the goal? PR can be used to share theresults agencywide, celebrate the accomplishmentsand provide encouragement in the areas of short-coming. As staff recognize their need and ability towork as a team toward a common, specific goal, ODtakes place. Staff have a big picture view of howand why their work matters. Staff become motivatedto work toward a specific target and have a cleardeadline for meeting it. Staff tend to be more moti-vated to meet that goal and provide better service.That results in a better image in the community atlarge.

Providing accurate, adequate and timely communi-cation to all staff is a challenge for most agencies.CCHSA is no exception. The agency relies on theOD specialist and her staff to assist in providingvital communication to agency employees throughnewsletters, training sessions and advising Cullenon the best way to present issues to staff. Cullendoes a monthly update for all staff. Some of the pro-motional pieces produced for the community arealso distributed to staff with a memo from Cullen.One need that has been identified is a technicalnewsletter with a fact box that would keep staff upto date on program changes and emerging trends. Inaddition, Program Directors are encouraged to sendall staff memos and conduct regular staff meetingsat their respective buildings to review progress andanswer questions. Even with this, communication isnot perfect, Cullen admits. There are times whenthe issues of concern to the public are not of equalinterest to staff.

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C O N C L U S I O N A N D R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S

“People internally are occupied with what theydo,” Cullen explained.

That is the challenge that OD and PR must over-come to create useful, effective and sustainableorganizational change in social services agencies.“People” must be moved away from being occupiedwith the “do” and become motivated to achieve thesocial services agency’s responsibility to the peopleit is mandated to serve. What agencies do is goodin and of itself. Viewed comprehensively, too muchof what agencies do is at cross-purposes and harmsclients. While OD and PR cannot change an agencyovernight, strategic use of these functions in a well-developed plan can lay the groundwork for muchneeded change over time. This occurs as clearvision is laid and adhered to, information is sharedinternally and externally and staff are developedand allowed to participate in the creation of theAgency’s future.

SSA is becoming more and more recognized as anAgency that is capable of providing leadership andinnovation in the social services arena. It truly hassome of the best and brightest minds in the fieldbeneath its roof. As welfare reform progresses, thepotential for SSA to emerge as a leader is tremen-dous and exciting. However, to reach that goal,there are many changes that need to take place.The following are recommendations for organiza-tional change from an OD and PR perspective thatcan facilitate the assent to leadership. Althoughmany worthwhile endeavors are not undertakenbecause there is a sense that funding does not exist,SSA cannot afford not to make the most of any toolthat will enable it to make the most viable changesfor its future.

• Cultural Change Commit to moving away from thecurrent problem solving culture to an apprecia-tive learning culture. As Barrett described, theproblem solving culture tends to generate morebarriers by creating “heroes” and “us v. them”competitive structures. This mentality is detri-mental to working as a team to meet theAgency’s goal and visions.

• Image assessment SSA could benefit from a com-prehensive image assessment that considershow internal and external perceptions affect itsability to garner support for programs, recruitquality staff, provide effective service to clientsand achieve political objectives. Participants inthe research portion of the study should includepolitical and community representatives as wellas clients and frontline staff.

• Agency Vision Develop a clear, long-term AgencyVision that is specific and functional in nature.This lays the groundwork for a comprehensivestrategic plan with measurable objectives, goalsand outcomes. Although an Agency StrategicPlan exists, there remains considerable frag-mentation among the departments and vague-ness in the ability to measure progress in fulfill-ing its objectives as an Agency. Further, stafffrom all levels of the Agency should have equalaccess to give input to strategy development.

• Review and rethink current training Agency train-ing should be based on meeting specific perfor-mance measures that reflect the Agency’s over-all vision. Much of current training is skillbased. Issues of attitude and vision sharing arenot addressed. Any training that does not sup-port the Agency’s organizational changes shouldbe revised or discarded.

• Become Political In keeping with the previousrecommendation, SSA needs to develop politi-cal strategies based on its mission for the localstate and national levels. SSA must become a


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proactive player in shaping the legislation andpolitical climate that affects social services.

• Develop an aggressive internal communication plan Therubber hits the road where community-basedpartners, politicians and the general public meetAgency staff. As a result, the community feels itgets one message from Agency leaders and anoth-er from Agency staff. The message: “AlamedaCounty isn’t serious about what they promise. Ifthey were, everyone would know what to do.”

R E S O U R C E S

Barrett, F. Creating Appreciative Learning Cultures.Organizational Dynamics.

DuBrow, A., Wocher, D. and Austin, M. (1999)Introducing Organizational Development (OD)Practices into a County Human Services Agency.Bay Area Social Services Consortium. Berkeley,CA.

McLagan, P. (1989). Models for HRD Practice.Alexandria, VA: American Society for Training andDevelopment.

Wocher, D. and Gonzalez, L. (1999). Evaluation andImpact of Success: Final Report. San Mateo CountyHuman Resources Agency. Belmont, CA.

County of San Mateo Human Services Agency FY1998-1999 Annual Report (1999). San MateoCounty Human Resources Agency. Belmont, CA.

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

County of San Mateo Human Services AgencyMaureen Borland, DirectorMadelyn Martin, Director of PlanningMark Lane, Regional DirectorGlen Brooks, Regional DirectorDonna Wocher, Organizational Development

SpecialistJenny Loft, Public Information Officer/

Legislative AnalystUrsula Bischoff, Research Manager, Planning &

Development

County of Contra Costa Human Services AgencyJohn Cullen, DirectorLynn Yaney, Public Information OfficerKerry Ray Chaudhuri, Division Manager,

Organizational DevelopmentAl Qatsha, Staff Development DirectorPaul Ward, Associate Planner

Public Media CenterTimothy Feder

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Appendix IHSA Organizational Structure: May 2000

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Appendix IICCC PR/Informational Pieces Samples


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Appendix IIICCC Letterhead and Business Cards


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Alameda County Social Services AgencyDEPARTMENT OF WELFARE TO WORK

MEMORANDUM

TO: Rodger Lum, Agency DirectorFROM: Tamarra L. Brown, Administrative Specialist IIDATE: January 26, 2000SUBJ: BASSC One-Day Project

SummaryI spent one day at the Monterey County Department of Social Services (DSS) to observe TeamEnhancement Training. The focus of the training is to provide participants with facilitation skillsthat can be used to increase the effectiveness of team building. Monterey County firstcontracted with the consulting firm Impaq in 1997 to provide training. Once trained, this initialgroup was commissioned to begin using the skills to work with the teams they lead and tobecome trainers for other staff members. Participants in the initial training group includedProgram Managers, Analysts and first line supervisors.

Impaq training represents one of several tools DSS is using to implement organizational/culturalchange. The Monterey County DSS Model for organizational/cultural change represents acomprehensive approach based on staff development at all levels. I recommend that theAlameda County Social Services Agency (SSA) consider adapting tools from this model toachieve sustainable change at SSA. Such tools include: an image assessment of the Agency byan outside firm to develop a single vision for organizational/cultural change; team building andmanagement training at all supervisory levels; and, a review of current training for alignment withthe Agency s vision of organizational change.

Project DescriptionThe one-day Team Enhancement training was designed to provide a refresher for managers whohad previously attended Impaq training. The group facilitators included a Staff DevelopmentSpecialist, a Clerical Supervisor and an acting Supervising Eligibility Technician. The three hadrecently completed training to become facilitators. By using Impaq s models to address issuessurrounding change, a team can overcome barriers to achieving change. The group workedthrough the following facilitation exercises during Team Enhancement Training.

Personal Accountability Model This is a model that allows individual workers to takecharge of issues in their work environment by choosing to view the issue in one of twoways: 1) Victim; 2) Accountable Worker. The Victim loop follows the pattern ofbehavior that leads to an ongoing problem in the work place such as denial, blame,rationalization and resistance. The Accountability loop introduces types of behavior thatcan be used to effectively solve problems such as ownership, forgiveness, self-examination and learning. Working through these proactive behaviors, the individualworker or unit can accomplish effective problem solving.

Zones of Change This model allows staff to look at possible reactions to change andhow they can more effectively support and facilitate positive change. There are threezones of change: 1) Punishment Zone; 2) Comfort Zone; 3) Safety Zone. The

Appendix IVOverview Memo of Monterey County Staff and Management Training Program


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Punishment Zone represents refusal to change because of fear of negative outcomes.The Comfort Zone represents what staff is used to. Staff does not feel a need to changein the Comfort Zone because the environment is familiar. The goal is to move staff tothe Safety Zone where change is not comfortable, but strategies are devised to makechanges/risks safer for the individual or group.

Wall of Fear This model helps staff to chart their progress in achieving a goal andpinpointing obstacles that hinder success. Staff use the image of a brick wall to see thatuntil they do the thing they fear, they will continue to bounce off the wall of fear andexperience defeat. Team members can plan little steps to penetrate the wall of fear andreach their goal.

Team Agreements Team Agreements are used to help the individual or team put intowriting a plan for overcoming a challenge and be held accountable for taking action. Theteam responds to questions such as What is one behavior the team needs to dodifferently to demonstrate more effective ---? or What will you need from others to makeit safe/possible to keep the agreement?

BenefitsTeam Enhancement Training offers the following benefits:• It can be used to train staff at all levels to work effectively to solve problems and meet

challenges faced by a work group or individual.• The methods promote positive communication by acknowledging the difficulties of change

while encouraging forward momentum. Changing the way staff interacts with one another iscrucial to sustainable organizational/cultural change.

• The concepts are easy to grasp and can be used in one on one coaching and development, apeer group setting, a unit meeting, or a client/worker interaction.

• The training provides people skills that can be used to develop staff at all levels forpromotion.

Background and Culture for Change at Monterey County DSSTeam Enhancement Training is part of an in-depth, comprehensive organizational/cultural changeat DSS. Managers and staff are being challenged not only to interact and to work differently butalso to change the way they think about themselves. The following factors contributed to DSSneed for organizational change:

Department Audit In 1997 Monterey County conducted an audit of DSS that focusedprimarily on the Foster Care/ Adoptive Program. Recommendations for organizationalchange throughout DSS followed.

New DSS Management Marie Glavin was named Director of DSS following the AgencyAudit. During that same time period, several new managers were hired at DSS.Because of welfare reform, the positions into which these new managers moved changeddramatically from the duties expected of their predecessors.

New County Management A new County Administrator was hired about the same timeas Glavin. The two shared a vision for bringing organizational change to DSS culture andagreed that a combination of organization and staff development measures would be themost effective means. Thus DSS has strong support from its County supervisors to takeaggressive measures to affect change.

Welfare Reform The work-based CalWORKs program demands that Social ServicesAgencies/Departments do business differently to meet the needs of their customers.

Automation Prior to the introduction of ISAWS two years ago, DSS s 650 eligibilityworkers performed all tasks by hand.

In addition to the Team Enhancement Training, other components of change implementation atDSS include:

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Management Training Senior Managers at DSS are in enrolled in an extensive courseat the Pacific Institute called Investment in Excellence for the 90s. The training focuseson the individual as the source of organizational change vs. assuming it is enough tochange the organizational structure. In addition to a three-day course that discussesissues such as How Your Mind Works and Habits and Attitudes, Phase One includesa four-week Audio Assimilation course for individual use. Phase Two of the trainingfeatures a two-day video course on topics such as Living a Purposeful Life, Building aCo-Responsible Team and Guides to Goal-Setting. Phase Two concludes with a two-week audio course for individual use. Participants continue to meet with members oftheir group as needed for support and accountability.

Monterey County also offers all managers Zinger Miller Training through its LeadershipAcademy. The Zinger Miller training is designed to teach executives how to coach,facilitate and mentor their staff.

Department Image Assessment Armanasco Public Relations, Inc. (APR) was retainedin 1999 to do a three-month research project assessing DSS s image. The purpose ofthe research was to examine three areas identified by DSS as trouble spots within theoverall organization that needed change. These areas were 1) Internal and ExternalImage; 2) Staff Recruitment; 3) Foster/Adoptive Parent Program. For the purpose of theAPR study, DSS staff, other County employees and members from a wide spectrum ofthe community were interviewed. Armanasco s proposal for the assessment is attachedto this document. Results of the research will be shared with staff and used to furtherguide change.

Recommendations for Alameda County Social Services AgencyI recommend that Alameda County explore the possibility of adopting aspects of the DSS Modelfor organizational change and development. These include:

Image assessment The Agency could benefit from a comprehensive image assessmentthat considers how internal and external perceptions affect its ability to garner support forprograms, recruit quality staff, provide effective service to clients and achieve politicalobjectives. Participants in the research portion of the study should include political andcommunity representatives as well as clients and frontline staff. Based on this study, theAgency could best gauge the areas where change is most necessary.

Team Enhancement Training Explore piloting the Impaq training or similar teambuilding training that allows front line supervisors to become adept group facilitators andwork team managers. The pilot group could consist of a department, a division or a fewunits of staff.

A Comprehensive Review of Existing Training Staff training offered through theAgency and other sources should be reviewed in light of a single vision fororganizational/cultural change. Any training that does not support the Agency in makingthe needed changes should be revised or discarded.

I will explore cultural/organizational change as part of my ongoing BASSC project and anticipaterefinements and additions to these recommendations as the level of research broadens. Shouldyou have any questions regarding the material in this document or possible areas for furtherresearch, please contact me at 267-(2)9433.


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ConclusionThe Monterey County DSS Model represents a well-thought out, comprehensive model fororganizational change that recognizes staff development is crucial for sustained results. Theextensive training that focuses on individual behavior represents a commitment to making changefrom the very core of the organization — its people. The inclusion of front line supervisors inreceiving and facilitating training represents a unique approach that helps to ensure significantownership and acceptance of change.

Attachments

C: Jill L Esperance, Deputy Director Kathy Archuleta, Director of Welfare to Work Barbara Weiss, BASSC

Documents

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE FROM AN OD AND PR PERSPECTIVE