Leading a Multi-Sector Workforce: Challenges, Competence and Conversation
At the Knowledge Café, Hannah Sistare, a vice president at the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) and Barbara Smith, principal at the Council for Excellence in Government, convened a group to discuss the multi-sector workforce. The knowledge café offered a new format for Excellence in Government --
rather than a panel discussion, we were seated at tables of 4-10 people, and we rotated around the room twice.
Barbara encouraged us to write or doodle ideas, questions, etc on the table before us, which was covered with paper.
At each table we were given a question to discuss. Here’s one of the questions from the session: “As a government leader of a project, organization, or team, what major challenges do you face or anticipate as a leader of a multi-sector workforce?
Here’s another: “Leaders, by the nature of their role and positions, are responsible for getting results through people. What important talents, skills, attitudes and knowledge do we keep to make us effective in leading a multi-sector workforce?”
There was a great deal of talk about the relationship between contractors and career government professionals, as well as between military and civilian personnel. Different work rules, security clearances, pay and benefits.
Some other issues that kept popping up:
- Dissatisfaction with SES – The group seemed to agree that the SES is antiquated in a number of ways. One example: flexible schedules.
- Diversity of experience as a value for leadership – Exposing leaders to diverse situations, different field sites, contractor workforces, etc. Rotations, work details, and stretch assignments were cited as models.
- Overcoming resistance to managerial and leadership development. Still a lot of prejudice against it, inertia.
- The Multi-generational workforce -- the young working alongside the older and the retiring.
- Federal sector needs to better understand other constituencies in the multi-sector workforce.
- Teamwork – again, civilian and military was a major theme here.
NAPA plans to take these themes, along with the table writings, back to headquarters and post them on the NAPA website.
First, thanks to Hannah Sistare and Barbara Smith for hosting this important topic. Many of us have been working side by side with contract staff for years. A conversation about such relationships offers an opportunity to rethink our assumptions and approach relationships in more fruitful ways.
I am wondering if other blog readers have something to contribute about knowledge management issues that can arise among sectors. In the past ten years, there have been two "Groundhog Day" situations, when, although a critical business process was explained several times (or a key set of facts was provided upon request), the information never made it into the contractor team's knowledge base.
The requesting individual demonstrates understanding but then rolls off the contract, and we have to start again from scratch. This has happened with seasoned individuals who work for successful firms that are household names in the Washington area. It's wildly inefficient. I'm at a loss to understand how a successful business's culture could tolerate KM that is so offhand, when it is a major key to success. Thoughts, anyone?