Arenas

Back to Facility Manager Contents

Back to Home

Over a period of about four years, our facility complex was effectively put up for sale (due to operating losses and a significant capital deficit), only to be saved at the 11th hour by the regional level of government. A year later, the regional government and the 11 other municipalities under its governance were amalgamated into a single, unified municipal government.

Three mayors, seven city managers and four department heads later, we were right back where we started from, and still waiting for yet another new department head and yet another corporate restructuring. Oh, one more thing: during that time we eradicated a $1.2 million (CDN) operating deficit and secured approximately$15 million in new capital funding. One of the keys to our success has been change in our organizational culture.

If experience counts for anything, I now consider myself somewhat of an authority on the topic of organizational culture. Specifically, I’ve come to truly understand the overwhelming significance of the culture in which we work and conduct our business. I’ve learned through the school of hard knocks and through self-directed study; not exhaustive research by any means but enough to find the most common denominators shared by the real experts in the field.

My most meaningful experiences evolved during the time period described above. But the journey and the lessons continue, because the more adversity you face, the greater the challenge to your organizational culture.

In our old city culture, staff was often held out as a disposable resource, a necessary evil not to be trusted. There was obvious disharmony between senior management and Council. The environment was autocratic, authoritarian and restrictive.

Under regional governance, employees were empowered, trusted, respected, even valued. And it wasn’t subtle. Senior management walked the talk and staff atall levels walked tall and proud.

I wish I could say that the momentum of constructive change has prevailed in this new amalgamated city, but that’s not the case. It’s still a work in progress and I remain hopeful and even optimistic for a return to the ways under regional governance, because that is where the best lessons were learned. We’ve worked hard to apply these lessons in our facility and with the help of key senior managers in the municipality, we’re making great progress in our quest.

I’d like to share with you a few of my favorite sources and key learning points, the notes that I have come to rely upon in this journey to sustaining our desired organizational culture.

Attitude
Keith Harrell teaches us that Attitude is Everything! As individuals, we are empowered to create our own environment. As managers, we have enormous influence on our work environment, and it all starts with attitude. A positive attitude can inject tremendous energy into any workplace. It permeates every aspect of our lives. Accentuate the positive. Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.

Values
Ken Blanchard (Gung Ho!) and Luke DeSadeleer (Vitamin C for the Workplace), among others, emphasize the significance of values in any organization. Values guide our individual behaviors just as they guide the behavior of your organization. It stands to reason that people who work from the same basic values will work together better and create a more effective organization.

Teamwork
Ken Blanchard (High Five) devotes an entire book to the importance of teamwork. The benefits should be self-evident but it’s easy to take this concept for granted. Your facility probably has several teams already but how do they fit into the big picture? Do they understand and appreciate the roles and responsibilities of the other teams? Do their skills compliment each other? Are they committed to common purpose?

Communication
Communication is the key to understandings well as being understood. How well and how often do you communicate with your staff about your organization’s mission statement, roles and responsibilities, and values? How do they feel about the organization? Sometimes the first step unbecoming a good communicator is to stop talking. Learn to listen. Learn to communicate with your staff, not just to them.

People
Many organizations proclaim that their people are their most important resource. Most of us would agree with that in principle. But do we practice what we preach? Take a quick look at your budget. How much do you spend on maintaining your facilities, furniture, equipment and building systems? How much do you spend on staff training and development or employee wellness (not just the negotiated or legislated benefits you provide)? When financial pressures arise and you need to reduce so-called discretionary spending, where do you look for savings? Does your spending behavior truly reflect the value you place on your personnel?

Fun
Ian Percy (The Eleven Commandments of Teams) puts the exclamation point on his first 10 commandments by simply saying, "Have fun!” And if you’ve ever been to the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, you know what having fun at work is all about.

Doesn’t it make sense that if we enjoy what we’re doing, we’ll be more successful? And being successful should make our work more fun, right?

These are just a few of my favorite lessons from my favourite sources. And the more I read and the more I listen, the stronger these common messages become.

There is so much more to being an effective organization than developing skills. Our attitude and values, if properly communicated, can help to bring our people together as highly effective and skilled teams.

This is the culture of the organization, defined by the shared values and fundamental beliefs of all of its members as they work toward a common goal. It is demonstrated by their behavior and it is absolutely reflected in your bottom line. For me, it was a hard lesson learned.

Richard “Rick” Haycock, CFE, is general manager ofLansdowne Park in Ottawa, Ontario. He can be reachedat richard.haycock@ottawa.ca.