TURNING THE SHIP AROUND

- Change Management at Housing Authorities-

Housing authorities throughout the nation are experiencing dramatic change. With new and ever changing H.U.D. and state regulations, decreasing resources, increasing workload and fast advancing technology, the public housing industry continues to struggle with the evolution from transactional to strategic process improvement. As we talk to Housing Authority executives in every area of the country we continue to hear the same story. Everywhere in public housing the stresses of managing this change process can be seen.  How can we keep up with the increased demands while we continue to experience cut-backs? How can we maintain acceptable levels of client service, retain our best employees and maintain a motivated workforce? How can we decrease the stresses of the present environment?

There are no simple answers to these questions. However, they can be overcome when a Housing Authority and its’ leadership decides to embrace change. The successful Housing Authorities overcame the obstacles by understanding and perfecting the process of CHANGE MANAGEMENT. Change management is not a phrase used to explain changing the way we do our jobs, it engages not simply what we do in our jobs, but how we view them. The process of change can not be ignored, denied, or resisted. The simple fact is that change will occur, with or without us. To quote a well known television series, “Resistance is futile.” By committing to a change process in Housing Authorities  significant improvements will take place. By the way, the process doesn’t have to be expensive and doesn’t have to take years to implement.

An honest assessment of where your organization stands is a great starting point. Our experience and research has revealed that most organizational problems fall into one of three buckets: RESOURCES, PROCESS or PEOPLE. Once you place the issues into the appropriate bucket the solutions become much clearer and the frustrations decrease. Below are five major areas from which to begin your journey for public housing agencies to succeed in the present and future:

• Set the procedural house in order

Many housing authorities are attempting to create a new house on an old foundation. They are still following the same internal guidelines and procedures which reinforced a transactional environment while attempting to evolve beyond transactional thinking. Any positive change will always be hard pressed when the borders within which we operate do not encourage creative thought. Review, assess and when necessary change policies and procedures to encourage creative thinking.

• Appropriately staff and re-training

In many of the authorities we have worked with, they quite simply do not have the right people doing the right job, or the staff hasn’t been provided adequate training to encourage maximum productivity. The expectations are often not clearly defined and there is little accountability when an employee doesn’t perform. Many managers are not trained to manage, with many being promoted to manager simply because they did the actual job well as employees. The fact is that the skills one needs to be a boiler operator are drastically different than the skills needed to manage boiler operators. Teach managers to manage people not fix boilers.

• Utilize technology

Today’s technology allows us to do more with less. The speed, accuracy and abilities of the computer age must be used to create a more productive workforce. This means not just encouraging employees to use the technology but requiring it. Make sure employees learn how technology should be used to make their jobs easier. Granted, the beginning of this process will present some issues, but the end result will be less manual labor and more efficiency within the environment. Most times this will not involve re-inventing the wheel, just learning how to drive the car. Find and utilize technology, decrease manual processes when possible and expect increased productivity.

• Eliminate the entitlement mentality

Although there is great value in experience, no one should feel entitled to a job. Employees must understand that their continued employment will not be based on the fact that they have been in the position, but must be conditional upon their continued value to the organization. Thus the need for a well defined and enforced performance based evaluation system. There must be clearly defined goals, expectations and accountabilities. Hold all levels of the organization accountable for that which they are expected to do. Systems which pay employees and reward them with pay raises simply because they lived another year discourages creative thinking, encourages apathy and negatively affects moral. In other words, if a machine is not making some noise it may not be because it is running perfectly, it just may not be running. Work toward a performance based system.

• Focus considerable effort on client focus and employee respect

Prior to working with Housing Authorities our staff spent considerable time sitting in the waiting rooms of a number of public housing entities. Unfortunately, what we observed in too many cases was an appalling lack of respect for the clients and each other. This statement, by no means, indicates that every authority or even most functions that way. However, our personal experiences reinforced the thought that the focus was on transactions and not people.  At times, we tend to forget that if not for the clients and their needs, we wouldn’t have a job. Authority leadership must constantly reinforce the philosophy that every person who walks through our doors is a human being, with hopes and dreams and visions of a clean, safe and secure home. Successful housing authorities work together with the populations they service. They solicit and respect the opinions of the clients; they seek them out for input and suggestions and improve accordingly. Treat every client and co-worker with respect and dignity.

I am in no way making a sweeping statement about the industry, so please do not take our recommendations personally. These are quite simply areas to assess and places to look for improvements. Many times these areas are the low hanging fruit and can be improved effectively and yield significant benefits. Housing authorities continue to be faced with immense challenges, now and in the future. Those who will overcome them will do so because they have embraced the changes that are inevitable. They have respect for themselves, their co-workers and the clients they serve. Most importantly, have common goals, commitment to improving and willingness to change.

This article was written by, Ricardo (Rico) H. Correia, President of  Centaur Consulting. Centaur Consulting is a business consulting firm working with housing authorities, public agencies and private corporations on improving workplace productivity. For more information on our services contact:

Ricardo Correia -201-923-1428    Ted Williams- 609-799-3272

Or visit our website at: www.centaurconsultinginc.com