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Team Excellence
Team Excellence NEWSLETTERThe Team Excellence Newsletter is published every month. Current and past issues are available on the web. History of Team ExcellenceDuring the past 10 years, Facilities Division has been engaged in a program entitled TEAM Excellence. Program goals are to improve communications at work, provide better customer service and make everyone’s job more enjoyable. Over time this program has evolved to become a transformation of culture. On March 14, 2001, Facilities Division leaders, a group of 35, introduced the entire staff to the program. Later that month, the leadership group received facilitator training to lead 50 idea generation workshops for the more than 600 employees. The workshops generated many new ideas. In June 2001, the leadership group was expanded to 90 members to include all supervisory staff. The group received training to act as facilitators during 14 employee feedback sessions. Since that time they have continued to meet on a quarterly basis to demonstrate commitment to the Facilities Division mission / vision and work on the TEAM Excellence action items. The entire staff met on September 6, 2001 to hear progress reports and plan for the future. A number of action items were identified and prioritized that relate to improved operations, customer service, communication skills, equipment and procedures. Many of the ideas had already been implemented. On May 27, 2004, the entire staff came together to hear about further progress and receive their own name badge backer with an updated mission and vision statement on one side and core values on the other. Employees were instructed to wear their name badges and backers while at work to let the campus know who they are and to have a daily and personal reminder of Facilities’ mission / vision / core values. All new hires receive the same instruction through a video presentation from the Chancellor and the Associate Vice Chancellor. Continuing its pursuit of excellence, the Facilities Division applied for and was awarded the 2007 APPA Award for Excellence in Facilities Management. It is APPA’s highest institutional honor and provides educational institutions the opportunity for international recognition for their outstanding achievements in facilities management. APPA is an international organization dedicated to maintaining protecting, and promoting the quality of educational facilities. The organization represents more than 1,500 learning institutions. Facilities Division schedules team building luncheons on a monthly basis. Lunches, which are opened to all employees, increase awareness of mission and improve internal communication. All employees receive TEAM Excellence updates through monthly newsletters and at the annual December Luncheon where a number of individuals are recognized for their achievements. The leadership team, which has grown to 115 members with the growth in staff, meets quarterly to work on issues of concern. Members are encouraged to share meeting results with their staffs and instill TEAM Excellence values. In 2009, 25 senior leaders met on three occasions to brainstorm ways to bring the organization to a higher level of performance and inclusivity. The brainstorming sessions resulted in a series of leadership team meetings in 2010 at which the members met in small groups to discuss ways that all 800+ Facilities employees would want to take personal ownership of. The goals they identified to Improve the Organization were:
In 2011 leadership team members will be working on the following issues:
Our journey towards TEAM Excellence continues. |