This presentation reviews ways that a Public Works Department could change due to leadership or organizational revisions.

1. Florida Public Works Institute
APWA Florida Chapter
Charles R. (Chas) Jordan
M.P.A., P.W.E., F.M.P., ENV SP, LEED GA
President, Radiant Training & Consulting
Public Works Director, City of Madeira Beach
Leadership and Organizational
Change

2. Core Competency: Leads an Organization
• In this Competency –
• We discuss ways Public Works Departments Change
• Why they Change
• How can we manage it effectively
• Leadership and Organizational Change is not always
done by us
• Hardest to communicate benefits of

3. Class Exercise – Organizational Change
• Tell us about an
organizational change that
has occurred in your city /
county or in your
department since you’ve
been with that
organization

4. Leadership /
Organizational
Change
Examples
Change in Leadership (New Director /
Manager)
Splitting off of a Department
Outsourcing a Service or Program
Consolidation or Splitting up of a Division /
Program
Change in Service Delivery

5. Change of Leadership
•In a leadership change the following
may occur:
•Different priorities or direction
•Different leadership style
•New Expectations

6. Example of a Change in Leadership
•Long-time Public Works Director
retires…new person is hired to take
their place
•What are some things to expect or
plan for?

7. Splitting off of a Department
• Splitting off of Departments could be:
• Taking an specific role and elevating to a Department
level (common with Engineering Divisions, Central
Services)
• This could mean:
• Changes in the way work is processed
• New requirements for teamwork and cooperation
• Need to manage multiple leadership styles

8. Traditional Public Works Department
Director
Assistant
Director -
Engineering
Chief of
Engineering
Chief of
Wastewater
Operations
Assistant
Director -
Operation
Maintenance
Superintendent

9. New Departments
Public Works
Department
Solid Waste
Operations
Administration
Engineering
Department
Engineering
Administration
Everything
Else

10. Outsourcing a Service or Program
•In this change you can experience:
•Changing Service Expectations
•Contract Management needs
•Customer Service changes
•Expectations on delivery

11. Consolidation or Splitting Up
•Consolidation or Splitting Up could be:
•Making Fleet and Facilities one division
•Splitting Operations into various specific
areas
•In this change you can experience:
• Leadership Style Differences
• Initial Confusion on Technical Needs and Skills
• Different reporting relationships

12. Change in Service Delivery
•Change in Service Delivery could be:
•Reducing Solid Waste routes
•Additional Street Sweeping requirements
•In this change you can experience:
•Customer Service Expectations
•Budgetary Changes
•Process Changes and Differences

13. So how do we deal?
1. Remember that not all change is bad
2. Understand that growth, change, and differences
are going to occur no matter how much we may
not understand their need
3. Look for the opportunities, not focusing on the
difficulties
4. Remember that change can always be reversed
5. You have to try, to succeed.

14. Change Cycle

15. Change of Leadership - Strategies
1. Be Open and Honest with the New Leader
2. Expect Changes, Prepare your Staff and others
accordingly
3. Prepare a list of things you would like to change
4. Prepare a list of things that work well and you feel
should not change
5. Have a frank discussion with the new leader and build a
positive relationship from the get go.

16. Splitting off of a Department - Strategies
1. Develop and Communicate a Thorough
Implementation Plan
2. Institute new Communication Methods where ones
were currently not working and will work less due
to new structure
3. Set regular update meetings with needed parties
4. Process map out basic needed processes to plan for
changes

17. Outsourcing a Service - Strategies
1. Determine specifications for needed service prior to
switching
2. Develop a contract management and inspection
methodology
3. Verify and document service expectations and standards
4. Perform pilot tests
5. Analyze results early to determine viability and financial
well-being

18. Consolidation or Splitting Up - Strategies
1. Do a walk through or day long review of operations of
areas being consolidated for all personnel
2. Create, Communicate and Execute an Implementation
Plan
3. Review reasons for the consolidation and plan tactics
that will make it worth while
4. Have regular team meetings early on to evaluate the
process and places that need to be improved

19. Change in Service Delivery - Strategies
1. Public Meetings and Review to guarantee
this is what the public wants
2. Pilot Tests / Implementation Plans
3. Review a Potential Pros/Cons of the Change
with all staff
4. Have a clear, concise, and impactful
communication strategy to residents

20. QUESTIONS?