Scope of Work:

With a wider range of programs and a need to deliver simpler, more responsive health, human services and job programs through a customer oriented, "one-stop" service center, the Ohio Department of Human Services found it imperative to change the way it worked. The strategy called for coordinating program development and implementation more closely among numerous State agencies.  This, in turn, meant new ways of working for their more than 1000 employees.

Critical to successful achievement of their programmatic goals was the development of their employees and the overarching need to begin to change the culture within the Department.  They believed the keys to doing this were to establish a common language, and have every employee take responsibility for their own development, in line with the agency's mission and their personal goals.  This, in itself, was counter culture.

They called on Sterling Institute to assist them in developing a system for their employees to use to increase experience and competence needed to meet both personal and professional goals, integrating development activities within the framework of meeting ODHS's mission.

Accomplishments:

All 1000 plus employees, participated in one of Sterling Institute's programs, either Developing People for executives and managers or Directing Your Development for individual contributors.  They built alignment around the need for development and for self-direction, creating an environment which aligns individual development goals with organizational goals, assisting employees to keep pace with changing jobs and new technology.

Employees had personal action plans for development.  One comment from a participant suggests that development truly has become self-directed:  "This is the exact tool needed to do a self-evaluation and then set goals and objectives".

Response to these seminars was so favorable the ODHS Bureau of Personnel Development offered follow-up training for all participants.  In addition to providing reinforcement of key concepts, this training assessed progress in meeting goals and reassessed strengths and improvement opportunities.  Development is a continuous process in this rapidly changing environment.