The Challenge

In 1998, Congress passed legislation called the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). This act fundamentally changed the way the Government views service delivery in the Labor arena. WIA seeks to change the bureaucracy’s view of service from a deliverer of benefits (i.e., welfare, unemployment, etc.) to a “work-first” mentality. Staff is to emphasize re-employment vs. unemployment – training is emphasized, and customer focus is the new paradigm. Government “silos” are to be broken down so customers can visit any office and get “one-stop” service delivery (rather than referrals to numerous different programs or departments). WIA forced the development of new technology tools (Web-based) to allow customers to self-provision service, as well as enable multiple agencies to share centralized customer case management data, in order to foster the new One-Stop Career Center System. Accordingly, significant investments at both the Federal and State levels were made in technology tools with some early good results (in terms of the public’s use of these tools).

Unfortunately, some in the public workforce were slow to embrace new tools and ways of doing business. Executives in the State of New Jersey’s Department of Labor came to us with this problem, and asked us how to break down resistance to new technology.

The Turn Point Solution

We designed a change management intervention that focused attention on daily work processes in NJ’s One-Stop Career Centers. Using work teams comprised of local management and front line staff, as well as representatives from labor and business organizations, we mapped core work processes, and challenged the team to devise new, more efficient ways to accomplish work and deliver customer value using new technology-based tools. The OSPIP team produced a series of recommendations to adopt technology tools in service delivery, and documented work processes for “best practice” application of numerous technology tools in step-by-step customer interactions – creating a template for technology integration and training for local offices throughout the state.

The OSPIP project was awarded the Showcase Award - “First Place Technology Integration“ by the United States Department of Labor at their national Joint Employment and Technology Conference (JETT CON).

Maher & Maher is currently engaged in new application of our OS-PIP change methodology in the U.S. and internationally.

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