On March 4, 2010, Conversations with American Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a conversation with Sergeant William Wilkerson, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, on Lean Six Sigma for Law Enforcement.
Program Date: March 4, 2010
Program Time: 1530 Hours Pacific
Topic: Lean Six Sigma for Law Enforcement
Listen Live: http://www.americanheroesradio.com/lean_six_sigma_law_enforcement.html
http://events.linkedin.com/Lean-Six-Sigma-Law-Enforcement/pub/221086
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Chain of Command and its Effect on Empowering Employees
Lean Six Sigma has special challenges in organizations that have a military styled rank structures. I have personally experienced this as a representive of a law enforcement agency and as a military guardsman. Recently, I have had the good fortune of making the acquaintance or Retired Colonel Billy Asbell, former Director for the Air National Guard's Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century program (AFSO21). AFSO21 is the Air Force program geared towards Lean Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement methodologies used for years in the public sector. For a more detailed breakdown of the AFSO21 program, this link may prove helpful:
https://acc.dau.mil/CommunityBrowser.aspx?id=140227&lang=en-US
Since getting to get to know Colonel Asbell, I was inclined to draw from his years of experience in the military, coupled with his expertise as Director of the AFSO21 program. He was kind enough to give a response to an email that I sent him regarding rank structure and its effect on empowering employees towards continuous improvement. He graciously allowed me to post that email to this blog. For that I am forever grateful. Leadership such as his is what has made, and continues to make, the United States of America the greatest country in the world. Below are the details of the email, titled:
Chain of Command and its Effect on Empowering Employees
Colonel, as you may know, law enforcement is considered to be "para-military" in that it has a rank structure, consisting of line personnel, Sergeants, Lieutenants, Assistant Chiefs, Chiefs, Directors, etc. I am curious of what someone with your extensive background in CPI could offer as insight as to how the rank structure effects empowerment of the line officers and middle ranks, and how it it relates to CPI. This seems to be a major issue and something that is holding several agencies back from making major leaps forward with its culture change.
Basically, what does an empowered employee look like in a large rank structured organization, how should leaders learn to recognize these traits, and how do we foster that culture to get us out of the "yes man" mentality that the rank structure claims it needs to keep order?
Here is Colonel Asbell's Response:
Billy - you are right - this is a challenge and it takes leadership committment from the top to make it work.
First you have to get leadership - at all levels - to buy off on the idea that "if they had the answer they would just put it in place - if it is a problem obviously then they don't have the answer so they have to support what ever the subject matter experts come up with..." This is hard but it works. I have seen process owners say this but not do it when the decisions are hard - nothing changes. I have seen ones that mean what they say and hold the team resposible if their solutions don't work to fix them so they will and success goes thru the roof. Here is the approach i take.
1 - when the problem is identified sit down the the process owner and write out a charter for process improvement. You can usually tell in the meeting if they really think it is a problem or if someone told them it was a problem. I normally tell them right then - you have to let the subject matter experts fix this because you don't have the answer - you, as the process owner have to tell them that you don't have the answer and that you will try/accept any solution they provide as long as it does not violate safety and/or cost over x amount of dollars. I state - if you can't do this without reservation then we don't need to address the issue now.
2 - when you have that committment then I do some awareness training with the supervisors - since I will use the front line workers to change the process - I want the supervisors to understand what is going to happen and how they need to support it. I like to do the airplane exercise with them (sure Linda taught you that) so they can see how things can be broken. It is fun to add some goofy rules to the exercise so they can see the impact of policy.
3 - on the first day of the project - the process owner and any supervisors should all meet with the team members and empower them - I usually draft out key points for them to say. The main ones are 1) you are the experts 2) you know what works 3) this is broken I can't fix it 4) I need solutions from you 5) I will support your solutions as long as they do not violate safety or cost over x dollars. The last statement should be "I expect you to fix this problem."
4 - if you do an RIE the mid week vector check with the process owner should be positive - you need to brief the process owner on the key changes being discussed PRIOR to the meeting and tell them they CANNOT MAKE ANY NEGATIVE COMMENTS - "we can't do that, that is stupid, what are you smoking, etc." All comments should be directed at them being on track or not based on the charter - and discussion of the discussion looks very good.
5 - outbrief - the process owner has to go in with acceptance in mind - they have to say - this looks good - I am behind you getting this done - they should know who the team leader is and turn to them and say - I am holding you accountable for success of this change. It works great when they set a review schedule in the meeting. The process owner needs to say to the team - if your solutions don't work - I want you to continue to work until you fix this - turning back is not an option.
6 - Then there is the follow up - you or whomever is the CPI lead needs to make sure a tracking mechinism is in place so that you leadership champion can hold the process owners accountable for their projects.
Finally, you have to look at the CPI or LSS projects as outside the chain activities - the only command structure is focused on the process owner and up to the champion. Consider it a detail in LEAN terms - these folks have this side detail that reports thru a different chain. It does work.
Hope that helps.
Billy (aka George "Billy" Asbell, Colonel, USAF, Retired)
Colonel Asbell's profile can be found on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/in/billyasbell
https://acc.dau.mil/CommunityBrowser.aspx?id=140227&lang=en-US
Since getting to get to know Colonel Asbell, I was inclined to draw from his years of experience in the military, coupled with his expertise as Director of the AFSO21 program. He was kind enough to give a response to an email that I sent him regarding rank structure and its effect on empowering employees towards continuous improvement. He graciously allowed me to post that email to this blog. For that I am forever grateful. Leadership such as his is what has made, and continues to make, the United States of America the greatest country in the world. Below are the details of the email, titled:
Chain of Command and its Effect on Empowering Employees
Colonel, as you may know, law enforcement is considered to be "para-military" in that it has a rank structure, consisting of line personnel, Sergeants, Lieutenants, Assistant Chiefs, Chiefs, Directors, etc. I am curious of what someone with your extensive background in CPI could offer as insight as to how the rank structure effects empowerment of the line officers and middle ranks, and how it it relates to CPI. This seems to be a major issue and something that is holding several agencies back from making major leaps forward with its culture change.
Basically, what does an empowered employee look like in a large rank structured organization, how should leaders learn to recognize these traits, and how do we foster that culture to get us out of the "yes man" mentality that the rank structure claims it needs to keep order?
Here is Colonel Asbell's Response:
Billy - you are right - this is a challenge and it takes leadership committment from the top to make it work.
First you have to get leadership - at all levels - to buy off on the idea that "if they had the answer they would just put it in place - if it is a problem obviously then they don't have the answer so they have to support what ever the subject matter experts come up with..." This is hard but it works. I have seen process owners say this but not do it when the decisions are hard - nothing changes. I have seen ones that mean what they say and hold the team resposible if their solutions don't work to fix them so they will and success goes thru the roof. Here is the approach i take.
1 - when the problem is identified sit down the the process owner and write out a charter for process improvement. You can usually tell in the meeting if they really think it is a problem or if someone told them it was a problem. I normally tell them right then - you have to let the subject matter experts fix this because you don't have the answer - you, as the process owner have to tell them that you don't have the answer and that you will try/accept any solution they provide as long as it does not violate safety and/or cost over x amount of dollars. I state - if you can't do this without reservation then we don't need to address the issue now.
2 - when you have that committment then I do some awareness training with the supervisors - since I will use the front line workers to change the process - I want the supervisors to understand what is going to happen and how they need to support it. I like to do the airplane exercise with them (sure Linda taught you that) so they can see how things can be broken. It is fun to add some goofy rules to the exercise so they can see the impact of policy.
3 - on the first day of the project - the process owner and any supervisors should all meet with the team members and empower them - I usually draft out key points for them to say. The main ones are 1) you are the experts 2) you know what works 3) this is broken I can't fix it 4) I need solutions from you 5) I will support your solutions as long as they do not violate safety or cost over x dollars. The last statement should be "I expect you to fix this problem."
4 - if you do an RIE the mid week vector check with the process owner should be positive - you need to brief the process owner on the key changes being discussed PRIOR to the meeting and tell them they CANNOT MAKE ANY NEGATIVE COMMENTS - "we can't do that, that is stupid, what are you smoking, etc." All comments should be directed at them being on track or not based on the charter - and discussion of the discussion looks very good.
5 - outbrief - the process owner has to go in with acceptance in mind - they have to say - this looks good - I am behind you getting this done - they should know who the team leader is and turn to them and say - I am holding you accountable for success of this change. It works great when they set a review schedule in the meeting. The process owner needs to say to the team - if your solutions don't work - I want you to continue to work until you fix this - turning back is not an option.
6 - Then there is the follow up - you or whomever is the CPI lead needs to make sure a tracking mechinism is in place so that you leadership champion can hold the process owners accountable for their projects.
Finally, you have to look at the CPI or LSS projects as outside the chain activities - the only command structure is focused on the process owner and up to the champion. Consider it a detail in LEAN terms - these folks have this side detail that reports thru a different chain. It does work.
Hope that helps.
Billy (aka George "Billy" Asbell, Colonel, USAF, Retired)
Colonel Asbell's profile can be found on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/in/billyasbell
Friday, January 8, 2010
Are you a leader, or do you just outrank other people?
Those in positions of authority have the ability to forge the belief system within those they outrank and are meant to serve. When the belief system is one of trust and respect great things can happen...these are key ingredients of servant leadership. When the belief system falls to the level of fear of retaliation and distrust, catastrophic results can occur quickly...hence the arrival of the "yes man" culture. Remember, the higher your rank, the more weight your words and actions have on the belief system within those you outrank...choose your words and actions carefully, as the crew is watching and listening closely to everything you say and do.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Social Media is Changing the Way We Work
You've heard all the latest buzzwords going around the office...Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Youtube, Flickr, the list goes on, and on, and on. Many of us have transitioned from hearing these buzzwords, better known as social media sites or networks, to being active participants in their usage. In a recent meeting with some of my agency's top executives, one of them inquired about the usage of social media by employees during work hours. While the details of that conversation are interesting, the more important aspect is that social media is now becoming a part of our culture; regardless if it is endorsed by the agency or not.
Seeing such monumental advancements in such communications media, causes me to ask the question...How will social media change the way law enforcement, the judicial system, or businesses and corporations around the globe do day to day business? Let me be clear as to what I am trying to get across. I'm not saying that every company should endorse employees use of social media at work, or that every company start a Facebook page. What I am wondering is if this type of social media, this engagement of employees, can be capitalized in a way that could make the way we do the business of law enforcement change forever. How can we turn the way we communicate internally and externally, into something that our employees, along with our judicial partners, embrace. How can a social network assist in creating a "LEAN" law enforcement culture?
It seems the more I ask these seemingly obvious questions, the more interesting the concept becomes. Let's forward twenty years or so. Every agency has a website, every officer has a blog, every employee interacts with eachother and the judicial system staff through a social network. Same goes for every business from Microsoft, to Google, to Joe's fish market on the corner. Every cell phone will have internet as a standard feature, along with GPS, and any other advanced feature of today. Cell phones will never have "dead spots." Every five year old will have a cell phone before registering for kindergarten. Home phones will be virtually non existent, as they will be replaced with cell phones, also known as smart phones. Every major corporation will have custom made applications specific to their employees and customer markets. Every vehicle manufactured will have a SIM card, allowing it to be tracked in real time by either the owner, or by law enforcement if stolen. Google maps will be in real time availability for law enforcement, and be able to be rewound to capture specifics to crimes that have occurred; I call this "virtual surveillance." The possibilities are limited only to the imagination...where do you see technology fitting in with your agency?
The key to the story is this, change in the way we do business is occurring whether we like it or not. The best thing for us all is to learn new technologies, and learn how to use them to the betterment of our agencies, and the communities we serve. For an interesting illustration of how social networking it now a part of culture visit http://www.theconversationprism.com/, it is quite impressive.
Seeing such monumental advancements in such communications media, causes me to ask the question...How will social media change the way law enforcement, the judicial system, or businesses and corporations around the globe do day to day business? Let me be clear as to what I am trying to get across. I'm not saying that every company should endorse employees use of social media at work, or that every company start a Facebook page. What I am wondering is if this type of social media, this engagement of employees, can be capitalized in a way that could make the way we do the business of law enforcement change forever. How can we turn the way we communicate internally and externally, into something that our employees, along with our judicial partners, embrace. How can a social network assist in creating a "LEAN" law enforcement culture?
It seems the more I ask these seemingly obvious questions, the more interesting the concept becomes. Let's forward twenty years or so. Every agency has a website, every officer has a blog, every employee interacts with eachother and the judicial system staff through a social network. Same goes for every business from Microsoft, to Google, to Joe's fish market on the corner. Every cell phone will have internet as a standard feature, along with GPS, and any other advanced feature of today. Cell phones will never have "dead spots." Every five year old will have a cell phone before registering for kindergarten. Home phones will be virtually non existent, as they will be replaced with cell phones, also known as smart phones. Every major corporation will have custom made applications specific to their employees and customer markets. Every vehicle manufactured will have a SIM card, allowing it to be tracked in real time by either the owner, or by law enforcement if stolen. Google maps will be in real time availability for law enforcement, and be able to be rewound to capture specifics to crimes that have occurred; I call this "virtual surveillance." The possibilities are limited only to the imagination...where do you see technology fitting in with your agency?
The key to the story is this, change in the way we do business is occurring whether we like it or not. The best thing for us all is to learn new technologies, and learn how to use them to the betterment of our agencies, and the communities we serve. For an interesting illustration of how social networking it now a part of culture visit http://www.theconversationprism.com/, it is quite impressive.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tips on Better Law Enforcement Data Integration, By Stephen G. Serrao, Captain, New Jersey State Police (ret.)
Tips on Better Law Enforcement Data Integration
By Stephen G. Serrao, Captain, New Jersey State Police (ret.)
In the aftermath of 9/11, many law enforcement agencies sought to establish new data repositories to capture information, such as Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR, also known as Tips & Leads), Organized Crime Intelligence, Counter-terrorism Intelligence, and even Web-based and electronic document open-source data. There was a strong focus on collecting new and previously unknown information.
The last three years has seen a shift, however. Quite a few agencies – perhaps a result of the growth of Fusion Centers – are equally interested in setting up information management systems that can mine existing data repositories that they have been populating with records for many years.
A big reason for this shift may have to do with N-DEX (National Data Exchange), the FBI’s criminal justice information-sharing platform. N-DEX is a national system that enables law enforcement agencies to share non-intelligence information much more easily. Such information sharing aids in catching criminals as well as identifying trends and patterns to help prevent crimes and terrorist attacks.
Here are some of the best practices that agencies have been employing:
Use a single-source portal for examining different types of law enforcement data. Such a system empowers intelligence officers and staff with the capabilities of examining all the data in one place, using the same data mining tools without the need to log on and off different systems
Ensure that the system is N-DEX compliant
Avoid “home-grown” systems that often fail to capitalize on the wealth of thought leadership that has been generated in law enforcement circles
Leverage experienced practitioners and their technologies to ensure compliance with civil liberty, privacy and other statutes
Data integration is the beginning – not the end – of sound law enforcement practices.
Captain Stephen G. Serrao is a former New Jersey State Police Counterterrorism Bureau Chief, and now helps shape the direction of intelligence management software as Director of Product Management, Americas Region for Memex, Inc., a worldwide provider of intelligence management, data integration, search and analysis solutions (www.memex.com). Serrao can be reached at steve.serrao@memex.com.
By Stephen G. Serrao, Captain, New Jersey State Police (ret.)
In the aftermath of 9/11, many law enforcement agencies sought to establish new data repositories to capture information, such as Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR, also known as Tips & Leads), Organized Crime Intelligence, Counter-terrorism Intelligence, and even Web-based and electronic document open-source data. There was a strong focus on collecting new and previously unknown information.
The last three years has seen a shift, however. Quite a few agencies – perhaps a result of the growth of Fusion Centers – are equally interested in setting up information management systems that can mine existing data repositories that they have been populating with records for many years.
A big reason for this shift may have to do with N-DEX (National Data Exchange), the FBI’s criminal justice information-sharing platform. N-DEX is a national system that enables law enforcement agencies to share non-intelligence information much more easily. Such information sharing aids in catching criminals as well as identifying trends and patterns to help prevent crimes and terrorist attacks.
Here are some of the best practices that agencies have been employing:
Use a single-source portal for examining different types of law enforcement data. Such a system empowers intelligence officers and staff with the capabilities of examining all the data in one place, using the same data mining tools without the need to log on and off different systems
Ensure that the system is N-DEX compliant
Avoid “home-grown” systems that often fail to capitalize on the wealth of thought leadership that has been generated in law enforcement circles
Leverage experienced practitioners and their technologies to ensure compliance with civil liberty, privacy and other statutes
Data integration is the beginning – not the end – of sound law enforcement practices.
Captain Stephen G. Serrao is a former New Jersey State Police Counterterrorism Bureau Chief, and now helps shape the direction of intelligence management software as Director of Product Management, Americas Region for Memex, Inc., a worldwide provider of intelligence management, data integration, search and analysis solutions (www.memex.com). Serrao can be reached at steve.serrao@memex.com.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
A Tale of Two "Lean" Cities
In August 2009, I had the distinct honor of facilitating a Rapid Improvement Event with the Alaska Air National Guard, 176 WG. Being a guardsman for the past 20 years, I have come to look forward to these short, but very beneficial trips to new places. The Air Force started its Continuous Process Improvement initiative a fews ago, marketed under the acronym "AFSO21" (Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century). This trip provided an opportunity for me to use my facilitation skills for the betterment of my country. But, this trip was ever more special to me.
Deputy Chief Steve Smith, Anchorage Alaska Police Department, had previously reached out to my full time employer, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, to inquire about implementing "Lean." Recognizing the once in a lifetime opportunity to introduce another law enforcement agency to "Lean" while serving my country at the same time, I quickly invited Deputy Chief Smith to observe our event at the Alaska Air National Guard. I am happy to say that he accepted the invitation.
Since that time great things have happened. Deputy Chief Smith reached out to the Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Inc (AMEP), and has started a local Lean Consortium, very similar to the Jacksonville Lean Consortium, which the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is a member.
To read the story in the Jacksonville Lean Consortium's newletter, click here.
Roll Call of Fallen Officers...FOP 5-30 Donates New Memorial Wall
In May 2009, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Continuous Improvement Unit conducted a 7S event focused on the Police Memorial Building (PMB) entrances. During the event, Team Leader, Sgt. Johnny Mike, asked the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) to update the Wall of Honor at the Bay Street entrance. The 7S event created an excellent opportunity to bring attention to our fallen brothers. All costs for the new wall were paid for by the FOP, Lodge 5-30.
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