P&P October 2016

MANAGING KNOWLEDGE continued from page 19

appointments thoughtfully assessing “what is,” purposefully avoiding any knee-jerk reactions. Results? Well, among others, a determination that while comprised of committed, hard- working, and passionate staff, DFCS’s state office was not bringing the level of value-added business support required to achieve best-in-world status. So it was time for a “rewire.” That was one year ago. Now back to the KM function. Shortly after the determination was made to rewire, Lee Biggar was offered and gladly accepted the opportunity to take on the newly created role of director of KM. The initial charge was pretty straightforward: develop a KM section that, when fully operational, would provide value-added business support to Field Operations and fully tap the potential of cross-functionality. Development has been underway for a little more than a year and while there is a way to go, much has been accomplished. Evidence of this is found within the section’s charter, which was finalized and approved by leadership this past April. The charter lays out the section’s vision, mission, goals, and objec- tives—all of which are consistent with a commitment to bringing value-added business support to Field Operations. The charter introduces the results of the rewiring efforts—all of which are consistent with a commitment to leveraging the full potential of cross- functionality. The section is comprised of five interrelated Units; Policy and Regulations, Education and Training, Data, Quality Assurance, and SHINES (DFCS’s child welfare information system). Contained in the charter is a detailed description of the make-up, duties, and responsibilities of each unit. Also contained is a listing of some of the many benefits that result from the cross-functionality that exists between units inclusive of: „ „ Alignment of policy and training- related deliverables that fosters consistency in practice, clarity about performance expectation, and devel- opment of a knowledgeable and skilled workforce

Education &Training

Policy

Data

Quality Assurance

SHINES

Strengthen capacity of Field Operations by Providing value-added support and services to Achieve desired performance outcomes related to safety, permanency and well-being

„ „ Integration of SHINES application and subject matter training that results in substantive documentation of case planning, justification for key decisions, and availability of useful data to generate performance man- agement/improvement reports „ „ Fully informed SHINES enhance- ments leading to improved usability and less time needed “on the computer” „ „ Development of training interven- tions that address performance deficits identified through multiple quality assurance reviews and trend analysis processes „ „ Continuous quality improvement efforts informed by accurate, relevant, and visually appealing data

field operations, is a document that serves to inform. But it’s much more than that. It’s a document that the department’s KM section staff—165 strong—take pride in “bringing to life” each and every day as they work to manage and mobilize knowledge forward throughout the division. The section will continue to evolve as a catalyst for the development of a true learning organization, where continuous learning, practicing, and mastering of skills lead to a competent workforce and positive outcomes for children and families in the state of Georgia. Reference Notes 1. http://aphsa.org/content/APHSA/en/ pathways/INNOVATION_CENTER.html 2. http://aphsa.org/content/APHSA/en/ pathways/NWI.html

The charter, which has been widely disseminated across state office and

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