Raising the HR Bar: Transforming Your Culture With Strategic Vision and Key Partnerships - Part V
This is the fifth of a multi-part case study that discusses the radical, strategic, necessary, and successful changes implemented by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second largest public school district in the nation. The LAUSD was able to implement a large scale $95 million enterprise resource solution a full four years ahead of schedule, which clearly demonstrates how processes or technology alone can never transform an organization’s culture. To read the case study from the beginning, go to Part I.
Step 2: Benchmark Best Practices
While all organizations can use at least some improvement in some areas, even the most dysfunctional organizations do some things right. As a result, experienced managers understand that there are more cons than pros to completely re-inventing an organization. The better approach is to look for incremental improvements in your organization using best practices modeled by other organizations that are performing well in those areas.
Hirsch and her deputy studied what other school districts were doing differently, and which ones had the reputation for the most successful recruiting results. Once they determined who they could learn from, they visited the district human resource teams in Clark County, Nevada; Houston, Texas; Fairfax, Virginia; and Montgomery County, Maryland.
They were then able to compare and contrast the techniques used by education recruiters to the techniques they had learned as military recruiters. At the outset, they were encouraged by one major difference. In the world of military recruiting, the recruiters have to really sell the concept of serving in the military to a large number of young individuals who generally do not “self-select” for the military. Conversely, in the world of education recruiting, the recruiters do not have to sell the concept of being a teacher. Instead, the role of the recruiter is to convince the best of the self-selected applicants you’re your opportunity is better than the opportunity offered by a competing school district.
Nevertheless, Hirsch and her deputy also determined that they could introduce some aspects of military recruiting into education recruiting, starting with the concept of the delayed entry program. In the military, recruiters engage in recruiting activities all year long. Regardless of the season, they are lining up new soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines for specific “ship out” days. This way, every month a stable and predictable number of new hires are sent to boot camp while new ones are lined up for openings throughout the year.
Results of Step 2
LAUSD implementation of its delayed entry program allowed it to offer binding contracts to teacher prospects who were still enrolled in their teacher preparation programs. The early offer of these contracts allowed the LAUSD to spread its recruiting over all four seasons rather than in the spring and summer months. The previously compressed schedule had overwhelmed the LAUSD’s ability to provide the necessary customer service. Quite simply, the LAUSD became the early bird who got the worm. The program was also a smashing success from the perspective of the candidates because those who were still in school could complete their training knowing that they already had a job waiting for them upon graduation and that they would not have to worry about their job search or being subjected to “cattle calls” after graduation.
To continue reading this case study, please go to Part VI.
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