Process and Program Improvement with L3

By: Dr. Wayne Brock

Public Administrators are charged with providing services to a defined population normally mandated in the program or public service. The service to the public is often evaluated and many entities collect extensive quantitative data to identify the number of clients serviced during a given period, various demographics, diversity, and household information. The quantitative data assists in reporting and justifying funding with the ability to show how effective the service is to the program target population. Typically additional information is gathered on an intermittent basis to evaluate grant awards, program planning, and client satisfaction. The data is often qualitative and rich in providing a process for continuous quality improvement (CQI) through L^3; Listen, Learn, and Link.

Program mandates, implementation, and the responsibilities of the public administrator require the need to gather information to show the effectiveness and efficiency of public services and justify the value provided to the public. The quantitative and qualitative data can provide rich analysis and synthesis of process and program improvement. The quantitative data impacts the immediate needs of most elected officials, public action committees, and public advocacy groups to show the program snapshot including the benefit to the clients and community. The qualitative data is available and the administrator should share with program staff to dialogue a process and program improvement initiative using L³.

Listen – the qualitative data typically contains open ended questions or comments from participants. Upon examination, the public leader should review the comments to identify the underlying issue, not just a surface issue. Understand what is being stated, what else could be an issue; how can the program change to be more beneficial to the client? Do barriers exist to improving the client experience? As example, a comment ‘I always hate coming here and waiting’ could lead toward understanding a process need (more time between scheduled appointments) or possible change in process using a team service delivery method?

Learn – The agency leaders need to review the qualitative data and learn from what is being heard. There is the ability in today’s information age to research and identify best practices. In generic benchmarking, there is the ability to search for best practices in and out of the public sector to modify and implement. Can the identified best practices be adapted to the agency? Do the practices require modification for adapting? Will the best practice improve the client interaction with the agency and increase effectiveness of the service to clients? The public administrator requires a commitment to learning continually to provide the best possible service to the public. 

Link – The final point is linkage of listening and learning to the process implemented or the program for improvement. Link requires action from the listening and learning of the prior steps to ensure program improvement is attempted. There may be risk involved of creating barriers in the current process or program, yet the administrator can revert to the prior process, if the initiative implemented does not achieve the desired impact. Link is the action requirement to ensure a CQI in the existing public program.

The L³ diagram shows how to ‘close the loop’ to the process and program improvement. The loop is not an episodic event or end to the process; the loop is continuous quality improvement (CQI) through listening, learning, and linking. The need to improve services and programs to the clients served by the public administrator is an ethical, social, and agency responsibility. There is limited improvement without implementation of L³; one must listen to the constituency. To learn is to leverage technology and discover best practices; creating and adapting initiatives of prior success in agencies. Gathering data without analysis, synthesis, and action is to collect data; there must be a link for CQI. Public service can be improved through implementation of L³ analysis and synthesis of existing metrics.

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Dr. Wayne Brock is the Director of Academic Affairs and Advance Certified Facilitator for the University of Phoenix – El Paso Campus. He is also the founder of the Interdisciplinary Collaborative Leadership Institute and can be reached at wbrock@iclinstitute.com

Oil Prices & Natural Gas

By David Chapinski

PhD student, Rutgers University

How does the New Jersey natural gas proposal help in public management?

In many states, a local utility company within a protected service area controls electricity and natural gas supply and delivery.  Pricing guidelines and other controls are set and monitored by the state in which they operate but for the most part, customers do not have a choice in supplier or price.

Today, 28 states have deregulated the supply of energy, encouraging competition and offering customers a choice of supplier, price and contract term. Electricity and natural gas are traded on the open market as a commodity so prices fluctuate with the supply and demand just like stocks.  Depending upon your risk threshold, you may elect to lock into a guaranteed price for a specific length of time or you may choose another pricing plan and term that may fluctuate with the market in hopes of increasing your savings.

As a local natural gas distribution company, New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) provides regulated retail natural gas service to nearly 500,00 customers.  I believe what makes the NJ Gas Proposal unique is that the interest in natural gas vehicles has been growing from both the private and public sectors.  This is especially the case for organizations with large fleets, portions of public and private bus companies and trash haulers like New Jersey Junk Removal.

Fleets are replacing older, more highly polluted diesel and gasoline vehicles.  Sure, there are underlying and intertwined goals of ensuring economic and employment growth while encouraging energy efficiency but we must remember what tradition means for New Jersey.  The traditional reliance on petroleum-based fuels for transportation has accelerated security, economic, air quality, health and environmental challenges in our country on a whole. But in New Jersey we are seeing the need for addressing a proposal like NJNG in 2012.  I believe there is a need because NJNG committed to upgrading the Clean Natural Gas (CNG) refueling equipment of two company locations (Lakewood and the Maude Service Center). That work was completed by January 2012.

But why is it so terribly important for supporters to try and gain traction?

Recently, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) approved a proposal by New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) to implement a pilot program that would help stimulate the state’s natural gas vehicle (NGV) market.  Investing up to $10 million over the next 12 months, NJNG will build between five and seven compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling stations at host facilities throughout its service territory.

I have often wondered at the phenomena along the eastern seaboard, which seems to get hit harder than the rest of the country when it comes to rising petroleum prices.  Last year gasoline prices in New Jersey peaked in May when the average per-gallon cost reached $3.88.

I find it  interesting that prices actually jump annually in the spring or summer in New Jersey, as companies change the blend of fuels to meet federal requirements. This often signals that good news is sure to follow.

I also believe that New Jersey has potential to lead the way to price stability. I do not believe New Jersey residents, like myself, believe that gasoline prices will be as high as they were in Connecticut in 2011 at $4.20 a gallon in 2012. Even if they are, we can adapt because we made it through a very tough recession and are still standing together as a whole.

When we look at alternative scenarios for the future of energy in New Jersey, we must not lose sight of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) June release of our nation’s Annual Energy Outlook, 2012 (AEO2012).

In addition to the reference projections, consumption, technology, and market trends and the direction they may take in the future, the report also shows how New Jersey will be taking one ‘on the chin’ for a very long time if we do not prove to the rest of the country that installing company-owned refueling sites offer many advantages.  I feel that there has been much less major highway experimentation taking place on natural gas in New Jersey in the last decade.

If we take a look at Table 4-10 below, the numbers are still showing the disillusion there can be any quick turnaround through natural gas proposals. The number of total alternative fuels has basically increased less than 4 percent the year prior in 2007.

Table 4-10: Estimated Consumption of Alternative and Replacement Fuels for Highway Vehicles

	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009	2008		1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
TOTAL fuel consumptiona	177,697,941	180,698.532	182,185,778	184,810,803	185,593,715	176,509,233 (R)	50	161,210,087	163,032,407	165,201,691	169,983,219	177,697,941	180,698,532	182,185,778	184,810,803	185,593,715	(R) 176,509,233	172,518,178
Alternative fuels, total	402,941	428,532	420,778	417,803	414,803	430,329	23,790	302,287	322,037	348,421	378,589	402,941	428,532	420,778	417,803	414,715	430,329	431,107
Liquefied petroleum gases	223,697	211,883	188,171	173,130	152,360	147,784		209,817	212,576	215,876	223,143	224,697	211,883	188,171	173,130	152,360	147,784	129,631
Compressed natural gas	133,222	158,903	166,878	172,011	178,565	189,358	72,412	79,620	86,475	104,496	120,670	133,222	158,903	166,878	172,011	178,565	189,358	199,513
Liquefied natural gas	13,503	20,888	22,409	23,474	24,594	25,554	5,343	5,828	7,259	8,921	9,382	13,503	20,888	22,409	23,474	24,594	25,554	25,652
Methanol, 85%b	N	N	N	N	N	N	1,212	1,073	585	439	337	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
Methanol, neat	0	N	N	N	N	N	449	447	0	0	0	0	N	N	N	N	N	N
Ethanol, 85%b	26,376	31,581	38,074	44,041	54,091	62,464	1,727	3,916	12,071	14,623	17,783	26,376	31,581	38,074	44,041	54,091	62,464	71,213
Ethanol, 95%b	0	N	N	N	N	N	59	62	13	0	0	0	N	N	N	N	N	N
Electricityc	5,141	5,269	5,219	5,104	5,037	5,050	1,202	1,524	3,058	4,066	7,274	5,141	5,269	5,219	5,104	5,037	5,050	4,956
Hydrogen	2	8	25	41	66	117	N	N	N	N	N	2	8	25	41	66	117	140
Other Fuels	0	0	2	2	2	2	N	N	N	N	N	0	0	2	2	2	2	2
Biodiesel	18,220	27,616	93,281	267,623	367,764	324,329	N	N	6,816	7,076	16,917	18,220	27,616	93,281	267,623	367,764	324,329	325,102
Oxygenates
Methyl-tertiary-butyl-etherd	2,368,400	1,877,300	1,654,500	435,000	0	0	,400	3,402,600	3,296,100	3,352,200	2,383,000	2,368,400	1,877,300	1,654,500	435,000	0	0	0
Ethanol in gasohol	1,919,572	2,414,167	2,765,663 (R)	3,729,168	3,729,168	4,694,304	500	950,300	1,085,800	1,143,300	1,413,600	1,919,572	2,414,167	(R) 2,765,663	3,729,168	4,694,304	6,442,781	7,343,133
Traditional fuels, total	177,295,000	180,270,000	181,765,000	184,393,000	185,179,000	176,078,904 (R)	4,360	160,907,800	162,710,370	164,853,270	169,604,630	177,295,000	180,270,000	181,765,000	184,393,000	185,179,000	(R) 176,078,904	172,087,071
Gasolinee	135,330,000	138,283,000	138,723,000	140,146,000	140,646,000	134,644,492	9,000	125,111,000	125,720,000	127,768,000	131,299,000	135,330,000	138,283,000	138,723,000	140,146,000	140,646,000	134,644,492	134,385,175
Dieself	41,965,000	41,987,630	43,042,000	44,247,040	44,533,000	41,434,412 (R)	,360	35,796,800	36,990,370	37,085,270	38,305,630	41,965,000	41,987,000	43,042,000	44,247,000	44,533,000	(R) 41,434,412	37,701,896

Expect NJNG’s natural gas proposal to make the necessary investments in CNG re-fueling infrastructure at locations where a company has or plans to use Natural Gas Vehicles, thus accelerating their development in the state of New Jersey for years to come and removing much older, more polluted diesel or gasoline vehicles from service. NJNG’s proposal will provide the necessary capital for constructing the re-fueling stations on the host company’s site, recovering those costs through the Clean Natural Gas Vehicle Infrastructure Program.

In other words, the company managing the quality assurance will also be required to make the Clean Natural Gas station available to the public. This is huge because we need accountability on a project of this magnitude in New Jersey.  By establishing the structure as such, I believe the Clean Natural Gas Infrastructure Program serves to accelerate the Natural Gas Vehicle market for both the anchor and company managing host area companies interested in moving away from traditional-based fuels, but unable to justify the infrastructure costs associated with installation.

Lastly, through the NJNG proposal and CNG Infrastructure Program, NJNG proposes to offer the managing company a turnkey Clean Natural Gas refueling station that will be available for their use.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Total fuel consumption is the sum of Alternative fuels, Gasoline, and Diesel. Oxygenate consumption is included in Gasoline consumption.

^b The remaining portion of 85% methanol, 85% ethanol, and 95% ethanol fuels is Gasoline. Consumption data include the Gasoline portion of the fuel.

^c Excludes gasoline-electric hybrids.

^d Includes a very small amount of other ethers, primarily tertiary-amyl-methyl-ether and ethyl-tertiary-butyl-ether.

^e Gasoline consumption includes Ethanol in gasohol and Methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether.

^f Diesel includes Biodiesel.

Urban Renewal through Smart Technology

Could we see the end to taxis in this country?  Picking your destination as car sharing programs and other alternatives begin sweetening the pot of transportation. 

By David M Chapinski

Pedestrian safety is an emerging concept in our modern cities. Two years ago, Washington, D.C. attempted to include the pedestrian when city leaders created the Pedestrian Advisory Council. The Council meets regularly to discuss issues of walking and safety and testifies before the D.C. Council. It also engages the community on how to make the District a more walkable place.

As a city, D.C. has hundreds of pedestrian crashes a year that result in deaths. Leaders are still sorting out all the causes and solutions.

In some parts of D.C. about half of all households lack any personal automobiles and instead rely on alternative modes — first and foremost their own two feet.

People often emphasize the importance of “livable, walkable” cities and in recent years, technology has developed to help achieve this.

But how are cities adjusting to this change?

Individuals who don’t own a vehicle can skip the hassles of waiting for a cab or conventional car rental with advanced rent-by-the hour transport technology like car2go or ZipCars.  Pay a one-time membership fee and you are on your merry way with a vehicle for how long you need it.

Reserve a car ahead of time or simply pick one up automatically and spontaneously in your city (if the service is available).  When you are done, simply park the car at the location where you initiated the coverage and the service team takes care of the rest.  Parking, refueling, cleaning, and all other services are all included.

Car sharing programs and the technologies that allow it would have their challenges in a city like New York where taxis are somewhat of a ‘way of life’ and have been for over a century. Dismantling that infrastructure and mentality is an arduous task indeed.  Who would want the burden of that?

Not any mayor I can find.

However, the numbers do not lie.  By the end of the summer, it will cost more to take a taxi in New York than to rent a car from one of these car sharing programs.

If you are following New York’s recent policy conversations, cab rates are going up. The Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) is considering a fare hike on cabs. It’s been 8 years since the last overall fare hike. Conversations are ongoing for a 20-25 percent increase that would raise a typical cab ride to $14 from $12. This request is fraught with concerns, but that’s for another blog.

What’s remarkable about most car-sharing programs is the flexibility and concept of urban mobility.

Car2Go is the only car sharing service I’ve encountered that charges by the minute. Their tiny 41-miles-a-gallon blue-and-white cars are intended for casual point-to-point trips within a designated operating area of the city.

The idea of convenience rings throughout their service. This year, the company will launch a new smartphone app, a vehicle finder on the website and an improved customer call center. There’s also always the classic method of just finding a car on the street.

The convenience matches a population and cities that have grown accustomed to using a smartphone for most daily activities.

As a cohesive city, D.C. has built a diverse transportation network and has been smart about putting jobs, shopping, and schools together in walkable neighborhoods.

While there is still work to do and mistakes to correct, especially in underserved neighborhoods, D.C.’s metropolis remains highly attractive to employers, businesses and new residents.

What makes me a believer in alternative driving methods in cities like D.C. is that pedestrian crashes have gone up in the past two years. Consider these numbers, provided by Metropolitan Police Department (MPD):

On average, around 650 people[i] are hit by a car each year.

In 2010, 753 people were hit by a vehicle.

2011 saw an astonishing 942 people in 2011.

This is too way high. We can do better with technology.

If a safer city is our goal, we have to get these numbers down.  For it to work, it would require prioritization and redirection of resources. There is a difference between pedestrian safety and a pedestrian society and those of us, like me, that are concerned citizens, need to improve upon rather than stretch.  Stretching pedestrian traffic does not benefit a city’s appeal.

The good infrastructure trends in D.C.’s core would need to spread aggressively to the outer neighborhoods.

• More capital spending would need to be leveraged to fully complete the city’s walking and biking networks.
• A robust “share the road” media campaign and consistent enforcement of traffic laws would be critical.
• Other agencies’ roles would need to be defined and the mayor’s office would have to manage the execution of the full plan, holding everyone accountable.

All this requires a visionary leader who will make something like zero traffic fatalities a city wide initiative.

I don’t see the right ingredients right now for D.C. to join the ranks of Chicago and NYC, unfortunately. If proven wrong, that leader is still going to find a lot of support from neighborhood leaders everywhere.  I believe in programs like car2go because they were not created with the intent and purpose to act solely as a cash source.

Car2go offers a practical and affordable alternative to the rising costs and hassles associated with vehicle ownership.

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[i] National Safety Council
Photo Credit: notopramen.com, treehugger.com, santacruztrail.org

It’s OK to Feel

In a box buried somewhere in my closet rests a legal pad containing the notes I took during my introductory MPA class – “Public Affairs Concepts and Theory.”  Inscribed in large capital letters on the pad’s front page is a three-word statement – “THINK, NOT FEEL.”

My professor, the late Dr. Jerzy Hauptmann, a towering figure at Park University, delivered that message to my classmates and me on an August evening in 1991.  A survivor of a Nazi POW camp, he believed that each of us should speak and write with the courage of our convictions.

To him, using a phrase such as “I feel that ‘reinventing government ’ oversimplifies the challenges of 1990s public administration” made a less persuasive argument because, from his perspective, feeling was and is amorphous.

Dr. Hauptmann wanted to believe in the rational model, yet he admitted that most of us frequently make less-than-rational decisions. I recall in that introductory class his lecture on Herbert Simon and the concept of satisficing, a bounded rationality perspective.

In the years following my graduation, I aimed to exemplify intellect and analytical thinking.  I am convinced that my MPA student experience facilitated me burying my emotions long after my graduation.

“THINK, NOT FEEL” is a hard lesson to unlearn.

As I embarked and continued upon my journey as an ASPA officer, a different voice – one decidedly non-rational and very emotional – began to call out from a space deep within me.  While I knew I needed to focus on strategic planning, budgets and the like, I felt like speaking about fairness, respect and human decency.

This voice expressed itself at recent ASPA conferences, sometimes without me actually uttering words.

At the 2010, 2011 and 2012 ASPA Annual Conferences, I participated on panels discussing to what extent professional public administration associations “walk their talk” in terms of social equity.

For my 2010 and 2011 PowerPoint presentations, I juxtaposed audio from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech with slides addressing the somewhat slow evolution of social equity within ASPA.

At the 2012 ASPA Annual Conference in Las Vegas, my PowerPoint presentation featured photos of socioeconomically challenged neighborhoods of conference host cities with John Lennon’s “Imagine” playing in the background.

To view, the PowerPoint, click here.

By touching attendees’ emotions, I delivered more effective and powerful presentations than anything I might have orated myself.

Speaking of touching people, several of my ASPA National Colleagues concluded their terms of service during the past conference, and I wanted to send them off with more than a handshake.  I trolled their Facebook pages for family photos, compiled a list of their accomplishments, inserted an appropriate audio clip (“So Long, Farewell” from The Sound of Music) and secretly unveiled a PowerPoint tribute at the end of the meeting.  Witnessing their reactions was priceless!

Sometimes in professional organizations we often attempt to be so unemotional and formal that we miss opportunities to celebrate the real friendships and real connections which develop between members.

Likewise, when we define public administration as a science, we overlook the power of public service and its ability to express our collective desire to make a meaningful difference in our communities, our nations and our world (hat tip to Bob and Janet Denhardt).

As I stood behind the podium at the opening of the 2012 Annual Conference in Las Vegas, I attempted to look presidential.  Inside, however, I felt a range of emotions, not the least of which was gratitude.  I remain grateful for my friends in the audience that day, grateful for my family’s love throughout my ASPA tenure, grateful for my University’s patience and support; and grateful for my professor and mentor, Dr. Hauptmann, even though I had to unlearn the first lesson he taught me.

When I served as a pallbearer at Dr. Hauptmann’s funeral, I remained so stoic that I neither shed a tear during nor after the service.  Today, my eyes well up when I recall him.

If I was teaching Park University’s introductory MPA course, the one Dr. Hauptmann himself created, I would begin the first class with the following statement – “It’s OK to feel.”

After all, we’re human.

Photo Credits: Park.edu; copp.utsa.edu; 

Defending the 98 percent

We all know the stories by now. Over-the-top spending by officials at the Government Services Agency (GSA), Secret Service agents hiring prostitutes while on the job, and numerous more tales of corrupt or wasteful spending by government officials.

In the wake of these scandals, Congress has convened several hearings about the issues. In addition, amendments have been offered on two bills to encourage greater accountability and transparency in government travel and conferences. A right move that demonstrates concern for better account of taxpayer dollars.

In spirit, the proposed legislations, H.R. 2146 and S. 1789 offer safeguards for federal employee spending on travel and conferences. However, ASPA and several public affairs groups are concerned that the legislations are overly expansive and could have a negative impact on the professional development of the 99 percent of federal employees. For while the recent news stories would make us believe that government is filled with corrupt, wasteful individuals many of us are aware of the reality that the recent newsmakers are the exception and NOT the rule.

That’s why ASPA is concerned about the amendments overly restrictive language around attendance and participation in conferences organized outside of government agencies. Restricting the ability of public employees to participate in professional conferences jeopardizes the important exchange of information that takes place between the public sector and nonprofit organizations.  Concerned about the impact of these particular sections of the bills, ASPA submitted letters earlier this month to several members of Congress voicing its concern.

A copy of that letter is posted on the ASPA website.

ASPA is fully supportive of the goal of reducing wasteful spending. We believe that the recent incidents have unfairly painted public servants as corrupt. Rather, our experience has shown that the majority of public servants are committed, hardworking and honest.

We heard this from several Cabinet Secretaries during the Town Hall Meeting held by the Partnership for Public Service during Public Service Recognition Week. Here’s a  video of that event.

Public Service Town Hall Meeting

As Congress continues to investigate and consider better ways to serve as stewards of taxpayer dollars, we just wish to remind members of Congress that there’s 98 percent of public servants that are already doing just that.

The Tale of Two Tunnels

Worlds apart, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and a major California newspaper, spent last Sunday polishing headline stories on proposals to move water from north to south.

In California these stories typically pre-sage the next battle in the on-going Water Wars.  The United Kingdom may not be far behind.  Much of south and eastern England is in an official drought.  The BBC story, tied to this week’s Drought Summit, led with London Mayor Boris Johnson professing, “The rain it raineth on the just and the unjust, says the Bible, but frankly it raineth a lot more in Scotland and Wales than it doth in England.”

The California story leads with “Audacious Delta tunnel plan weighed” and goes on to explain a proposal for what may be the largest water tunnel ever contemplated in North America.  The tunnel would flow deep under the California Delta on a 37-mile path to the California Aqueduct.

In England, according to the BBC, “Piping water from wet north to dry south has seemed like a good idea to a long line of people, most significantly the Water Resources Board, the government agency that used to look after what was then regarded as a national resource.”  In 1973, the Board proposed just such a project. A year later, it was disbanded and replaced by regional agencies designed to manage water locally.  The separation was further accelerated by privatization in the 1980s.  This set-up has created a situation in England where, according to John Rodda, former director of hydrology and water resources with the World Meteorological Organization and now a UK-based consultant, “there is no attempt to consider the national resources in a holistic way.” He explains this is because there is no national plan.

Just ‘No’

Even so, the British proposal recycles regardless of forces against it. In 2006 the British Environment Agency issued a report titled, “”Do we need large-scale water transfers for south-east England?” and the conclusions were simple – No.

The report acknowledged it could be done, but estimated cost at between five and eight times more than developing extra infrastructure and instituting water conservation measures in the southeast.

Maybe Yes

In California, official reports lean the opposite direction.  The Bay Delta Conservation Plan, scheduled for release in just weeks, will outline the proposed approach, including the tunnel, for moving water to the south. An existing system conveys water there now but most view the current approach as unsustainable.   A collection of opponents suggest the ambitious engineering solution is not the best approach and recommend measures involving water conservation and infrastructure improvements in Southern California.

The massive proposals come with big price tags and questions of who will pay them.  Although the United Kingdom and the State of California ranked 8^th and 9^th respectively as the world’s largest economies, cash for government projects is hardly plentiful.

Add that to the fact the very people actually know where their water comes from.  In fact, recent public opinion research found the majority of Californians have never heard of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the location of the proposed tunnel and the core of California’s water delivery system.  The findings were worse in Southern California, the primary water recipient.  A stunning 86 percent of Southern Californians did not know about the Delta.

The situation will only get worse.  Climate change, aging infrastructure, and a fragile ecosystem continue to wreck havoc with water supplies.    It is just a matter of time before something gives. The question is, will something be done before disaster strikes?

Meanwhile, you may want to ask yourself these questions: Do you know where your water comes from?  Have you complained about your water bill?  What happens if water is no longer available to the economic engine of your State or Nation?

In the coming decade, water management will be a topic no public administrator or policy maker can ignore.

Need for a Meatier Message

By Elaine Orr

I lived for many years in an Iowa town that had a large pork meatpacking plant (Cargill Meat Solutions), a good employer and active participant in the community.  I toured it once and took note of the cleanliness — and the cold workplace temperature.  In a later conversation about the visit, a couple employees joked that being taken through the sections that made bacon and cut large slabs of meat was one thing.  Had I gone to an area that puts together sausage, I’d have a better sense of how many diverse pieces of a hog could be put together and packed into a casing.

Communication in government is kind of like sausage.  You have a final product, but the components are incredibly diverse and you might not be impressed with all of them.

Often it’s not how to get the word out that is complicated or contentious, it’s reaching the decisions that will be crafted in a message.  Who you bring into the process, perhaps even the alliances you form in so doing, affects what you decide and how you convey it.

I just finished In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson, which is a well researched account of the life of U.S. Ambassador William E. Dodd and his family when he served in Berlin from 1933-37.  It seems incredible today that the U.S. and other nations took such great pains to placate Hitler and his Nazi Party.  As Larson brings various diaries, memoirs and State Department correspondence into focus, you get a clearer picture.  There is the “surely he will be ousted” component, and the “don’t do anything to imperil getting repayment on the German debt from World War I” element.  There is also a clear depiction of prejudice against Jews within the U.S., and you are left to wonder if the U.S. government would have acted faster if Hitler had continually limited the freedoms of, for example, Germans who worked in the Dresden glass industry.

All that aside — and it is incredibly important — what stands out in reading the book is how ineffectual Ambassador Dodd was in communicating with others in the Department of State and elsewhere.  Initially, he did not want to believe Hitler capable of the atrocities to follow (probably could not have contemplated them), so he talked to Hitler about the need for peace and thought they had might have similar broad goals.  However, long before others at State were willing to see the evil for what it was, Dodd became convinced.  After Roosevelt fired Dodd in 1937, he dedicated the rest of his life to conveying the truth about Nazi Germany.

Dodd marginalized his message through his reticent nature, inability to employ traditional practices within the diplomatic environment, and his constant correspondence to Washington about the need for frugality in embassy expenditures and others’ lack of interest in this important (to him) issue.  He found his voice after he left office, and you could postulate that the firing by his friend Franklin Roosevelt may have stimulated courage in a way nothing else could.

Had Dodd conveyed his opinions more forcefully, maybe he would have been fired in 1935.  We’ll never know.  However, the impression I took from the book was that if he had been able to work within the State Department mechanisms more effectively he would have been taken more seriously, and so might his message.

As public managers in 2012, most of us outside the military or law enforcement aren’t called upon to convey information that has life or death implications.  We may not even feel able to say what we think, certainly we cannot talk to the media unless directed by a very senior official.

Even so, what we say and how we say it can make a difference.  If we focus on minor points or simply spend too much time getting to the point, we risk making sausage with lots of pieces, not so much meat.  And a lot of people are turned off by it.