AN ENABLING WORK ENVIRONMENT In an enabling work environment, people are empowered, productive, contributing, and happy. The leaders align people, processes, and technology; provide the tools and information to make effective decisions; and trust the employees to do the right thing. It is an environment that fosters continuous improvement. How many of the following statements are consistent with the SBDC network in NYS?
- Employees feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves and their job. They have access to and understand the organization's overall mission, vision, and strategic plans.
- Constant, reliable, authoritative, and current communication is maintained with employees at all levels of the organization.
- Goals and direction are shared with everyone in the organization. Progress on goals is measurable and observable. Positive outcomes are shared with the employees responsible for accomplishing the results.
- Employees are given or granted access to, all the information they need to make thoughtful decisions. Information flows freely within functional areas and is shared between functional areas.
- Managers trust the intentions of employees to do the right thing and make effective decisions.
- Communication with clients and stakeholders is open and constant, information and decisions are shared.
- Authority is delegated - not just work. Managers identify opportunities to increase employee participation. They give employees the opportunity to provide input, modify procedures and make decisions regarding their immediate work. They help employees grow and develop new skills.
- Managers consult employees before major decisions are made, and encourage them to participate in cross-functional taskforces.
- Managers provide frequent feedback so employees know how they are doing. They understand that constructive feedback helps employees develop knowledge and skills.
- Managers guide employees by asking questions, not just by telling them what to do. When an employee brings a manager a problem to solve, the manager asks “what do you think you can do to solve the problem?" Employees demonstrate what they know and grow in the process.
- Everyone in the organization demonstrates appreciation for each other person's unique value. An organization with an enabling work environment is a dynamic organization that values people and their achievements.
The SBDC strategic objectives are a blueprint for this type of work environment, an environment that is conducive to a continuing movement toward excellence.
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WHAT'S NEW THIS WEEK:
ABOUT THE GAZETTE
The SPD Gazette is a brief newsletter distributed via email and posted on the Internal Web Site. It will feature a column to be titled, What’s New This Week, in which the network will share best practices in strategic objectives. A series of articles in the Gazette will explain the program’s statewide approach to strategic objectives in six key areas:
• Marketing
• Professional Development and Certification
• Program Development: Products and Services
• Special Projects
• Strategic Partners and Alliances
• Technology, Information and Communication
For more information or answers to your questions, call Tom Morley at 914-375-2107or email him at SPD@Mercy.edu Send your report forms to SPD@Mercy.edu
DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT ABOUT THE SPD GAZETTE?
PREVIOUS SPD GAZETTE ISSUES:
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MARKETING
The Director of the North Country SBDC conducted some interesting interviews for the Hall Communications North Country Commerce radio show. She interviewed Rosemarie Schoonmaker, Director of Community Development, who discussed the current and past projects of the City of Plattsburgh. The SBDC Director also interviewed Christine Rotella, Empire Zones Coordinator for the City of Plattsburgh regarding the program and how it impacts businesses in the city. After the taping of the radio spots, the SBDC Director and two of the Center’s Business Advisors had a luncheon meeting with the two city directors to discuss their programs and future collaborations.
The Stony Brook SBDC participated in the annual LIFT Tech Expo '07 in January. Over 100 Long Island businesses displayed their products and services. The LIFT Tech Expo is the only Long Island event of its kind that engages Long Islands businesses, research organizations and universities in an environment that focuses on creating opportunities for collaboration.
The Boricua College SBDC Director wrote an article on the value of a business plan for Latinolife, an online magazine. |
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT: PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
The Director of the North Country SBDC met with Dean Steria, Accounting Lab Coordinator for the School of Business and Economics (SBE) to discuss possible workshop ideas and training events. The Director explained QuickBooks training formats and discussed the possibility of expanding the sessions for individuals wanting more than the initial training. The SBDC Director forwarded materials to the Accounting Lab Coordinator for his review prior to their next meeting. |
SPECIAL PROJECTS
In December 2006, the Staten Island SBDC hosted a roundtable workshop where 18 business executives from China gathered to explore the opportunities in the world’s fastest economy. Local business leaders spoke about the Staten Island business environment and market. Also present as invited guests were: Linda Baran, President of the SI Chamber of Commerce, Vin Lanza, Deputy Director of Staten Island Economic Development Corp., John J. Amodio, Vice President of Commerce Bank, and students and faculty from the College of Staten Island.
The Associate State Director and the Director of the Binghamton SBDC attended a SUNY-sponsored meeting about economic development in the Appalachian Region of NYS (the Southern Tier). Speakers from the NYS Department of State, Cortland county Business Development Center/IDA, NYSERDA, NYS College of Ceramics, NYS Agriculture and Markets, and the Committee for the Future spoke about the value and potential of upstate NY and marketing “the fastest growing region upstate.” Future meetings are planned. |
TECHNOLOGY
A major revision of the NYS SBDC Web site (www.nysbdc.org) was launched at the end of the 2006 calendar year. The revision offers easier navigation and a few new features. The updated site tells the stories of SBDC successes by interweaving photos of our clients throughout the site, and presents a dynamic list of recent articles featuring the NYS SBDC on the home page. Additionally, a new “Online Resource Center” collects a wide range of SBDC publications, resources, online training opportunities and small business related links. The revised site also increases opportunities for online counseling, offering visitors the opportunity to ask a question of a Business Advisor, which is then forwarded to their local center.
In October 2006, the Research Network began incorporating an electronic document management system. Since its inception, the library has tracked incoming & outgoing requests with too great a reliance on managing a paper-only workflow. With the assistance of internal MIS staff, the library now manages all facets of managing requests from SBDC advisors on a web-based system. In addition to greatly facilitating the efficiency of the request process, the library - in combination with an increased reliance on digitizing the responses to client inquiries - has become nearly paperless. In addition, the web-based system greatly improves the process whereby data can be gathered: how many requests hail from a given center, or from a given advisor, or within a given time frame, etc. The system is quite flexible, and will be expanded to provide greater data gathering and reporting functionality in the future.
All the computers at the Staten Island SBDC have been upgraded. In addition, the Center now has a projector to be used for power point presentations during workshops and/or counseling sessions.
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SPONSORS, HOST INSTITUTIONS, PARTNERS AND ALLIANCES
The Director of the North Country SBDC attended a meeting at Clarkson University regarding the formation of the North Country Regional Partnership. The intent of the partnership is to submit a proposal to NYSTAR for regional funding. The Technical Assistance Director Howard Lowe, and Mike Simpson from the Research Foundation also attended the meeting on behalf of Plattsburgh State University. Subsequent to the meeting the SBDC Director met with Dr. Ettling, the President of Plattsburgh State, and Dr. Golden, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, apprising them of the details of the meeting.
The Director of the Niagara SBDC was appointed to serve on the campus Information Technology Steering Committee. The appointment will enable him to expand his knowledge about technical needs, not only for the college, but also for the SBDC regional center and the local business community.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & STAFF RETENTION
A Business Advisor from the Stony Brook SBDC attended an event held by the Hauppauge Industrial Association (HIA) that featured a presentation and discussion on Long Island's "Bi-County Economic Development Initiatives." Featured speakers were James Morgo, the Suffolk County Commissioner for Economic Development and Workforce Housing, and Patrick Duggan, the Deputy County Executive for Nassau County. Speakers discussed the future of economic development programs in Long Island, emphasizing a focus on downtown revitalization to assist small businesses, and affordable housing for the younger population and the senior community.
Since September 2006, each member of the Research Network has attended at least one in a series of all-day workshops that address the challenges and techniques required for digitizing library collections. The workshops are sponsored by the Capital District Library Council, a regional cooperative whose members work in all types of libraries. While much of the content of these classes focus on scenarios outside the scope of the Research Network (archiving old newspaper collections, or digitizing historical photograph collections), the library staff has gained unique insights in its attempt to bring digitization to its small collection. |
