Weadership: An Introduction

THE FUTURE OF WORKFORCE LEADERSHIP:

WEADERSHIP

A Framework for Workforce Leaders, Policy Makers,
Funders, Practitioners, and Aspiring Innovators
Kristin Wolff & Vinz Koller

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

This document was written by Kristin Wolff (Project Manager) and Vinz Koller
(Project Director) of Social Policy Research Associates, under contract with
the US Department of Labor.

The Weadership Framework was developed as part of the Enhancing Work-
force Leadership Initiative under project DOLQ101A21449. The initiative was
designed to explore the meaning and practice of leadership in workforce
development, identify the skills and behaviors that help leaders succeed, and
inform the development of tools, resources, and opportunities intended to
build next-generation leadership capacity within the workforce system.

The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to
the US Department of Labor. Mention of trade names, commercial products,
or organizations does not imply endorsement of same by the US Government.

August 2011

Enhancingworkforceleadership.workforce3one.org

1 The Future of Workforce Leadership: WEADERSHIP

The Future of Workforce Leadership: WEADERSHIP 2

2. BUILD DIVERSE
NETWORKS

Leaders collaborate with partners creatively,
using informal networks alongside traditional
boards or policy councils.

3. EMBRACE OPENNESS
1. ADOPT A WIDE-ANGLE
POINT OF VIEW
Leaders share the role of leadership with staff,
partners, and the public. They use social tech-
Leaders look for new ways to apply their re-
nologies to listen, inform, and collaborate.
sources and expertise. They focus on commu-
nity problems, not just workforce problems.


WEADERSHIP
6. CULTIVATE NEXT
GENERATION LEADERS 4. ENCOURAGE
Leaders build skills and share knowledge in
EXPERIMENTATION

in their communities. Leaders know workforce development needs
new ideas, and new ideas need testing.

5. ADD UNIQUE VALUE

can make a real difference in their communities.
Only those who add value remain relevant.

THE WEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

This document serves as an introduction to the Weadership framework (opposite), and includes a
brief summary of its six practices and ways to build capacity in each of them. It is supported by
The Future of Workforce Leadership: Weadership, a guide that includes a narrative around the
Weadership Framework, an introduction to social innovation, a guide to social media, and a collec-
tion of tools, examples, and resources to help workforce leaders build their own leadership skills
and cultivate leaders in their organizations and communities. This guide will be available as a PDF
at the end of August 2011 at: http://bit.ly/qgjc1w

ONLINE RESOURCES

EnhancingWorkforceLeadership.workforce3one.org serves as a gateway to a myriad of project re-
sources—video, audio recordings, slidedecks, discussion summaries, toolkits, and social media. We
encourage readers interested in the subject of leadership to explore the vast collection of links, and
resources cited in published documents.


THE SIX PRACTICES

“What’s changed the most in my nearly 25 years of public
service is the complexity of the problems and the complexity
of the necessary solutions.”
Mayor Sam Adams, Portland Oregon

“You grow leaders by putting opportunities in front of them:
trying things, being courageous, being creative, failing, learning
from it, teaching others—voilà, leaders.”
Kris Stadelman, Executive Director, NOVA Workforce Board


Recession. LinkedIn. Returnships.1 Workforce development has changed in the past decade:

Agendas are bigger, longer-term, and more diverse.

-
sarily their traditional roles.

Resources (public, private, and philanthropic) are increasingly constrained, while the demand for
services and solutions continues to grow.

Technology is remaking the workplace and enabling whole new approaches to working and
learning at every level.

During this project, Social Policy Research Associates’ (SPR) project team spoke with dozens of
leaders to better understand what workforce leadership means today. We sought to identify the
ways effective leaders enhance their own abilities, build their organizations’ capacities, and cultivate
the next generation of workforce leaders.

What emerged is a new framework for describing leadership—what communities expect and what
Weadership.

1. Adopt a Wide-Angle Point of View

2. Build Diverse Networks

3. Embrace Openness

4. Encourage Experimentation

5. Add Unique Value

6. Cultivate Next Generation Leaders

These are not independent practices. Rather, they complement one another and point toward a
future in which workforce leadership is a role and not a title.

1
Returnships are internships for adults who have left the workforce for childbirth, family care, or other reasons and want to return to work, but need current
http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2011/07/20/returnships-home-mom


1. ADOPT A WIDE-ANGLE POINT OF VIEW

Leaders look for new ways to enhance and apply their resources and expertise. As a result, they de-

problems. Jobs, skills, and wages anchor their varied policy agendas, which are often developed
in collaboration with economic development, education, or human service partners. Wide-angle
leaders surround themselves with resources that can help them learn and people who are similarly
motivated to improve their communities. They work with others to set big goals and achieve them.

THREE WAYS WORKFORCE LEADERS CAN DEVELOP A WIDE-ANGLE POINT OF VIEW:

1. Use qualitative and quantitative data, information, insights, and ideas from a wide range
of sources to identify and understand key problems—and the often wicked2 nature of
these problems.

2. Use “Theory of Change” or “Logic Model” frameworks3 to investigate the causes of critical
problems and align investments around shared strategies aimed at meaningful outcomes
and impacts.

3. Collaborate with a wide range of people and organizations in developing potential solutions to
problems—regardless of who owns the agenda.

2
Wicked problems are unstructured (no one cause), multidimensional (no one solution), and relentless (not easily solved). Horst Rittel developed and
presented this idea, eventually sharing it publically in Horst Rittel, Horst W.J and Webber, Melvin M. “Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning.”
Policy Sciences 4, no. 2 (1973): 155-169.
3
While many version of these tools have evolved over time, Grantcraft’s “Mapping Change: Using a Theory of Change to Guide Planning and Evaluation,”
provides a brief, clear, and useful overview of when, why, and how to use them effectively.
http://www.grantcraft.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&pageId=1542


“Expectations of workforce leaders are greater today as the
public’s understanding of education and economics has in-
creased. It’s a positive change. Our agendas are bigger, if not
always realistic.”
Paul, Executive Director, Workforce Board


2. BUILD DIVERSE NETWORKS

Workforce leaders have long collaborated with each other across programs and agencies. But
as agendas become more complex, savvy leaders expand beyond traditional partnerships, leverag-
ing contributions through coalitions, collaboratives, and networks that span disciplinary and
geographic boundaries.

New partners bring innovative approaches to problem-solving—social innovation and entrepreneur-
ship, open data initiatives, crowdsourcing4, even competitions and games designed to promote
outcomes workforce leaders care about.

tools, and learn new skills.

Diverse networks extend the reach of leaders and their organizations, and improve leaders’ ability
to tap into needed resources—locally and globally. These networks can enable leaders to improve

changing conditions.

THREE WAYS WORKFORCE LEADERS CAN ENGAGE DIVERSE NETWORKS:

1.

2. Connect with champions of social innovation and Gov2.0 and other community innovators

the next, creative ventures are emerging in each domain and at every scale—from local to global.

3. Meet with community leaders whether or not there are obvious synergies or common interests.
Relationships create the opportunity for good things to happen even before leaders have any
idea what those good things are going to be.

4
If you are unfamiliar with the term “crowdsourcing,” here is a collection of videos that effectively explain, show, and demonstrate it, quickly. Jeff Howe.
Croudsourcing. July 28, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0-UtNg3ots
workforce leaders can use this approach in their work.


“Diverse partners add the resources and expertise we do not
have and the reverse is also true. You need partnerships to
take on the hard issues. Knowing how to leverage them is an
important aspect of leadership.”
Christine, Executive Director, Workforce Board


3. EMBRACE OPENNESS

Leaders doing big things understand that traditional hierarchical models of leadership are no longer
-
side of formal institutions. Leadership can now come from any corner of an organization or commu-
nity, not just the management tier.

For governments, policy makers, and public programs, large-scale social connectivity has
changed public expectations about how government should work. Workforce leaders adapt by
listening, sharing, and inviting broader participation in problem solving, both inside and outside of
their organizations.

Openness—sharing information widely and encouraging participation in problem solving at every
level, in and outside of organizations—is the heart of weadership.

FIVE WAYS WORKFORCE LEADERS CAN MOVE TOWARD OPENNESS:

1. Join an existing open data initiative (or start one). These efforts help leaders understand the
-
quences of each.

2. Engage a team in “listening” to online conversations about workforce development in your com-
munity using social media.

3. Participate in a crowdsourcing effort aimed at advancing a key policy objective—

4. Identify a successful local or regional initiative designed to achieve goals similar to those of
traditional workforce development programs, but not funded or supported by public workforce
resources, and explore the potential for collaboration.

5. Develop a social media strategy for an initiative, program, or department or for your organiza-


“For WIBs that are nonproﬁts in particular, there are differ-
ent kinds of opportunities, but most of them run ﬁrst and
foremost on policy and procedure. They are great at cross-
agency collaboration, but there’s still a head-honcho, and it’s
still pretty formal. There’s a whole world of citizens and
neighbors to engage.”
Susan, Executive Director, Workforce Board

“If people believe their local government shares information
well, they also feel good about their town and its civic
institutions.” 5

5
Rainie, Lee and Purcell, Kristen. “How the Public Perceives Community Information Systems.” Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project.
March 1, 2011. http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/08-Community-Information-Systems.aspx


4. ENCOURAGE EXPERIMENTATION

For today’s workforce leaders, the speed and intensity of change in the workplace is among

communities. As change occurs, experimentation plays an important role in helping leaders
identify new policies, strategies, and service designs better suited to new demands.

Many factors hinder experimentation in workforce organizations: risk-averse cultures, resource
constraints, processes that do not lend themselves to change, and even pressures to meet
performance goals and follow proven strategies all work against experimentation. But risk can

help support experiments and create a desirable balance between tried-and-true methods and
innovative approaches.

Willingness to take risks also extends to small-scale “pilot projects” that are endemic to the

experiments that tackle a wider range of problems and align their training and development
practices with those of industry leaders.

THREE WAYS WORKFORCE LEADERS CAN EXPERIMENT EFFECTIVELY:

1. Dedicate staff time and resources to exploring, integrating, and testing new ideas. There
are many ways to structure and support experimentation, but dedicating resources is im-
portant because it signals a commitment to innovation.

2. Subject existing programs to close scrutiny to identify design or program changes
that promise to improve outcomes or increase impact. Make one change. Measure the
impact. Repeat.

3. Manage risk. Workforce leaders involve their board members, partners, and communities in
discussions about risk, including the risk of not trying new things.


“Everything we do starts as a pilot. If it’s successful, we
try to ﬁnd ways to sustain it in partnership with our com-
munities, so that they become invested too.”
Michele, Executive Director, Workforce Board

“In the last three or four years, technology has changed ev-
erything. Every industry and every job is affected, so workers
(ourselves included) have to think about not just what we’re
doing now, but what we’ll be doing in ﬁve years.”
Robin, Deputy Director, Workforce Agency


5. ADD UNIQUE VALUE

Workforce leaders share a commitment to doing work that really matters: maximizing
existing investments, supporting broader community change efforts, and championing
important causes.

Effective leaders understand their strengths, and those of their organizations, as well as

their communities.

They seek new ways to measure their performance because they know that only those who
add value remain relevant.

FOUR WAYS WORKFORCE LEADERS CAN ADD VALUE:

1. Identify ways your organization can uniquely contribute to your community’s most impor-

partner organizations or modeling the changes you’d like to see.

2. Relentlessly (and honestly) assess individual and organizational strengths, relative to other
leaders and partner organizations. Craft policies, strategies, and roles that make effective
use of those strengths.

3. Share credit for accomplishments. Whether within or among organizations, sharing credit
builds trust, encourages collaboration, and reduces the risks associated with tackling dif-

4. Measure what matters, even if funders don’t require it, and share accomplishments and les-
sons widely with both funders and the general public.


“We are not relevant if we don’t add value to the community.”
Kris, Executive Director, Workforce Board

“Establish shard goals and metrics that go beyond programs.
This can help embed and scale broader change.”
Sam, Vice President, Membership Organization

“Leaders do real things. Last year we put 15,000 young people
to work. The need is 70,000, but now everyone knows it and
a partnership is taking root.”
Robert, Program Manager, Community Development Agency


6. CULTIVATE NEXT GENERATION LEADERS

The average age of workers (and senior leaders) in workforce development is rising. Current
leaders are concerned about who will replace them.

Leaders understand that the next generation will reinvent what it is to be a workforce leader—

experience in ways that support this transition.

This generational change represents an important opportunity to cultivate community leaders
who have the skills, networks, and practices to succeed in a world that values weadership,
while at the same time deepening knowledge about the history and practice of workforce de-
velopment in the

THREE WAYS WORKFORCE LEADERS CAN CULTIVATE NEXT GENERATION LEADERS:

1. Design high-quality immersive learning opportunities that connect workforce professionals
across generations into meetings and conferences.

2. Continue to experiment with approaches that show promise in growing and retaining
emerging leaders, such as academies and institutes.

3. Adopt cutting-edge recruiting, management and development practices within workforce
organizations and agencies, iteratively, and in manageable ways.


“We need to be serious about investing in future leaders.
Make a real commitment – whether it’s a training institute or
providing opportunities for growth…And it’s okay if they don’t
stay in workforce development. They’ll make a contribution
somewhere, and it will help all of us.”
Carol, Executive Director, Regional Commission

“One of our biggest concerns has to do with the number of
people reaching retirement age …how do we institutionalize
the knowledge and skills they have?”
Roy, State Program Director


SELECT PROJECT RESOURCES

1 Workforce Leadership Framework (this document)

1 Workforce Leadership Guide (comprehensive guide)

2 Leadership Simulations: one organized around community;
and another organized around industry.

5 Leaders on Workforce Leadership (Video)

12 Leadership Highlights from a series of group conversations
with workforce leaders from across the country working in many
different capacities.

12 Leadership Perspectives shared by 12 individual leaders
(nominated by their peers) during 12 conversations.

32 Leadership Resources used by workforce leaders to build their
own leadership skills and cultivate other leaders in their organiza-
tions or communities.

The Future of Workforce Leadership: WEADERSHIP

A Framework for Workforce Leaders, Policy Makers, Funders,
Practitioners, and Aspiring Innovators (this document)
http://bit.ly/oNLjWs

A Guide for Workforce Leaders, Policy Makers, Funders, Practitio-
ners, and Aspiring Innovators (the comprehensive guide in PDF):
http://bit.ly/qgjc1w


ABOUT THE SYMBOLS (OPPOSITE)

Those are QR codes—special two-dimensional bar codes that can be read by most camera cell

them in all kinds of creative ways for as many purposes. The US Department of State, for example,
uses them to provide the public with summaries of world events and share the Secretary’s travel
schedule and public remarks.

The codes above are linked to the resources named, which are on the EnhancingWorkforceLeader-
ship.org website.

To use the codes, you will need a QR reader (application). There are many free readers available
for download quickly and easily through the application exchange for your mobile device: Android
Marketplace for Android users; The App Store for iPhone users; and Blackberry App World for
Blackberry users. Once the application is enabled, just scan the barcode to access the data behind
it, including the urls above.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors (Kristin Wolff and Vinz Koller) would like to acknowledge the intergovernmental orga-
nizations and other contributors listed below for their assistance, insight, and for the work they do
every day to enhance workforce leadership at all levels:

National Association of Counties

National Association of State Legislatures

National Association of State Workforce Agencies

National Association of Workforce Boards

National League of Cities

US Conference of Mayors

California Workforce Association

519 Individual Workforce Leaders Contributors (to date)7

We would also like to thank Gina Wells, Kathy Tran, and Aparna Darisipudi of the US Department of
Labor Employment and Training Administration for their invaluable guidance and support throughout
the project.

The Enhancing Workforce Leadership Project Team inlcuded: Vinz Koller, Kristin Wolff, Alison Gash,
Ricki Kozumplik, Trace Elms, Sam McCoy, Michelle Saar, Annie Nyborg and Miloney Thakrar.

7
A Google map detailing the locations and roles of project contributors is here: http://bit.ly/rnhtF9



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