Case Studies: Organizational Assessment: Ypsilanti Community Authority
Ypsilanti Community Authority (YCUA) Organizational Assessment

Project Description and Results:

Background: Over the past two years, Ypsilanti Community Authority (YCUA) has undergone many changes. For the first time in its history, state and local economic conditions acutely affected YCUA. As a result, the culture of the organization has undergone significant change. Employees have received lower than normal wage increases, layoffs have occurred, and over half of the managers have moved to new roles. In addition, the wastewater treatment plant is undergoing an expansion. Thus, the pressures placed on the organization and its employees are high. The YCUA leadership is interested in assessing the impact that these changes have had on the members of the workforce. They will use the results of the assessment to plan a strategy for managing the changes needed to position the organization to effectively respond to the economic challenges of the future.

The YCUA contracted with Miller Consultants in collaboration with subcontractor, Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH) for an organizational assessment. Miller Consultants used their Organizational Assessment  tool kits to carry out the initial organizational diagnostics.  The assessment will present a snapshot of the current work culture focusing on the organizational climate, employee attitudes towards change, and organizational  efficiency and productivity. In addition to producing a current snapshot, the assessment should identify the root causes of any problems that it reveals. The analysis will result in recommendations for how to manage a culture change that will address the issues, position the Authority to efficiently meet the future demands put on the organization and manage the change necessary to be successful over the long run.

Scope of Work: The scope of work includes the following elements:

1. Conduct personal interviews with the staff, Board members and professional service providers to assess the attitudes and environment at the Authority.
2. Assess the public perception of the Authority and its staff.
3. Assess the organization’s culture, workforce attitudes toward change and make recommendations regarding successful change management processes.
4. Review staffing levels relative to work processes and make recommendations for increased efficiencies.
5. Review compensation for all employee levels.
6. Conduct skills inventory, accidents, and customer feedback.
7. Conduct an analysis of efficiency indices including but not limited to costs of labor, costs of materials, equipment production rates, and downtime.

Results: While the project is in its beginning stages, the results, which we expect to deliver include the following:

• Creation of a work culture that supports YCUA’s increased demands for performance
• Improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of work processes as a means to respond to increased economic demands
• Identification of strategies and tools to improve organizational performance