CPI/New
Options Group
Other
Locations:MarylandWashington,
DC
Virginia
Driving Recruitment and Retention Goals
A large public metropolitan school district was having trouble recruiting and retaining enough drivers to meet its daily bus routes. Chronically understaffed, the school's transportation office simply couldn't get the district's children to and from school in a timely manner. The school district called CPI/New Options Group to evaluate the situation and develop a strategy to resolve this issue.
The
Organizational Effectiveness Challenge
The district was able to fill only
80% of its driver positions - any number of whom might be out sick on
a given day - and turnover was incredibly high. CPI/New Options Group
identified the root cause: with one manager per 150 drivers, managers
often found themselves caught up in solving day-to-day problems rather
than focusing on strategic problem-solving.
CPI/New Option Group's Response
We showed the school district how
it could create lead drivers who, even though they didn't hold formal
management positions, could develop leadership skills to take some tactical
responsibilities off the managers. We then coached these new team leaders
to understand their roles. We also showed them how to identify and meet
needs of their constituents within the organization. We helped the district
operationalize its service model, bring its leadership principals to life,
create a motivating environment for staff who didn't hold formal roles
in the chain of command -- and tie this all together with the school system's
master plan.
Results
By freeing managers to focus on strategic
issues like attracting new employees, the school district met its goal
to hire a full complement of drivers, plus 10% to cover absenteeism. Instilling
a sense of leadership and accountability throughout the transportation
office, retention rates also improved dramatically.