R. Gregg Albright

1
Planning Your Future Is Caltrans Ready for
Tomorrows Challenges?

• May 9, 2006

2
The Transportation Professional's
EpiphanyMoment of Sudden Intuitive
Understanding, Flash of Insight
3
World of Mobility is in a State of
Transformation

• Trends of the 21st Century- Do you recognize
  the challenges they bring?
• Leadership in the 21st Century- Are we equipped
  to provide relevant leadership and service?

4
21st Century Trends

• Fundamental Shift in Power
• Decisions have moved downstream toward the
  customer
• More local control over transportation decisions
• Authority has been dispersed
• Regulatory and permitting agencies, and most
  other stakeholders have the ability to say NO

5
21st Century Trends

• Fundamental Shift in Power
• Influence has been bestowed
• All stakeholders are empowered to influence
  decision making
• A well supported program or project does not
  assure implementation
• It is easier to stop something than to complete
  it.

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21st Century Trends

• Fundamental Shift in Power
• Unfair actions, real or perceived, justify
  stopping programs/projects
• All stakeholders must agree
• 1. There is a real problem or important
  opportunity
• 2. The right stakeholders involved
• 3. The process is Reasonable, Sensible and
  Responsible

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21st Century Trends

• Fundamental Shift in Relationships
• Sustainable transportation decision must be
  collaboratively established
• Stakeholders must be engaged, influential and
  informed decision-makers

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21st Century Challenge

• ITE JOURNAL
• In the 21st century, our own professional
  development, as well as our organizations, must
  be much More Diverse than it was in the 20th
  century.

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21st Century Challenge

• While our focus has been on technical expertise,
  the changing transportation environment is
  demanding New Skills.

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21st Century Challenge

• The Good News
• We recognize we are not fully prepared for these
  Challenges.
• The Bad News
• We recognize how difficult it to prepare for
  these Challenges institution-wide.

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Demanding New Skills in Problem Solving

Complex Problem
?
Problem Solved
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Demanding New Skills in Problem Solving

Complex Problem
Technical Work
Problem Solved
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Demanding New Skills in Problem Solving

Complex Problem
Technical Work
Problem Solved
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Demanding New Skills in Problem Solving

Complex Problem
Technical Work
BUILDING CONSENT
Problem Solved
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Demanding New Skills in Problem Solving

Complex Problem
Technical Work
Building Consent
Problem Solved
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Demanding New Skills in Problem Solving

Complex Problem
?
Technical Work
Building Consent
Problem Solved
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Demanding New Skills in Problem Solving

Two Patterns of Behavior
1. Buyer/Seller Sell technical solution to our
defined problem. 2. Co-Creator Joint-adventure
that promotes shared ownership.
Building Consent
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Demanding New Skills in Problem Definition

Complex Problem
Technical Work
Building Consent
Problem Solved
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Demanding New Skills in Problem Definition

• What is the problem?
• More Capacity
• Mode Shift
• Land Use
• Visual Character

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Demanding New Skills in Problem Definition
Stakeholder Values
Stakeholder Values
Stakeholder Values
Problem Definition
Problem Definition
Problem Definition
Shared Problem Statement
Problem Solved
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Demanding New Skills in Problem Definition

• If Stakeholder Values drive problem definition
  and,
• Defining the Problem is 90 of solving the
  problem, then
• we need
• Collaboratively Defined Problem Statements

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21st Century Challenge

• Community Values and Priorities
• Slower speeds/ Traffic calming
• Lower speed limits
• Bulb-outs at intersections
• Raised medians with trees

• Caltrans Traditional Values and Priorities
• Efficient movement/ Less congestion
• Legally supported speed zones
• Consistent facility design standards
• Less obstructions on highway less liability

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21st Century Challenge

• Institutional Barriers to Change
• Caltrans could be handicapped by
• Allegiance to experience and skills
• Traditional distribution of resources
• Conventional performance measures
• Litigation-driven policies
• Business as Usual

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Corporate Values for the 21st Century

• We should be known for our Proactive and
  Strategic Planning approach.
• We must be seen as Trustworthy and Credible.
• We should be known for our Intelligent Risk
  Taking and Innovative approaches.
• We must be both Responsive and Responsible.

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Corporate Values for the 21st Century

• If Caltrans is NOT
• Proactive, Strategic, Trustworthy, Credible,
  Innovative, Intelligent Risk Takers, Responsive
  and Responsible
• then we will be replaced by others who can
  provide RELEVANT leadership.

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New Strategies for the 21st Century

• Invest in
• Intellectual Capital
• as a Joint Venture
• View others as stakeholders with shared
  responsibilities
• Invest in each other with the expectation of
  receiving a return
• Go from Warfare to
• Alliance Relationships

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What is an Alliance Relationship?

• It is a partnership of shared information and
  decision-making
• Indispensability
• It results in collaborative problem definition
  and solutions
• Innovation
• It is responsive to each partners needs
• Shared Values

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What is an Alliance Relationship?

• It moves partners from seller/buyer to
  co-creators
• Ownership, Joint-venture
• It capitalizes on diversity, promotes synergy
• Leverage Intellectual Capital
• It produces lasting results
• Decision Sustainability

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Typical Results of Alliance Relationships

• Need and Purpose Statement reflects diverse
  stakeholder values
• Projects programmed with clear Scope of Work and
  adequately Budgets
• Share Ownership over implementation, a
  joint-venture

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New Strategies for the 21st Century

• Context-Sensitive Solution
• David S. Ekern (Minnesota DOT)
• Stakeholder Acceptance
• Environmental Compatibility
• Engineering/Functional Credibility
• Financial Feasibility

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New Strategies for the 21st Century

• CSS are NOT!
• Compromising Standards
• Sacrificing Safety
• Us versus Them
• Winning and Losing
• Taking More Time

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New Strategies for the 21st Century

• It is not a question of should we pursue Context
  Sensitive Solutions.
• Its a matter of how to apply these principles to
  change the way we do business.

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Six-Step Program to CSS Health

• Step 1
• Changing Landscape Necessitates Stakeholder
  Collaboration
• More Local Control- influence moves downstream
  towards the customer
• Authority Dispersed- external stakeholders have
  the ability to say No

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Six-Step Program to CSS Health

• Step 2
• No One Has Singular Authority or Capability to
  Solve Complex Problems.
• Collaborative Problem Definition- it is a good
  business practice to involve stakeholders.
• New Skills- technical proficiency alone does not
  assure implementation.

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Six-Step Program to CSS Health

• Step 3
• Need Multi-functional Teams that are Both
  Responsive and Responsible
• Diverse Expertise- required to find balance
  between competing interest while protecting core
  responsibilities.

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Six-Step Program to CSS Health

• Step 4
• Establish Effective Stakeholders Engagement
  Process
• Quality not Quantity- Consequential
  stakeholder involvement adds value. Ineffectua
  l outreach can be wasteful, create false
  expectations, and impact credibility.

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Six-Step Program to CSS Health

• Step 5
• Create Well-informed and Equipped Stakeholders
• Roles and Responsibilities- clearly defined.
• Partnerships- measured by shared ownership
• Significant Influence- stakeholder input
  constructive and relevant

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Six-Step Program to CSS Health

• Step 6
• Systematically and Strategically Shepherd Tasks
  to Conclusion
• Devolution Syndrome- Complex programs/projects,
  involving diverse stakeholders, will erode into
  conflict without proactive and deliberate
  management.

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Symptoms of CSS Implementation

• Establishes Relationships by capitalizing on
  trust, diversity and promoting synergy.
• Shared Values as we are responsive to each
  others needs
• Indispensability comes from sharing information
  and decision-making.

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Symptoms of CSS Implementation

• Ownership/Joint-venture by moving from
  seller/buyer to co-creators
• Innovation collaborative problem definition
  produces intelligent risk taking and progressive
  solutions

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Symptoms of CSS Implementation

• Decision Sustainability produces resolve and
  lasting results.
• Good Business Case produces program-wide benefits
  in terms of cost, schedule and leveraged
  opportunities.

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Summary

• Trends
• Shift in power
• Challenges
• We are not equipped
• Corporate values and skills
• Change in behavior
• Successful Strategies
• Alliance relationships

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Are we Ready for Tomorrows Challenges?

• May 9, 2006

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Successful Tools for the 21st Century

• If you want to teach people a new way of
  thinking, dont bother trying to teach them.
  Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will
  lead to new ways of thinking.
• Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983)

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Four Step Consent-Building Strategy

• Life Preserver
• When applied systematically and strategically,
  this process will dramatically improve our
  ability to solve complex issues.
• Consultant Hans Bleiker, Institute for
  Participatory Management and Planning

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Life Preserver, Step 1

• There is a serious Problem,
  or an important Opportunity one that
  must has to be addressed.

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Life Preserver, Step 2

• The right Stakeholders are involved in solving
  the problem. In fact, it would be irresponsible,
  given the stakeholders interest, not to be
  engaged.

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Life Preserver, Step 3

• The way we are going about it, the approach we
  are taking is
• Reasonable, Sensible and Responsible.

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Life Preserver, Step 4

• The responsible stakeholders are Listening and
  Care about the cost, negative effects, and
  hardships their actions will cause.

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Life Preserver, summary

• Serious problem must be addressed
• The right Stakeholders are taking responsibility,
  they must do it
• They are reasonable, sensible and responsible
• They are listening and care about impacts
• The Life Preserver to builds resolution through
  shared values.