About a year ago I started working on a proposal for the European Social Funds for the municipality for Ulricehamn. We had just started a process of changing the structure of how things are managed and run here and had done an analysis about the organization in order to look at improvement possibilities. I suggested that we tried to get external funding for the process of changing the organization into a learning organization and wrote a proposal that granted us 650 000 Euros. So, now we are about to start the process of turning the municipality of Ulricehamn into a learning organization and I have gotten a new job as project manager. A fun and great challenge!
A learning organization is the term given to an organization that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself. We live in a global world where we constantly have to improve the services we provide and where new tasks are added. To work in a modern organization demands a lot and the idea with this project is to give all staff the tools they need to do the job in the most successful way. 100 managers and 200 staff member will get extra training but the biggest challenge is to spread the new way of working to all members of staff (all 2000). The main benefits of working this way is to assure both innovation and quality while staying competitive and customer orientated. For an outsider I can see that it sounds a bit unclear but I think this can really make a difference in our organization. If your tasks are clear, well defined and you feel that you know what to do or who to turn to with questions, challenges or problems I think you can do a better job. Secondly, if you know how to measure that you are doing the right thing, for the right price with the correct outcome instead of just thinking that you are doing the right thing we are on the right track.
Obviously the municipality has been working with these ideas before but we have not been able to implement it all over in the organization and different quality systems have developed in different parts of the organization. Now, with the support of the European Union, we can take a holistic approach and hopefully improve both the outcome of the organization and the individual engagement in a positive way. The project involves 2000 people and it will not work out if people do not feel committed, encouraged and involved. It is a fantastic challenge and I am fortunate that I have a fab team helping me in the process!
But, life is not only about work and now we are finally seeing a bit of spring here in Ulricehamn. The bicycles are about to be used, the winter jackets are going into storage and Jochem recently started to work on his boats again. Next week the girls’ drama class will show off their spring performance and in the end of April Nils tennis lessons will be moved outside. I don’t know where time is going but it goes fast for sure. In a few weeks we will enjoy Easter break and hope to visit my family and some friends in Skåne and in the end of April 6 foreign families are arriving for the 15 reunion of “the Fire Station exchange students at Lund University 1996”!
Really looking forward seeing you all!
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