How Quality Impacts Culture

One unique way to create a positive culture in your school district (which we know influences retention) is to focus on the performance of your operational departments, especially maintenance & operations, HR, and the business office. Although we don’t often think about the role these departments play in establishing a positive culture, they can be the source of great frustration for staff members if not functioning effectively.

In today’s post I would like to talk about quality work and how it impacts the district’s culture. I want to unpack what it looks like, and how we can train our operational departments to deliver in a manner that instills respect and confidence. In my experience, training on a few key topics can pay huge dividends, transforming operational departments and promoting a positive work environment for all school district employees.

Let’s start by talking about establishing job standards. Department supervisors need to begin by developing, in conjunction with their teams, common standards of operation. The standards should be few in number, general in nature, and dictate how every task is approached. As an example, the maintenance & operations department may outline that they: 1) Communicate what will be accomplished and provide a completion timeline for those they are serving, 2) Commit to leaving the work space as it was found, and, 3) Communicate when the job is finished and what was completed.

By communicating that what will be accomplished and the timeline for completion, the maintenance & operations department is reducing the staff member’s stress by helping them to know what to expect with the repair in their room or work space. Committing to leave the work area as it was found builds a sense of respect. The staff member feels that the maintenance & operations department pays attention to her needs and, again, respects her workspace. Finally, communicating when the job is finished and identifying what was completed brings closure to the process. As you can see, the goal for the maintenance & operations department is to not only address the physical repair to be completed, but to show respect for the staff member.

Next, we can unpack the concept of quality. You will note in the example above, quality is implied when indicating the workspace should be left as it was found. Unfortunately, not everyone pays attention to detail, thus this is why a job standard is needed and why training is important. I have seen maintenance & operations departments repair a hole in a classroom wall which sits next to a piece of furniture and after the job is completed, the furniture is found somewhere else in the room and there is sheet rock dust left all over the floor. Clearly not acceptable and a scenario which is bound to lead to frustration.

Finally, communication after the job is important. If work is being completed in an individual’s workspace, whether that be a classroom or an office, the staff member will appreciate knowing not only what was planned, but also when the work is finished. Again, like each of these considerations, it really comes down to respect. Training our operational departments that respect is as important as the task is vital when it comes to creating a culture of respect; and ultimately it is respect that leads to staff retention.

I used a maintenance & operations example in this post, but the same concept applies to all operational departments serving district staff members. It is important to develop job standards which transcend every task to be completed, and to train on a few key components, such as quality and respect.

The establishment of a positive school district culture should be looked at using a multi-faceted lens. It is not just one thing, or one effort, which impacts the school district’s culture, but rather it comes back to developing systems which promote respect. The formation of culture of respect starts at the top and is not always easy define because at times tough decisions must be made. In my experience, a culture of respect is built over time and is the sum total of multiple efforts, decisions, and initiatives.

Take time to reflect on the concept of respect within your system and the establishment of a positive school district culture. How, as the organization’s leader, are you promoting respect and establishing expectations for others to follow? I truly believe this is part of the positive culture puzzle, which can impact employee feelings of trust and respect, leading to stability and retention within the system.

Please leave any thoughts or ideas in the comments section below. Remember, we all gain when we learn and share from each other.