Agenda - 09-05-1995 - X-A - Laserfiche WebLink

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z what they say they expect. This enables an assessment of any gap there is between what citizens expect and what they receive. An additional step that can be included, as in Lincoln County, is an employee survey designed to determine the extent to which various organizational conditions may facilitate or hinder delivery of quality service. That information can provide levers for improving service quality. The IOG approach relies on perceptual rather than objective measures of quality ( such as error rates) . This approach enables comparisons across departments and over time, even if the nature of the service changes . The approach does not by itself , however, tell exactly what to change: the organization would have to devote additional thought to that. Finally, how the process is managed would be important. IOG staff believe the process is most effective when there is organizational ownership of the process, since the organization will have to change to improve service quality. One way of pursuing this kind of ownership would be to appoint a committee which includes a cross-section of County employees as well as citizen representatives to work with the IOG staff to pursue the survey. IOG staff indicate that their experience has been that a process that relies exclusively on outside experts or committees to tell the organization what to do produces resistance to change rather than organizational ownership of any problems identified. The IOG staff can work with Orange County on a service quality study within the constraints of fulfilling obligations to other local government clients and refining their current service quality survey methodology. They estimate that a survey process could take nine to twelve months, depending on the level of IOG staff involvement. If the Board is interested in pursuing the service quality approach, it could consider making appointments of perhaps 8-10 citizens at the next Commissioners' meeting to a committee involving a similar number of County employees designated by the Manager, to work with the IOG staff in developing and administering a survey similar to the one outlined above. RECOMMENDATION: The Manager recommends that the Board discuss the proposed course of action for a service quality study; confirm or amend it as proposed, or identify an alternative approach; and establish a • realistic desired timetable for undertaking and completing the approach selected.