1999 Highlights:
Prepared by Sandor
Schuman, Executive Decision Services LLC
Environment Audits and Pollution Prevention
For the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation, facilitated a "Stakeholders
Meeting" with over 100 environmental and industry representatives to
obtain feedback for the Department's ISO compliant Environmental Audit and
Pollution Prevention Project.
National Conference on Small Group Research
Worked with a group of nationally renowned small-group researchers to
identify and describe the various theoretical perspectives in small group
research. The group developed a proposal for a Year 2000 conference on small
group research.
Venture Capital Planning
Geocapital Partners, a venture capital
firm specializing in information technology companies, asked me to facilitate
their annual review meeting in the spring. I joined them again in the fall to
facilitate their strategic planning meeting.
Post Office REDRESS
Mediated a workplace dispute for the Postal Service under their REDRESS
program
Training or Policy?
Worked with the NYS Department of
Transportation, Office of Equal Opportunity, where needs identified by
management for supervisory training were examined and emerged instead as needs
for policy clarification.
Training Delivery on the NYT
Facilitated a joint meeting of the NYS Office
for Technology and the New Technologies for
Workplace Learning Workgroup to identify potential training programs
that could be made available through the state's soon-to-be-announced
fiber-optic network, the New York Network (NYT).
Tenure, Teaching Load, and Dean-Department
Relations
At the Linwood retreat center overlooking the Hudson River, 25 department
chairs and administrators of the School of Liberal
Arts and Sciences, College at New Paltz met to work toward uniform
tenure-review criteria, an equitable teaching-load policy, and improved
relations between the departments and the Dean's office.
Equalization Rates
The NYS Office of Real Property Services
is responsible for establishing "equalization rates," rates that
establish tax equity in situations where properties of equal value have
different assessments because they are located in taxing jurisdictions that
assess at different rates. Secondary uses of equalization rates produce some
complex side effects which were explored at this internal meeting.
Birders, Bicyclists and the Bay
The Rockaway Gateway Greenway, a
multiple-use recreational path designed by the National Park Service, was
proposed to pass through the Jamaica Bay National
Wildlife Refuge, a major stop-over for migratory birds and part of the Gateway National Recreation Area in New York City.
Late in the design-approval process the proposal met with major opposition from
birders and other environmentalists who formed "Save Our Sanctuary"
and delivered petitions in opposition to the planned development. Amidst
technical controversies and interpersonal acrimony I facilitated a meeting with
representatives of local business and civic, cycling, environmental, and local
and state government organizations to explore and understand the bases for the
conflict and build a basis for a revised proposal.
The Largest Merger in NYS History
The merger that created the new Office of
Children and Family Services was the largest in NYS history. Working
together for three days with representatives of the Department
of Civil Service, OCFS staff developed a strategy to consolidate Civil
Service titles and establish equitable salaries for positions with similar
responsibilities but which evolved differently in their historical agencies.
In conjunction with Public Interest
Breakthroughs Inc.:
A Shared Front End for Human Services
For New York's Human Services Modernization
Project, helped facilitate a meeting with County Social Service
Commissioners and other local government officials to gain their comments and
insights regarding the Draft Strategic Plan for a "shared front end"
for human services.
State-Local Government Collaborative System
Development
Facilitated theNorth Carolina Human Services
Automation Summit meeting, involving 40 state and local government
human services officials. They developed a process for collaborative
development of automation projects.
Provided support to the New York State
Office for the Aging
on a range of projects, such as:
Importance vs. Performance
Facilitated the second Management Advanced Planning Session for the New York State Office for the Aging Executive Team.
Evaluating Information Technology for
Service Delivery
Completed an evaluation of the Aging Services
Network - a program to integrate telecommunication technologies in
service delivery - funded by the National Telecommunications
Infrastructure Agency.
Which Data?
At this conference staff identified client and program data that should be
retained by the state office for program management and policy analysis.
Strategic Direction for CBS
Worked with senior staff to examine critical alternatives for the future of
the software, systems and overall direction for the Client
Based Service Management System.
Facilitation Training Curricula
Revised two of our group facilitation training curricula: Group Facilitation - Process Skills Practicum for
individuals without prior facilitation experience, and Improving Group Effectiveness, a more advanced
course that focuses on group behavior and intervention strategies.
New York State Facilitators Day
Sandy was invited to be a presenter at the first New York State Facilitators
Day sponsored by the Governors Office of Employee
Relations. His presentation, "Thinking on Your Feet," was
greatly aided by contributions from subscribers to the Electronic
Discussion on Group Facilitation.
Group Facilitation: A Research and Applications
Journal.
Sandy assumed the role of Editor-in-Chief for this journal, published by
the International Association of Facilitators. If you have any interest in
subscribing or in submitting an article for the journal visit the journal web
site.
The Electronic Discussion on Group
Facilitation.
In 1999 we averaged approximately 900 subscribers in 32 countries and 9
posts per day. The quality of recent discussions has been astounding. To take a
peak visit www.albany.edu/cpr/gf/