Robert Bendzick, Chief Financial Officer, Olmsted County Finance Department
Every once in a while, Olmsted County staff members are asked by a resident to behave "more like a business." The idea being that a business would be more efficient and cost less than a local government.
As a county, we are ensnared in the regulations and rules of the state and federal governments even more than a private business. I've heard business owners complain about "all the rules and regulations," and I can tell you that we understand that problem more than you might expect.
In a previous column for the Post-Bulletin, I explained the business type Olmsted County is most like is a co-op. We provide services to our owners who happen to be the residents of the geographic area of Olmsted County. That's how you choose us as the co-op who serves you; you are born here or move here and don't move away.
As for behaving like a business, our board of directors, the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners, is made up of business people that residents voted for out of the field of available candidates, probably with the idea of picking people who could best run the county.
The board is made up of small-business owners, former large company executives, business managers and professionals. Every one of them has extensive business experience and works to help us be the best possible business that we can be while fulfilling our local government co-op" responsibilities.
As part of being more like a business, we have started to use a business technique called "Lean." In December 2012, the county board unanimously approved an initiative to continuously improve our processes. You may have seen articles about it in the Post-Bulletin. We named the initiative LEAP for Lean Efforts and Automated Processes.
Continuous Improvement isn't new to Olmsted County and it certainly isn't new to the business community. Continuous Improvement is being used right now at Mayo Clinic and IBM and many other business in this community.
I've personally seen the changes Mayo Clinic has made. Various forms of Continuous Improvement have been developed throughout the years. Many of our staff have been diligently improving their work areas for decades. In 2012, the board of commissioners decided to double down on our efforts by dedicating resources.
We want all of our employees to learn the skills it takes to "lean" out their work.
The county has thousands of processes. We do a lot of things that provide the foundation of this vibrant community. We employ a wide variety of skills to provide those services, everything from appraisers to zookeepers.
As you know from where you work and what you do at home, the way it's always been done isn't always the best way, it's just what we are used to. Now we are adding a new skill set: professional, disciplined, continuous Improvement.
'You don't become an expert at something by just hoping or by deciding to be satisfied with amateur efforts. Just like the dedication it takes to become a professional musician or athlete, it takes practice and discipline to do a great job of continuous Improvement.
We are spreading this idea to our employees by involving them in efforts to lean our processes and organize our efforts.
Here is one way you may see our efforts. If you choose to vote by absentee ballot in fall of 2016 elections, your voting experience will be faster and less confusing than it might have been in the past. The county's ability to manage the absentee balloting process will cost citizens less and be easier for the county's staff to manage. While the rules and regulation tangle that surround absentee voting haven't been reduced, the county's continuous improvement initiative worked with the county elections division to streamline the process and make it flow better.
We think we've improved a difficult process. We hope you notice. We are working to be more like a great business.
Robert Bendzick, is the chief financial officer in the Olmsted County Finance Department.
