[DOR-Grapevine] FW: My Thoughts

[WILSON Christie L]

See the message below: 
Thanks
Christie Wilson 
PTD-Timber/Deferral Unit 
503-945-8345 
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>  -----Original Message-----
> From: 	BUCHOLZ James C  
> Sent:	Friday, January 23, 2009 10:34 AM
> To:	BUCHOLZ James C
> Subject:	My Thoughts
> 
> Good morning Grapevine readers,
> 
> I'm sure you're all aware of the difficulties that the state is currently experiencing with its budget.  In response to this, the Department is cutting back on many of its normal business activities in order to save dollars wherever we can.  Unfortunately, one of the activities that will be impacted in the short term is the Grapevine publication.  This publication will be temporarily on hold until we are able to fill a couple of key vacancies.  Please accept our apologies.
> 
> Since I had already written the article that I intended for the winter edition, I thought I'd send it along to you all anyway.  Enjoy!
> 
> My Thoughts
> 
> There is an old saying that goes, > "> The only person who likes a change is a wet baby.> ">   While there might be a lot of truth in that, it> '> s also true that despite the short term discomfort that may come from moving out of our comfort zone, there can be a lot of positives that come from changing some of our longstanding practices.   I> '> ll say that a bit stronger> ...>  Sometimes we have to take a look at our processes and procedures and make changes in order to stay relevant and effective.  Don> '> t believe me?  Just ask the former CEO of Westinghouse about the wisdom in providing products and services in exactly the same manner that they had always provided them in the past.  For the non-baby boomers out there, Westinghouse was a giant in the major appliances industry in the last century that crumbled in large part because of an unwillingness to change.
> 
> Several of the planks in the recently completed Department of Revenue strategic visioning process speak to a new culture in the department that embraces change.  For the first time in more than a decade we made changes to our core values and primary goals.  One of these changes is to acknowledge that we want to be an innovative agency that looks for opportunities to continuously improve.  We recognize that if we are to meet the needs of our various partners and stakeholders we need to be much more intentional about seeking opportunities that will contribute to improved performance than we have been in the past.  What is implied in this is the idea that we also need to be much more willing to take a look at our existing processes and ask ourselves, > "> Is there a better way?> "> 
> 
> One of the enemies to continuous improvement is the TTWWADI mindset.  If you> '> re not familiar with that acronym, it stands for That> '> s The Way We> '> ve Always Done It.   TTWWADI spells death to the spark of innovation and creativity that newcomers often bring.  It spells a sometimes dangerous conformity where the TTWWADI> '> s indoctrinate the up and comers.  While this process can save us time and wasted effort in meaningless pursuits, it can also kill creativity, innovation and ambition.  The up and comers are encouraged and pressured not to even try for new goals and new ways of doing things, because of the obstacles and failures experienced by the TTWWADI> '> s.
> A well-known story which illustrates the absurdity of TTWWADI tells of a woman who always cut the ends off a ham before putting it into the oven. 
> "> Why do you do that?> ">  her husband asked one day. 
> "> That> '> s the way it> '> s supposed to be done. It> '> s what my mother always did.> "> 
> "> Why did she do that?> ">  he asked. 
> The woman didn> '> t know why. And later when she asked for the reason her mom told her that she did it because the old pan she had used was too small! 
> The type of business process analysis that I> '> m speaking of is already starting to take place in the Property Tax Division.  Mark Kinslow is in the midst of making changes in the Assessment and Taxation Standards section.  The other sections are also planning on taking a hard look at where changes for the better can be made.  I> '> m encouraged by this, and I> '> m hopeful that this will mark a new era in the Property Tax Division.  I> '> m convinced that by seriously questioning the reasons why we > "> cut the ends off the ham> ">  in our existing systems and processes we will better be able to meet the needs of those who rely on us for our services. 
> 	> >  <<Picture (Metafile)>> 
> 
> 
> -------------------------------- 
> Jim Bucholz
> Administrator
> Property Tax Division
> 503 945-8670
> james.c.bucholz at state.or.us 
> 
> P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.
> 
> 
> 
> 
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