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Wichita State team briefs Hutchinson council on organizational assessment; staff survey finds high trust in supervisors, training gaps for supervisors
Summary
Wichita State researchers presented an organizational assessment and staff survey results showing strong departmental culture and trust in immediate supervisors, but staff reported chaotic workloads and supervisors sought additional training; council to workshop strategic plan in late summer.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Wichita State University PPMC staff on May 20 presented an organizational assessment and employee-survey summary to the Hutchinson City Council and recommended next steps toward a strategic plan, including a council workshop in the late summer.
Kathy Sexton of Wichita State summarized the work since September: staff interviews, a review of 19 planning documents and a citywide employee survey. “When you go through that document of all these themes and ideas, what I would love for you to do is mark what is important to you,” Sexton told council, describing the packet that summarizes 13 issue areas from the document review.
Isabelle Ebersole and Sarah Gooding presented survey findings. Gooding said the survey recorded a 66% response rate and that the results showed strong workplace culture in many respects: “There’s very high trust in immediate supervisors. 79% people say they trust completely or quite a bit,” she said. Other positive findings included that most employees understand how their daily work connects to city goals and that respondents reported generally positive relationships with colleagues.
But staff also reported stressors. Sexton said employees described their workdays as sometimes chaotic with frequent interruptions and staff shortages. Gooding said supervisors identified training needs: only 54% of supervisors agreed they receive adequate training or support, and leadership and management training was the most requested area.
Project partners recommended the city use the assembled documents and the staff input to craft a concise strategic plan. Sexton said the next step is an “influencing factors” report and a council workshop to draft vision, mission, goals and measurable actions; she asked council members to review the compiled document and mark priorities to help focus the upcoming planning work.
The council did not take formal action on the strategic plan at the May 20 meeting; staff said they will return with draft goals and a proposed workshop date in August or September.
