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WSDOT official urges leaders to treat frontline staff as 'process engineers'
Summary
At a staff Coffee Klatch, a WSDOT risk official emphasized continuous improvement and customer service, recommending leaders solicit frontline ideas, honor contributions, and consider making process‑improvement responsibilities explicit in job descriptions.
Mike described a culture‑change approach he said drives many of the agency's cost‑saving innovations: ask frontline staff what gets in their way, honor their ideas even if not all are feasible, and explain why some proposals cannot be implemented. "You've gotta be asking your people, what do you think is getting in your way?" he said.
He recommended that leaders avoid dictating solutions and instead empower staff who work with the process to suggest improvements. He also tied the approach to customer experience: treating callers respectfully, explaining decisions clearly, and viewing government workers as serving internal and external customers are central to increasing public trust and improving outcomes.
