g head: PROBLEM SOLUTION: COASTAL COUNTY CLERK OF COURT.

Problem Solution: Coastal County Clerk of Court
University of Phoenix

Problem Solution: Coastal County Clerk of Court
Coastal County’s outgoing Court Clerk is being replaced by the newly elected Stan Accord. Stan Accord has his own ideas about restructuring and reforming the County’s Court Clerk’s Office. These changes ensure that conflicts and resistance to change will emerge internally. This based on the fact that Stan Accord’s Management style appeared to have trust factors. Stan Accord’s predecessor, Art Brewer, was known for maintaining low operating costs during his tenure as Coastal County Court Clerk. Although it is good to maintain low operating cost, it meant operating in the dark ages because there was a lack of technology and they did not have a website. Once the County began to grow at a very fast pace, due to retirees moving into Amber beach, there was a need for more property development. To that end, Coastal County’s Court Clerk has to begin to advance in new technology that includes training programs for the employees to utilize the technology. There also needs to be methods for better communication to minimize conflict by developing some type of conflict resolution program and focus on new initiatives that will improve and maintain superior service to the residents of the county.
Describe the Situation
Issue and Opportunity Identification
There are several issues and opportunities in the Coastal County Clerk of court situation. The three identified issues include a lack of technology, lack of a means to address conflict, and the ability for citizens of Coastal County to have the ability to access information more quickly without having to come to the court. There opportunities to address these issues. First, the County has to advance its current way of handling issues with the use of technology. To that end, this will require that training programs are put in place for the employees. There should also be a program implemented that addresses conflict. In this case, there is a perception that Stan Accord has trust issues with his direct reports. He insists that he is notified in advance prior to anyone leaving the office for any reason. The County Clerk needs to ensure that superior service is given to the citizens of the county. One way to do this is to create a website that the citizens can access that is user friendly and can address their concerns related to their community.
Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas
The stakeholders are comprised of the Clerk of Courts, the employees and the citizens. The new clerk has to make significant changes because the environment in Coastal County has significantly changed. The prior clerk was successful in keep cost down during his tenure because he used minimal resources. This strategy is not effective with the new changes to the county with the influx of so many retirees that have moved into the county. Consequently, his leadership style going forward creates conflict within the county government and its employees. He has to move quickly to develop technology to meet the needs of the county and train his employees in this new technology. The employees were very concerned and conflicted regarding the new rules forced on them by the new Clerk of Courts. This is based on the fact that they have worked in the same manner for many years without micromanaging. One of the first things to change under the new County Clerk is for all employees to advise him when they leave the office for any reason. He labeled this rule “accountability”. The County Clerk needs to implement a conflict prevention program. The employees resented his disapproval of their work and how they did it. The citizens of the County deserved to have the necessary services readily available on the Internet to avoid visiting the office. The Clerk has to develop a website to provide this critical need for the citizens.

Frame the “Right” Problem
Coastal County will be successful in its goal to make the changes necessary in developing technology that includes training for its employees, implement and designing a conflict management program, and creating ways to improve its operations to provide superior service to its citizens with a new vision and strategy.
Describe the “End-State” Vision
Coastal County’s Clerk of court can show great leadership in moving the county into a more technological phase with training programs for the employees, ensuring that a conflict prevention program is developed, and offering superior customer service. This will ensure that the Clerk’s vision will lead to innovation that will ensure the success of the Clerk, the county employees, and the citizens.
Identify the Alternatives and Benchmarking Validation The Coastal County Clerk of Court has to develop new technology working closely with a newly created division that handles Information Technology and Information Systems. In order for this to be successful, they will need to include a project manager on the business side to develop the functional specs for the new technology. This is a good way to keep down cost and ensure the goals for the new technology are implemented successfully and within budget. Secondly, there has to be a serious focus on developing and implementing a conflict prevention program that includes conflict resolution before things get elevated at a serious state. Some of the key components to this program should include open communication from the Clerk and the staff. They can work closely with their Human Resources/Relations Division to work toward this development and implementation. Superior service to the citizens is critical, so the employees have to be trained to assist them in user-friendly guidance on how to use the new systems and applications by servicing them when calls come in. They also need a unit to ensure the information on the Internet site is up-to-date. This will ensure success and the success can be validated through surveys and suggestion sections developed into the applications.

Evaluate the Alternatives
The risks are minimal in developing new technology and improving employee satisfaction. There are some glitches involved in developing and implementing new technology, however, once the system is up and running it can mean success for the company and happy and satisfied customers. Apple is well known for its innovation and new technology development that involves training for its employees. Prince George’s County Government is serious about handling conflict and has a successful program in place for its employees.
Narrowed List of Alternatives
The number one alternative is the training programs, to ensure all of the employees are abreast on how to use the new technology. The employees can use their training to assist the citizens learning how user-friendly the technology is in assisting them with many of their issues. The conflict prevention and resolution program is critical to ensure that things run smoothly and that there is no misunderstanding in the goals set in place by the County Clerk. The fact that Human Resources/Relations Department is involved sets the expectations that all voices are heard. Citizen satisfaction means that they are happy with the changes and new services.
Identify and Asses Risks
There are minimal risks in the development of new technology, because there may be some problems with the various technologies are launched. It may require a lot of testing to ensure all of the glitches are resolved. Sometimes these glitches are not identified until much later. There could be additional costs unless there are caveats included in the overall specs. There is the possibility that some of the employees may not complete trust Human Resources/Relations because of their relationship with Senior Staff. This is a problem that exists in many organizations. However, there are strategies that can be put in place to address these concerns such as anonymous boxes throughout the floors of the organization where employees can address their concerns. There is the risk that some of the end-users may get frustrated if they have to use new technology to get their issues resolved. Some people prefer to go directly to the Clerk’s office. Make the Decision Developing new technology is critical to the success of the county to ensure that they have the capability of managing the influx of new citizens moving into the area. They must get on the fast tract in the development and implementation of new and innovative technology that includes training for the employees.
Develop and Implement the Solution The County Clerk will work closely with the Project Manager who is responsible for ensuring the project runs smoothly by identifying major deliverables and milestones, developing a timeline that is approved by the County Clerk, determining who will do what, and determining what resources will be needed. This information will be included in the project plan.

Evaluate Results In his leadership role, the County Clerk has to develop a method for evaluating results. This can be done using surveys internally with the employees and externally with the citizens. The data should be reviewed and any issues captured for evaluating and resolving. This strategy will keep the County Clerk’s office running smoothly and creating an environment for employee and customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
The issues and opportunities are identified in this analysis. The Coastal County Clerk has an opportunity to develop and implement new technology and training for the county and its employees. These solutions will move the county in a new direction that will offer conflict resolution programs for the employees and user-friendly applications for the citizens of Coastal County. There is a validation process involving surveys that will assist the county in rating its employee and citizens in superior service and customer satisfaction. Through this process, this strategy can be continuous is process improvement.