VOICES of the Staff Progress Report 2007—2009

Introduction

The Voices of the Staff Program (VOICES) was launched in 2005 to provide a sounding board for President Mary Sue Coleman and other University executive leaders to discuss important University-wide issues with the staff community. The program was designed by Associate Vice President for Human Resources Laurita Thomas and a management team she appointed.

The program was designed to:

  • Create a multi-dimensional communication effort that would give staff greater sense of membership in and responsibility for the institution.
  • Promote and sustain high levels of staff engagement in accomplishing the goals of the University. 

With the support of the University’s Executive Officers, a three-year pilot successfully worked toward those goals, producing:

  • Staff-initiated change efforts, innovative ideas and proposals, many of which led to funded projects and initiatives that have helped to improve work life across the University.
  • Noteworthy partnerships between VOICES Network teams and operating departments. 
  • Professional development opportunities for participants that enhanced understanding of the University and helped staff acquire new skills, broader perspectives, and wider and more diverse professional networks.

In 2008, VOICES applied for and received continued funding from the Executive Officers, allowing it to continue as an ongoing program of the University, with six network teams focused on issues and opportunities of greatest  interest to the University staff community.

Program Goals

  • Provide input to the President, Executive Officers and/or the Associate VP-Human Resources about promoting the general welfare of the University.
  • Sustain a working culture that enables staff to contribute their best to the Michigan Difference.
  • Promote and facilitate staff participation in the University community and in the University’s missions.
  • Create new ideas that have potential to improve University life.
  • Encourage a sense of community among all University staff members.
  • Create, sustain, and improve multi-directional communication across all levels of staff, management, and University leadership.

This report summarizes VOICES’ impacts, achievements and work in progress for the period 2007-2009 and demonstrates how:

  • VOICES-facilitated opportunities for dialogue between staff members and University leadership provide a mechanism for staff to experience an enhanced sense of inclusion in the campus community.
  • VOICES has helped to stimulate and foster staff engagement through enhanced communication and strengthened connections across job types, across campuses, and between leadership and staff.

The report also describes the transitions that will be made to the VOICES’ Network Team structure based on over 4,000 staff members’ responses to VOICES February 2009 campus-wide survey. This survey was distributed to all staff following the VOICES-sponsored MSpeaks Town Hall Meeting in February 2009 which asked staff on all campuses to identify and rank the topics and opportunities viewed as top priorities to the staff community. The survey led to the selection of six topics perceived as high priorities by staff and supported by executive leadership as core areas of focus for the VOICES Network Teams in 2009-2010.

As an ongoing program of the University, VOICES provides a unique opportunity for the University to build a resilient, engaged and empowered workforce dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in achieving the University of Michigan’s core missions of teaching, research and service. Through its collaborative partnership with the Ross School of Business’ Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS), VOICES provides a laboratory for the application of best practices in building high-quality connections, resilience, resourcefulness and creativity—all attributes of high-performing organizations studied by POS researchers, including Jane Dutton, the Robert L. Kahn Distinguished University Professor of Business Administration and Psychology, and other leading U-M faculty researchers associated with the Center, who have worked closely with VOICES to apply and test POS principles in the U-M work environment.

VOICES’ strategic aspirations focus on shaping the kind of working environment that inspires and enables each person to contribute his or her best skills.  We believe this will place the University of Michigan at the leading edge of higher education in empowering staff members and creating new sources of value for the University.

Next: VOICES' Background and Overview