8. THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE PERSONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM (PODS)
PODS functions as a dynamic of network of resource persons and learning options. Leadership and management of the system will be provided by three functional teams and an advisory committee. The teams are described below.
Personal Effectiveness Team
This team consists of faculty and staff with experts as trainers, career counselors and curriculum designers. This team designs and manages individual and group learning options, a mentoring program, career development options, validation and revision of core competencies and the development of a competency-based curriculum. Members of this team will work with competency development teams to ensure that competencies are continuously developed, refined and that appropriate learning opportunities to progress through the various levels of proficiencies are continuously in place. Competencies that are emphasized by this team include knowledge of the organization, professionalism, communications, human relations and leadership.
Organizational Effectiveness Team
This team consists of faculty and staff who are competent in developing compacts and business plans, systems thinking, visionary planning, team building and enhancement of the workplace environment, organizational assessment and interventions, and cultivation of organizational change. Competencies most relevant to this team include professionalism, communications, human relations, and leadership. This team will work with county staff, departments, CEMP teams and other groups to strengthen the effectiveness of teams in groups and to resolve conflicts and other issues which detract from individual and team performance.
Program Effectiveness Team
This team is made up of faculty and staff with demonstrated leadership and competence as Extension educators, technical subject matter specialists, and experts in program planning design, implementation, evaluation, accountability and reporting, and representatives of ALS and CEMPS. The primary competencies relevant to this team are knowledge of the organization, technical subject matter and programming. The functions of this team relate to customer needs assessment, customer focus, program design, delivery options and volunteer development.
Operations and Staffing for PODS
Leadership for PODS is provided by a director who reports to an upper level administrator in NCCE. The core faculty and staff are drawn from several departments within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and from other administrative units within NCCE. Membership in the faculty and staff of PODS is fluid with some individuals serving as full time members, others as part-time and some serving for a limited time on a specified or a contractual basis for specific contributions and special assignments. An advisory committee representing all job groups, volunteers, customers and other stakeholders works with the faculty and staff of PODS.
PODS will function as a flexible and cost effective operation. According to organizational experts, the smart way to organize and function in the future will include virtual teams and networks of teams. For example with PODS, a core of faculty and staff could be housed at NC State University and NC A&T State University. Others could be housed at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center and the Vernon James Center. Other faculty and staff for PODS may be located throughout the state, housed in county Extension centers or they may operate from home offices. Recent and future advances in technology will allow PODS team members to function as virtual teams that can work together overcoming the limitations of distance and scheduling inconvenience.
Planning for training workshops, delivering training, career track counseling and other tasks conventionally carried out in a face-to-face setting can be accomplished through the use of technology and virtual teams. This technology will allow a flexibility and ease of access to new resources for personal and organization growth that is almost without limits. Experts from anywhere in the world can become members of virtual teams or can contribute their expertise as resource consultants. NCCE has a proud history of using information technology for delivery of educational information. Two-way interactive video, electronic discussion groups, electronic collaborative rooms and e-mail are just some of the communication options that are already available to virtual teams in NCCE.
The establishment of PODS can begin immediately with the use of existing faculty and staff to establish a separate operational unit that will manage the personal and organizational development system. Full time core staff for PODS could be drawn from the department of Agricultural and Extension Education at NC State University. This could be done through immediate organizational changes or through a transition phase. For a transition to PODS, some personnel could be assigned part time or given sabbaticals in order to give leadership to the development and management of certain components of PODS. It is recommended that at least one position be designated from NC A&T State University to PODS. Other members of the PODS team can be reassigned from state level specialists positions, area agents or field faculty. Initially four full-time positions and two half-time positions should be designated at the state level. Appropriate support staff should also be secured. As rapidly as possible, three full-time positions should be dedicated to PODS at the field faculty level. These would be located at specific geographic sites to cover the state. Opportunity for additional field faculty and others to assume part-time assignments in PODS should be instituted in order to provide the flexibility needed in a dynamic system.
It should be the responsibility of the Department Extension Leader or another designated specialist in each department to facilitate the development of training options in technical subject matter competencies appropriate for each department. These Department Extension Leaders and Specialists will work with the core staff of PODS to assist specialists in making sure that the training opportunities they develop are appropriate, competency-based, and delivered through a variety of delivery options.
It is important that all members of the PODS team including specialists and other designing training have access to experts in information technology and resources for translating learning opportunities into multiple delivery options and for effective use of the NCCE learning infrastructure. These information management experts should be consultants for PODS or members of the PODS team.
Learning Options
It is important that the wide variety of learning options available to employees and volunteers in the NCCE be kept current and that this information is available throughout the system. BRC recommends a clearinghouse of resources including people, programs and courses both internal and external be maintained by departments, CEMPS and PODS. PODS must develop within the NCCE culture, the notion that every individual is responsible for the personal growth of self and others. This is particularly important for specialists who should see the development of learning options as a primary responsibility. Working with specialists and others, PODS will be responsible for the management of learning opportunities which will include tracking and record keeping for individuals, the determination and assessment of levels of proficiency and making sure that learning opportunities are sequential, accessible and of the highest quality.
Reward System and Incentives
PODS will work with Extension Administrators to develop a reward system and incentives that drives training and instills a desire for personal growth and organizational development. This would include certification programs, salary increases and performance assessment based on demonstration of high levels of competence. PODS will also be responsible for giving leadership to the institutionalization of celebration milestones both for individual growth and organizational growth.
The Power of the Model