The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- January 4, 1999

Staff works to minimize relocation disruptions

BY GARY T. BROWN
STAFF WRITER

The NCAA is famous for its roads to the Final Four -- and many of them have led to Indianapolis -- but the Association's next road to Indy will be of a more permanent nature when the national office relocates this year.

The move, projected to occur in July, will involve relocating about 200 staff members and their families; hauling truckloads of furniture, equipment and other inventory; and mastering upgraded technology in a state-of-the-art facility -- all while maintaining as much as possible the level of service that NCAA member institutions have come to expect from the staff.

As daunting as that may sound, the decision to relocate figures in the long run to facilitate better, more efficient service. That may even happen in the short run.

That's because the process of planning to move has caused each department within the staff to rethink the way it does business. Such a review, while it should be ongoing, has become even more timely now in light of the relocation.

The national office's human resources staff already has implemented a new-employee orientation system; the information systems and technology staff is in the process of restructuring in order to apply more advanced technology to be more efficient and effective; and the NCAA governance structure currently is reviewing proposed revenue enhancement, expenditure savings and reallocations as a result of a review of better business practices and other costs-savings initiatives that have come from the staff.

And while those are just some of the initiatives already under way, the biggest challenges perhaps are ahead. Central to any project of this stature is the people involved. The announcement to relocate, which was made in May 1997, already has caused a shift in the national office personnel.

Since that time, the human resources staff has processed 98 moves (internal and external hires), more than double the amount during a normal year.

Though NCAA officials aren't necessarily alarmed by those numbers -- tremors are to be expected with any relocation -- the departures include a number of experienced staff members who have left the national office staff or have announced they will not relocate to Indianapolis.

Given that the NCAA is an organization that always has relied heavily on historical knowledge, the immediate future will be different. By the time the move is completed, two-thirds of the staff will have fewer than two years of experience.

NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey said that while the personnel challenge is significant, plans are in place to establish a safety net.

"The move has presented tremendous challenges," he said, "the greatest of which is in maintaining service to our membership while we experience a significant turnover in personnel.

"Fortunately, the majority of our senior staff will be making the move. In addition, our team management and empowerment administrative programs are part of our philosophy and have proven to be valuable in this process."

Dempsey said the staff has used those programs to develop a stronger team concept of management that has empowered more staff in the decision-making process.

"In the NCAA 2000 project alone, we've had more than 75 staff members involved in reevaluating our office policies and procedures," Dempsey said.

Records management

That review and others like it have prompted significant changes in the way the national office operates. With advanced technology paving the way, the office plans to implement an electronic records management system in an effort to move toward a paperless working environment. The system will allow staff members to store documents more efficiently and with more uniformity, thus making any transition in personnel smoother.

The system also will increase the efficiency in the way the staff disseminates information to the membership, while decreasing the number -- and weight -- of mailings.

"The move has presented us with a chance to reevaluate our policies and procedures," Dempsey said. "This includes our internal and external communication, better use of advanced technology, a new records management system and the creation of a more open office environment."

Dempsey said all of these components dovetail with the national office's team environment and will serve to better integrate the staff with its mission, values and goals. Strong leadership, he said, is a critical factor in making the staff a cohesive unit during a transition that by its very nature is divisive.

"We've asked our senior staff to refocus their commitment to each other and to the Association," Dempsey said. "I expect that our leadership team will work to make this transition as easy as possible. Each leader has a responsibility to provide quality service and a work environment that is positive and healthy.

"The leadership of the national office has undergone significant changes in the past four years and, collectively, we recognize the need to become a strong, cohesive team as we accept these challenges. While the tasks are demanding, each of us sees exciting opportunities in front of us and is dedicated to building upon the upcoming move."

Knowledge-transfer initiatives

While the new records management system will efficiently handle document storage, a larger concern exists with how historical knowledge that isn't on paper will be passed from veteran staff members who have decided not to relocate.

Some staffs are experiencing large turnovers in personnel. The information systems and technology staff alone must replace 12 of 15 administrators. That type of attrition, if left unmanaged, could lead to further attrition in the kinds of intangible knowledge fostered by an experienced staff.

To protect against such loss, each staff has taken steps to ensure that the knowledge baton is passed with as little interruption as possible.

"There's been a conscientious effort for nonrelocating staff to chronicle what they do and how, particularly in support positions where the work may be more cyclical," said Suzanne M. Kerley, director of the NCAA 2000 transition.

Kerley said some of that involves nonrelocating staff maintaining journals that describe job functions, timelines and filing systems. She said it's basically a function of documenting key objectives that a new person would need to know in order to perform a given set of duties.

"This type of knowledge transfer is a critical component of any change effort," said Ronald J. Stratten, vice-president for education services. "This is not just an NCAA 2000 issue. This will have a positive impact on how we perform our jobs for a long time."

It's also another step in the review process each department has taken on to increase overall efficiency.

"Before you can knowledge-transfer, you have to fully understand your own processes," said Robert M. Fiala, NCAA director of human resources. "It's that kind of thinking that has prompted each department to review how it performs its business."

Orienting new staff

As the staff becomes more uniform in the way it does business -- from storing documents to transferring information -- so too must it be oriented uniformly.

Fiala and Kerley have been charged with implementing a staff transition plan that will fill positions with qualified candidates and get them on the same page as soon as possible.

The sheer demand for filling positions quickly prompted Fiala and Kerley to develop a system that strengthened the existing orientation process and established a smoother transition between personnel changes.

"The new orientation process involves a coordinated approach between human resources and the individual groups to make certain that new employees are provided with the instruction they need to become effective as soon as possible," Fiala said.

Central to the system is an office essentials program that orients new staff to the basic functions (for example, telephone and computer training, overview of accounting and financial procedures, travel policies and meeting arrangements) that enable them to contribute immediately.

New staff also get an idea of the team environment and are introduced to the office's mission, values and goals early.

"Part of the orientation is an in-depth study of what's important to us as an Association," Fiala said. "That covers a lot of our value issues and enables new staff to acclimate themselves to our teamwork setting.

"From an overall standpoint, the orientation program needs to not only provide the nuts and bolts to enable staff members to function, but also provide continued reinforcement in training within the values we want to impart. It's not something that is completed in a week's time -- it's a process."

And integral in the process is finding workers who share the commitment to quality service.

Kerley said the boom in hiring hasn't compromised the collective talent of the staff. Though the temptation exists to "put bodies" in positions just to fill the vacancies quickly, Kerley said the staff has remained true to its goal of filling positions with qualified candidates who share a common desire to provide quality service with a commitment to the values of the Association.

"What we look for in new hires hasn't changed," Kerley said. "There's greater incentive than ever to hire well because once the transition is complete, any subsequent turnover figures to be low because the work force will mostly be new and willing to stay for a while."

Increased diversity

One benefit of the turnover is the opportunity to further diversify the staff.

In 1998, the percentage of ethnic minorities on the staff increased to 14.6 from 12.7 in 1997. In addition, 20.3 percent of the full-time hires made from September 1, 1997, through August 31, 1998, have been ethnic minorities, and 66.1 percent of the full-time hires in that time-span have been females.

Of the total number of hires in that time, 20.8 percent are minorities and 66.2 percent are females.

"The move has allowed us to accelerate our commitment to diversity," Dempsey said. "We've made a strong commitment to improving our senior staff with regard to gender and ethnic diversity. I'm pleased with the improvement in the composition of our staff."

As of August 1998, that composition includes 50 ethnic minorities and 220 females in a staff of 342 employees.

In addition, the human resources staff has appointed one full-time position almost exclusively to monitoring diversity issues and to cultivating minority recruiting avenues.

Dempsey said the increased commitment to diversity is one of the many positive outcomes of the transition.

Despite the challenges that come with any change, he said, the national office has taken hold of the opportunity to refocus its commitment to quality service.

"This type of change certainly is challenging -- even frustrating sometimes," he said, "but it will give us an opportunity to provide a national office that will enhance our service and leadership to our membership."

Structure on course for summer completion

Construction of the new national office headquarters building, located in the White River State Park area of downtown Indianapolis, remains on schedule.

The four-story structure, which will adjoin the Hall of Champions, will house more than 300 staff members. The headquarters is scheduled to open during the summer of 1999 with the Hall of Champions opening in the spring of 2000 in conjunction with the 2000 NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis.

As of December, all of the concrete had been poured for the office building floors, and the metal framing for the walls on the first floor was in place. Over the next month, the framing will be completed for all of the windows and walls.

Duct work for the heating and air conditioning system also is being installed. In addition, the first holes for the window dormers in the roof are being cut in preparation for the windows in the office building to be installed in March.

All of the brick work on the north side of the building has been completed, which will allow the brick masons to move to the east side, and then to the west side. They will finish the office building brick work by completing the south side. By that time, it is expected that all of the steel and decking will be finished on the Hall of Champions, and that the concrete floors will have been poured. Upon completing the office building, the brick work on the Hall will begin.

The steel work is on schedule to be completely done by mid-January, and the elevators are scheduled to be installed by the end of March.

"The word 'impressive' keeps coming to mind," said Frank Marshall, NCAA 2000 project manager. "The features of the building are taking shape. The main reception area/atrium is coming together nicely, as well as the auditorium, with the sloped floor, stage area and control room all readily identifiable.

"You really get a sense of the size of the building and the views from all the floors now. The fourth-floor terrace is a great feature."

In addition to the headquarters building, the NCAA has secured an unused plot of land in another part of downtown Indianapolis to be used as the site of the new NCAA distribution center and warehouse.

The NCAA will own the 89,000 square foot facility, and construction will begin in January, with completion scheduled for August 1999. The facility will house administrative support for the NCAA, NCAA Hoop City equipment, NCAA youth sports program equipment, NCAA drug-testing supplies, and NCAA library and archives materials.

"This new facility and its close proximity to the headquarters site and the Indianapolis downtown area provide the Association with a great opportunity to address its long-term needs in an efficient and effective manner," NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey said. "The facility also can accommodate future growth that may occur."

-- Gary Brown

New NCAA staff hires
(September 1, 1997,
to August 31, 1998)

	Total hires	Percent
Female	51	66.2 %
Male	26	33.8 %
Minority	16	20.8 %

Composition of staff
as of August 1998

	'97	Percent	'98	Percent
Female	208	65.8%	220	64.3%
Male	108	34.2%	122	35.7%
Minority	40&	12.7%	50	14.6%
Total Emp.	316	--	342	--