Obama has 43.1% approval rating from IT managers for tapping government workers to improve efficiency in their own agencies - before he even starts

President Obama's plan to tap government workers for ways to improve their own agencies' performance is likely to gain quick acceptance in both government and commercial sectors.

According to an April 2009 survey of 353 business and IT managers, 43.1% reported that workers in their organisations “often” design their own workarounds to inefficient processes or systems they've been given by management to do their jobs. Another 40.2% said their workers “occasionally” design workarounds.

The survey was fielded by Global 360, a leading provider of process and document management solutions that improve government agency and commercial business performance while reducing costs. All respondents are implementing or planning implementation of a process management solution in their organisations.

President Obama said in his national radio address on Saturday, 25 April: "Americans across the country know that the best ideas often come from workers, not just management. That's why we'll establish a process through which every government worker can submit their ideas for how their agency can save money and perform better. We'll put the suggestions that work into practice."

“The President is on the right track,” said Colin Teubner, Senior Research Analyst of Global 360. “That more than 80% of workers have to design workarounds to systems to get their jobs done shows two things. First, there are a lot of inefficient processes being used in organisations today. Second, the people actually doing the work can and should contribute to designing processes before they are implemented so that systems make their jobs easier, rather than presenting a new headache.”

Teubner also said the real key to improving efficiency at government agencies is to identify inefficient processes and fix them. “Usually organisations take some of worker-devised workarounds and implement them more broadly. While that may lead to some short-term gains, it often doesn't solve the fundamental problem, which is bad process.”

Instead, Teubner recommends that agencies do exactly what President Obama suggested: listen and take their workers' knowledge of which processes don't work and how they could be improved, and then implement ones that will make lasting changes not just by improving efficiency, but also by contributing to agencies reaching strategic and operational goals.

“The place for President Obama to start is by assessing highly visible core processes in government that are especially painful for workers and the public,” said Teubner. “For example, if he can find a simple way to improve one process at the postal service or the IRS or at the immigration agency, it will be a big public win. More than the 43% of IT managers will be cheering him on.”

Concluded Teubner: “The right way to get our government agencies to save money and perform better is to change processes to adapt to the way people work, rather than the other way around.”

To learn more about the Global 360 viewPoint Assessment, a method for helping organisations assess their core business processes and readiness for implementing software systems to manage them, visit: http://www.global360.com/collateral/documents/brochures/360_viewpoint3.pdf.

Global 360's customers include Fortune 1000 corporations and government agencies such as The Department of Homeland Security, the South Carolina Employment Security Commission and Pinellas County Florida.