Area Headquarters Consolidation2007 NTPAW Skills Awards 7a) Issues/Crisis Management June 8, 2007Jeff CaldwellChief of Communications, Virginia Department of Transportation

ISSUEISSUE

• VDOT decides to consolidate maintenance facilities from 335 to 248 locations– Interstate maintenance already being outsourced– Reduce costs– More efficient use of staff, facilities, equipment– Agency has already downsized from 10,300 to 8,800

employees—agency structure needs to follow suit

• Affects more than 600 employees statewide• Similar earlier streamlining efforts were derailed

by employees and gov’t officials

COMMUNICATIONS GOALSCOMMUNICATIONS GOALS

• Present clear business case for consolidation

• Improve chances for public acceptance

• Address employee morale and uncertainty

• Reach multiple audiences in compressed period of time

• Solicit feedback, but not ask permission for change

DIVERSE AUDIENCES & TOOLSDIVERSE AUDIENCES & TOOLS

• Carried out plan w/in 48 hours to ensure consistency, quell rumors, reduce chance to derail effort– Affected employees: meetings, with letters and info

packets– State and local officials: e-mailed letters, maps, lists

of facilities– All employees: e-mail message from agency head– Local, state, trade media: news releases, telephone

press conferences; includes announcement of 13 public meetings, wrote trade articles

– Citizens: VDOT Web site map/facilities lists, media outreach

TOOLSTOOLSNews ReleasesNews Releases

TOOLSTOOLSComprehensive Facility Map/ListsComprehensive Facility Map/Lists

13 PUBLIC MEETINGS13 PUBLIC MEETINGS

• 760 attendees; 205 speakers– Elected officials’ initial criticism limited to two small

areas of state

• 130 letters/e-mails/written comments• Benefits

– Identified public’s value of VDOT crews as emergency responders, on par w/police, fire, rescue

– Showed VDOT willingness to listen and consider changes

– Helped change initial public reaction– Encouraged media defense of decision

MEDIA COVERAGEMEDIA COVERAGE

OUTCOMESOUTCOMES

VDOT changed status of only small number of affected facilities – Citizen, official and media support of final decision – Media defense of VDOT’s decision – Trade media cited VDOT as evolving nat’l leader– Little reaction as consolidations are carried out

OUTCOMESOUTCOMES

• Employee morale – Little employee outcry as facility plan is implemented in early 2007– Almost all employees placed in new positions or work locations

• Agency public opinion improvements– Public defines VDOT during public meetings as a vital emergency

response service– Elected officials and critics quiet down– Virginia legislature passes long-awaited transportation funding bill with

no directives directing VDOT to outsource or downsize any further

• Agency change-management communications templates and best practices created– Subsequently used in other major change initiatives with success