Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

Mayor/ council with limited vision or
understanding.
Council commitment
Too many unnecessary bureaucratic road
blocks
Unions, bureaucratic city processes
Political pressure to avoid any additional
staff.
Technology
Available technology not currently available
to meet goals/ objectives of executive
management.
The knowledge in the IT department is held
by one individual, the manager. When this
person is not available it causes a huge
problem.
Regulations and laws
Regulatory actions
Regulators (2)
Regulations (4)
Regulatory agencies- civil service
State law (2)
Regulatory constraints
Responses from regulatory agencies
Civil service Union contracts
Regulatory agency interference
New laws passed by the legislature who do
not understand public utilities but think they
do
Being part of public works dept (must
follow rules)
Regulatory framework becomes more
complex
Regulatory agencies
Regulatory bureaucracy (state and fed
limits)
Complying with state and federal
regulations
State regulations and ordinances
Regulatory guidelines
Regulatory regulations
Increasing regulatory parameters
There aren’t many. Sometimes regulations
affect the speed at which we can implement
things.
State regulatory agency bureaucracy
Governmental regulations
Water management regulations in conflict.
Regulation agency timelines
Existing laws.
Civil service law in New York State is very
restrictive with respect to job description
and hiring practices.
State laws which restrict flexibility in
staffing options.
Regulatory requirements
More regulation and reporting requirements
New hires
Lack of skilled or journey level work force
in this area
Staffing
Competition for hard to fill jobs from
competing utilities.
Pool of potential applicants.
Rates
Rate increases (2)
rates
Strong push not to change rates even if
better for the long run.
Elevated rates
Rate increases (keep them reasonable)
Concern over higher rates.
Public resistance to any increases in utility
rates.
Customers wanting money to be low on
bills.
Customer unwillingness to support
initiatives through higher rates.
Obtaining funding support for water rates
and special property taxes from the public
and water retailers.
Rates/budget pressures from our customers
impacts resources that could help us develop
knowledge data.
Few- are looked upon within community
and region as a leader in initiatives and as
long as customer service remains high and
rates remain competitive- barriers are rarely
encountered.
Public perception
Customer acceptance of changes
Public
Public support for new programs, don’t care
attitude
Strong influence by minority public group
that dampens creativity and flexibility in the
operation of the organization
Public perception (3)
Public not understanding benefits of
innovative initiatives
A-26
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