Transcript Slide 1

The Business Solutions
Professional Approach:
Connecting Extension to
Workforce and Economic
Development
Presentation to members of the
North Central Regional Center for
Rural Development
Words to remember
• “Let no visit or encounter with a
business be wasted”
• Every visit or encounter presents an
opportunity to discover the business’
needs and to connect with the
appropriate resources
Objectives of the Session
• Identify outcomes of applying the BSP
approach in Michigan
• Identify the primary elements of the
Business Solutions Professional Approach
• Consider ways in which university
extension professionals could apply and
diffuse the BSP approach in their work
Key definitions
• Workforce development – any and all
publicly supported organizations that
provide services and resources to job
seekers, dislocated workers and
businesses.
• Economic development – local or regional
efforts that focus on attracting & retaining
businesses and supporting business’
growth and development
Outcomes in Michigan
• Stronger integration and connectedness of workforce
development, economic development, p/s education,
business services, state and local government, and
EXTENSION
• More jobs saved and created than using traditional, silobased approaches
• Creation of a vibrant, robust, and dynamic network of
550+ practitioners
• Transactional interventions often lead to strategic
community development initiatives
Elements of the
BSP Approach
• Business
relationships
• Asset Knowledge
• Partnerships
• Networks
• Structured
intervention method
Driven by Business Demands
Demand = any condition or need which
hinders a business’s ability to compete.
Elements of the BSP Approach
Business
relationships
Networks
Structured
Intervention
Method
Assets
Partnerships
Assets
• Services and resources available to
businesses – at little or no cost – to help
them survive & thrive; e.g.
– SBTDC
– Manufacturing Extension Partnerships
– Local non-profits, community colleges, etc.
• Businesses have very little knowledge of
the depth and breadth of assets available
to them and how to access them
Business relationships
• Developing a reputation within the
business community as a capable provider
of a wide array of services beyond those
that your agency provides
• Building trust with businesses so that they
will share what they want and need to
survive, stabilize or grow
• Demonstrating effectiveness through
successful interventions
Effective Networks
• Building relationships that generate information
on developments within the business community
• Building relationships that provide information on
other assets and ideas that may be of use to
business and community
• Sharing information that stimulates greater
knowledge and understanding of what is
available and contributes to a realization that the
whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Partnerships
• Practitioners and organizations that one works
with on a regular basis to help businesses and
communities to succeed
• Requires intentionality & regular communication
to build and maintain
• Partnerships are needed because all assets
needed to help a business do not reside in one
location – nor does any one person always have
all the necessary answers
• Partners give the BSP Network its POWER
Follow the intervention method
1. ENTRY – building rapport
2. FACT FINDING – discovery
3. SOLUTION DESIGN - solutions
4. IMPLEMENTATION – making it happen
5. FOLLOW UP – satisfying the customer
Value of BSP intervention
method
Requires defining the business needs before
attempting a solution.
Informs your client about how you work
Requires engaging the business stakeholders.
Allows you to anticipate what will occur at each stage
Enables you to involve your partners throughout the
process
The BSP Process
Pre Entry
TRIGGER EVENT
Trigger may be:
• a “lead” which requires additional
information before deciding what to do:
• a rumor
• an observation
• insider non official information on a
business
Entry
The BSP Process
Stage 1
ENTRY: getting started
How can I build a relationship with this business ?
If requested by the employer or referred by a partner, the
door is opened to you but you still must prepare for the first
meeting.
What do you want to know about a business prior to your
first meeting? Who and what are your sources?
Fact Finding
The BSP Process
Stage 2
FACT FINDING
What does this “business” need?
What is the current business situation?
•Ask questions
•Make statements
•Invite discussion
What does it mean? What are the problems /
opportunities facing the business?
•Review the “facts”
•Analyze the information
What assets may help the business?
Solution Design
The BSP Process
Stage 3
SOLUTION DESIGN
How can the “business” needs be met?
What are the options?
•Discuss findings with “business”
•Consider options
What is the best solution at this time?
•Develop proposal
•Discuss proposal with “business”
•Develop the plan – who does what, when, where
Who leads or coordinates the implementation?
Implementation
The BSP Process
Stage 4
IMPLEMENT
How do we carryout the solution?
How are efforts coordinated between partners and
employer?
•Coordinate partner efforts
•Prepare the “business”
What is the monitoring process?
•Monitor
•Problem resolution process
Follow Up
The BSP Process
Stage 5
FOLLOW UP
How are things?
What happened?
•Check results with “business.”
•Assess satisfaction
What can I do to build a relationship with this
business?
•Inquire about future needs
•Exit
Who participated?
• Workforce development business
services -- 273
• Workforce development career services –
89
• Economic development – 83 (includes 4
MSUE)
• Education business services – 58
• Education career services –10
• Other – 29
The Michigan diffusion process
• Agencies within the “collective system” were not
integrated or connected
• Recognition that the “collective system” was
being sub-optimized
• More effective integration and connectedness
had to be championed
• The champion had to have access to resources
and ability to facilitate diffusion
• In Michigan, that was through the workforce
development system
The Michigan diffusion process
• A statewide effort – training centrally
located
• Statewide and regional cohorts
• Initially participants were recruited
• After 1st cohort, waiting list was the norm
• Not a mandated change
• Fully funded by the state
Extension as a champion
• Presence of an existing regional and statewide
structure and framework
• Existence of a network of professionals in the
field who have standing in their communities
• Are able to lead and connect with workforce &
economic development agencies and
professionals
• Consistent with land-grant mission
• Optimizes what extension staff provide
Presenters
• Michael Polzin
– [email protected]
– 517- 432-1288
• Donna Winthrop
– [email protected]
– 517- 353-4464