Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment (2021)

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9   Creating an environment that cultivates talent enables airports to gauge their employees’ feel- ings about the organization. Because of the unique role airports play and the safety and security risks involved in even routine jobs, the risk of having unskilled and unknowledgeable talent in crucial positions is immense. At the same time, civil service hiring systems may limit hiring and firing flexibility, while the commercial pressures to innovate and improve the passenger experi- ence demand an even more highly skilled workforce. As airport leaders struggle to align their workforce with the evolving demands of the industry, they may find that they cannot do it alone. Through strategically creating an environment that cultivates talent, airports can simultaneously improve the culture and foster a positive work environment. Adding to the concern is that private-sector companies can often offer higher salaries, greater flexibility, and more autonomy in the work environment, along with more attractive employee benefits packages. Further, increased political, financial, and commercial pressures present resource challenges that often constrain airports and leave them reluctant to invest in develop- ment and training programs that would otherwise boost workforce engagement. Antiquated infrastructures may also result in airports not being perceived as attractive places of employment for the very talent that is in such demand. This chapter includes six plays that airports/organizations can use to create an environment that cultivates talent. Each play contains information on potential indicators of a need for action; implementation steps; tools and resources; and alternative approaches. Table 1 describes the six plays in this chapter along with brief highlights and corresponding page numbers. Chapter 2 Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent

10 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play Overview Page Play 1: Implement cross- functional group sessions to promote organization-wide knowledge sharing A cross-functional group session can enhance employee retention by providing employees with an opportunity to develop relationships, learn from their colleagues, and get guidance regarding problems they are encountering at work, which in turn helps them perform better and accomplish tasks more efficiently. 11 Play 2: Host learning moments forums to share lessons learned Learning moments forums can be described as formally organized and structured discussions in which employees share something they learned, a best practice they developed, or skills they used to achieve a difficult goal. 15 Play 3: Facilitate Think Tank forums to promote innovation Think Tank forums are useful for encouraging 19 innovation amongst employees and allowing employees to have their voices heard in decisionmaking processes, both of which increase employee engagement and satisfaction. Play 4: Conduct group visioning sessions with employees to outline shared values and goals Group visioning sessions may be described as formally organized gatherings of employees with the purpose of establishing goals to work toward as a team and values to uphold in pursuit of these goals. 23 pul Play 5: Conduct employee se surveys to understand employee attitudes about work Employee pulse surveys can provide airport managers with an easy and cost-effective way to track their employees’ attitudes throughout the year. 27 Play 6: Articulate a peer- nominated employee recognition approach to honor work successes An employee recognition program is a system used to acknowledge individuals who go above and beyond when performing their job duties and deserve to have their work successes celebrated. 31 Table 1. Plays for creating an environment that cultivates talent.

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 11   Play 1: Implement Cross-Functional Group Sessions to Promote Organization-Wide Knowledge Sharing Overview of Play Potential Indicators of a Need for this Play A cross-functional group session is a formal or informal gathering of employees, often with similar roles or job duties within the airport, who meet to exchange knowledge about best practices in their divisions or working groups. These sessions can be in the form of brownbags or lunch and learns and provide an opportunity to increase employees’ airport-related knowledge and address any potential skill gaps among employees. Cross- functional group sessions may be considered valuable professional development tools, because they offer a form of training that is unparalleled in its ability to foster collaborative learning. Through participation in these cross-functional group sessions, employees learn from one another as employees offer anecdotal guidance and advice based on their unique experiences and perspectives. Learning what one employee experienced and how they solved a problem can be relevant to solving another employee’s current or future challenges. In sum, a cross-functional group session is a solution that is cost-effective and can enhance employee retention by providing employees with an opportunity to develop relationships, learn from their colleagues, and get guidance regarding problems they are encountering at work, which in turn helps them perform better and accomplish tasks more efficiently. Indicator #1 Experienced gaps in employees’ required or desired knowledge Indicator #2 Employees need or want additional skill development Indicator #3 Employees want more teamwork, collaboration, or connection with those outside of their immediate working group

12 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 1: Implement Cross-Functional Group Sessions to Promote Organization-Wide Knowledge Sharing (cont.) Cross-Functional Group Sessions Success Story Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s Step 1: Establish the purpose of the cross-functional group sessions and determine the method of communication between members (e.g., email, in-person meetings). Step 2: Determine the program features, such as who will create and/or participate in the cross- functional group sessions, and the structure/format that will be the most useful for the group to establish the format of the session. Step 3: Obtain support from management for the cross-functional group sessions and encourage them to promote the group sessions with employees. Step 4: Invite employees and their managers to share the knowledge and skills they would like included in these group sessions and identify subject matter experts (SMEs) that can facilitate the group sessions to teach about the desired topic areas. Step 5: Schedule SMEs (internal or external) to present at the cross-functional group sessions. Step 6: Ensure that invited employees have the necessary time to effectively utilize and contribute to the cross-functional group sessions. Step 7: Host the cross-functional group sessions. Step 8: Regularly assess whether the cross-functional group sessions are meeting the needs of employees and be open to making changes to ensure maximum benefit and learning. Implementation Tools and Resources • Managers can use check-ins with their employees to make sure their employees are aware of the cross- functional group sessions, link participation in these sessions to their employees’ performance goals, and even provide incentives for participating. • Surveys may be used to assess employees’ desire for sessions about various topic areas, comfort level with participating, knowledge or skills gained through participation, and their satisfaction with the format of group sessions. Southwest Florida International Airport instituted lunch and learn sessions where employees come together to learn about best practices and make sure that institutional knowledge is shared across employees. For example, concessions staff, gate agents, security personnel, and airport customer service staff may be invited to lunch and learn sessions about improving customer service skills. These sessions are less formal than some other forms of cross-functional group sessions (e.g., a brownbag series), but still accomplish the goal of sharing knowledge across employees. Through these lunch and learn sessions, Southwest Florida International Airport employees can enjoy learning about the work that occurs across their airport, while interacting with one another.

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 13   1https://wrrc.arizona.edu/brown-bag-seminars 2 https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/lunch-and-learn.htm 3 https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Regions/R1BrownBrown/R1BrownBagCalendar.pdf Play 1: Implement Cross-Functional Group Sessions to Promote Organization-Wide Knowledge Sharing (cont.) Additional Resources If you are looking for more information about cross-functional knowledge-sharing sessions, visit these sources: • Example brownbag series from the University of Arizona1 • How to run successful lunch and learn events from MindTools2 • Example flyer promoting a brownbag series from the Oregon Department of Transportation3  Key Success Factors • Increase satisfaction among participants by identifying gaps in employees’ desired or required knowledge and skills and develop the cross-functional group in a way that best addresses these gaps. • Fostering a climate of knowledge sharing rather than knowledge hoarding by highlighting the benefits of collaborative learning will encourage participation and engagement in the sessions. Obstacles and Considerations • It may prove difficult to get active participation among all employees, but participation may be encouraged by highlighting the benefits of the sessions and ensuring that employees are given time in their schedules to participate. • Managers may be hesitant to adopt these sessions given the time required to organize them, but emphasizing the benefits of the sessions may help increase buy-in. Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready to host cross-functional group sessions, try creating a repository or library of resources. If you already host cross-functional group sessions, hosting open houses might be a good next step for you. Create a repository or library of resources: You and your employees can continually update this to share content and knowledge with each other. Implement cross-functional group sessions (e.g., brownbags, lunch and learns) to promote organization-wide knowledge sharing. Host open houses: Employees can learn more about the airport and its functions, informally meet employees within their functional area as well as others, and ask leaders questions.

14 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 1: Implement Cross-Functional Group Sessions to Promote Organization-Wide Knowledge Sharing (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success and Related Case Example To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: • Rates of participation in cross-functional group sessions • Frequency of sessions • Change (increase) in employee knowledge about different areas of the airport • Survey of employee reactions to the sessions and information gained • Expanded social networks of leaders and employees As an example of successful implementation of cross-functional sessions to promote organization-wide knowledge sharing, a small transit agency worked to implement knowledge-sharing forums with employees and community partners who contribute to the agency’s work. The success of these knowledge-sharing forums was supported by developing a culture of participating in the sessions and sharing knowledge, as demonstrated by executive leaders participating (see TCRP Research Report 194: Knowledge Management Resource to Support Strategic Workforce Development for Transit Agencies, case study “KM Promotes Employee Awareness of Transit Agency Work: Small Transit Agency C” on page 7-9, available at http://www.trb.org/TCRP/Blurbs/176944.aspx).

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 15   Play 2: Host Learning Moments Forums to Share Lessons Learned Overview of Play Possible Indicators of a Need for this Play Learning moments forums can be described as formally organized and structured discussions in which employees share something they learned, a best practice they developed, or skills they utilized to accomplish a difficult goal. For example, a learning moment forum may involve a manager discussing how they were able to resolve conflict in the workplace by trying to see their colleague’s point of view and practicing empathy. Knowledge-sharing platforms such as these provide employees with explicit knowledge of experiences in the airport, within their team, and on the job, as well as tacit knowledge, which is information employees unconsciously use when performing their job duties. It is important to prioritize the sharing of this type of knowledge to ensure it is not lost when employees retire or turnover. Airport managers may choose to host these forums as often as necessary (e.g., monthly, quarterly, biannually), and can allow any employee to present or hand-select employees to contribute. Hosting these forums will facilitate the transfer of lessons learned, which can translate to fewer repeated mistakes, and will also strengthen professional working relationships between employees. In sum, hosting learning moments forums are a cost-effective way to encourage a knowledge-sharing culture and support employee capacity-building. Indicator #1 Employees lack opportunities to share knowledge across their teams Indicator #2 Employees frequently repeat their colleagues’ mistakes or missteps Indicator #3 Employees have a desire to connect with and learn from their colleagues

16 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 2: Host Learning Moments Forums to Share Lessons Learned (cont.) Learning Moments Forum Success Story Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s Step 1: Establish the vision for the forums, including the purpose and format. Step 2: Identify individual(s) who will be responsible for organizing the forums, including the solicitation of volunteers to share their learning moments and scheduling of the forums. Step 3: Develop resources that will help employees identify learning moments to share during the forums that guide their brainstorming and identification of relevant personal work experiences. Step 4: Create communications to distribute to employees to solicit volunteers to share at the forums; you may send to all employees to ask for some to volunteer or identify specific employees to ask to participate based on your knowledge of their experiences. Step 5: Provide employees with resources that may help them develop their stories or learning moments and support them in preparing for sharing their story at the forum. Step 6: Invite all employees to attend the learning moments forum. Step 7: Host the learning moments forum and bring together employees to hear the stories. Step 8: Ask presenters to write a brief summary of their learning moment that can be stored in a repository and used for future reference by other employees. Step 9: Assess employees’ perceptions of the forum and be open to adjusting the format to better meet their needs. Step 10: Repeat steps 5 through 9 as often as desired (e.g., monthly, quarterly, biannually) to provide needed learning opportunities for employees. Step 11: Encourage employees to reference the repository of learning moments as needed to enhance their knowledge and skills and improve their work performance. Implementation Tools and Resources • Use bulletin boards, intranet pages, or other places to post public announcement to promote the forums. • Providing examples of learning moments will likely help employees brainstorm useful stories to share. • It may be helpful to store the learning moments in an electronic repository so that they can be accessed by employees after the sessions occur. Some examples of user-friendly platforms that enable this include a shared drive on the organization’s network, Microsoft Teams, or Google Drive. moments, which they refer to as “lessons learned.” Each document describes a challenge a transit employee has faced, the resources used to overcome any challenges, and a list of lessons learned. Some of the lessons are a result of overcoming difficult challenges and others are a result of addressing mistakes or missteps. The lessons learned documents are distributed to agency employees via the intranet and are used to identify new organization-wide processes, procedures, and best practices. A large transit agency worked to develop short, approximately two-page documents detailing their learning

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 17   4 https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/lessons-learned-next-level-communicating-7991 5 https://www.energy.gov/eere/femp/2018-award-winning-champions-shared-lessons-learned-forum 6 https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2015/11/18/helping-people-learn-by-letting-them-fail-is-essential/#3337aa43c439 Play 2: Host Learning Moments Forums to Share Lessons Learned (cont.) Additional Resources If you are looking for more information about learning moments forums, visit these sources: • Guide for getting the most out of learning moments by the Project Management Institute4 • Example learning moment forum by the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy5 • Creating an environment in which employees are comfortable sharing mistakes by Forbes6  Key Success Factors • For employees to be comfortable discussing their past mistakes or challenges, they must feel like they are in a safe environment. To ensure this, managers should emphasize that mistakes are opportunities for growth and remind employees that everyone has missteps on the way to success. • For maximum benefit, ensure that all invited employees have time in their schedules to attend the learning moments forums. Obstacles and Considerations • Employees may struggle to understand how to use the information they learn from the forums on the job. To help mitigate this issue, implement a brainstorming activity at the end of the forums for employees to think through ways to use what they have learned. • It may be difficult to get volunteers given the vulnerability required. Try specifically asking employees who have recently been successful to present about their journey.  Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready to host learning moments forums, try designating a brief portion of group or team meetings for one to two employees to describe a tip or trick they have learned recently. If you already host learning moments forums, try hosting interdepartmental learning moments opportunities as a next step. Ask employees to share tips or tricks during team meetings: This approach does not require any additional time or resources but allows employees to learn from each other. Host learning moments forums to share lessons learned. Host interdepartmental learning moments opportunities: If you want to take your learning moments forum a step further, try partnering with managers in other departments to organize a short (e.g., half-day) workshop during which various employees are invited to discuss their work experiences and learning moments. Networking events (e.g., coffee hours) and Q&A sessions with managers may also be scheduled.

18 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 2: Host Learning Moments Forums to Share Lessons Learned (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success and Related Case Example To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: • Expanded employee knowledge and skills • Employee willingness to share what they have learned and how • Participation rates in forums As an example of successful implementation of hosting learning moments forums and sharing knowledge with employees, a small transit agency utilized a knowledge-sharing platform to help leaders and employees provide each other with an idea of how their jobs were conducted and stimulate collaboration and understanding across the organization. A key to successfully implementing this knowledge-sharing effort was that employees were able to learn from mistakes when completing various processes and use those mistakes as a teaching experience to help others learn (see TCRP Research Report 194: Knowledge Management Resource to Support Strategic Workforce Development for Transit Agencies, case study “KM Prepares Organizations for Employee Departures: Small Transit Agency A” on page 7-3, available at http://www.trb.org/TCRP/Blurbs/176944.aspx).

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 19   Play 3: Facilitate Think Tank Forums to Promote Innovation Overview of Play Possible Indicators of a Need for this Play Think Tank forums are formally organized opportunities for employees to share their ideas to improve the employees and allowing employees to have their voices heard in decisionmaking processes, both of which help increase employee engagement and satisfaction. In addition to individual-level benefits, Think Tanks can also increase workplace efficiency and/or customer satisfaction when high quality ideas are identified and ultimately implemented. The format of these forums can vary widely. For example, they may involve employees individually pitching ideas to their supervisors or could involve a group of employees meeting to brainstorm ideas and providing a list of recommendations to management. To maximize the benefits, these forums should be designed such that employees feel comfortable and safe sharing their ideas. It is also important that managers and decisionmakers be willing and able to implement high quality ideas proposed during forums so that employees feel that the forums are a good use of their time and choose to participate. Managers can encourage their employees to think about their daily work in the airport, consider changes that would improve the work experience or work products, and focus on small changes to facilitate the Think Tank forums. Indicator #1 Employees do not have a formal or designated platform for presenting ideas to management Indicator #2 Employees do not feel encouraged to share their ideas Indicator #3 Employees do not feel they have opportunities to be creative or innovative at work Indicator #4 Employees express a desire to have their voices heard in decisionmaking processes airport with managers or decisionmakers. These forums are useful for encouraging innovation among

20 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 3: Facilitate Think Tank Forums to Promote Innovation (cont.) Think Tank Forums Success Story Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s Step 1: Establish the vision for the Think Tank forum and define the goals (e.g., employees feel encouraged to be innovative at work). Step 2: Identify the individual(s) who will be responsible for implementing and promoting the forum. Step 3: Determine the characteristics of the forum, such as the format, length (e.g., a few hours, half a day), and frequency (e.g., monthly, quarterly, biannually). Step 4: Invite employees to the Think Tank forum and ensure they have time to attend/participate. Consider providing pre-work or brainstorming guidance to help employees prepare for the forum. Step 5: Host Think Tank forum. Step 6: Review the ideas presented in the forum and decide which ideas to move forward with based on level of effort for implementation, anticipated success, and return on investment. Step 7: Thank all employees for their participation and announce the ideas that will be implemented, including the rationale behind why these ideas were chosen. Step 8: Develop plans for the implementation of ideas, including the timeline, implementation steps, and identified stakeholders. Step 9: Evaluate the program by assessing the extent to which the goals set out for these forums are met and the extent to which employees feel encouraged to be innovative or creative at work. Implementation Tools and Resources • Creating a repository of successful Think Tank ideas will provide employees with examples from which they can base their ideas. This will also help ensure management is held accountable for implementing high quality ideas. • It may be helpful to generate a list of themes for forums that are linked to areas in the airport that need improvement. For example, themes may include how to improve internal communication, internal policies, resources, workplace efficiency, or customer satisfaction. Philadelphia International Airport has implemented a “Stars and Leads” program to foster innovation, which is made up of approximately five airport leaders (i.e., leads) and junior-level employees who show great potential (i.e., stars). Like a Think Tank, this program brings together employees from all levels, typically once a year, to brainstorm solutions to the airport’s problems. In this program, airport HR representatives first listen to the senior leadership team discuss prevalent issues within the airport, and then present these challenges to the Stars and Leads team. The team then selects which problem(s) to address and brainstorms solutions to the challenges.

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 21   7 https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/golfd/article/2005jul40.pdf 8 https://hbr.org/2016/01/can-your-employees-really-speak-freely 9 https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/spring2019/pages/10-steps-to-unlocking-innovation-at-your-organization.aspx Play 3: Facilitate Think Tank Forums to Promote Innovation (cont.) Additional Resources Key Success Factors • It is important to tailor the format of the Think Tank forums to make employees feel safe sharing their ideas. For example, some teams may feel comfortable presenting their ideas publicly, while others may prefer presenting one-on-one to management. • Think Tanks are most successful when employees are encouraged to focus on small, easily implementable solutions. Obstacles and Considerations • Employees may become discouraged from sharing their ideas if they feel like their suggestions are ignored. To limit this feeling, be sure to thank employees for their ideas even if the ideas will not be implemented. • Providing explanations to employees for why their idea will not be implemented will help soften the decision and create lessons learned. If you are looking for more information about facilitating a Think Tank forum, visit these sources: • Tips for implementing a Think Tank by Becky Mollenkamp7 • Ways to ensure employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas by Harvard Business Review8 • Ideas to support innovation in your airport from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)9 Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready to facilitate a Think Tank, try implementing an Innovation Station. If you have already facilitated a Think Tank, try organizing a Think and Do Tank. Implement an Innovation Station: Create a physical or virtual place where employees can submit ideas and periodically (e.g., quarterly) highlight how action is being taken toward addressing the ideas or suggestions. Implement a Think Tank forum to promote innovation. Implement a Think and Do Tank: If you are ready to take your Think Tank a step farther, encourage employees to propose implementation plans for their ideas, and find ways to allow them to lead the charge for implementation. This structure gives employees increased responsibility and allows them to see their ideas through.

22 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 3: Facilitate Think Tank Forums to Promote Innovation (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: • Number of new and innovative ideas shared • Implementation of new ideas or programs • Frequency of Think Tank forums • Employee participation rates in forums, including both attendance at the forum and participation in the discussion during the forum

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 23   Play 4: Conduct Group Visioning Sessions with Employees to Outline Shared Values and Goals Overview of Play Possible Indicators of a Need for this Play Indicator #1 Employees do not have a shared understanding of their team’s values, goals, or overall mission of the airport Indicator #2 Employees do not take a personal interest in pursuing their team’s values, goals, or supporting the airport’s mission Indicator #3 Employees want to make meaningful contributions to their team Group visioning sessions may be described as formally organized gatherings of employees with the purpose of establishing goals to work toward as a team and values to uphold in pursuit of these goals. It is important that employees have a shared understanding of their team’s goals (e.g., improve working relationships with local funding agencies) and values (e.g., always maintain highest level of safety) so that everyone is working toward the same milestones and upholding the same ideals. When employees do not have a shared understanding of their goals and values, they may make decisions that are not in the team’s best interest. Allowing employees to be part of establishing shared values and goals will encourage them to take a personal interest in their pursual and will likely increase their motivation and engagement. Typically, group visioning sessions involve a discussion facilitator encouraging participants to independently reflect on any goal or value that they believe would make an important and lasting impact on the team or airport. Next, the discussion facilitator prompts participants to discuss these goals and values with one another with questions such as “What values have contributed to our success to date?” or “What should we, as a team, be striving for?” while a notetaker documents the ideas shared. Once all employees have had time state their ideas, the discussion facilitator will often ask participants to independently rank those values and goals in order of importance to them. These sessions usually conclude with a group discussion in which employees try to reach consensus on the most important values and goals for their team. At the end of these sessions, managers are often provided with a list of these results for review and finalization. Group visioning sessions may take place in person or virtually, involve any number of employees, and can take place as often as desired. Indicator #4 Employees are not engaged or motivated at work and would benefit from personal involvement

24 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 4: Conduct Group Visioning Sessions with Employees to Outline Shared Values and Goals (cont.) Group Visioning Sessions Success Story Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s Step 1: Establish the goals for the group visioning sessions (e.g., generate or revise existing values/goals). Step 2: Identify the individual(s) who will be responsible for organizing the sessions. Step 3: Determine the characteristics of the group visioning session(s), such as how many sessions there will be, when the sessions will take place, and who will facilitate the sessions. Step 4: Develop materials to help employees during group visioning sessions, such as the definition of value and goal, examples from other organizations, and current airport values and goals. Step 5: Write a script to use during the session(s) that includes an introduction and provides participants with instructions for the session. For example, you may want to inform participants that they will “discuss goals our team should strive for and values we should uphold and document these in a list.” Step 6: Identify the employees who will be invited to participate in the group visioning sessions, invite participants, and share information about the sessions (e.g., purpose, materials). Step 7: Conduct the group visioning sessions. Step 8: Review the goals and values discussed during the sessions, condense and revise as needed, and communicate the newly established values and goals to employees. Step 9: Measure the success of this initiative by assessing the extent to which employees report having a shared understanding of the airport or team’s values and goals and whether their engagement and motivation improves over time. Implementation Tools and Resources • Providing employees with resources to guide the development of values and goals will help them more effectively participate in the group sessions. For example, resources may include a list of example goals and values from other organizations or a template for developing values and goals (e.g., values should begin with “We believe…”). • Using a meeting scheduling platform can help with organizing group sessions. Some free options include WhenIsGood, SignUpGenius, and Doodle Poll. The Douglas Municipal Airport invited airport employees and stakeholders to participate in a workshop to develop the mission statement, vision statement, list of core values, and goals for the airport. During the workshop, participants were asked to share their thoughts on topics such as (a) what the airport is known for, (b) strengths and weaknesses of the airport, (c) what employees and stakeholders value most about the airport, and (d) what success looks like at the airport. Using input from participants, the mission and vision statements and a list of core values and airport goals were developed that clearly define the airport’s purpose, primary objectives, and ideals.

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 25   10 https://gain.nd.edu/news/creating-a-mission-and-vision-statement-for-our-research-group/ 11 https://www.douglasaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/734/Airport-Strategic-Business-Plan 12 https://hbr.org/2018/04/how-to-establish-values-on-a-small-team Play 4: Conduct Group Visioning Sessions with Employees to Outline Shared Values and Goals (cont.) Additional Resources Key Success Factors • If needed, airport managers should tailor the format of the group sessions to foster a collaborative, comfortable, and engaging platform for discussion. In some instances, this may mean limiting group sessions to a smaller number of employees. • It is important to start the sessions by clearly defining terms such as “goals” and “values” and conveying why they are needed. Obstacles and Considerations • Some employees may feel undervalued if they are not selected to participate in the group visioning sessions. To help mitigate this, consider randomly selecting employees from all levels and tenures to participate. • If employees suggest an overwhelming number of values or goals, facilitate a ranking exercise to gauge the importance of each. Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready to implement group visioning sessions, try simply asking employees for feedback on existing values and goals. If you already conduct group visioning sessions, conducting sessions to develop action plans for achieving the shared group goals may be a useful next step for you. Ask employees for feedback on existing goals and values: Employees may provide feedback during meetings or through anonymous surveys. Conduct group visioning sessions with employees to outline shared values and goals. Conduct follow-up group visioning sessions to plan for achieving goals and embodying values: After organizing group visioning sessions to develop the values and goals of the team, consider organizing follow-up sessions to develop action plans for achieve the desired outcomes using the resources available. If you are looking for more information about group visioning sessions, visit these sources: • Guide for setting group goals by the University of Notre Dame10 • Example outcome from a group visioning session at Douglas Municipal Airport (see section 4)11 • How to establish group values with a small team by Harvard Business Review12 

26 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 4: Conduct Group Visioning Sessions with Employees to Outline Shared Values and Goals (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: • Employee understanding of airport, department, or group values and goals • Improved employee engagement scores • Improved organizational performance and achievement of strategic goals

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 27   Play 5: Conduct Employee Pulse Surveys to Understand Employee Attitudes About Work Overview of Play Possible Indicators of a Need for this Play Indicator #1 Managers do not have a clear understanding of employee attitudes Indicator #2 Employees appear dissatisfied, unmotivated, or unengaged Indicator #3 Strategies to improve employees’ satisfaction, well-being, and/or efficiency are being implemented and the results need to be monitored Employee pulse surveys are short questionnaires (up to about 15 questions) that are distributed frequently to employees within an organization. These surveys can be used to assess airport employees’ perceptions of the workplace, satisfaction with various initiatives, or attitudes about work. For example, pulse surveys can be used to regularly measure employee attitudes, such as job satisfaction, work satisfaction, job stress, organizational commitment, perceived organizational support, perceived climate for diversity and inclusion, turnover intentions, or other perceptions of the workplace. Pulse surveys allow airport managers to see trends in their employees’ attitudes over time (e.g., month-to-month or quarter-to-quarter). Short and frequent pulse surveys are a good supplement to yearly employee surveys because they allow managers to almost immediately identify areas of concern. The results from these surveys should be used to inform improvements in the airport or within a team. When conducting any kind of employee survey, it is crucial that managers act on the results or share with employees that the identified concerns have been heard. Without this type of feedback, employees will be less motivated to participate in future surveys or may become less satisfied and engaged. Finding ways to make survey feedback anonymous will also encourage employees to respond to the survey in a truthful manner. In sum, pulse surveys can provide airport managers with an easy and cost-effective way to track their employees’ attitudes throughout the year. Indicator #4 Managers want to make improvements to the workplace, but are unsure where employees need the most support

28 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 5: Conduct Employee Pulse Surveys to Understand Employee Attitudes About Work (cont.) Employee Pulse Surveys Success Story Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s Step 1: Establish the goals for the pulse surveys, including specific challenge areas or employee attitudes to assess. Step 2: Determine characteristics about the survey, such as what attitudes to assess, the length of the survey, how often responses will be collected, and the survey platform that will be used. Step 3: Identify individual(s) who will be responsible for managing the data collection efforts, analyzing the responses, and summarizing the trends. Step 4: Select or develop questions to measure attitudes and create the questionnaire in a survey platform (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, Qualtrics). For example, employees may be asked to rate their agreement on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) to the following statements: “Overall, I feel satisfied at work,” “My supervisor cares about my well-being,” and “My organization encourages open communication.” Step 5: Develop a communication plan and associated communications that encourage participation and remind employees to complete the pulse surveys. Step 6: Distribute the survey to employees, send reminders to employees as necessary, and promote and encourage the survey through informal discussions, team meetings, and newsletters. Step 7: Analyze survey results and determine areas for improvement. When analyzing, managers should look for unexpected results, change in employee attitudes over time, and thoroughly examine open-ended responses to help understand the reasoning behind the results. Step 8: If needed, develop and implement strategies to improve employee attitudes. Conduct follow-up pulse surveys at predetermined intervals. Implementation Tools and Resources • It may be necessary to identify a survey platform that is easy to use and affordable. Some free options include SurveyMonkey and Google Forms, the latter of which allows for responses to be exported into an Excel sheet. There are also some paid options, such as Qualtrics and Voxco, that have additional features. • Maintaining a repository of survey questions may be helpful to develop surveys and reassess attitudes using the same items. Existing questions may also be found online or from previous survey efforts. Boise International Airport developed a series of short pulse surveys that are completed by both employees and supervisors throughout the year. These pulse checks include a monthly “Connect Pulse” to measure how employees believe one-on-one meetings with their supervisors are going, a quarterly “Self-Check Pulse” to help employees reflect on their own work, a quarterly “Performance Pulse” to help leaders reflect on their team’s work, and a semi-annual “Leadership Pulse” to measure employees’ perceptions of their supervisors. The Boise International Airport reports that these pulse checks allow the organization to understand how employees are feeling at work and to benchmark itself each quarter.

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 29   13 https://www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/employee/what-is-employee-pulse-survey/ 14 https://www.cultureamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/employee-engagement-survey-questions.pdf 15 https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/writing-survey-questions/ Play 5: Conduct Employee Pulse Surveys to Understand Employee Attitudes About Work (cont.) Additional Resources Key Success Factors • Ensure that surveys do not ask for personally identifying information because respondents will be more likely to answer candidly when the surveys are anonymous. • Allowing employees to elaborate on their responses within the survey will provide more context about employee attitudes. • The pulse surveys will be most successful when the questions are written clearly and concisely. Obstacles and Considerations • If employees feel that their concerns are not addressed, their attitudes toward the survey may become negative. Leaders should review survey responses, let employees know that their input is heard, and take necessary action. • If the survey takes a significant amount of time to complete, employees may be less inclined to respond. To increase participation, create surveys can be completed in 5 to 10 minutes. Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready to conduct employee pulse surveys, try organizing check-ins with employees to assess their attitudes. If you already conduct employee pulse surveys to assess work attitudes, try facilitating focus groups or roundtable discussions with employees to discuss and better understand pulse survey results. Organize check-ins with employees: Employee attitudes may be assessed by asking specific questions about workload, stress level, or other topics at monthly or quarterly meetings. Conduct employee pulse surveys to understand employee attitudes about work. Facilitate focus groups or roundtable discussions with employees to discuss pulse survey results: Periodically organizing discussions with employees to talk about pulse survey results will provide context for the results and may spur ideas for how to improve the workplace. If you are looking for more information about employee pulse surveys, visit these sources: • Recommendations for implementing employee pulse surveys by Qualtrics13 • Example pulse survey questions by Culture Amp • Tips for writing survey questions from SurveyMonkey15 14

30 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 5: Conduct Employee Pulse Surveys to Understand Employee Attitudes About Work (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success and Related Case Example To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: • Participation rates in pulse surveys • Frequency of pulse surveys • Improvements in employee attitude ratings (e.g., engagement, satisfaction, commitment) • Increased feedback from employees • Increased dialogue between leaders and subordinates As an example of successful implementation of employee pulse surveys, Adidas used 7 to 8 question employee pulse surveys to hear from employees monthly. This approach allowed them to hear from employees and address the employee experience and provide feedback to leaders using their own organizational metrics (see article about Adidas using pulse surveys to understand employee attitudes and improve the employee experience, available at https://www.qualtrics.com/au/experience- management/employee/adidas-pulse-survey/).

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 31   Play 6: Articulate a Peer-Nominated Employee Recognition Approach to Honor Work Successes Overview of Play Possible Indicators of a Need for this Play An employee recognition program is a system used to acknowledge individuals who go above and beyond when performing their job duties and deserve to have their work successes celebrated. One way to identify high performing individuals is to have employees nominate their peers who fit this description. Because managers are not always aware of all contributions made by their employees, a major benefit of peer- nominated employee recognition programs is that peers can recognize each other’s successes. There are both airport-wide and individual-level benefits for a recognition program. Employees can receive either monetary or non-monetary rewards, including small gifts, a special lunch, or an extra vacation day, and can be recognized through an organization-wide email that calls attention to their contributions or with plaques or signs that are hung in common workspaces. When consistently implemented, these programs can motivate airport employees to produce high quality work. The frequency and form of recognition can and should be tailored to suit the needs of the airport. An airport may choose to implement an organization-wide recognition program, but managers can implement these programs in their own teams as well. Indicator #1 Employees who perform above and beyond organizational objectives are not formally recognized Indicator #2 Employees are not motivated to perform their job duties above the minimum standards of performance Indicator #3 Employees report feeling underappreciated for their contributions Indicator #4 Employees want to formally recognize their colleagues for meaningful contributions

32 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 6: Articulate a Peer-Nominated Employee Recognition Approach to Honor Work Successes (cont.) Peer-Nominated Recognition Program Success Story Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s Step 1: Establish the vision for the employee recognition program, procedures that will be used, and examples of reasons why individuals may be nominated for recognition. When developing the program, it may be beneficial to ask employees about awards that would appeal to and motivate them. Step 2: Identify individual(s) who will be responsible for implementing and managing the program. Step 3: It may be beneficial to ask employees about awards that would appeal to and motivate them. Use the input gained from employees and the planned program structure to finalize a list of rewards and determine the requirements for achieving them. Example structures could be: • Employees who were nominated 2 times will be thanked by their immediate supervisor in an email, employees who were nominated 3 times will be given a small gift (e.g., airport mug), and employees who were nominated 4 or more times will be invited to a lunch. • All employees nominated during a quarter will be entered into a drawing for a specified prize. Step 4: Determine the process for nominating employees. For example, employees may nominate colleagues by emailing the individual leading the program or by submitting names through a survey. Step 5: Introduce the recognition program to employees, explain the program goals , provide employees with the list of reasons why an individual should be nominated, and ask employees to nominate their colleagues. Step 6: Distribute awards in a timely fashion so employees see the direct connection between their efforts and recognition. Follow the program guidelines established to provide recognition and rewards. Step 7: Use surveys or informal conversations to assess the extent to which employees feel appreciated for their work and make updates to the program as needed to better meet employee needs and provide recognition in a motivating manner. Implementation Tools and Resources • Developing a system to track nominations will ensure that employees are appropriately recognized and not overlooked. If resources allow, there are a variety of systems that exist to help with this process (e.g., TerryBerry, Guusto, HeyTaco, Bonusly). However, a free option may be to use a survey platform that exports responses into an Excel spreadsheet (e.g., Google Forms) and then manually organize and sort nominations. • Generating a list of reasons individuals may be nominated and distributing this list to employees will encourage employees to exemplify those traits and help employees identify these behaviors in others. The Minnesota Metropolitan Airport implemented a peer recognition program to ensure that their employees feel appreciated. Employees who are nominated by their peers are placed in a monthly drawing, and winners receive gift cards and are highlighted on a special SharePoint site. These small perks are consistent with other jurisdictions in the metro area and are allowed by the state of Minnesota. This program has proven to be a cost- effective way to show employees that they are valued and that their contributions do not go unnoticed.

Creating an Environment That Cultivates Talent 33   16 https://www.viktorwithak.com/employee-recognition/ 17 https://www.talentlyft.com/en/blog/article/285/20-ideas-for-employee-recognition-programs 18 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6LWCZYM Play 6: Articulate a Peer-Nominated Employee Recognition Approach to Honor Work Successes (cont.) Additional Resources Key Success Factors • An employee recognition program must be consistently implemented to be successful. To achieve this, determine and follow a timeline for awarding and recognizing nominated employees. • For this program to motivate employees, the form of award or recognition must be appealing. To ensure this, solicit input from employees through focus groups or surveys. Obstacles and Considerations • There may be a significant number of nominations, so it is important to ensure that the individual managing the recognitions program is well versed in the award criteria. • Employees may be eager to nominate only their friends or colleagues they know well. To combat this, it may be helpful to encourage employees to nominate people they do not work with often or people from other teams. If you are looking for more information about recognizing employees, visit these sources: • Tips for implementing an employee recognition program from Viktor16 • Ideas for how to award or recognize employees from TalentLyft17 • Example peer-nominated recognition program criteria and survey by SurveyMonkey18  Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready to use a peer-nominated employee recognition program, try implementing a kudos wall. If you have already implemented a peer-nominated employee recognition program, try implementing an all-in recognition program. Create a kudos wall: A kudos wall is a place where employees can publicly congratulate their colleagues or show them gratitude. This wall may be physical or virtual. Articulate a peer-nominated employee recognition approach to honor work successes. Implement an all-in recognition program: An all-in employee recognition program involves peers nominating peers, managers nominating employees, and employees nominating managers. Employees are recognized from every direction, which creates a culture of people constantly praising one another for their work successes.

34 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 6: Articulate a Peer-Nominated Employee Recognition Approach to Honor Work Successes (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success and Related Case Example To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: • Improved employee engagement • Number of peer nominations received • Percentage of employees utilizing peer-nomination system As an example of successful implementation of a peer-nominated recognition program, the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) created an employee recognition program that gives employees the opportunity to acknowledge each other for exemplary performance. A key element that led to the success of implementing this play was to develop pilot programs to identify what worked within the airport and what elements of the program required change before rolling it out across the entire organization. For more information, see Appendix: Case Studies.