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Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners (2021)

Chapter: Chapter 1 - Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26429.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26429.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26429.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26429.
×
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Page 9
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26429.
×
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Page 10
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26429.
×
Page 10
Page 11
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 - Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26429.
×
Page 11

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5   1.1 Introduction Many transportation agencies are facing challenges attracting qualified, technically competent, culturally sensitive, and motivated planning staff. Others are able to attract employees, but report that they often lose mid-level supervisors and managers to competition from other organizations that offer more defined career paths or higher salaries. The mid-level supervisors are perhaps the most valuable staff resource due to their experience and knowledge of agency practices. The com- petitive factors, for example, higher salaries, are often very difficult if not impossible for public agencies to match given civil service and, if present, union requirements. There is also a sense among many groups that the staff in many transportation planning units do not reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. The cumulative capabilities of an agency’s staff are one of the most important strengths of any organization. NCHRP Project 08-125, “Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners,” was motivated by a concern that transportation agencies were facing challenges attracting, professionally developing, and retaining qualified planning staff. These challenges could be exacerbated in the future given continuing societal, technological, and environmental changes. Transportation agencies will likely need different planning capabilities to meet these future challenges. [1,2,3] In particular, the ability to plan effectively will depend on developing agency planning capabilities and transportation planning staff with requisite talents, including KSAs, that enable the agency to address emerging planning challenges. The research was based on several themes that reflect the nature of the first 20 years of the 21st century as a transformative period in the history of transportation (see, for example, [4]). Although the exact nature of this transformation is not entirely clear, the initial clues are revealing. Rapidly evolving transportation and information technologies include connected and automated vehicles, and new ways of providing mobility (for example, Mobility as a Service (MaaS)). In many instances these new mobility strategies are provided via new business models (for example, trans- portation network companies (TNCs) and docked and dockless bicycle and scooter companies). These technology-based mobility options are heralding a new revolution in personal mobility. [5] This research found that the following key themes associated with a changing planning envi- ronment will likely affect desired staff KSAs. Strategic Perspective—The Long View The need for a strategic perspective on future transportation challenges and on the types of professionals and skill sets needed is especially strong in the field of transportation planning. Understanding the likely characteristics of the world we will live in and of the future role of the transportation system becomes a critical point of departure for creating a credible transportation C H A P T E R 1 Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach

6 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners planning capability. In transportation planning, by its very nature, one looks out 20 to 25 years to identify the key characteristics of the world we will likely live in (although some agencies have adopted 40- and 50-year planning horizons). This research adopted such a future orientation, and focused on what different futures might mean to a transportation agency’s planning staffing and required skills sets. The configuration and focus of future transportation agencies and of their planning functions will likely be very different than what exists today. All one needs to do is look back 20 years to see what transportation planners were considering as part of the then planning process and compare this to today’s challenges and opportunities to see how dramatically the planning environment can change. To better prepare for these changes, planning professionals not only need to evaluate their core competencies, but also their ability to anticipate what the future likely holds. Some transportation research has examined possible “game changers” in the evolution of society, their consequences to the transportation system, and thus challenges to transporta- tion agencies. NCHRP Report 798: The Role of Planning in a 21st Century State Department of Transportation—Supporting Strategic Decisionmaking, for example, focused on possible future planning challenges to state departments of transportation (DOTs): Although their responsibilities may have changed over time, planners should continue to have an impor- tant role to play in supporting strategic decision-making. While DOT leaders are dealing with more tactical responsibilities and overseeing the day-to-day operation of the department, they need planners who can stay ahead of the emerging issues, consider the “what if?” scenarios, lead thoughtful evaluations of strategic trade-offs, and communicate the importance of the DOT to the state’s economy and quality of life. [5] Broader Role for Technology The emergence and proliferation of advanced technologies are impacting the transportation system and society in general, in particular in changing the way we plan, move around, and manage communities. The most prominent changes are being driven by the underlying technological trends related to digitalization, electrification, automation, shared use of assets, and interpersonal and data connectivity. These changes also affect consequent business and financial models related to the development of new infrastructure while also filling existing gaps in funding at the federal, state, and local levels. Technology trends also impact both transportation planning as a process (for example, new technology-based means of communicating to a range of diverse groups), as well as an agency’s technical capabilities (for example, large-scale data collection and data management). In the next 5 years, important technology trends affecting transportation will likely include more robust internet and wireless communications, increased electrification of vehicles, higher integration of advanced driver assistance capabilities, changes to freight and logistics resulting from smart manufacturing (first mile/last mile solutions and drone delivery), improved and per- sonalized information access, an uptick in personal mobility devices, and microtransit. Post-2025, electric vehicles will likely continue to be an important trend in transportation system use, putting pressure on an efficient allocation of energy through smart grids. Smart mobility, expanded trav- eler information systems, adoption of wireless traffic management systems, and higher penetra- tion of automated vehicles and shared use technology are all forecasted to impact transportation systems and associated institutional arrangements. Each of these will affect the types of issues that will be considered as part of the transportation planning process. Planning Support for Policy and Decision-Making Needs As part of the planning process, transportation officials anticipate and respond to a range of societal concerns, evolving characteristics of the transportation system, and changing economic,

Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach 7   demographic, and cultural contexts for transportation decisions. Examples of consequential policy issues identified by the TRB in its Critical Issues in Transportation 2019 Policy Snapshot [6], included: • Transformational technologies and services: Steering the technology revolution • Serving a growing and shifting population • Energy and sustainability: Protecting the planet • Resilience and security: Preparing for threats • Safety and public health: Safeguarding the public • Equity: Serving the disadvantaged • Governance: Managing our systems • System performance and asset management • Funding and finance: Paying the tab • Goods movement: Moving freight • Institutional and workforce capacity • Research and innovation: Preparing for the future It seems likely that planning efforts in states, regions, or local areas could well have their own, in many cases similar, concerns that would need to be reflected in the planning process. The Impact of Changes on Essential Knowledge Transportation planning has evolved considerably since its professional origins in the middle of the 20th century. Transportation planners of the future will likely be expected to ensure that transportation plays a supportive and proactive role in improving a region’s economic, social, and environmental well-being even more so than it does today. Transportation system/ personal use technologies will likely transform the concept of personal travel. Innovations in goods manufacture and delivery could have dramatic effects on freight flows (e.g., 3-D printing). [7] Changing demographics will influence all aspects of society, with a strong focus on equity and transportation for diverse populations. Concerns for transportation system equity, resilience, and public health, which are emerging issues today, could very well be commonplace in 10 to 15 years, with planners spending considerable time identifying transportation system and popu- lation vulnerabilities. The Increasingly Diverse and Dispersed “Clients” of Planning Activities The range of transportation issues, both for mobility demand and infrastructure/service supply, is increasingly responsive to the broad range of socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity in society. [8] Developing appropriate transportation solutions requires recognizing key differ- ences, not only in transportation habits and needs and relevant solutions, but also a planning process that can effectively depict key differences and communicate with the broadest range of constituents. Agency Culture and Organization Influence on Workforce Recruitment Development and Retention This research recognized that, taken together, the range of planning issues noted above can have a critical impact on needed planning workforce capabilities (in terms of KSA), but also on the workforce itself in terms of their interests, values, and desired work and life styles. There are distinct differences in these characteristics and in terms of motivation and expectations as

8 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners one considers different generational cohorts, for example, baby boomers, millennials (Gen Y), Gen X, and Gen Z. As noted later, the literature review found that the characteristics of Gen X and Gen Z employees include such things as: • Work attitudes trending toward entrepreneurial and collaborative approaches and multitasking; • More familiarity and interest in digital and internet-based work tools and working remotely; • Career orientation trending toward personal fulfillment and tempered by skepticism about public sector employment; • Interest in career vectors offering personal development and continuous learning opportunities; • Explicit consideration of public versus private sector employment opportunities; • Willingness to move to new jobs that offer greater quality of life benefits and flexibility; and • Expectation of culturally competent, diverse, and inclusive agency staff and leadership. These factors could be at considerable odds with many current workplace environments in both the public and private sectors. In public agencies these factors become even more important when work environments are often characterized by required credentialing for advancement, narrow position descriptions, rigid hierarchy, concentrating talents and skills in position descriptions, minimal opportunities for cross disciplinary enrichment, and narrow recruitment targets. In some cases, these factors are dictated by civil service and/or union requirements. The workforce develop- ment challenge therefore goes well beyond the identification of needed capabilities; it goes to the importance of organizational structure and culture, career opportunities, on-the-job training and enrichment, and quality of life considerations. 1.2 Project Objectives The purposes of this project were to (1) develop knowledge, skills, abilities, education, and experience (KSAEE) characteristics and talent profiles for transportation planners at all levels of planning applications that reflect current needs and capabilities likely needed to meet future work efforts; and (2) provide guidance to transportation agencies on how to attract, develop, manage, and retain future transportation planners. There are multiple audiences for the results of this research most importantly including agency and planning program managers. Other important audiences include university transportation programs and human resource managers who have responsibilities in preparing, attracting, and developing an agency’s staff resources. The results could also be useful for others not familiar with the planning profession. Developing and retaining planning staff with the competency to identify and address future needs depends on: • Analyzing future transportation planning trends and issues as a determinant of planning workforce talent requirements; • Identifying the KSAs relevant to developing a planning process and planning products that anticipate, understand, and meet emerging trends; • Attracting, competing for, and retaining staff that have the requisite KSAs; • Creating a work environment that recognizes the learning, working, and interpersonal commu- nications styles needed for today’s planners; • Providing professional development opportunities that will provide experienced planners with an exposure to new skills and tools to enhance their capabilities; • Providing an attractive work environment and work conditions that meet the organization’s mission while meeting staff needs; • Providing a career plan and professional development opportunities that are competitive with other career paths;

Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach 9   • Offering a flexible and structured human resource program that supports and encourages fulfilling career paths for transportation planners; and • Attracting transportation planners that reflect the characteristics of the society they serve. These factors were considered as part of the research and are reflected in the approach that guided the research. 1.3 Research Approach Figure 1 shows the steps in the research approach. The approach started with an understand- ing of talent profiles characterized by KSAs. Of note, only KSAs were examined at this point in the research given that the education and experience (EEs) factors were really qualifying criteria for a job and thus not part of the core knowledge and abilities to be successful in the job. An ability to add EEs to a talent profile was later added for those agencies that might want to create job descriptions, which were based on the full set of KSAEEs. The range of desired KSAs was based on a literature review of transportation planning and the “futures” literatures, and a review of transportation agency websites. In order to understand how these driving forces related to agency planning needs and capabilities, the literature review was augmented with outreach efforts that included: • Surveys of – A large engineering/planning consulting firm – AASHTO members of the Committee on Planning 1. Project Management/Interaction with Stakeholders Throughout Project Figure 1. Research approach.

10 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners – ITE Planning Council – WTS (Women’s Transportation Seminar) • Focus Group – Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) • Interviews of – Directors of university transportation centers – Program directors of university-based training programs – Program staff for the National Transit Institute (NTI) • Workshop – Session at the 2019 TRB Annual Meeting The results of this data collection led to the identification of the KSAs considered most impor- tant for current and expected future characteristics of transportation planning. Talent profiles represent a new way (for public agencies) of portraying a position’s desired competencies. One of the key points for Task 5, developing talent profiles, was that transportation planning is not considered the same across agencies. Transportation planning consists of many different analysis and data collection efforts, information-producing tasks, interaction with key stakeholders and the public, and conducting multimodal studies as well as mode-specific plan- ning (for example, active transportation). Transportation planning needs also will likely differ for small rural states as compared to large urban states. Task 5 developed a typology for the KSAs reflecting these diverse perspectives that became part of the talent profile template used through- out the research. In other words, the approach toward developing talent profiles was based modularly so that an agency can pick which KSAs will be most relevant to their needs. The planning talent profiles: • Reflect the current relationships among stakeholders regarding the range of planning activities, including conventional transportation planning in areas related to data analysis, forecasting, impact analysis, and evaluation; • Array the appropriate set of distinctly different planning activities defined in terms of differ- ences in needed KSAs and related background in education and expertise; • Reflect differences in positions by function and role including agency director, manager, analyst, specialist, and technician. Common KSAs were identified for every planning position, no matter what role it has in the agency. For example, it was found that “familiarity with trans- portation planning principles” was considered critical for every position in a planning unit. In addition, position-specific KSAs were identified for those that often interact with many dif- ferent agency functions or that require special knowledge, for example, transportation system operations, asset management, access and mobility improvement, system resilience, public health, and the like; • Give special attention to critical planning contexts requiring special talents (non-planning disciplines, work experience, and the like) currently unavailable; and • Represent a range of KSAs relating to a set of driving forces that could influence future trans- portation planning. The results of the initial research tasks led to the development of an Agency Talent Profile Tool (Tool) that could be used by agency managers to develop talent profiles quickly and effec- tively. A separate Tool was developed for use by employees. The draft Tool was piloted with four agencies: the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area; the Minnesota Department of Transpor- tation (MnDOT); the Montana Department of Transportation (MDOT); and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). These pilots obtained feedback from transportation planning officials and human resource staff on the substance, usefulness, and form of the Tool.

Project Context, Research Objectives, and Approach 11   This Tool was incorporated into a QRG that included a step-by-step process for agency offi- cials, primarily human resource and planning managers, to do the following: • Identify prospective planning KSAs for their agencies in light of current and likely future planning needs; • Develop talent profiles given external and internal (to the agency) driving forces that have been identified in their agency; • With the addition of EEs requirements, develop position or job descriptions based on these talent profiles; and • Identify strategies for assuring a strong and capable planning staff today (e.g., training and professional development needs), attracting the staff of tomorrow, and retaining both. The final QRG is presented in Appendix C and also is available as a separate PDF on the TRB website. The research approach faced significant challenges caused by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the data collection strategies had to be modified to reflect the changing demands on transportation agency staff and limitations on physical interaction. For example, it was origi- nally planned to survey COMTO members, but given the demands on transportation officials in responding to the pandemic, it was decided that a more focused, internet-based group discussion would be more effective. COVID-19 also affected the plan for conducting pilot studies of the Tool developed for this research, which had been originally envisioned as in-person pilot studies. All of the transportation agencies contacted to participate in the pilots were requiring staff to work remotely and were not allowing in-person meetings from outside individuals. As a result, the pilots were conducted on-line as facilitated, interactive, 1-hour discussions with transportation plan- ning and human resource officials. The discussions focused on the draft Tool, which participants received in advance to allow them to understand how the Tool was structured. Although COVID-19 has affected the work style of many DOT staff, the QRG is still valid in that such external factors are part of the organizational assessment that is part of the QRG pro- cess. The QRG will continue to be valid as work spaces change.

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For public agencies, attracting qualified, technically competent, culturally sensitive, and motivated planning staff can be challenging in a competitive landscape.

The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Research Report 980: Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce: Transportation Planners presents an assessment of current and emerging forces that are shaping transportation planning practice and the transportation planning workforce.

Supplemental to the report are downloadable tools (one for employees and one for employers), an implementation memo, a Quick Reference Guide, and a Summary.

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