Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance (2022)

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

175   As the transportation industry continues to evolve, DOTs need to prepare for the future and respond to ongoing challenges. Many DOTs are nding their design, construction, and maintenance sta lack the skills and knowledge that will be crucial for successfully address- ing current and future needs. To ensure their workforce is well-equipped for the challenges ahead, DOTs should invest in their sta by providing developmental opportunities and trainings. Challenges Related to Training Employees in State DOTs DOTs and the transportation industry are facing numerous changes in the industry. Techno- logical advancements have revolutionized how DOT sta complete their work. For example, some maintenance sta now use drones to evaluate the quality of bridges. As technology evolves, multi-modal transportation is on the rise and impacting how DOTs design roadways. Along with these external shis, DOTs are also facing internal challenges. DOTs are struggling to recruit and retain young and mid-level sta and to balance generational dierences among their sta. Lacking mid-level sta creates skill gaps between junior and senior sta, resulting in junior-level employees being unprepared to ll mid-level positions. However, these skill gaps may also apply to senior sta. With generational dierences between sta, junior-level employees may want to introduce technologically savvy ways to complete their work, while senior-level sta may resist learning and implementing these new methods. DOTs can respond to and prepare for these internal and external challenges by developing and training their sta. If DOTs respond and prepare for these changes through training and developmental opportunities, they will ensure their workforce is well prepared for future successes. is chapter provides action plans that present ways training and developmental opportunities can address these specic challenges. Chapter Overview is chapter includes nine action plans that provide steps for implementing training and developmental opportunities. Each action plan includes one or two tools to help DOT leaders with the implementation of each strategy. Exhibit 4-1 provides an overview of the nine action plans and their associated tools. C H A P T E R   4 Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees

176 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Action Plans for Training and Developing Employees Although the action plans in this chapter focus on training and developing employees, many of these action plans may also be benecial for attracting and retaining employees. Detailed descriptions of each strategy, including implementation steps, relevant examples, resource requirements, and metrics to measure the success of each strategy, are included within each action plan. Exhibit 4-2 provides an overview of the action plans included within this chapter. Exhibit 4-2. Descriptions of action plans to train employees. Strategy Available Tools Create Communities of Practice with Local Institutions to Encourage Knowledge Sharing Worksheet to Develop Goals and Intentions Develop Robust Training Programs to Bridge Workforce Skill Gaps Skill Gap Analysis Toolkit Example Survey Items to Measure Perceptions of Training Upskill Existing Employees to Prepare Them for New Roles Reskilling/Upskilling Action Plan Template Partner with Mobility Service Providers to Increase Coordination Brown Bag Session Talking Points Implement Internal Knowledge- Sharing Forums to Improve Knowledge Transfer Example Survey Items to Assess Employees’ Engagement and Perceptions of the Knowledge- Sharing Forums Knowledge-Sharing Forum Development Checklist Conduct Cross-Functional Action Learning Projects to Facilitate Internal Collaboration Overview of Action Learning Projects Create an Information Repository to Foster Resiliency Planning Communication Across DOTs Example Post-Repository Survey Items on Use and Effectiveness of an Information Repository Provide Leadership Development Opportunities to Build a Leader Pipeline Overview of Leadership Development Opportunities Matrix for Identifying High-Potential Employees Establish a Reciprocal Mentoring Program to Encourage Internal Knowledge Transfer Mentoring Program Toolkit Mentorship Program Matching Form Exhibit 4-1. Action plans to support training employees. Action Plan Overview Create Communities of Practice with Local Institutions to Encourage Knowledge Sharing DOTs can partner with local institutions (e.g., nonprofits) to form communities of practice (CoPs) where participating institutions come together to share knowledge and educate one another. By expanding their network of partner organizations and establishing CoPs, DOTs can improve their recruitment of staff with technological expertise and teach existing employees how to better integrate new technologies into their work. Develop Robust Training Programs to Bridge Workforce Skill Gaps Developing robust training programs will help DOTs ensure employees, including new hires, are equipped to handle the changing landscape of the transportation industry. DOTs should identify the skill and knowledge gaps among their employees and design training programs to specifically bridge these gaps. Upskill Existing Employees to Prepare Them for New Roles As workforce skill needs shift due to evolving demands, DOTs need to assess needs, develop targeted strategies to upskill the workforce for new roles and requirements, and implement those strategies to close skill gaps. Specifically, areas where staff development is needed include (a) using new technologies, (b) design, construction, and maintenance of multi-modal infrastructure, and (c) implementing resiliency plans or other policy updates.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 177   Action Plan Overview Partner with Mobility Service Providers to Increase Coordination DOTs can host informal presentations (e.g., brown bag sessions) and discussions with mobility service companies to foster shared understanding and cooperation between transportation stakeholders. In these sessions, mobility service companies can educate DOTs about their organization, and DOTs can highlight ways both entities can work together for the benefit of the public. If appropriate and feasible, these presentations and discussions can be extended into partnerships that are characterized by active cooperation and the exchange of information that informs roadway design, construction, and maintenance work. Implement Internal Knowledge-Sharing Forums to Improve Knowledge Transfer To encourage the adoption of new technologies and development of skills needed to understand and use new technologies, DOTs can implement internal knowledge-sharing forums. These forums will help DOTs bridge skill and knowledge gaps among design, construction, and maintenance workers. Adopting new technologies will also help recruit and retain junior-level staff and other specialized workers who are enthusiastic about utilizing technologies within their careers. Conduct Cross- Functional Action Learning Projects to Facilitate Internal Collaboration Action learning projects bring individuals together from diverse functions in the organization into teams to address a broad organizational issue or challenge. Successful action learning projects not only solve complex organizational challenges but also simultaneously develop employees and leaders by enhancing their problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and knowledge of other departmental functions. Action learning should be embedded into existing initiatives, programs, and training opportunities where possible. Create an Information Repository to Foster Resiliency Planning Communication Across DOTs Creating an information repository on resiliency planning to share across disciplines will allow DOTs access to pertinent information in a centralized place, making the process for related decision- making easier. This will also increase collaboration between disciplines and personnel on important topics like environmental challenges and resiliency planning. Provide Leadership Development Opportunities to Build a Leader Pipeline DOTs are struggling to recruit and retain junior- and mid-level staff, resulting in talent gaps and leaders who are unprepared for the inevitable changes in the transportation industry. One way to tackle these challenges is to identify high-potential employees and provide them with leadership development opportunities. Doing so will help DOTs fill the leadership pipeline, prepare future leaders for the future of transportation, and enhance the retention of junior- and mid-level staff. Establish a Reciprocal Mentoring Program to Encourage Internal Knowledge Transfer A reciprocal mentoring program encourages the transfer of institutional and historical knowledge between junior- and senior- level DOT employees and aids in the development of positive interpersonal relationships between the two groups. Developing these programs should also help DOTs adopt new technologies and design multi-modal transportation. Exhibit 4-2. (Continued).

178 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Strategy Overview DOTs can partner with local institutions (e.g., nonprofits) to form communities of practice (CoPs) where participating institutions come together to share knowledge and educate one another. By expanding their network of partner organizations and establishing CoPs, DOTs can improve their recruitment of staff with technological expertise and teach existing employees how to better integrate new technologies into their work. Related Industry Challenges Challenge Addressed by Strategy Adoption of new technologies Economic challenges Rise of multi-modal transportation Resiliency planning Blue-collar stigma Slow hiring practices Popularity and expectation of flexible workplace policies Difficulty recruiting and retaining mid-level or young staff Steady downsizing of DOT staff Generational differences Adoption of new technologies DOTs are facing rapid advancements in technology that are affecting not only how they complete their work but the nature of the transportation industry as well. Due to these changes, DOTs are experiencing challenges in recruiting and retaining employees with the needed technological skills. As such, DOTs have been relying on contractors to complete their projects. To better fill these skill gaps and prepare for the future of transportation, DOTs should partner with local institutions and establish CoPs. Doing so will help develop employees’ skill sets so they may keep up with the rapid advancements in technology. Relevant Future Scenarios Changing Infrastructure New Smart Technologies Diversified Workforce Specialized Skill Needs Multi-Generational Workforce Resiliency Planning Supply Chain Partnerships Detailed Strategy Description DOTs can fill technology-related skill gaps by partnering with local institutions to create communities of practice. A CoP is formed when a group of people with shared knowledge and interest in a specific topic (e.g., integration of new technologies on job sites) want to develop a process of continuous collective learning. Partnering with local institutions will help DOTs not only establish relationships with the communities they serve but provide ways to develop their workforce’s technological skills and potentially recruit and retain employees with these skills as well. Create Communities of Practice with Local Institutions to Encourage Knowledge Sharing Strategy Highlights Forming communities of practice will extend DOTs’ networks and improve the ability to recruit employees with needed technological skills. A CoP can teach DOT employees how to integrate technology and train existing staff. Communities of practice (CoPs) can take on many forms, including brown bag sessions, training, and knowledge-sharing repositories to educate members about technological

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 179   advancements, ways to integrate technology, adopt new technological tools, and improve community integration. Brown Bag Sessions: Brown bag sessions are informal training and learning sessions offered by an organization for their staff and invited attendees. The CoP can invite internal and external speakers with technologically relevant skill sets to speak with DOT staff and other interested parties. To better engage DOTs with the broader community, the CoP should not restrict participants and speakers to DOT-specific individuals. Rather, speakers and participants who have a background in technologically relevant skills from other industries may provide unique insight, spread DOTs’ outreach, and spur further innovation when integrating and adapting to technological advancements. These brown bag meetings will also allow current DOT employees to showcase their skills and teach fellow employees, making current employees feel appreciated and fostering a learning culture. Training: Training can create a learning culture around integrating technology, which can create positive perceptions toward technology among DOT employees. Training can also teach DOT staff technological skills they want to learn and fill DOTs’ current technological skill gaps. In this form of CoP, members can provide formal training to other members and interested parties. Like with brown bag sessions, DOTs should not limit training instructors and participants to individuals who are employed at DOTs. However, unlike brown bag sessions, training sessions can be more formal and address specific learning objectives. To learn more about developing training programs, see the related strategy in this chapter: “Develop Robust Training Programs to Bridge Workforce Skill Gaps.” Knowledge Repository: A knowledge repository is a space where information is captured, organized, and categorized so knowledge can be better retained and accessed by members at any given time. A CoP can bring together members’ unique insights and knowledge about integrating and preparing for technological advancements and store them in a shared repository. Doing so records members’ knowledge, organizes it, and allows members to access these resources at any time. Collecting, organizing, and storing these resources ensures the knowledge from the CoP is retained over time and allows for better transfer of content. Members of a CoP may be internal DOT employees and individuals from local institutions who contribute to the repository. To learn more about creating knowledge repositories, see the related strategy in this chapter: “Create an Information Repository to Foster Resiliency Planning Communication Across DOTs.” When forming a CoP, DOTs should strategically partner with nearby organizations and associations that have an interest in improving the transportation industry and/or integrating technology into their organization. DOTs should also select communities with whom they can forge consistent and long-term relationships. For some DOTs, this means establishing partnerships with state DOT headquarters, while for others this means reaching out to local software and technology companies who want to share new products or host trainings. DOTs can also ask their staff about any partners they know or have worked with before and encourage these staff to proactively initiate partnerships. DOTs should also determine ways they can make their partnerships mutually beneficial, so both the DOT and partnering institution gain benefits from the relationship.

180 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance DOTs can initiate relationships by reaching out to potential institutions or communities of interest, establishing initial introductory meetings, and using the meeting to determine whether the institution or community of interest and DOT can form a mutually beneficial relationship. If so, the DOT and institution can establish plans for collaboration and begin the partnership. If not, DOTs can retain contact information and touch base with the institution or community in case a partnership may be established in the future. To learn more about partnering with educational institutions, see the related strategy, “Partner with Educational Institutions to Market Jobs,” in Chapter 2. Strategy in Practice CoPs can take many forms and focus on specific objectives. One example is the Southern California Regional Transit Training Consortium (http://www.scrttc.com/), which brings together 27 local community colleges, transit agencies, and universities to develop and coordinate training for the transportation workforce. Another CoP is the State Smart Transportation Initiative (www.ssti.us/), which brings together state DOTs, the University of Wisconsin, and Smart Growth America to promote environmental sustainability and equitable economic development through innovative initiatives in the transportation industry. Applicability in Design, Construction, and Maintenance Design DOTs may use a CoP to not only educate existing design employees about technology in their jobs (e.g., environmental sensor stations) but to also recruit employees from new applicant pools. Hosting a CoP with communities and institutions with networks the DOT has yet to tap can open opportunities to recruit new employees with specialized skill sets. A CoP could help train longer-tenure construction employees on how to use existing or new technologies (e.g., tablets). A CoP would be particularly useful when rolling out new technologies to educate construction employees about the purpose of this new technology and to offer training on how to use it. Construction Maintenance Employees working in maintenance could benefit from a CoP by learning ways technology can streamline responsibilities. For example, a CoP could introduce DOTs and maintenance employees to the use of drones for evaluating roadway and bridge conditions, reducing the cost and effort of manually conducting inspections. Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) All employee levels (i.e., senior leadership through entry-level staff) in each occupational group. Community partners. Senior regional and state directors. Supervisors, managers, and department heads. Human resources personnel. Employees with relationships with local institutions.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 181   Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. Establish the goals of the CoP. An example intention could be a CoP that aims to train existing design, construction, and maintenance staff on integrating emerging technology into their work. 2. Determine which employee(s) will lead the CoP. Mid- to senior-level employees can assume a role as the CoP coordinator, be the point of contact for local institutions and communities, and organize activities. 3. Research which local institutions and communities are nearby, active, and relevant for the CoP. 4. Contact the identified institutions and communities, describe the intention and goals of the CoP, and schedule introductory meetings. 5. During introductory meetings, discuss ways the DOT and institution or community can benefit from a CoP, next steps, and partnership expectations. 6. If the institution or community of interest is unable to participate in the CoP, retain contact information and touch base with the institution or community in case a partnership could be established in the future. Next, identify and reach out to more local institutions and communities who may partake in the CoP. 7. If the institution or community of interest can partake in the CoP, formulate next steps, including: Establish roles and responsibilities for organizing and managing the CoP. Determine which activities to offer (e.g., brown bag meetings, trainings, knowledge repository). Create an agenda of the events. Decide how long the CoP will last (e.g., 1 year, 6 months). Estimate how many employees may participate. Determine where the CoP will take place (e.g., in person, through video conferencing software). 8. As the CoP progresses, administer a brief survey to members to evaluate whether the CoP is aligned with its goals, whether the current activities are beneficial, and whether anything could be changed. Needed Support or Resources List of nearby potential partners and points of contact, including state DOT headquarters, chapters, associations, and software and technology companies.

182 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Key Success Factors Potential Obstacles and Considerations • To maintain employee and partner buy-in, enthusiasm, and commitment, activities should occur on a semi-regular basis (e.g., monthly). It is also important that participants are regularly (e.g., monthly, biannually) surveyed to ensure they are engaged, satisfied, and learning new material. • It is critically important that activities are relevant and beneficial for all participating parties; otherwise, participation may lessen over time. • Employees may feel like they do not have time to attend or participate in the CoP, so DOT managers should encourage employees to attend and allow them to easily integrate related activities into their schedules. Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information that may be useful when considering this strategy: • Burke, M. (2000). Communities of Practice. Public Roads (May/June). Federal Highway Administration. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/00mayjun/commprac.cfm. • Center for Environmental Excellence. (n.d.). Communities of Practice. AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials). https://environment.transportation.org/state-of-the-practice/communities-of-practice/. • Wenger, E. C., and W. M. Snyder. (2000). Communities of Practice: The Organizational Frontier. Harvard Business Review (January-February). https://hbr.org/2000/01/communities-of-practice-the-organizational-frontier. Tool for Communities of Practice with Local Institutions to Encourage Knowledge Sharing Worksheet to Develop Goals and Intentions – Contains a series of questions DOTs and partnering institutions can complete to establish goals and intentions for their CoP.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 183   Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Number of high-quality participating communities and institutions in the CoP – The more communities and institutions DOTs can reach and partner with, the broader their outreach will be and the greater likelihood new ideas and perspectives will emerge during discussions. Although more partnering communities and institutions suggests the CoP is effective, this needs to be countered by ensuring that these are high-quality partnerships. Having a large quantity of participating communities and institutions is beneficial, but the quality of these relationships is vital as well. 2. Number of active participants in the CoP – The number of active participants attending activities is an indication of the CoP’s outreach and the engagement of its members. This can be calculated by counting the average number of attendees or by counting the average number of attendees and dividing it by the number of invited participants to give the proportion of actual attendees out of possible attendees. 3. Number of activities provided to the CoP participants – The number of activities provided by the CoP indicates the quantity of knowledge sharing and active collaboration by participating organizations. Like the number of participating communities and institutions in the CoP, the quality of these activities trumps the quantity. Hosting more activities helps keep the CoP active and shares more knowledge between members, but doing so should not sacrifice the quality of these activities.

184 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Tool: Worksheet to Develop Goals and Intentions for a Community of Practice This tool provides a series of questions DOTs and partnering institutions can complete before forming a community of practice (CoP). Taking the time to work through these questions will be worthwhile, as it will ensure the CoP has a clear direction and the DOT and partnering institutions use appropriate methods (e.g., training, brown bag meetings) to achieve their goals and intentions and measure the impact of their efforts. Not only is it beneficial to set these goals and intentions at the beginning of a partnership, but it is also worthwhile to revisit these questions throughout the duration of the CoP. Checking in to see if the CoP’ activities, topics, goals, and intentions should be modified. The questions in the worksheet may be modified to capture content specific to a DOT and its partnering organization. Questions may be added, removed, and edited as needed. Why do we want to partner and form a CoP? What do we want our organizations and employees to get out of this CoP?

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 185   What should be the focus of our CoP? Examples include: Exploring technology in the transportation industry. Developing a social media presence. Encouraging diversity and inclusion in the transportation agency. What activities should we offer that align with our focus and are feasible? Examples include brown bag sessions, trainings, and knowledge repositories. Considering the responses to the earlier questions, what should our goal(s) and intention(s) be for this CoP? Examples include: Training design, construction, and/or maintenance staff on integrating emerging technology into their work. Hosting in-depth discussions about how emerging technologies are going to shape the design, construction, and/or maintenance industries and identifying ways we can prepare.

186 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance How will we determine if our CoP is succeeding? Examples can include: Counting the number of active participants in the CoP to evaluate how many staff we are reaching. Counting the number of activities regularly provided to the CoP participants to determine how active it is. What are our plans for managing and leading this CoP? Consider the following: How long do we want this partnership to last? Who will head the CoP initiatives? How often will we meet to schedule CoP activities? When will we evaluate the success of the CoP?

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 187   Strategy Overview Developing robust training programs will help ensure employees, including new hires, are equipped to handle the changing landscape of the transportation industry. DOTs should identify the skill and knowledge gaps among their employees and design training programs to specifically bridge these gaps. Related Industry Challenges Challenge Addressed by Strategy Adoption of new technologies Economic challenges Rise of multi-modal transportation Resiliency planning Blue-collar stigma Slow hiring practices Popularity and expectation of flexible workplace policies Difficulty recruiting and retaining mid- level or young staff Steady downsizing of DOT staff Generational differences Skill gaps among employees due to evolving industry demands As some jobs become obsolete or change substantially due to technological advancements and other transportation industry changes, it is important to provide job incumbents with opportunities for training and development to ensure the skills of the workforce are current with organizational requirements. Investing in workforce development also has the added benefits of reduced employee turnover and increased employee engagement. Relevant Future Scenarios Changing Infrastructure New Smart Technologies Diversified Workforce Specialized Skill Needs Multi-Generational Workforce Resiliency Planning Supply Chain Partnerships Detailed Strategy Description Developing comprehensive training that teaches employees skills or knowledge they need will help improve workplace efficiency, encourage employee personal and professional growth, and allow many external demands to be met internally without reliance ’ (e.g., contractors). Developing a strong training program involves identifying the topic areas where employees most need training (e.g., designing infrastructure to meet new resiliency plan standards, using drones to inspect infrastructure) as well as finding the specific employees that need training the most (e.g., engineers, maintenance workers, all employees). It is also important to clearly define the goals of training (i.e., training objectives) and how the DOT will measure progress to determine the success of the training. Training must also be tailored to suit the needs of each DOT to be most effective. DOTs should Develop Robust Training Programs to Bridge Workforce Skill Gaps Strategy Highlights To limit skill or knowledge gaps among employees, DOTs should develop robust training programs. Implementing training programs may take a significant amount of resources, especially in the planning phases. However, the long- and short-term benefits should outweigh these costs.

188 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance consider the number and complexity of topics they need to cover, whether they have the needed personnel to teach the topics or if they should hire external trainers, and the time and resources needed to implement the training program. To develop an effective training program, DOTs should be prepared to spend a significant amount of time planning and preparing for such a program. However, this up-front planning should help ensure that DOTs are adequately preparing their employees for the many industry changes that are taking place. Furthermore, the planned training should be captured in an Individual Development Plan (IDP) and incorporated into the performance review/appraisal cycle to monitor employee progress and ensure accountability. Strategy in Practice At the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), some engineers reported difficulty seeing the benefits of designing multi-modal infrastructure. To help remediate this issue, MassDOT released a bike planning manual and organized a half-day workshop to teach engineers how to use this guide. This initiative was successful due to the support for this training from MassDOT leaders. Applicability in Design, Construction, and Maintenance Design The development of new transportation technologies (e.g., roadweather information systems, automated curb warning systems, environmental sensor stations), adoption of resiliency plans, and increasing demand for multi-modal designs are impacting the specifications and materials that should be considered in infrastructure design. Thus, DOT employees who work in design will benefit greatly from receiving training in these areas. In construction, new automated techniques for constructing infrastructure (e.g., 3D printing, drones, robot swarms) are accelerating construction processes, and construction staff must develop skills and experiences in electronics to keep up with these changes. One way to ensure that employees have these needed skills is to provide training in technology adoption and utilization. Construction Maintenance Due to the development of new transportation technologies, maintenance workers must increasingly work on Intelligent Transportation System maintenance issues. For example, roads are often being overlaid with sensors that will have to be installed, repaired, replaced, and otherwise maintained. Providing maintenance workers with training in how to maintain these technology advancements should help with these transitions. Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) All DOT employees. Human resources and/or training and development personnel.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 189   Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. Identify a gap in the skills or knowledge of DOT employees (e.g., employees struggle to design multi-modal infrastructure, employees are uncomfortable using new technologies to perform job duties). See the tool Skill Gap Analysis Toolkit at the end of this strategy to help identify and prioritize workforce skill gaps. 2. Identify the specific tasks or information that employees need to learn. For example, if a DOT decides to use drones for infrastructure inspection, workers who will use this technology need to learn how to fly a drone, safety procedures when using a drone, and how to capture images with a drone. 3. Create training objectives that clearly and specifically state what the trainee is to learn. For example, a training objective may be, “After completing training, maintenance workers will be able to use a drone to take pictures of infrastructure and transfer the images onto a laptop computer without referencing a manual or asking others for assistance.” 4. Determine the budget for implementing the training. 5. Identify (internal or external) individual(s) who will be responsible for developing training materials, scheduling training, and hosting the training. 6. Determine characteristics of the training (e.g., how many training sessions there will be, who will be invited to training, length of training sessions). 7. Develop training materials. 8. Invite employees to attend training and survey employees to assess their pretraining standing on outcomes of interest (e.g., skill in using new technology). 9. Host the training session(s). 10. Survey employees to assess their perceptions of the training and post- training standing on outcomes of interest. 11. Repeat Steps 1–10 for each skill or knowledge gap among employees. 12. Use the Kirkpatrick Model86 to evaluate the effectiveness of the training: (a) collect trainee reactions to the training (Level 1), (b) assess knowledge learned from the training (Level 2), (c) measure performance on the job using objective or subjective measures (Level 3), and (d) determine any overall impact or results on the business or organization (Level 4). Remind managers and supervisors to provide employees an opportunity to practice new skills gained through the training before evaluating them. 13. Implement a process of capturing any planned trainings for employees on their IDPs and incorporating the trainings into the performance review/appraisal cycle to monitor progress and ensure accountability. 86 Kirkpatrick, D. L., and J. D. Kirkpatrick. (1994). Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels, 3rd ed. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Needed Support or Resources Surveys to measure pretraining and post-training outcomes. A repository of training materials for employees, especially new hires, to reference as they work.

190 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Key Success Factors Potential Obstacles and Considerations • To encourage trainee engagement, be sure to select topics that represent gaps ’ asize these gaps. • The benefits of a robust training system must b buy-in. • afting • e in encouraging employees to bring their meals. Additional Resources this strategy: • Li, . Harvard Business Review -3-things-that- - technical-training- . • Design Manual Part 2: Contextual Roadway Design. . • Society for Human Resource Management SHRM - - - to- -training- -assessment.aspx.  Tools to Develop Robust Training Programs to Bridge Workforce Skill Gaps Skill Gap Analysis Toolkit – P for performing Example Survey Items to Measure Perceptions of Training – to assess employe ’

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 191   Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Changes in trainees’ behaviors – One of the main goals when implementing training is to change trainees’ behaviors. Thus, the effectiveness of the training may be measured by assessing changes in trainees’ ability to use their newly developed skills. For example, if employees attend training on operating an environmental sensor station, the effectiveness of the training may be measured by trainees’ ability to operate an environmental sensor station before and after the training. 2. Changes in trainees’ knowledge – Another goal when implementing training is to increase trainees’ knowledge in a topic area. For this reason, the effectiveness of the training may be measured by assessing the trainees’ change in knowledge of a specific topic. For example, if employees attend training on designing multi-modal infrastructure, the effectiveness of the training may be measured by trainees’ knowledge of any state regulations related to multi-modal transportation. 3. Time for new hires to make meaningful contributions to the team – With the development of more robust and useful employee training, the time required for new hires to begin making meaningful contributions to the team should decrease.

192 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Tool: Skill Gap Analysis Toolkit Purpose and Overview A skill gap analysis is a way to compare the current state of the workforce to the desired future state in terms of the skills required for successful job performance. Performing a skill gap analysis allows DOTs to identify gaps that need to be addressed to help ensure they are prepared to meet future needs. This toolkit provides DOT leaders with resources for performing a skill gap analysis. Using this tool will help ensure that DOTs focus their resources on training that employees need the most and the specific employees that need the training the most. In other words, this toolkit should help DOTs identify and prioritize skill gaps and employees for training. This toolkit contains three tools: Tool 1: Handout to Help Employees Understand a Skill Gap Analysis. – Example language that can be used in communications to help understand the purpose and process of a skill gap analysis. Tool 2: Example Current State Assessment. – Example assessment survey to obtain ratings of the current proficiency of the workforce. Tool 3: Action Planning Template. – Template that may be used after skill gaps have been identified to prioritize skill gaps and needed training. Toolkit Tool 1: Handout to Help Employees Understand a Skill Gap Analysis A skill gap analysis is a way to compare the current state of the workforce to the desired future state in terms of the skills required for successful job performance. Performing a skill gap analysis will allow us to identify gaps that need to be addressed to help us ensure we are prepared to meet future needs. The process involves the following steps: 1. Define future state: What will the future look like and what skills will be needed? 2. Assess current state: Where are we now in terms of the skill level of our workforce? 3. Identify gaps: How does the current state compare to the desired future state? 4. Develop action plans: How do we address the highest priority gaps? A skill gap analysis: • Provides us with a better understanding of the current proficiency of our workforce. • Offers insight into how resources should be allocated to appropriately meet employee needs. • Ensures we have a workforce that is prepared for success in the future. A skill gap analysis is NOT: • An assessment of individual performance. • A process that will impact performance appraisals, pay, or employment (e.g., promotion) opportunities.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 193   This tool demonstrates one way to ascertain current proficiency ratings on various competencies for each occupational group being studied (e.g., engineering, maintenance). This table may be distributed to supervisors of occupational group(s) being studied via surveys. Supervisors should be asked to rate each of their employees’ current proficiency levels, with a strong emphasis on the intended purpose of the assessment (i.e., current state assessment versus performance appraisal). The competencies shown below are examples that may or may not be relevant for each occupational group(s) being studied. Additional competencies should be added and defined as needed for each occupational group. Use the following definitions when rating the employee’s experience. Rating Description N/A: Not Applicable Rater does not have enough information to make a determination. 1: No Experience Employees have not had opportunities to demonstrate this competency. 2: Basic Proficiency Employees can demonstrate this competency with guidance andsupervision. 3: Intermediate Proficiency Employees can demonstrate this competency independently andhandle nearly all types of assignments that use this competency. 4: Advanced Proficiency Employees can demonstrate this competency when handling dynamic and complex work activities, as well as assist others in demonstrating this competency. Competency and Definition Proficiency Level (select one) N ot A pp lic ab le N o Ex pe rie nc e B as ic In te rm ed ia te A dv an ce d N/A 1 2 3 4 1. Communication Respects opinions and views of colleagues and clients; fosters open communication; shares information as appropriate; presents information verbally well; presents information in writing well. 2. Project Management Plans, initiates, and manages projects; leads and guides the work of staff; monitors progress to ensure deadlines, standards, and cost targets are met. 3. Technology Utilization Understands which technologies to use to improve efficiency and effectiveness; uses technologies to perform the job more efficiently or effectively; demonstrates confidence using technologies on the job. 4. Teamwork Works cooperatively and collaboratively with others to achieve group goals and objectives; builds effective relationships; works well with all types of people irrespective of background. 5. Planning and Organizing Plans and organizes work; manages time well; organizes multiple activities; sets goals and measures progress. Tool 2: Example Current State Assessment

194 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Competency and Definition Proficiency Level (select one) N ot A pp lic ab le N o Ex pe rie nc e B as ic In te rm ed ia te A dv an ce d N/A 1 2 3 4 6. Self-Development Understands personal strengths and weaknesses; delivers high personal performance; continuously trains and develops oneself. 7. Leadership Directs, empowers, and motivates others; provides a strong example. 8. Decision-Making Identifies options; considers consequences and risks; makes well-informed and timely decisions. Tool 3: Action Planning Template This template may be completed by DOT leaders after reviewing the skill gap analysis results to identify the priority of skill gaps and begin brainstorming specific training that may be implemented to close each gap. An example is provided in the first row of the table. Skill Gap Priority (circle) Potential Actions Technology Utilization Low Med High • Broad training on how to use various technologies to improve efficiency and effectiveness • Specific training on how to use drones to inspect site work Low Med High Low Med High Low Med High Low Med High

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 195   Tool: Example Survey Items to Measure Perceptions of Training This tool can be used to assess employees’ perceptions of training they have completed. Participants’ responses should be evaluated and used to make improvements to future iterations of training. DOT managers may wish to include some or all of the questions presented within this tool. Purpose and Overview When providing training to employees, it is important to engage trainees to understand their reactions to the training. More specifically, DOTs need to assess their employees’ perceptions of the format of the training, the content of the training, and the trainer presenting the material. Otherwise, employees may become dissatisfied with or disinterested in important training. This tool provides example items to assess these perceptions. DOT managers should choose the items they are interested in and present them to employees in either a virtual or paper survey. Example Surveys Importantly, the items listed below are intended to measure only employees’ perceptions of the training [versus standing on outcomes of interest (e.g., ability to use a new technology)]. In addition to assessing employees’ perceptions of training, it is recommended that DOTs measure changes in employees’ knowledge and skills due to their participation in training. Two types of example survey questions are provided: “Rate Agreement with Statements” and “Open-Ended Questions.” For Rate Agreement with Statements, ask trainees, “To what extent do you agree with the following statement?” Each statement is rated along a 7-point scale. 1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Slightly Disagree 4 = Neutral 5 = Slightly Agree 6 = Agree 7 = Strongly Agree Examples of Rate Agreement with Statements I learned valuable information by attending this training. This training is beneficial for employees in my occupational group. Participation in this training should be required for employees in my occupational group. This training course should be mandatory for everyone in my organization. The individual presenting material within this training (i.e., the trainer) was well-informed about the topic they were teaching. The individual presenting material within this training (i.e., the trainer) was able to present information clearly. The individual presenting material within this training (i.e., the trainer) was able to adequately answer questions that were posed. Our DOT should continue to invest in training such as the course I attended.

196 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance The format of the training was effective for the type of content covered. The training offered a sufficient level of interactivity. The training objectives were clear. The training objectives were achieved. The materials provided (e.g., handouts, visual aids, participant guides) were effective. After completing this training, I now have a clear understanding of the material covered. I believe I will be able to apply the knowledge and skills gained in this training to my job. I know where to find resources or additional information about the topics covered within the training. Overall, I am satisfied with the training. Examples of Open-Ended Questions Open-ended questions require a written response. In what ways did this training benefit you? Please describe your thoughts related to the format of the training (e.g., structure). Was this training the appropriate length, too long, or too short? Please elaborate in your response. Do you feel like this training provided adequate opportunities for interaction and discussion? Please elaborate in your response. Do you feel like this training provided adequate opportunities to practice new skills or apply new knowledge? Please elaborate in your response. Are there any other topics you would like future training to cover? Please be specific. Are there any topics you wish were covered in more depth? – Do you have any recommendations for internal or external speakers that may be able to provide training on these topics? Do you have any suggestions for how to improve this training? Please be specific. Please provide any other thoughts you would like to share regarding this training.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 197   Strategy Overview As workforce skill needs shift due to evolving industry demands, DOTs need to assess needs, develop targeted strategies to upskill the workforce for new roles and requirements, and implement those strategies to close skill gaps. Specifically, areas where staff development is needed include (a) using new technologies, (b) design, construction, and maintenance of multi-modal infrastructure, and (c) implementing resiliency plans and/or other policy updates. Related Industry Challenges Challenge Addressed by Strategy Adoption of new technologies Economic challenges Rise of multi-modal transportation Resiliency planning Blue-collar stigma Slow hiring practices Popularity and expectation of flexible workplace policies Difficulty recruiting and retaining mid- level or young staff Steady downsizing of DOT staff Generational differences Workforce skill sets are not aligned with DOT needs Within recent years, there has been an increase in demand for (a) construction of multi-modal designs, (b) implementation of new resiliency plans, and (c) adoption of new technologies (e.g., automated curb warning systems, environmental sensor stations) within the transportation industry. However, many DOT employees feel unequipped to handle these industry changes, and DOTs are experiencing skill and knowledge gaps within their organizations. To mitigate these issues, DOTs must provide their employees with thorough and relevant development on these important topics. Relevant Future Scenarios Changing Infrastructure New Smart Technologies Diversified Workforce Specialized Skill Needs Multi-Generational Workforce Resiliency Planning Supply Chain Partnerships Detailed Strategy Description To help bridge skill and knowledge gaps within their workforce, DOTs should implement staff development programs that teach workers how to (a) use new technologies, (b) design, construct, and maintain multi-modal infrastructure, and (c) implement resiliency plans and/or other policy updates. As needs have evolved across DOTs, skill gaps in the workforce have expanded to a level where significant reskilling and upskilling of the workforce is required. This phenomenon is not unique to the transportation industry. Indeed, a 2018 report by the Upskill Existing Employees to Prepare Them for New Roles

198 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance McKinsey Global Institute estimated that roughly 14% of the global workforce may need to switch occupational categories as a result of technological advancement.87 The topic of reskilling has come even more to the forefront as a critical issue with the impact of COVID-19 because of shifts in the way work is performed and an increasing reliance on technology. As defined by the Office of Personnel Management, reskilling is training individuals who have shown they have the aptitude to learn in a completely new occupation, while upskilling is training individuals in the same occupation but in a new way (e.g., training employees how to operate new technology to better perform their jobs). To reskill or upskill a workforce, DOTs must develop comprehensive strategies that address the full cycle of workforce issues. This process should begin by assessing needs to understand the skill gaps, then developing and implementing targeted training and development strategies to close those gaps. Enabling the workforce to adapt to changing roles, responsibilities, processes, and procedures is critical to meeting mission requirements, which begins with a thorough discovery and assessment process. Based on the assessment results, a comprehensive change management plan should be developed that specifies the path forward to closing workforce skill gaps and meeting emerging needs. Finally, once the training for employees has been identified, it should be captured in their Individual Development Plans (IDP) and incorporated into the performance review/appraisal cycle to monitor progress and ensure accountability. Strategy in Practice skill-UP is a large initiative across the European Union that focuses on skilling, upskilling, and reskilling the air transport workforce. The objectives of skill-UP are “to define the knowledge, skills and competencies required by the future employers of the Air Transport Sector to better align the training offered to the requirements of different occupational profiles, thus fostering synergies between educational institutions and the labor market. The project intends to reach such an aim on one hand by developing initial and continuing training programs adapted to the evolving requirements of the sector, based on suitable and innovative teaching and training methodologies. On the other hand, skill-UP will develop an assessment toolkit to track and assess individual progress during the training and will additionally develop an online knowledge center that will collect the outputs of the project, present curricula, training activities, and guidelines for specific target groups.” More information and resources can be found at https://www.skillup-air.eu/. 87 Illanes, P., S. Lund, M. Mourshed, S. Rutherford, and M. Tyreman. (2018). Retraining and Reskilling Workers in the Age of Automation. McKinsey & Company, McKinsey Global Institute (January 22). https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future- of-work/retraining-and-reskilling-workers-in-the-age-of-automation. Strategy Highlights • When jobs become obsolete or experience substantial change, employees should be prepared for new roles by reskilling or upskilling. • The structure of the workforce and number of employees needed across areas may change based on new technological advances and capabilities. • This process involves assessing needs, developing targeted training and development strategies to upskill the workforce on new roles and requirements, and implementing those strategies to close skill gaps.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 199   Applicability in Design, Construction, and Maintenance Design Design employees may need upskilling to stay current with the latest technology resources. For example, to help adopt new technologies to perform their job duties, engineers may benefit from upskill training on 3D printing or environmental sensor stations. Upskilling these employees will allow them to better perform their jobs and keep up with industry demands. Construction staff may need to shift from performing traditional construction work to managing and overseeing the construction work performed by contractors. As such, construction staff may benefit from upskill training on how to effectively work and communicate with industry partners. Construction Maintenance Due to the evolving industry demands, maintenance workers may shift from working on traditional maintenance issues (e.g., repairing highways) to working on technological maintenance issues (e.g., repairing sensors on highways). As such, some or all of these workers may benefit from upskill or reskill training on these types of technological advancements. Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) DOT staff in roles that are becoming obsolete or that have changed significantly. Human resources and/or training and development personnel. Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. Evaluate the driver for reskilling and/or upskilling. For example, consider whether the drivers involve a shift in agency goals and plans, mandates, major changes in the agency or workforce, different work or changes in how the work is accomplished, or employee desires or needs. Identifying the drivers is helpful not only for understanding the reasons behind the need, but also for developing plans that take into account how these drivers may shift in the near future. To gather input, it may be useful to conduct focus groups, visioning workshops, SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis workshops, or strategic job analysis. 2. Gather input from the workforce to identify the specific focus of the reskilling or upskilling effort. This should include reviewing positions to identify jobs that have shifted substantially as well as identifying agency performance gaps that need to be addressed (i.e., staffing and skill gaps that exist between the current and projected workforce needs).

200 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 3. Assess readiness and proactively work to address any potential barriers. For example, consider factors such as: Does agency leadership support reskilling or upskilling? Do you have the appropriate resources to effectively reskill or upskill? Do your agency workforce, strategic plan, and/or performance plans support reskilling or upskilling? Do your agency policies and union agreements support upskilling and reskilling? 4. Develop and communicate a reskilling or upskilling strategy. As part of this planning process, map out the anticipated inputs required, including time, financial resources, partners, equipment, facilities, staff, technology, and data. For example, strategies may include some combination of mentoring programs, coaching programs, rotation opportunities, details, training, shadowing programs, blended learning, career paths, or other forms of developmental opportunities. 5. Implement the reskilling or upskilling strategy that was developed in Step 4. 6. ’ time line that shows progress against milestones. Evaluate and revise as necessary to address issues and make corrections. 7. Implement a process of capturing any planned trainings for employees on their IDPs and incorporating the trainings into the performance review/appraisal cycle to monitor progress and ensure accountability. 8. On an ongoing basis (e.g., monthly), communicate the strategy goals and progress and engage with internal departments to ensure continuous and ongoing workforce development. Ensure common (i.e., nontechnical, layman) language is used to describe and discuss the program. Needed Support or Resources Time and money dedicated toward implementation of this strategy, including assessment of workforce needs, and development, implementation, and evaluation of the reskilling/upskilling plans. Key Success Factors Potential Obstacles and Considerations • DOT leader, supervisor, and department head buy-in is particularly important for the success of this strategy, as these individuals often oversee and are heavily involved with workforce development programs (e.g., mentorship programs, development of new training). To gain their support, ensure these individuals understand the value of and demand for reskilling or upskilling the DOT workforce. • The communications around reskilling or upskilling initiatives must be carefully framed to ensure employees perceive these changes as positive developmental opportunities. It is also important that employees do not feel as though DOTs no longer believe their skills are useful but that DOTs would like to add to their skill sets.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 201   Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information that may be useful when considering this strategy: • U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). (n.d.). Reskilling Toolkit. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce- restructuring/reshaping/accelerating-the-gears-of-transformation/reskilling-toolkit.pdf. • Waddill, D. (2021). 4 Strategies for Upskilling and Reskilling Your Workforce. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/sponsored/2021/12/4-strategies-for-upskilling-and- reskilling-your-workforce.  Tool for Upskilling Existing Employees to Prepare Them for New Roles Reskilling/Upskilling Initiative Action Plan Template – Contains a form to document the goals, various aspects and features, and action steps of a proposed reskilling/upskilling initiative. Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Percent of competency and skill gaps closed – Measuring competency and skill gaps can help with the initial assessment and prioritization of reskilling/upskilling efforts, while periodically reassessing these gaps can help inform the extent of progress. 2. Percent of employees who participate in training – Large-scale reskilling/upskilling efforts will see a notable increase in the percent of employees who participate in training. Thus, measuring the percentage of employees who participate in training is one way to measure the effectiveness of this strategy. 3. Manager satisfaction with the quality of reskilled or upskilled employees – Manager feedback on the quality of reskilled or upskilled employees is a useful indicator of the ultimate success of the reskilling/upskilling program and can be used to identify needed improvements. 4. Employee overall satisfaction and retention – Reskilling/upskilling efforts can also have a positive impact on employee satisfaction and retention, making these good metrics to assess the effectiveness of the strategy.

202 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Tool: Reskilling/Upskilling Action Plan Template Reskilling/ Upskilling Initiative Initiative Title. Driver(s) Describe the driver for reskilling and/or upskilling (e.g., mandate, major change in the workforce, employee need/desire, automation, etc.). What is the problem being addressed? Objectives What are the end goals for the reskilling/upskilling initiative? What wouldsuccess look like? Barriers What are the potential barriers (e.g., lack of leadership support, lack of time or resources, union concerns, etc.)? Target Jobs Describe the positions that are the primary focus of the reskilling/upskilling initiative, including new positions that employees will transition to, if applicable. Target Competency Gaps Describe the key competency or skill gaps that need to be addressed through the reskilling/upskilling initiative. Inputs Required Anticipated inputs required, including time, financial resources, partners,equipment, facilities, staff, technology, and data. Strategies to Be Implemented For example, strategies may include some combination of mentoring programs, coaching programs, rotation opportunities, details, training, shadowing programs, blended learning, career paths, or other forms of developmental opportunities. Action Planning Team Lead and support team members. Action Steps Step ResponsibleParty Time Line Budget, Resources, and Approvals Needed SOURCE: Adapted from Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Reskilling Toolkit – https://www.opm.gov/policy-data- oversight/workforce-restructuring/reshaping/accelerating-the-gears-of-transformation/reskilling-toolkit.pdf

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 203   Strategy Overview DOTs can host informal presentations (e.g., brown bag sessions) and discussions with mobility service companies to foster shared understanding and cooperation between transportation stakeholders. In these sessions, mobility service companies can educate DOTs about their organization and DOTs can highlight ways both entities can work together for the benefit of the public. If appropriate and feasible, these presentations and discussions can be extended into partnerships that are characterized by active cooperation and the exchange of information that informs roadway design, construction, and maintenance work. Related Industry Challenges Challenge Addressed by Strategy Adoption of new technologies Economic challenges Rise of multi-modal transportation Resiliency planning Blue-collar stigma Slow hiring practices Popularity and expectation of flexible workplace policies Difficulty recruiting and retaining mid- level or young staff Steady downsizing of DOT staff Generational differences Rise of multi-modal transportation and the development of new technologies There is a lack of familiarity and coordination between state DOT staff and mobility service companies. Additionally, DOTs face the challenge of incorporating new technology, and the data these new technological systems generate, into their work. However, DOTs may learn from and build relationships with these external stakeholders through structured discussions. True cooperation will likely result in the exchange of information, which will help inform DOT projects. Relevant Future Scenarios Changing Infrastructure New Smart Technologies Diversified Workforce Specialized Skill Needs Multi-Generational Workforce Resiliency Planning Supply Chain Partnerships Detailed Strategy Description DOTs or municipal transportation authorities and mobility service providers like Uber, Lyft, Bird, and Lime all share the responsibility of providing safe transportation options to the public. Multi- modal transportation is on the rise, and while many of these companies may be relatively new stakeholders in the transportation industry, their importance is also growing. To improve shared understanding and coordination, DOTs should invite representatives from these mobility service companies to give informal brown bag presentations about their business and considerations for the department. DOTs should offer the same courtesy and give brown bag presentations to these mobility service providers about how their DOT functions and the Partner with Mobility Service Providers to Increase Coordination Strategy Highlights Brown bag presentations between DOTs and mobility service providers are a way for both parties to learn from one another and begin a mutually beneficial partnership. DOTs and the public will benefit from these relationships, especially if information and best practices are shared freely.

204 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance implications of multi-modal transportation systems on highway design, construction, and maintenance. These presentations should help DOTs and mobility service providers establish productive partnerships in which information and data are shared freely, ultimately resulting in mutually beneficial relationships. For example, data sharing between a mobility service provider and a DOT could inform a new bike/scooter lane project. This may in turn encourage bike and scooter usage, which would benefit service providers. DOTs may also promote their good working relationships with mobility service providers as a way to attract potential employees, and mobility service providers could promote these relationships to build their brand. Open lines of communication between DOTs and mobility service partners may also encourage the exchange of data management and analysis practices. Many mobility service companies rely heavily on using technology such as mobile applications to enable their business operations. DOTs would benefit greatly from hearing about how these companies are using new technology to achieve success. This knowledge would help the DOT remain current and help the organization prepare for the prospect of the continued growth of multi- modal transit in their state while also helping managers focus professional development efforts for their staff. DOTs may also benefit from learning how these companies use data in their decision-making. This exchange of knowledge will help DOT employees better understand roadway projects in the context of bikes, scooters, or ride shares and help mobility service providers understand how they can contribute to improving public transportation systems. To begin the process of hosting brown bag sessions with mobility service providers, DOTs should research nearby mobility service companies and reach out to them about the intention of these sessions and whether they would be interested in participating. If the mobility service provider agrees, DOTs should coordinate logistics and host the brown bag sessions. These sessions can occur in person or virtually with video conferencing software. See the strategy “Create Communities of Practice with Local Institutions to Encourage Knowledge Sharing” earlier in this chapter regarding conducting brown bag sessions with external organizations. After this initial conversation, the DOT and mobility service provider can determine if they want to form a partnership and, if so, establish goals and expectations. Depending on the extent of the program, DOTs may want to consider appointing a program coordinator. Doing so will ensure the partnership is maintained and provide a professional development opportunity for a mid-level employee. Regardless of whether a formal partnership is formed, hosting brown bag sessions with mobility service providers will foster a shared understanding and coordination between transportation stakeholders. Strategy in Practice In 2017, the District Department of Transportation in Washington, DC, worked with Uber and Lyft to share information that led to the removal of 60 parking spaces along the street in a busy part of the city to optimize traffic flow and rideshare pickups.88 This initiative proved beneficial to all parties involved, most importantly, the public. 88 Schneider, S. (2017). D.C. Gives Uber and Lyft a Better Spot in Nightlife. Bloomberg (October 25). https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-25/uber-lyft-get-a-prime-location-in-d-c-nightlife.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 205   Applicability in Design, Construction, and Maintenance Design Engineers and designers recognize the rise of multi-modal transportation and the effect this trend is having on how roads are designed and redesigned. Designers should also recognize the value of incorporating transportation data from outside sources into their decision-making process. The more information the department has at its disposal, including data shared by mobility service providers, the better-informed employees can be in their design work. Staff at mobility service companies may have little exposure to the perspectives of those working in transportation construction and vice versa. It would benefit both groups to meet one another and learn about their respective professions. DOT construction employees will also benefit from sharing data. For example, usage data can help DOTs determine the best date and time to begin a construction project. Construction Maintenance Similar to construction professionals, DOT maintenance staff should have the opportunity to meet with mobility service companies to build familiarity and good faith. DOT maintenance employees could also use usage data as a factor of road deterioration. This could help DOTs use predictive analytics to plan their maintenance work. Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) All DOT staff. All staff from a mobility service company. Supervisors, managers, and department heads. DOT program coordinator. Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. ’ for its outreach program (i.e., what the DOT hopes to gain out of presentations and/or partnerships with mobility service providers). Consider surveying employees to generate these objectives and gauge interest. 2. Research the mobility service providers operating within the state and gather contact information. 3. Designating a program coordinator from within the DOT to lead this outreach program. 4. Identify presenters by asking for volunteers or asking for nominations from managers. 5. Reach out to the mobility service providers identified in Step 2. The program coordinator and presenters should introduce themselves, clearly describe the intention of the brown bag sessions, and ask the mobility service providers to participate.

206 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 6. Coordinate logistics with the mobility service providers and the DOT. This includes scheduling the presentations and making the necessary arrangements for the speakers and audience. 7. Collaborate with the service providers on the content and structure of the presentation(s) and allow DOT leadership time to review. Create an outline and talking points to help make for a successful brown bag session. Brainstorm topic areas (e.g., advancements in transportation technology, data management) and use these ideas to guide the conversation. 8. Notify DOT staff of this program and encourage them to attend the sessions. 9. Thank the mobility service provider for participating and follow up on establishing a partnership. If a partnership is formed, the program coordinator, presenters, or any other appropriate DOT employee can serve as the official liaisons to these organizations. Liaisons should revisit the objectives identified by the DOT so they ensure their intentions are understood. 10. The program coordinator should keep track of relevant metrics and be constantly scanning for new mobility service providers entering the state that could be engaged. Needed Support or Resources Willingness, availability, and time on the part of the presenters and attendees. Key Success Factors Potential Obstacles and Considerations • DOTs should strive to provide and host one brown bag session per mobility service provider operating in their state (one given by the DOT, one given by the mobility service provider) to encourage a wide range of partners. • The support of DOT leaders, including managers and department heads, is critical for the success of this strategy, as these individuals will likely be involved in the conversations with mobility service providers and understand DOT needs best. • A key provision of any partnering agreement should be sharing best practices and knowledge about roadway design, construction, and maintenance. • If mobility service providers do not see how they will benefit from these presentations or a partnership, they will be less inclined to participate. Thus, careful preparation (e.g., understanding of what DOTs may offer partners) is required before approaching these organizations. • Mobility service providers may be unwilling to share their information and knowledge citing business or legal reasons but emphasizing the importance of sharing this information to improve transportation for the community should help alleviate this concern. • A loss of momentum can doom a potential partnership. DOTs need to be proactive in engaging in new partnerships after these presentations and should be ready to put effort into maintaining them.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 207   Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information that may be useful when considering this strategy: • Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (2020). Bikeshare Scooter Systems Database. U.S. Department of Transportation. https://data- usdot.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/bikeshare-scooter- systems/explore?location=31.502473%2C-100.045480%2C3.85. • NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials). (2018). NACTO and the Open Transport Partnership Launch SharedStreets. https://nacto.org/2018/02/22/nacto-and-otp-launch-sharedstreets/. Tool for Partnering with Mobility Service Providers to Increase Coordination Brown Bag Session Talking Points – Helps the DOT program coordinator and presenters develop the structure of the brown bag session. Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Number of brown bag presentations given and received by the DOT – Tracking the number of brown bag sessions given and received by the DOT indicates the degree to which the department is getting exposure to the perspective of mobility service providers and vice versa. 2. Number of partnerships formed after brown bag sessions – One of the main objectives of this strategy is to build a productive working relationship with mobility service providers. The number of partnerships formed as a result of these brown bag presentations is one way to measure the success of this outreach program. DOTs can take this a step further by examining the number of active partnerships out of the total number of mobility service providers operating within the state. 3. Staff evaluation of the effectiveness of these presentations or a partnership via surveys – Soliciting feedback from DOT staff is another way to gauge the effectiveness of these sessions. Changes can be made to the structure and content of these presentations based on this feedback.

208 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Tool: Brown Bag Session Talking Points Overview When preparing to give a brown bag presentation to a mobility service provider (e.g., rideshare or bike sharing company), it is important to take time to think through what your DOT would like to communicate in the presentation. Remember: The goal of this brown bag session is to improve shared understanding and coordination between your DOT and the mobility service provider. Beginning with an outline and translating that into talking points will help ensure the presentation is clear, and the messaging is well organized. This guide was put together to help you and your organization draft these talking points. Instructions Start by drafting an outline of the structure and content of the presentation. Think through how you would like to begin and end the presentation and put that down on paper. It may also be helpful to include time allotments in your outline to keep track of time. Make sure that your outline and talking points incorporate any topic areas your department is interested in. These topic areas can become discussion topics at this brown bag session or future sessions. Transportation technology advancements, data management, and multi-modal design are all examples of topic areas that may be useful. You can survey department employees and touch base with the mobility service provider about areas they would be most interested in and areas in which they would be willing to share information. It is more likely that your presentation will resonate with your audience if you can speak to multiple viewpoints. Consider three perspectives when developing your outline and talking points: the mobility service provider, the DOT, and the public. Consider the point of view of your audience, the mobility service provider. How familiar can we expect the audience to be with the work and mission of the DOT? What are the two or three most important points for this audience to understand about the DOT? Be sure this is relevant to the work and aspirations of the mobility service provider. How would a more collaborative relationship with the DOT benefit the mobility service provider? What is in it for them? Consider the point of view of your organization, the DOT. How familiar are DOT staff with the work and aspirations of the mobility service provider? What are the two or three most important points for DOT staff to understand about the mobility service provider? How would a more collaborative relationship with this company benefit the DOT?

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 209   Consider the point of view of your constituency, the public. How does the public stand to benefit from a more collaborative relationship between the DOT and the mobility service providers? What actions can be taken to make these public benefits become a reality? Answering these simple questions will help you consider the perspectives from these three groups and help formulate your talking points. Example Talking Points Think about the three perspectives mentioned above as well as the questions that go along with them as you draft your talking points. Consider the following examples: – I anticipate that you all have some familiarity with the work that our department does, and I imagine you all have some questions. Before we get to your questions, I would like to share a bit about what we do and how this work is relevant to your company. – Just as you all have questions for us, our department could benefit from the opportunity to learn more about your company. We look forward to having you join us for a brown bag with our staff. – When you think about it, both of our organizations serve the same constituency. Your customers are members of our communities that serve to benefit from roadways made safer and more efficient. You also want to reiterate and emphasize the goals of the presentation. Consider the following examples: – I speak for both myself and my DOT coworkers when I say we are very excited to learn more about your organization and hear your perspectives on ’ transportation systems can be improved. – Taking turns giving presentations and answering questions is a great first step to building a working relationship that is productive and mutually beneficial. – We hope this brown bag presentation leads to a greater degree of shared understanding and coordination between our two organizations. Finally, end the presentation with talking points that outline next steps. It is important to build on the momentum of giving this presentation and commit to action. Consider the following examples: – Among our next steps is to make sure you have my contact information and know that I will be serving as your main point of contact moving forward. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or opportunities for collaboration. – We are forming a committee of other mobility service providers operating in the state to inform our design, construction, and maintenance work. We hope your organization will join us in this effort. – We view these brown bag presentations as the beginning of a continued dialogue between our department and your company. We would like to schedule a time when we can get together again in the next few months to discuss in more detail how we can continue to work together.

210 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Strategy Overview To encourage the adoption of new technologies and the development of skills needed to understand and use new technologies, DOTs can implement internal knowledge-sharing forums. These forums will help DOTs bridge skill and knowledge gaps among design, construction, and maintenance workers. Adopting new technologies will also help recruit and retain junior-level staff and other specialized workers who are enthusiastic about utilizing technologies within their careers. Related Industry Challenges Challenge Addressed by Strategy Adoption of new technologies Economic challenges Rise of multi-modal transportation Resiliency planning Blue-collar stigma Slow hiring practices Popularity and expectation of flexible workplace policies Difficulty recruiting and retaining mid- level or young staff Steady downsizing of DOT staff Generational differences Implementation of new technologies and demand for specialized workers New transportation technologies are emerging that are changing how DOTs need to design, construct, and maintain infrastructure (e.g., automated equipment, drones). However, skill gaps among current staff are slowing the deployment of new technologies. This lack of technology adoption makes it difficult to attract new tech- savvy workers as these individuals often want to work in technologically advanced organizations. For this reason, DOTs are being forced to rely heavily on contractors. Relevant Future Scenarios Changing Infrastructure New Smart Technologies Diversified Workforce Specialized Skill Needs Multi-Generational Workforce Resiliency Planning Supply Chain Partnerships Detailed Strategy Description Internal knowledge-sharing forums are a way to share information about a specific topic area and can occur in meetings or web- facilitated conversations. These forums can be used to present new technologies to employees and teach employees how to use these technologies. The content and format of the forums should be tailored to meet the needs of each occupational group. For example, knowledge-sharing forums may be regularly scheduled for design employees, while a knowledge-sharing forum for maintenance workers might occur when a DOT identifies a specific technology to Implement Internal Knowledge-Sharing Forums to Improve Knowledge Transfer Strategy Highlights Adopting new technologies may become easier with the implementation of internal knowledge-sharing forums that teach employees how to use the technologies. When new technologies are implemented, recruiting tech-savvy employees becomes easier, limiting DOTs’ reliance on contractors.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 211   implement and needs to teach employees how to use it. Knowledge forums can be presented in person or virtually, with the latter option allowing speakers and DOT employees across the country to participate. Also, DOTs may utilize internal speakers who have experience with the new technology or invite external speakers to present the new technologies and teach employees how to operate them. To encourage knowledge management in addition to knowledge sharing, DOTs may also consider storing recordings of presentations and materials shared during forums in an online repository for employees to access when needed. See the action plan “Create an Information Repository to Foster Resiliency Planning Communication Across DOTs” in this chapter for creating information repositories. In sum, implementing knowledge-sharing forums should be related to increased ease of adopting new technologies. As new technologies are implemented into the DOTs, they may have an easier time recruiting tech-savvy employees, as these individuals are often attracted to technologically advanced organizations. In turn, DOTs may not have to rely as heavily on contractors to meet their evolving technology needs. Some variations of knowledge-sharing forums include: Internal Communities of Practice (CoPs): Internal CoPs involve a group of DOT employees meeting to informally discuss their work and learn from one another. CoPs provide employees with opportunities to teach one another new technologies. Lunch and Learns (L&Ls): During L&Ls, internal or external speakers present while employees eat lunch. One benefit of these forums is that they do not take away from employees’ working hours. Speaker Series: A speaker series involves internal or external individuals presenting topics of interest or teaching new skills. These presentations are typically more formal, may last longer than an hour, and could be scheduled for multiple sessions. Super User Office Hours: Super user office hours are planned hours on a monthly or quarterly basis during which an employee with expertise in a particular subject area (e.g., using a new technology) is available (in person or virtually) to answer questions and help colleagues understand the topic. Project Wrap-Ups: Project wrap-ups occur when an important or large-scale project ends, and the project team meets to discuss successes and failures of the project and ways to limit similar failures in the future. Junior- and senior-level employees who were not project team members are invited to attend these meetings. Strategy in Practice The Oregon DOT has implemented two brown bag series, one in each of their major regions. Each region offers a monthly presentation that is geared toward project managers, project engineers, and all those involved with project delivery. Employees are often offered professional development hour credits for attending and may attend virtually if desired.

212 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Applicability in Design, Construction, and Maintenance Design Engineers may benefit from the creation of internal knowledge-sharing forums as these opportunities allow employees to learn from industry experts on various relevant topics that they may not have much experience with (e.g., designing within evolving permitting requirements for multi-modal infrastructure). Due to the fragmented nature of construction work, it may seem like establishing knowledge-sharing forums is not beneficial for employees in this area. However, given that construction teams are often disparate and temporary, there is an even greater risk of knowledge loss when employees leave. Thus, creating avenues for knowledge sharing is especially important for this occupational group. Construction Maintenance Maintenance workers may also benefit from the development of internal knowledge-sharing forums as many of these employees will have to quickly learn how to maintain new technological advancements. To keep up with market demands, maintenance employees will also have to learn how to use new technologies to perform their jobs better and quicker. Establishing a mechanism through which maintenance workers may learn about technological advances may make these transitions easier. Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) All employee levels (i.e., senior leadership through entry-level staff) in each occupational group. Human resources personnel. Supervisors, managers, and department heads. Training and development leaders. Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. Establish the vision for the knowledge-sharing forums, including the purpose and format (e.g., CoPs, L&Ls, speaker series, super user office hours, project wrap- ups). It is important to determine what the DOT hopes to accomplish. For example, the goal might be to increase knowledge of a certain technology already in use. Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound (SMART) goals associated with topic areas may be helpful. For example, a goal might be to increase the knowledge of 30 personnel on the use of a specific technology by the third quarter of the year. 2. Survey employees (managers and nonmanagers) in each occupational group to assess what topic areas or new technologies they would like to see discussed in the forums. This may inform Step 1 as well. 3. Based on organizational goals and feedback from employees, select a few topics for these forums.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 213   Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 4. Set a schedule for the forums well in advance and identify and reach out to personnel who can serve as speakers and others who should serve as participants. 5. Invite employees to attend each forum using various methods to advertise the event (e.g., bulletin boards, email campaigns, internal media platforms). 6. Give each speaker time to prepare an engaging and informative forum and conduct a dry run or review an outline of the event in advance. 7. Create a repository of resources related to each forum for employees to access later (e.g., recordings of presentations, materials shared during forums). 8. Assess employees’ perceptions of each forum through surveys and be open to adjusting the format to better meet their needs. 9. Based on survey results from Step 8, determine if changes need to be made to the format. Needed Support or Resources Bulletin board or intranet page that lists the dates of each forum and the topics to be discussed. Surveys to assess employees’ desire for sessions about various topic areas and their satisfaction with the format of forums and content. Online repository to store recordings of knowledge-sharing forum presentations or materials shared during presentations (e.g., PowerPoint slides, handouts). Key Success Factors Potential Obstacles and Considerations • To achieve maximal benefit, ensure forums cover topics or technologies that are highly relevant and teach skills that are greatly needed by DOT staff. • Providing incentives or even requiring employees to attend the forum(s) will ensure that the information shared is distributed throughout the DOT. • It is critical that the technologies discussed in the forum(s) are available for employees to use so that employees find the forum(s) useful. • Encouraging all employees (i.e., junior- and senior-level employees, managers and nonmanagers) to participate in the knowledge-sharing forums will encourage greater knowledge transfer between employees with varying levels of tenure. • Managers hesitate to implement knowledge forums given the time required to organize them, but emphasizing the benefits of the sessions may help increase buy-in. • Employees may not feel like they have time to attend or participate in the forum(s), but this may be mitigated by either building time into their schedules to attend, choosing to implement L&Ls, or hosting forums during existing meeting times. • Sometimes, knowledge is shared but not well managed (i.e., lost when employees retire or turnover). To mitigate the risk of poor knowledge management, DOT managers should establish a knowledge management plan for the knowledge- sharing forums (e.g., ask speakers to share their presentation materials so they may be stored in an online repository and record presentations).

214 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information that may be useful when considering this strategy: • Burk, M. (2000). Communities of Practice. Public Roads, Vol. 63, No. 6. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/00mayjun/commprac.cfm. • Oregon Department of Transportation. (n.d.). Region 2 Brown Bag Lunch Series Flyers. https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Regions/R2BrownBag/Brown-Bag-Flyer.pdf. • University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. (n.d.). Brown Bag Seminar/Webinar Series Announcements. https://wrrc.arizona.edu/brown-bag- seminars. Tools for Implementing Internal Knowledge-Sharing Forums to Improve Knowledge Transfer Example Survey Items to Assess E ’ Engagement and Perceptions of Knowledge-Sharing Forums – Provides example items that may be included in surveys to ’ (managers and nonmanagers) desire for learning about various topic areas and their satisfaction with the format of knowledge-sharing forums. Knowledge-Sharing Forum Development Checklist – Designed to help DOT managers complete the steps involved in developing an internal knowledge-sharing forum for their organization. Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Presence of knowledge-sharing culture – The main goal in implementing internal knowledge-sharing forums is to create a knowledge-sharing culture. Thus, measuring the extent to which employees believe that the DOT has a knowledge-sharing culture is an excellent way to measure progress toward this goal. This may be assessed by asking employees to rate the extent to which they agree with statements such as, “Employees within our organization share their special knowledge and expertise” and “More knowledgeable employees freely provide other employees with hard-to-find information or specialized skills.”89 2. Comfort using new technologies – Because one major goal of internal implementation of knowledge-sharing forums is to teach employees how to use various technologies, it may be useful to assess their comfort level with using new technologies. Comfort level may be assessed by asking employees to rate the extent to which they agree with statements such as, “I am comfortable using [technology] to work on projects,” “I enjoy working with [technology],” and “I find it easier to perform my job now that [technology] is available.” 89 Faraj, S., and Sproull, L. (2000). Coordinating Expertise in Software Development Teams. Management Science 46:1554–1568. 3. Adoption of new technologies – The success of the internal knowledge-sharing forums may also be assessed by measuring the number of new technologies

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 215   implemented within the DOT. As new technologies are presented and employees are taught how to use them during the forums, the rate of implementation should increase. 4. Recruitment of new tech-savvy employees – The implementation of internal knowledge-sharing forums should help with the adoption and utilization of new technologies, which should increase a DOT’s ability to recruit tech-savvy employees. For this reason, the number of tech-savvy employees the DOT can recruit may be a useful metric to measure the success of knowledge-sharing forums. Whether or not an employee is tech-savvy may be determined by asking new hires to complete a technology proficiency test and/or an assessment measuring their comfort level using various technologies. Passing scores on the tests and assessments should be predetermined and may be based on the average score of the current workforce (e.g., new hires who score one standard deviation above the average of the workforce on the technology proficiency exam may be considered tech-savvy). 5. Reliance on contractors – As DOT employees are taught how to utilize new technologies, and DOTs better attract tech-savvy employees, the reliance on contractors should decrease. For this reason, assessing the extent to which a DOT relies on contractors for their technology concerns may be a useful metric.

216 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Tool: Example Survey Items to Assess Employees’ Engagement and Perceptions of the Knowledge-Sharing Forms This tool provides example items that may be included in surveys to assess employees’ (i.e., managers’ and nonmanagers') desire for learning about various topic areas and their satisfaction with the format of knowledge-sharing forums. The implementation leads may wish to use some or all of the questions presented in this tool in the development and evaluation of knowledge-sharing forums for employees. The items in the pre-forum survey should help the implementation leads decide which knowledge-sharing forums will work best for employees as well as the topics employees are most interested in learning. The items in the post-forum survey should help the implementation leads make improvements to future forums. Pre-Forum Survey Example of Information to Give Employees in Preparation for Pre-Forum Survey Internal knowledge-sharing forums are a way to gain information about specific topic areas (e.g., technological advancements, designing multi-modal infrastructure, implementing new policies and/or procedures). Some variations of internal knowledge-sharing forums are as follows: Internal Communities of Practice (CoPs): CoPs involve a group of employees meeting to informally discuss their work and learn from one another. Lunch and Learns (L&Ls): During L&Ls, internal or external speakers present while employees eat lunch. These are generally stand-alone sessions that typically last an hour. Speaker Series: A speaker series involves internal or external individuals presenting on topics or teaching new skills. These presentations are typically more formal, may last longer than an hour, and could be scheduled for multiple sessions. Super User Office Hours: Super user office hours are planned hours on a monthly or quarterly basis during which an employee who has expertise in a particular subject area (e.g., using a new technology) is available (in person or virtually) to answer any questions and help colleagues understand the topic. Project Wrap-Ups: Project wrap-ups occur when an important or large-scale project ends, and the project team members meet to discuss successes and failures of the project and ways to limit similar failures in the future. Junior- and senior-level employees who were not project team members are invited to attend these meetings. Our DOT is considering implementing an internal knowledge-sharing forum for employees in (design/construction/maintenance). The purpose of this survey is to gauge employees’ opinions on which topics will be the most interesting and relevant to discuss within knowledge-sharing forums. Further, we would like to assess which form of knowledge-sharing forums employees believe will be most effective for communicating information. All of the information shared will be nonattributive in that no specific comments you share will be associated with you. No names or personally identifiable information will be recorded. Being open and honest with your feedback will help us design these forums to best serve DOT employees.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 217   Pre-Forum Example Survey Items Please list and describe one to three topic areas that you would like to see discussed in a knowledge-sharing forum. For example, you may list specific technologies that you would like to learn how to use to perform your job more effectively or efficiently. You may also wish to list emerging trends that you have noticed in the transportation industry (e.g., increased demand for multi-modal designs or implementation of resiliency plans). For each of the topic areas you listed, please describe which knowledge-sharing forum format (i.e., CoPs, L&Ls, speaker series, super user office hours, project wrap-ups) you believe would best fit this topic. For each of the topic areas you listed, please list one or two internal or external individuals you believe may be well suited to present on this topic. Please select your most preferred format for knowledge-sharing forum(s). In person. Virtual (e.g., participate/attend via Zoom, Skype, Teams). Please select your preferred format for the knowledge-sharing forum(s). Synchronous (i.e., attend this forum as it is occurring). Asynchronous (i.e., watch a recording of this forum at a later date). Post-Forum Survey Example of Information to Give Employees in Preparation for Post-Forum Survey The following questions are related to the knowledge-sharing forum(s) that you recently attended. ’ assess where improvements can be made. All of the information shared will be nonattributive in that no specific comments you share will be associated with you. No names or personally identifiable information will be recorded. Being open and honest with your feedback will help us design these forums to best serve DOT employees. Post-Forum Example Survey Items Two types of example survey questions are provided: “Rate Agreement with Statements” and “Open-Ended Questions.” For Rate Agreement with Statements, ask trainees, “To what extent do you agree with the following statement?” Each statement is rated along a 7-point scale. 1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Slightly Disagree 4 = Neutral 5 = Slightly Agree 6 = Agree 7 = Strongly Agree Example Rate Agreement with Statements You learned valuable information by attending this forum. These forums are beneficial for employees in your occupational group to attend.

218 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Participation in or attendance at these forums should be required for employees in your occupational group. The speaker and/or leader of the forum was well-informed and able to present information clearly. Our DOT should continue to invest in knowledge-sharing forums such as the one you attended. Example Open-Ended Questions Open-ended questions require a written response. What made you want to attend/participate in this forum? Please describe how this knowledge-sharing forum benefited you. Please list any suggestions you have for how to improve these forums. Was this training the appropriate length, too long, or too short? Please elaborate in your response. Please list and describe any other topics you would like to discuss in future forums. Please provide any other thoughts or comments you have related to the implementation of knowledge-sharing forums.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 219   Tool: Knowledge-Sharing Forum Development Checklist This tool is designed to help DOT managers complete the steps involved in developing an internal knowledge-sharing forum for their organization. The steps can be used for the development of any type of knowledge-sharing forum, including CoPs, L&Ls, speaker series, super user office hours, and project wrap-ups. The checklist includes tasks that can be checked off when completed, as well as tips and questions to consider during the knowledge-sharing forum development process. DOT managers do not have to complete all the steps when developing a knowledge-sharing forum, but it is more likely that DOT managers will accomplish their intended goals when more steps in this checklist are completed. Check each item when completed: 1. [ ] Establish the vision for the internal knowledge-sharing forums. 2. [ ] Establish the goals for the knowledge-sharing forums. Questions to consider when determining the knowledge-sharing forum goals: • What would we like to accomplish in implementing the knowledge-sharing forum? • What are the intended benefits of the knowledge-sharing forum? 3. [ ] Identify which employees and/or occupational groups will be invited to participate in the knowledge-sharing forum. Consider whether participation will be mandatory. 4. [ ] Determine the format in which the knowledge-sharing forum will be structured (e.g., CoP, L&L, speaker series). Questions to consider when deciding on the knowledge-sharing forum format: • What are the benefits of an internal CoP? • What are the benefits of L&Ls? • What are the benefits of a speaker series? • What are the benefits of super user hours? • What are the benefits of project wrap-ups? 5. [ ] Decide the frequency of the knowledge-sharing forum (e.g., monthly, weekly, annually). 6. [ ] Determine the setting in which the knowledge-sharing forum will take place: in person, virtual, or a combination of the two. _ If in person, determine whether the forum will be recorded. _ If virtual, determine whether the forum will be synchronous or asynchronous. 7. [ ] Determine which employee(s) will be responsible for setting up each knowledge-sharing forum and selecting the topic of discussion and speaker(s). 8. [ ] Survey employees to determine topic areas they would like to have covered in knowledge-sharing forums. _ Use the Example Survey Items Tool to gauge employees’ needs and interests. _ Use results from the survey to develop a list of topics to highlight in knowledge-sharing forums. 9. [ ] Schedule forum(s) and speaker(s) as necessary.

220 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance 10. [ ] Invite employees to attend the forum(s) and ensure that they have time in their schedules to attend. 11. [ ] Host forum(s). 12. [ ] Set up a repository where information from knowledge-sharing forum(s) can be stored (e.g., intranet page, shared universal drive, SharePoint). 13. [ ] Assess employees’ perceptions of the knowledge-sharing forum(s). _ Use the Example Survey Items Tool to gauge employees’ perceptions of knowledge- sharing forum(s). _ Use results from the survey to make improvements to future knowledge-sharing forum(s).

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 221   Strategy Overview Action learning projects bring individuals together from diverse functions in the organization into teams to address a broad organizational issue or challenge. Successful action learning projects not only solve complex organizational challenges but develop employees and leaders by enhancing their problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and knowledge of other departmental functions. Action learning should be embedded into existing initiatives, programs, and training opportunities where possible. Related Industry Challenges Challenge Addressed by Strategy Adoption of new technologies Economic challenges Rise of multi-modal transportation Resiliency planning Blue-collar stigma Slow hiring practices Popularity and expectation of flexible workplace policies Difficulty recruiting and retaining mid- level or young staff Steady downsizing of DOT staff Generational differences Need for greater cross-functional knowledge sharing and collaboration Professional capacity and increased understanding of roles across DOTs are essential as roles change and transferability of skills becomes increasingly important. By bringing together staff from across the DOT to work together to solve a problem, they can learn about different resources and technology across the organization while increasing their knowledge and understanding of the DOT’s work. Additionally, action learning projects can facilitate future collaboration within the DOT and improve employee engagement. Relevant Future Scenarios Changing Infrastructure New Smart Technologies Diversified Workforce Specialized Skill Needs Multi-Generational Workforce Resiliency Planning Supply Chain Partnerships Detailed Strategy Description Action learning teams bring individuals together from diverse functions in the organization to solve complex organizational challenges while also developing employees and leaders through enhancing their knowledge of the DOT. This expanded knowledge of the DOT will develop in part due to employees making connections with people across the organization that they might not otherwise work with as well as learning about the work, tools, and technology from other areas of the DOT. Employees that participate in action learning teams should have clear reasons for joining, set specific developmental goals, and have support from their superiors. Many broad projects and Conduct Cross-Functional Action Learning Projects to Facilitate Internal Collaboration Strategy Highlights Cross-functional action learning projects facilitate collaboration and problem- solving, creating opportunities for employees to learn from one another, and make improvements in the DOT. These projects also allow for the development of valuable abilities and skills.

222 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance interdisciplinary initiatives often lend themselves to the creation of cross-functional action learning opportunities. While these workstreams may only be focused on a piece of the larger project, having employees from different areas work together is not only developmental for the employees but can also lead to higher team performance. By continuously framing the action learning project as a developmental opportunity and incorporating reflection on the experience during and after participation, the benefits expand beyond the results of the single project as employees utilize developed skills moving forward. The results of action learning projects are not only beneficial in the short term to solve current challenges in DOTs but also to facilitate employee and leader development and support knowledge gained for future use. The ability to solve real organizational problems as part of an action learning project facilitates more effective knowledge and skill transfer to future situations. To leverage action learning teams effectively, DOTs can be intentional in identifying challenges to be addressed by action learning teams, announcing the opportunity to participate in an action learning team, and formally having participants reflect on their learning throughout phases of the action learning project as well as post-project completion. For example, leaders at one large state DOT noted that participation in action learning teams, also known as “stunt work teams,” was key to their professional development. Because of the success of these teams, this DOT is likely to expand its use more broadly across the agency in the near future. Because action learning teams can be so valuable to employee development, DOTs may want to create numerous opportunities for participation. To allow a significant number of employees to be able to take advantage of action learning team experiences, action learning projects can be implemented often and announced broadly. Rather than only addressing challenges once they become more severe, DOT leadership can consider and identify impending challenges that can be preemptively addressed with an action learning team. Additionally, rather than only recommending the opportunity to a specific employee, supervisors should advertise the action learning project opportunity to ensure all interested employees are aware and can apply to participate. This approach will facilitate increased participation in this beneficial developmental opportunity for a wider range of employees and decrease the potential for perceived favoritism in assignment selection. Finally, when standing up a new program, project, or initiative, consider whether a cross-functional action learning component can add to the effort. Embedding such an opportunity into both new and existing programs where possible is also an effective way to provide employees with these experiences and enhance team performance. Based on the action learning component of a project and interested applicants, an action learning team of about four to eight employees with diverse backgrounds and experiences should be assembled. Team members should gather to clarify the nature of the problem by asking questions with specific considerations from their functional area. Team members can then brainstorm and identify possible solutions, encouraging insightful questioning and reflective listening. The team should then take action to implement the selected solution, monitor its effectiveness, and consider areas for improvement. Throughout the action learning team effort, DOTs should put mechanisms in place to facilitate active reflection so participants can process what skills they are developing, cross-functional knowledge they are learning, and how those skills and knowledge can be utilized in future problem solving. This can include describing what they found difficult in analyzing the challenge, brainstorming solutions, identifying the processes that were most effective, reflecting on their challenges and successes in collaborating as a team, and analyzing the effectiveness of the selected solution. Teams can schedule a debriefing meeting after solution implementation to formally

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 223   Strategy in Practice General Electric (GE) has a history of leveraging action learning teams to solve problems.90 At GE, action learning teams are characterized by a clear goal and/or problem statement, strong commitment and support from leadership, opportunities to develop and implement a solution, and clear boundaries regarding what can and cannot change as a result. Employees have solved wide-ranging challenges resulting in increased sales, decreased costs, and increased employee learning. Specific sample results include more open dialogue and increased trust among staff, reduced impact of the burdens of hierarchy, and greater speed in decision- making and implementation. To provide another example, a large British public health organization set out to make a strategic development intervention to allow managers at all levels to be innovative and cross traditional boundaries within the organization.91 The program consisted of a combination of projects, personal development plans, workshops, and self-managed action learning meetings for a year. One of the key success factors was the support that managers had while facilitating and managing their own meetings. Specifically, prior to initiating the regular action learning meetings, managers (i.e., the facilitators) were provided an initial 5-day course to build facilitation and change management skills. The program was deemed a success as it led to employee growth and development and organizational improvement. Applicability in Design, Construction, and Maintenance Design Construction Maintenance This strategy is similarly applicable across all occupational groups. Furthermore, because it is recommended that cross-functional teams come together and collaborate through action learning projects, it is important that this strategy be applied across occupational groups. Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) All employee levels (i.e., senior leadership through entry-level staff) in each occupational group. Supervisors, managers, and department heads. Human resources personnel. Organizational learning or learning and development staff. Program managers. 90 Marquardt, M. (2004). Harnessing the Power of Action Learning Teams. Association for Talent Development (June). https://wial.org/wp-content/uploads/Harnessing_the_Power_of_Action_Learning.pdf 91 McGill, I., and A. Brockbank. (2003). Action Learning Handbook. Kogan Page. discuss these topics and facilitate learning transfer to future situations. The action learning project experience can also be discussed with a professional coach or mentor.

224 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. Identify a current or impending organizational challenge facing the DOT that could be addressed through an action learning project. Alternatively, identify a current or impending organizational program or initiative that could benefit from the addition of a cross-functional action learning team component. Because of the reasons explained in the strategy description, cross-functional action learning teams could contribute much to certain existing programs or initiatives. State DOT leadership should identify a problem that would benefit from input and be addressed by a cross-functional team of four to eight members. • Problems should be significant and impactful as this will help motivate the action learning team to put in their best effort and make a positive impact. Create an application form or requirements that will help identify the employees best suited to work on the action learning project. 2. Use open advertising to announce the opportunity to participate on an action learning team as part of an existing or new project. To facilitate equal opportunity for all interested employees, the action learning team should be announced openly. This could include announcing it through email to all employees, on bulletin boards accessible to staff, or at staff all- hands meetings. It is important to ensure that employees in different functional areas have access to the action learning team announcement, so the communication mechanism may need to differ based on functional areas (e.g., maintenance staff working in the field may not have regular access to email). Employees who are interested in participating on the action learning team may submit an application, which would include their expertise, desired skills for development, and supervisor approval. 3. Leadership reviews the applications and selects team members from diverse functional areas based on the extent to which they match with project and developmental needs. 4. Hold orientation to help participants understand the team goal and the challenges ahead. Show buy-in from senior leaders so that employees feel valued and see the importance of the project. For example, have a senior leader attend the orientation and introduce the challenge.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 225   Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 5. Provide an appropriate time frame for the action learning team to meet (e.g., twice a month for 6 months or another appropriate time frame to address the challenge). The team may spend the first few meetings discussing the challenge, brainstorming possible solutions using perspectives from various backgrounds, and reaching a final solution. The team may then outline an action plan to implement the solution and possibly move forward with implementation. At the end of the action learning project, the team can present its solution to leadership. A representative from human resources or the learning department can serve as a facilitator to help encourage learning, reflection, and moving in the right direction. 6. Focus on enhancing employee skill and knowledge development and retention. Encourage participants to identify how knowledge and processes from other functional areas may apply to their own area, and how each participant’s functional area may affect the other functional areas. This will enable broader knowledge management and improved connections and collaboration following the action learning project. Provide opportunities for participants to reflect on how skills are developing throughout phases of the action learning project, the types of knowledge gained from other functional area perspectives, and personal challenges and successes to help facilitate enhanced development and transfer of the new skills. Reflection can be promoted through several more formal methods: • The team can hold a debriefing meeting after the project concludes to discuss what each member has learned, what was difficult, what processes were most effective, how various perspectives played a role in problem solving, and how to continue applying these skills and perspectives in current and future leadership roles. A coach or HR training facilitator can also join and guide the meeting discussion. • Team members would benefit from working with a coach during their participation in the action learning team to guide them in reflecting on specific challenges and considering new ways to approach the action learning project. • Supervisors can have participants discuss their experience on the action learning team and how it contributed to enhancing their subsequent work performance and better prepared them for future leadership roles. • Provide reflection prompts to team members so that they can focus on their personal development through the action learning project and how their growth can positively impact not only their career but the greater DOT as an organization. 7. Encourage action learning project participants to stay in contact with their team members, even after the project has concluded. Ensure that they understand the benefit of these connections, collaboration across the organization, and building cross-functional knowledge.

226 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Needed Support or Resources Tools and systems to effectively support collaboration across functional areas. Orientation materials to share about action learning projects, their goals, and the process for the action learning teams within the state DOT. Agile project management to oversee the process of incorporating action learning teams into existing programs. Key Success Factors Potential Obstacles and Considerations • Throughout the course of the action learning team project, DOTs should consider putting mechanisms in place to facilitate active reflection. Doing so will encourage participants to process what skills they are developing, cross-functional knowledge they are learning, and how those skills and knowledge may be utilized. • Supervisors and action learning team participants may be concerned about dedicating time to the project, but emphasizing the critical developmental benefits and potential for future collaboration involved in the experience may increase buy-in. • Potential participants may feel that action learning team opportunities are only given to certain individuals, but the open advertising method to announce opportunities to all eligible employees should decrease these perceptions. Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information that may be useful when considering this strategy: • National Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development Center. (n.d.). Guide for Action Learning Sets. https://www.mchnavigator.org/transformation/documents/ Action%20Learning%20Set%20Guide.pdf. • Poncelet, J. (2016). Action Learning Tools. Action Evaluation Collaborative. https://actionevaluation.org/action-learning-tools/. Tool to Conduct Cross-Functional Action Learning Projects to Facilitate Internal Collaboration Overview of Action Learning Projects – Provides a description of what an action learning project is, a description of the benefits of action learning projects, and considerations when selecting action learning projects.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 227   Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Action learning team participation rates, overall and by functional area – To be beneficial to the organization, it is important that employees from different functional areas or departments participate. Tracking participation rates in the program (including retention rates during participation) by functional area will help ensure broad participation that will benefit the organization as a whole. 2. Participant reactions after action learning project completion – Understanding how participants experienced the action learning project—including their satisfaction, engagement, skill development, and areas of growth—is important to assess so that updates can be made to the action learning projects to ensure they are a valuable experience. An existing engagement survey can include a segment to collect this data as well. 3. Effects of the action learning project solution on operations – The solutions developed by the action learning teams can be evaluated for their effect on the DOT. This analysis may vary by the problem solved but could look at any number of metrics and how they improve following the implementation of the action learning team’s solution. Return on investment of incremental resources spent on an action learning project solution should be calculated (if possible) to understand the increased benefit compared to a more standard solution. 4. Participant use of skills and knowledge gained from the experience 1 year after the project – The goal of action learning projects is that participants work together to solve an organizational problem, gaining skills and knowledge during the process. These are skills and knowledge that they should retain after the project is complete. The success of this goal can be evaluated by assessing participant skills and knowledge 1 year after the project to understand skill and knowledge retention and potential growth of the skills and knowledge gained during participation in the action learning team. Another way to measure this metric over time is to track the promotion rates of employees who go through the training program. Ideally, employees who have gone through cross-functional action learning experiences will stay longer at the DOT. 5. Participant cross-functional relationships or networks 1 year after the project – Because one goal of the action learning projects is to support collaboration across previously existing barriers or silos, checking in with participants after project completion to understand relationships or connections that they have continued to develop will help to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy.

228 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Tool: Overview of Action Learning Projects What Is an Action Learning Project? Action learning projects bring individuals together from diverse functions in the organization into teams to address a broad organizational issue or challenge. Successful action learning projects not only solve complex organizational challenges but also simultaneously develop employees and leaders by enhancing their problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and knowledge of other departmental functions. What Are the Benefits of Action Learning Projects? Not only can action learning help solve complex organizational challenges, but the process helps develop employees and leaders through enhancing their knowledge of the DOT as well. This expanded knowledge of the DOT includes making connections with people across the organization that one might not otherwise work with, as well as learning about the work, tools, and technology from other areas of the DOT. By continuously framing the action learning project as a developmental opportunity and incorporating reflection on the experience during and after participation, the benefits expand beyond the results of the single project as employees utilize newly acquired skills moving forward. The results of action learning projects are not only beneficial in the short term to solve current challenges in DOTs, but also to facilitate employee and leader development and support knowledge gained for future use. The ability to solve real organizational problems as part of an action learning project facilitates more effective knowledge and skill transfer to future situations. Considerations When Selecting an Action Learning Project92 A business project: − What is important to the organization right now? Which areas of potential opportunity are there? Are there recurring business problems that demand fresh thinking? − What tangible results does the organization expect the teams to achieve? − Can the required learning be strongly linked to the business issue? − Who cares about the results that the project group is expected to achieve? A more general/social project: − Are the partners set up to properly support the project teams? − Have the managers of the participants been sufficiently briefed, and have they bought in to nonbusiness-work being pursued by the participants? − How can the project be aligned with the organization's vision and goals? What level of freedom will the project groups be given in choosing their topic/issue? 92 Gordon, A. (2020). The 7 Most Important Rules for Action Learning Projects. HFL Leadership. https://www.hflleadership.com/articles/action-learning-projects.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 229   Strategy Overview Creating an information repository on resiliency planning to share across disciplines will allow DOTs access to pertinent information in a centralized place, making the process for related decision-making easier. This will also increase collaboration between disciplines and personnel on important topics like environmental challenges and resiliency planning. Related Industry Challenges Challenge Addressed by Strategy Adoption of new technologies Economic challenges Rise of multi-modal transportation Resiliency planning Blue-collar stigma Slow hiring practices Popularity and expectation of flexible workplace policies Difficulty recruiting and retaining mid- level or young staff Steady downsizing of DOT staff Generational differences Lack of collaboration between disciplines on environmental impacts and resiliency planning Relevant Future Scenarios Changing Infrastructure New Smart Technologies Diversified Workforce Specialized Skill Needs Multi-Generational Workforce Resiliency Planning Supply Chain Partnerships Detailed Strategy Description As DOTs work to mitigate negative environmental impacts, address issues like emission standards, and comply with local environmental regulations, they will acquire mass amounts of information that can be easily shared to reduce duplication of effort and expedite resiliency planning. However, there has yet to be an effective process or system to permit easy access and safe sharing of data across the industry. For these reasons, this information should be captured in an information repository, which may help DOTs across the country address environmental challenges and resiliency planning. An information repository is a centralized location where a collection of information is stored, maintained, shared, and made readily available for anyone to access. Many organizations use information repositories to store Create an Information Repository to Foster Resiliency Planning Communication Across DOTs One of the seven likely future scenarios identified in this research included that DOTs across the nation have already begun to initiate planning and operations around environmental concerns. As DOTs continue to advance their practices, policies, and procedures to deal with emerging environmental challenges, they will need new knowledge and skills to address innovative practices to support environmental sustainability and technology advancements. Creating an information repository on emerging challenges and solutions that is accessible within and between DOTs will help facilitate efficient and effective decision making by DOT leaders.

230 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance information for internal use as well as to connect with other organizations to share information externally, as necessary. A repository can act as a tool to store information such as policies, procedures, and guidelines on important topics that are affecting DOTs today, such as resiliency planning and environmental challenges. Using an information repository will allow this information to be stored in a centralized location, used by internal DOT members, as well as by external DOTs and transportation organizations (per an inner-agency agreement), thereby developing a continuous loop of information sharing and archiving. It is important for DOTs to archive important knowledge and data used in resiliency planning and operations to eliminate redundant behaviors or repeated mistakes between DOTs. This collaboration will help decision makers understand how different policies and procedures work together and impact each other and make DOTs better prepared for future events. An information repository is a useful tool for resiliency planning. Resiliency planning is a structured plan or procedure to better prepare for shocks or stressors that can potentially occur while developing measures to fix those issues.93 DOTs across the country are dealing with this important topic. Multiple DOTs have identified resiliency planning as a tool they want to incorporate into their daily operations. An information repository would also be useful to store and share information on environmental challenges. As environmental challenges become a global issue, DOTs have already amassed large amounts of information on the ’ impact on the transportation industry. According to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the Federal Highway Administration and other DOT agencies are currently (a) undertaking climate impact and adaptation studies, (b) working with science agencies to develop regional climate information and projections, (c) conducting methodological research, (d) supporting pilot programs, and (e) aiding transportation stakeholders including state, metropolitan, and local agencies.94 An information repository will help DOTs store, maintain, and access this information, resulting in the improvement of the resiliency and reliability of the transportation system in response to the rapidly changing environment. It is important to note that rules of engagement or standardized procedures should be put into place between the agencies to establish guidelines on who can access the repository, how they can access it, what responsibilities are expected to ensure equal sharing of information across agencies, and expectations on how information is referenced and used. Once the type of knowledge needed is identified (e.g., resiliency planning and environmental challenges), DOTs need to consider how to organize resources, processes, personnel, and systems around gathering and sharing this critical knowledge. The repository can range from a simple database hosted on an internal SharePoint site to a more sophisticated, interactive system that allows users to search via key terms and is hosted on a shared, web-based platform (e.g., Amazon Web Service). By developing an information repository, DOTs can work together to establish the repository, identify key information to store in it, and exchange 93 National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2020). Community Resilience Planning Guide. U.S. Department of Commerce. https://www.nist.gov/topics/community-resilience/planning-guide. 94 U.S. Global Change Research Program. (n.d.). Department of Transportation. https://www.globalchange.gov/agency/department-transportation. Strategy Highlights An information repository is a collection of information located in a centralized place where information is stored, shared, and maintained. An information repository can be a starting point of knowledge sharing across DOTs.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 231   critical knowledge. Forming these partnerships with multiple DOTs establishes shared resources, reduces costs, and generates a more robust understanding of the challenges DOTs must navigate for the present and future. It is important to note that an information repository would serve as a starting point for knowledge sharing on any topic across public transportation organizations. As for how this system could be leveraged for use by DOTs, DOTs might initiate collaborations with one another and discuss relevant knowledge and best practices via formal communities of practice, internal wikis, or storytelling. Strategy in Practice The California Freight Information Repository was developed to create convenient access, a standardized interface, and a centralized location for freight information in response to the demand on understanding freight transportation information. Because current information sources were not readily accessible, this repository was created so freight information could be accessed on-demand and in a user-friendly format.95 Applicability in Design, Construction, and Maintenance Design The Pennsylvania DOT has established an information repository for all traffic-related information. This repository allows internal and external users the ability to access interactive maps of traffic locations, traffic counts, and traffic limits throughout the entire state of Pennsylvania. “Integrating Construction Information: An Old Challenge Made New,” a report by Robert Amor of the University of Auckland, discusses the benefits of information repositories for construction projects. Before the introduction of digital information repositories, construction information was hard to track and integrate in a cohesive manner. Information repositories have helped integrate construction information and made it easier for this information to be accessible for projects.96 Construction Maintenance As information on transportation maintenance has become more available, individuals who need it would benefit from an information repository. Maintenance information can be collected, stored, shared, and maintained to improve how maintenance work is done. 95 Tok, Y., M. Zhao, J. Chow, S. Ritchie, and D. Arkhipov. (2011). Online Data Repository for Statewide Freight Planning and Analysis. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2246:121–129. https://doi.org/10.3141/2246-15. 96 Amor, R. (2000). Integrating Construction Information: An Old Challenge Made New. Proceedings of Construction Information Technology 2000:11–20. Reykjavik, Iceland.

232 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) All DOTs. DOT stakeholders. National transportation boards and associations. DOT employees. Supervisors, managers, and department heads. National transportation boards and associations. Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. Identify the goals and objectives of developing an information repository. 2. Determine internal and/or external personnel to lead this effort (e.g., department heads, national transportation board, external vendor). Responsibilities may include selecting the platform used to host the repository (e.g., a platform like Amazon Web Services), maintaining the data, monitoring how data is categorized and accessed, and coordinating access of the information repository across users. 3. Determine the role(s) needed to support, organize, track, and evaluate the information stored in the repository. 4. Consider all the platforms that DOTs may have access to (e.g., Teams, SharePoint) and determine what platform the repository will be located on. 5. Determine how regular maintenance of the repository will be handled (e.g., how often maintenance will take place). 6. Identify area(s) in which a repository would be most beneficial (e.g., resiliency planning, environmental challenges, technology advancements). 7. Create training materials and guides on how to use and access the information in the repository. 8. Survey employees with knowledge in identified area(s) to collect information to store in the repository. 9. Survey subject matter experts to understand how the repository could be organized within each subject area. 10. Design the repository to organize information based on a subject area (e.g., environmental challenges, resiliency planning, and technology advancements). 11. Compile all available information by subject area to insert into the repository based on the organizational structure decided on in the previous steps. 12. Institute procedures and incentives for information to be stored in the repository on a continuous cycle. 13. Disseminate a survey after the repository has been launched to measure how many people use the repository, their frequency of use, its perceived value, and collect suggestions for improvement (e.g., what users found most helpful). Needed Support or Resources Clearly defined objectives for the development of an information repository. Internal and/or external individuals to collect information to populate the information repository.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 233   Key Success Factors Potential Obstacles and Considerations • Buy-in from DOT leadership and other public transportation organizations is needed to begin the formal collection of information to store in the repository. • Agreement is needed between all stakeholders on the types of information that can be publicly shared between DOTs on the information repository for repository consistency. • It may be necessary to provide training to potential users on the types of information that should be shared. Training may also help stakeholders come to a consensus on what information can be made public and what information should remain private. • Information is often shared informally, through storytelling and word of mouth. However, collecting this type of information may be difficult. To store this information in an information repository, consider providing select individuals time in their schedules to contribute their knowledge to the repository. • Some DOTs may be skeptical about the security of the information repository, but clearly explaining its benefits, security features, and impact on future operations will help mitigate this issue. Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information that may be useful when considering this strategy: • Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (2021). Freight Data Sources. https://www.bts.gov/topics/freight-transportation/freight-data-sources. • Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CSVA). (2020). CVSA Creates Public Online Repository for Active Emergency Declarations. https://www.cvsa.org/news/emergency-declarations-site-announcement/. • Naeem, T. (2020). Data Repository: Overview and Advantages. Astera blog. https://www.astera.com/type/blog/data-repository/. Tool to Create an Information Repository to Foster Resiliency Planning Communication Across DOTs Example Post-Repository Survey Items on Use and Effectiveness of Information Repository – Example survey items to use after the information repository has been launched to understand users’ perceptions of the repository as well as gain insights on possible areas of improvement.

234 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Amount of use by DOTs – The frequency with which DOTs and partnering organizations access and utilize the information repository is a useful measure of its effectiveness. This can be gauged by surveying organizations on how often they access and use information in the repository. 2. Changes to resiliency planning policies and procedures – DOTs may update their resiliency planning policies and procedures based on the information they discover in the repository. Thus, the effectiveness of this strategy can be measured by identifying changes to resiliency planning based on information accessed in the repository. 3. Changes to environmental challenges policies and procedures – DOTs may begin to implement new policies and procedures to better prepare for future environmental challenges based on information collected in the repository. Thus, changes to policies and procedures related to environmental challenges can be an effective way to measure the value of the information repository.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 235   Tool: Example Post-Repository Survey Items on Use and Effectiveness of an Information Repository As DOTs implement repositories to gather information on pressing issues they face, such as resiliency planning and environmental impacts, a post-repository survey is needed to measure its usefulness and effectiveness for users. Example survey items provided here may be used after the information repository has been implemented to understand users’ perceptions of the repository as well as gain insights on possible areas of improvement. Overview Each example survey item is listed under a category; there are six categories, and each is intended to measure the overall effectiveness of the information repository. The categories are (a) preliminary questions, (b) design, (c) usability, (d) navigation, (e) content, and (f) applicability. Employees may respond to survey items using a 5-point Likert Scale, which measures the strength and intensity of one’s attitude toward a statement or question. Response options employees can choose from can range from options such as “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree” with a rating scale of “1=Strongly Disagree” to “5=Strongly Agree.” DOTs may utilize the example survey items listed below and add additional survey items and categories to tailor the post-repository survey to their organization. Preliminary Questions. These survey items can be used to identify which DOT the user works for and their transportation occupation(s). This will help those who are responsible for the repository learn if certain DOTs and occupations are using it more than others. 1. From the options below, what DOT do you work for? [Provide options of all DOTs that utilize this information repository.] 2. What transportation occupation do you work in? Design Construction Maintenance Other: Design. These survey items can be used to understand how users perceive the design of the information repository and updates that can be made to enhance its design. In this context, design means the appearance and layout of the information repository as well as how information is structured and categorized. 1. The design of the information repository is useful. [Provide rating options from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree.] 2. Do you have suggestions on how to make the design of the information repository better? [Provide space for survey participants to provide suggestions.] Usability. These survey items are designed to measure the usability of the information repository. These items will help the designers of the repository to make it more user friendly. 1. How would you rate the usability of the information repository? [Provide rating options between 1= Very Difficult to Use to 5=Very Easy to Use.]

236 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance 2. Is there anything you would like to change about the information repository in terms of usability? [Provide space for participants to answer.] Navigation. These survey items will measure the ease of navigation of the repository and help the designers update the navigation. 1. I can easily find information in the repository. [Provide rating options from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree.] 2. Is there anything you would like to change to enhance the navigation of the information repository? [Provide space for participants to answer.] Content. These items measure how users perceive the content of the repository. This will help designers and DOTs understand what information is being utilized in the repository and if any additional information needs to be added or subtracted. 1. The content in the information repository is relevant. [Provide rating options from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree.] 2. The content in the information repository is useful. [Provide rating options from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree.] 3. Is there any content that is missing from the information repository? [Provide space for participants to answer.] Applicability. These items measure how the information in the repository is used. This will help DOTs and designers understand how applicable the information in the repository is to its users and how the information is being used to better transportation work. 1. The information in the repository has been applied to my work. [Provide rating options from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree.] 2. I have used the information in the repository in my work. [Provide rating options from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree.] 3. Please provide an example of how the information in the repository has helped you in your work. [Provide space for participants to answer.] 4. What outcomes have you experienced based on using the information repository? [Provide space for participants to answer.]

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 237   Strategy Overview DOTs are struggling to recruit and retain junior- and mid-level staff, resulting in talent gaps and leaders who are unprepared for the inevitable changes in the transportation industry. One way to tackle these challenges is to identify high-potential employees and provide them with leadership development opportunities. Doing so will help DOTs fill the leadership pipeline, prepare future leaders for the future of transportation, and enhance the retention of junior- and mid-level staff. Related Industry Challenges Challenge Addressed by Strategy Adoption of new technologies Economic challenges Rise of multi-modal transportation Resiliency planning Blue-collar stigma Slow hiring practices Popularity and expectation of flexible workplace policies Difficulty recruiting and retaining mid- level or young staff Steady downsizing of DOT staff Generational differences Lack of junior- and mid-level employees to fill senior-level roles Due to preconceptions that transportation agencies are antiquated, DOTs are struggling to attract and recruit new talent. This challenge is coupled with high retirement levels, resulting in a talent gap across mid- and senior-level employees. As DOTs face a rapidly changing landscape, there is a need for the right talent to anticipate and plan for these future needs. Relevant Future Scenarios Changing Infrastructure New Smart Technologies Diversified Workforce Specialized Skill Needs Multi-Generational Workforce Resiliency Planning Supply Chain Partnerships Detailed Strategy Description One way to fill growing workforce gaps and prepare for rapid changes is to invest in junior- and mid-level employees who display the potential to grow and develop. Identifying and developing high-potential employees will benefit DOTs in two ways. When employees receive developmental opportunities, they are likely to feel more engaged and valued.97 These improved feelings are likely to make employees feel more satisfied at their job and make them less likely to leave their organization. Providing leadership development also helps with succession planning by equipping junior-level employees with the knowledge and skills to face future organizational challenges and fill higher roles. 97 Noe, R. A. (2018). Employee Training and Development, 7th ed. McGraw-Hill Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21333. Provide Leadership Development Opportunities to Build a Leader Pipeline Strategy Highlights Employees with high potential should be identified and provided with additional on-the- job opportunities to grow in their careers. Opportunities should be tailored to the specific needs of the DOT or department and/or the career aspirations of each employee.

238 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance What characterizes an employee as high potential depends on the organization, job, and future workforce needs. In identifying which employees have high potential, DOTs should consider employees’ innate traits such as adaptability, learning agility, work ethic, and interest in advancement and development. Ultimately, those who are selected as high-potential employees do not need to be perfect employees and do not need to have extensive skill sets. High-potential employees should be those who are motivated to grow and develop with the assistance of additional resources; however, they not only need to be motivated to grow but must also be capable of doing so.98 To identify these staff members, DOTs may seek managers’ perspectives on junior- and mid- level employees. Managers may nominate employees or discuss and evaluate these employees during performance reviews. During the identification process of high-potential employees, DOTs should be mindful of providing equitable opportunities to all employees and ensure that all eligible employees are considered. Furthermore, DOTs may use leadership development opportunities to encourage representation of historically underrepresented groups (e.g., women, ethnic minorities) at senior levels. When identifying high-potential employees, DOTs should articulate to their managers which features to look for, such as learning quickly; being a champion for diversity, inclusion, and equity; and/or being adaptable. Providing clear guidance will help managers more accurately determine which employees should be considered to have high potential and ensure the DOT’s developmental efforts are being directed to the appropriate audiences.99 Once high-potential employees are identified, DOTs must determine which leadership opportunities will be provided. There is no perfect combination of leadership developmental opportunities. Instead, DOTs should gather feedback from senior-level employees on experiences they believe would be useful for current junior- and mid-level employees, ask junior- and mid-level employees which opportunities they are interested in, and consider what is fiscally feasible for the DOT and high-potential employees. This information could be collected through surveys, town-hall–like discussions, and by conducting a financial analysis of what the DOT can afford. Examples of leadership developmental opportunities DOTs can provide include: Targeted Work Assignments: Assign high-potential employees work assignments that will develop key skills and provide the employees with meaningful developmental experiences. Training: Provide content- and leadership-based training to high-potential employees that give them the tools and knowledge for senior-level jobs and develop them as leaders. Mentoring: Assign senior-level mentors to high-potential employees who can train and develop them, transfer key knowledge, and serve as role models. 360-Degree Feedback: Conduct a 360-degree evaluation of high-potential employees, where employees at all levels (i.e., subordinates, coworkers, and superiors) anonymously provide developmental feedback. Along with providing high- potential employees with feedback from all perspectives, encourage high-potential employees to create a leadership development plan based on the feedback with help from their supervisors. 98 Finkelstein, L. M., D. P. Costanza, and G. F. Goodwin. (2018). Do Your High Potentials Have Potential? The Impact of Individual Differences and Designation on Leader Success. Personnel Psychology 71:3–22. 99 Silzer, R., and A. H. Church. (2009). The Pearls and Perils of Identifying Potential. Industrial and Organizational Psychology 2:377–412.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 239   Job Rotations: Have high-potential employees rotate through temporarily assigned jobs so they gain a better perspective of the different responsibilities of the organization and learn more job-specific skills. Brown Bag Presentations: Encourage high-potential employees to give brown bag presentations about areas of expertise. These informal presentations not only help the organization as a whole share knowledge but also improve high-potential employees’ presentation skills and engagement with the broader workforce. Once developmental opportunities have been provided to high-potential employees, DOTs should continue to evaluate the success of their program. Specifically, DOTs should ask high- potential employees which developmental opportunities they most and least enjoyed and whether there are other opportunities they would like to participate in. Additionally, DOTs should check in with the managers of the high-potential employees and see if the managers believe these employees have grown and developed since completing the provided opportunities. The process of developing high-potential employees is a dynamic one; DOTs should be receptive to gathering and incorporating feedback to improve how they develop their leaders. Strategy in Practice To build a stronger talent pool, the Maryland State Highway Association developed an advanced leadership program for its employees. This program increased the number of qualified leaders that were prepared for higher roles when these roles became available. This leadership program also led to an increase in tenure for junior-level employees, who may have left for higher-paying private-sector positions if the organization had not invested in them through this advanced leadership program.100 The Kentucky DOT provides an 8-day program where employees can learn general leadership and management skills across design, construction, and maintenance fields. This program not only teaches interested employees leadership and management skills but also provides all employees a background in design, construction, and maintenance so they have a better understanding of how these different industries work together to accomplish the Kentucky DOT’s objectives. Applicability in Design, Construction, and Maintenance Design High-potential employees working in design could benefit from 360- degree feedback. With 360-degree feedback, design staff will receive viewpoints on their work from all perspectives and receive guidance on how to respond to this feedback. This can give design staff information from perspectives they rarely hear from and improve their overall job performance and leadership skills. DOTs can provide high-potential employees in construction with targeted work assignments that develop leadership and other key skills. Doing so will not only challenge and develop these employees but also provide them insight into whether they would like a leadership role in the future. Construction 100 Cronin, B., L. Anderson, B. Heinen, C. B. Cronin, D. Fien-Helfman, and M. Venner. (2011). NCHRP Report 685: Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce. Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, DC.

240 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Maintenance Identifying high-potential employees working in maintenance and providing them with job rotations will expand these employees’ horizons by giving them a broader perspective of what DOTs do. This could help improve collaboration between staff working in design, construction, and maintenance and give these staff an appreciation for the work they do in maintenance. Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) Junior-level and mid-level employees. Human resources (HR) and/or training and development personnel. Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. Identify which employees have high potential. This can be accomplished during annual performance reviews and by having managers nominate or evaluate their employees. 2. Determine which key skills are lacking with your high-potential employees. These can include skills such as recognizing and mitigating risk, strategic thinking, planning, collaborative relationship building, and technology adaptation. 3. Decide which of the following developmental opportunities are feasible at your organization and would best satisfy the identified needs: Targeted Work Assignments. Training. Mentoring. 360-Degree Feedback. Job Rotations. Brown Bag Presentations. 4. Determine the budget and feasibility for implementing the selected developmental opportunities. 5. Decide on metrics that will be used to evaluate success (e.g., return on investment) and create evaluation mechanisms (e.g., surveys). 6. Notify employees who have been selected, explain the rationale, and share the next steps, including execution and evaluation. 7. Once developmental opportunities have been provided, evaluate the success of the program and implement changes as needed using methods such as: Administering surveys asking participants which developmental opportunities were most and least beneficial. Asking participants’ supervisors to assess how much the employees have developed since participating in the developmental opportunities. Needed Support or Resources Support and coordination from HR and upper management to determine the needed characteristics of high-potential employees and which developmental opportunities would be beneficial. Time and money to develop, organize, and manage developmental opportunities.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 241   Key Success Factors Potential Obstacles and Considerations • Leadership development opportunities should be provided to employees who will benefit from them the most. Otherwise, time and other resources may be wasted. • The provided leadership development opportunities should be aligned with the current and future needs of the DOT. Otherwise, time and other resources may be wasted. • To ensure that high-potential employees do not become frustrated when they are developing themselves, yet they are not promoted due to senior-level roles not opening, DOTs should communicate in advance when they may become promoted. • DOTs may be limited in who they can promote, perhaps due to staff having to pass a promotional exam or union contracts. DOTs should openly communicate with high-potential employees about realistic promotional opportunities to ensure staff are not disappointed. • Sometimes, unsuitable employees may be identified as having high potential, and DOTs may invest time and resources in leadership development for these employees. To limit this waste of resources, DOTs should carefully predefine what attributes they are looking for in high-potential employees and ensure that identified employees are motivated to become future leaders. Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information that may be useful when considering this strategy: • Expert Panel, Forbes Human Resources Council. (2019). 14 Smart Strategies for Supporting Leadership Development at Every Level. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2019/02/21/14-smart- strategies-for-supporting-leadership-development-at-every-level/?sh=5d718cdb3d2d. • Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). (2010). Catalog of Transportation, Education, Training, and Workforce Development Programs and Resources. U.S. Department of Transportation. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/transprogcat/#ctl. • Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). (n.d.). Developing Organizational Leaders. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and- samples/toolkits/pages/developingorganizationalleaders.aspx. Tools to Provide Leadership Development Opportunities to Build a Leadership Pipeline Overview of Leadership Developmental Opportunities – Describes developmental opportunities, when they are most appropriate, their benefits, and their disadvantages. Matrix for Identifying High-Potential Employees – Contains a matrix that managers can use to informally compare across employees and determine who should be provided developmental opportunities.

242 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Satisfaction and use of developmental opportunities – After a program is in place, DOTs should evaluate high-potential employees’ satisfaction and use of the provided developmental opportunities. Doing so will ensure the opportunities are benefiting high-potential employees and help determine whether opportunities should be added or discontinued. Measuring satisfaction and use can be accomplished by occasionally administering a survey asking which developmental opportunities were used, whether employees benefited from them, and whether there are any recommended changes. 2. Performance and development of high-potential employees – Once high-potential employees have received developmental opportunities, DOTs should evaluate the employees themselves to determine whether they are growing or should stop receiving opportunities. This evaluation can be done formally during performance reviews or informally during regular check-ins with their supervisors. Examining employees’ growth will ensure they are benefiting from the opportunities and should continue their leadership development. 3. Turnover and promotion of high-potential employees – Tracking whether high- potential employees turnover or get promoted may indirectly indicate whether the leadership development programs are effective or not. It would be a sunk cost for the DOT if several high-potential employees leave after receiving developmental opportunities, so tracking this information and identifying the root causes of the turnover could help prevent future losses.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 243   Tool: Overview of Leadership Developmental Opportunities This tool provides an overview of the various developmental opportunities DOTs can provide to their high-potential employees. For each developmental opportunity, this toolkit lists the conditions under which they would be most appropriate, what benefits they would provide to high-potential employees, and the disadvantages of each. This opportunity may be appropriate when... • There are readily available work assignments that will be developmental for high-potential employees, • High-potential employees have the baseline skills to complete these work assignments, and • There are support systems in place to assist high-potential employees should questions and challenges emerge. Benefits • Employees engage in developmental experiences while also completing work. • Employees will be able to grow and develop themselves with hands-on experiences. Disadvantages • The work assigned may take longer or may be done incorrectly as high- potential employees will be learning along the way. • High-level employees (e.g., department heads) may need to make time to support high-potential employees through these work assignments. This opportunity may be appropriate when... • There are skills that high-potential employees need that are more effectively taught through trainings (e.g., specialized knowledge, certifications), and • There are funds and resources readily available to provide training to high- potential employees. Benefit • Training can help high-potential employees obtain necessary certifications and specialized knowledge so they can advance their careers. Disadvantages • The organization will need funds and resources to host the training or use an external training program. Training Provide high-potential employees training to develop technicaland leadership skills. Assign high-potential employees tasks and assignments intended as developmental experiences. These assignments can include challenging tasks and responsibilities that call on employees to learn new skills. Targeted Work Assignments • Training may require high-potential employees to miss time at work.

244 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance This opportunity may be appropriate when... • The organization has a knowledge gap between senior-level employees and high-potential employees, • Senior-level and high-potential employees are motivated to invest in a mentoring relationship, and • The organization supports employees taking the time to participate in a mentoring relationship. Benefits • High-potential employees will be able to build relationships with senior-level employees and gain knowledge about specific roles and the larger organization. • If a reciprocal mentoring relationship is formed, the mentoring will provide benefits to both senior-level and high-potential employees. Disadvantage • The extent to which a high-potential employee personally and professionally grows from the mentoring relationship depends on the quality of the relationship. This opportunity may be appropriate when... • High-potential employees work with individuals of various working relationships and levels (e.g., supervisors, coworkers, subordinates, clients) who can provide feedback from different perspectives, and • Staff are available to assist in collecting feedback and helping high-potential employees set goals as well as create leadership development plans based on the feedback received. Benefits • 360-degree feedback provides employees with feedback they may not have received otherwise. • 360-degree feedback allows employees to use feedback to create a leadership development plan to improve areas that may be lacking. Disadvantage • The degree to which employees benefit from the feedback and develop effective leadership development plans depends on the quality of the feedback and whether employees believe this feedback is accurate and useful. Assign high-potential employees a senior-level employee who will train them, provide guidance on their career development, and transfer key knowledge. 360-Degree Feedback Have employees at all levels anonymously provide developmental feedback to high-potential employees. Employees may create leadership development plans with their supervisors to address areas they need to develop. Mentoring

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 245   T h is opportunity may b e appropriate w h en. . . • H igh- potential employees have the ability and skill sets to temporarily rotate into other positions, and • E mployees in other roles are willing and able to support rotating employees. B enefit • E mployees will gain hands- on ex perience in various roles across the DOT, providing them with a more global understanding of their organization and a better understanding of job- specific knowledge. D isadvantag e • J ob rotations require ex isting or new staff to fill in while employees rotate jobs. T h is opportunity may b e appropriate w h en. . . • E mployees have the time, means (e.g., office space, teleconferencing software), and interest to organize and run brown bag sessions, and • E mployees have diverse, unique, or otherwise valuable skill sets and ex periences to share with their coworkers. B enefit • Brown bag presentations provide employees with public speaking and collaboration skills while also sharing their unique ex periences and knowledge with coworkers. D isadvantag e • Brown bag presentations occur sporadically and typically do not provide consistent or strenuous development to participants as compared to other developmental activities. H ave high- potential employees temporarily rotate into new job roles so they gain an appreciation of the different roles in the DOT and acquire more job- specific skills. H ave high- potential employees present knowledge and ex periences in informal brown bag sessions. This will give employees ex perience in engaging with the rest of the workforce and encourage them to teach and learn from others. J ob R otations Brown Bag P resentations

Tool: Matrix for Identifying High-Potential Employees This tool provides a matrix that can be used to evaluate whether employees should or should not be classified as having high potential. The matrix serves as a starting point, and indicators in the top row are intended to be modified based on the indicators and evaluation criteria your organization wants to use to identify high-potential employees. When determining which indicators to use, the organization should consider the future roles high-potential employees will occupy and the needs of their evolving organization. This information can be gathered from conversations with managers and senior leadership. Additionally, when considering indicators, it is important to think of the organization broadly and consider organization-specific indicators that may be important, such as having an interest in helping the community. Once these indicators have been established, they can be inserted into the matrix below. The updated matrix can be distributed to managers of prospective and/or nominated high-potential employees. The managers can then evaluate their employees on the indicators provided by checking the box that applies to the employee. It is essential that the organization conveys what these indicators mean and provide clear guidance on how they want to evaluate their employees. Interested in Career Advancement and Development* Example 1: Highly Adaptable Example 2: High Learning Agility Example 3: High Work Ethic [Insert Other Indicators] Employee Name Employee Name Employee Name Employee Name *All of the indicators in this matrix may be modified, but it is recommended to retain the “Interested in Career Advancement and Development” indicator. This is because, in any role and organizational context, the employee should be interested in developing themselves before the organization invests in providing them developmental opportunities. Even if an employee has all other indicators, if they are not interested in career advancement and development, then they will not benefit from any of the opportunities provided.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 247   Strategy Overview A reciprocal mentoring program encourages the transfer of institutional and historical knowledge between junior- and senior- level DOT employees and aids in the development of positive interpersonal relationships between the two groups. Developing these programs should also help DOTs adopt new technologies and design multi- modal transportation. Related Industry Challenges Challenge Addressed by Strategy Adoption of new technologies E conomic challenges R ise of multi- modal transportation R esiliency planning Blue- collar stigma S low hiring practices P opularity and ex pectation of flex ible workplace policies Difficulty recruiting and retaining mid- level or young staff S teady downsizing of DOT staff G enerational differences L imited transfer of k now ledg e b etw een j unior- and senior-level employees More so than ever before, employees with varying levels of tenure have differences in their preferences for approaching work (e.g., use of various technologies). These preferences often compete with one another, limiting the transfer of knowledge within DOTs and the adoption of new technologies. H owever, implementing a reciprocal mentoring program may encourage positive relationships between junior- and senior- level employees, knowledge sharing, and the adoption of new technologies. Relevant Future Scenarios Changing Infrastructure New Smart Technologies Diversified Workforce Specialized Skill Needs Multi-Generational Workforce Resiliency Planning Supply Chain Partnerships Detailed Strategy Description R eciprocal mentoring can be defined as a relationship in which a pair of employees alternate providing advice, guidance, assistance, and wisdom to one another. F or ex ample, a senior- level employee with knowledge of and ex perience with multi- modal designs may be paired with a junior- level employee who is familiar with using various technologies (e.g., 3 D printing) to develop models. E mployees may switch the roles of mentor/ mentee every other meeting or may choose to hold both simultaneously throughout meetings. This form of mentoring is beneficial for both participants as it allows employees to teach and learn from their partners and Estab lish a Reciprocal M entoring Prog ram to Encourag e Internal K now ledg e T ransfer Strateg y H ig h lig h ts In a reciprocal mentoring pairing, the two employees alternate between the mentor role and the mentee role. Implementing a reciprocal mentoring program will help facilitate a knowledge- sharing culture, ease frustrations between generations, and support the adoption of technologies.

248 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance provides employees at different levels of tenure opportunities to work together. Indeed, implementing a reciprocal mentoring program will encourage collaborative learning within DOTs and help foster healthy working relationships between employees with varying levels of tenure.101 These changes should result in both a greater adoption of new technologies within DOTs and a greater level of institutional and technical knowledge transfer. For maximal benefit, employees should be intentionally paired with colleagues who can both teach something to and learn something from one another. These mentoring partnerships should also be tailored to suit the needs of the employees who participate. For example, DOTs may require employees to meet with one another at regularly scheduled times or may allow employees to meet as needed. As another example, DOTs should dictate the length of the mentoring program (e.g., 3 months, 1 year) based on the needs of their employees. Relatedly, whether this program is formal or informal should be decided with respect to the needs of participating employees and the overall goals in implementing the program. Strategy in Practice Hazard Community and Technical College developed reciprocal mentoring to foster positive working relationships between new and experienced employees. They chose to establish a reciprocal (versus a traditional or reverse) mentoring program to enhance collaboration among employees and to blend positive traditions with progressive innovations. They recommend providing training for participants that involves an overview of the mentorship program goals, expectations for each participant, and an emphasis on the reciprocal nature of the pairing. Applicability in Design, Construction, and Maintenance Design Employees in design may especially benefit from reciprocal mentoringprograms. Junior-level employees may educate senior-level employees about incorporating new technologies into their work (e.g., 3D printing), while the senior-level employees could inform junior-level employees about institution-specific knowledge and the changing transportation landscape (e.g., increased demand for multi-modal designs, new resiliency plan requirements). Construction workers may benefit from reciprocal mentoring given that new hires often need senior-level employees to teach them about different aspects of their jobs. However, these new hires may also educate senior- level employees by showing them how technology (e.g., tablets) can allow them to perform their jobs more efficiently. Construction Maintenance Reciprocal mentoring will be valuable for maintenance employees, as senior-level employees can train new hires via hands-on experience while new hires can inform senior-level employees about the latest technologies they learned about in their training and certification programs. 101 Leedahl, S. N., M. S. Brasher, E. Estus, B. M. Breck, C. B. Dennis, and S. C. Clark. (2019). Implementing an Interdisciplinary Intergenerational Program Using the Cyber Seniors Reverse Mentoring Model Within Higher Education. Gerontology and Geriatrics Education 40:71–89.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 249   Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) High-performing senior- and junior-level employees. Human resources personnel. Supervisors, managers, and department heads. Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. Establish the goals of the mentoring program. 2. Determine mentoring program structure such as the program length or time frame and a list of employees who will be invited to participate. 3. Identify manager(s) who will manage and oversee the mentoring program. 4. Develop materials to aid employees in this program, such as guidelines for the partnership and training on how to both effectively mentor and learn from a mentor. 5. Survey employees and ask them to report skill sets they currently lack but would like to attain, their areas of expertise, and any personality characteristics that may be considered when pairing employees (e.g., extraversion). 6. Review the survey results, and match employees with one another such that each pairing can be mutually beneficial. 7. Communicate pairings to employees and explain the rationale behind pairings. 8. Hold a mentoring program kickoff meeting to describe the program and its goals to participants, provide any resources or recommendations to employees, and encourage employees to set goals that are specific, measurable, and can be accomplished over the course of the partnership. 9. Use surveys, interviews, or focus groups to regularly assess the extent to which the needs of mentors and mentees are being met and whether progress is being made toward the goals of the program. Needed Support or Resources A mentoring manual, including policies for the mentoring program, tips for teaching, and a list of frequently asked questions. A platform for surveying employees about their skill sets, mentoring preferences, satisfaction with the mentoring program, etc. (e.g., Qualtrics, Google Forms).

250 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Key Success Factors Potential Obstacles and Considerations • Pair employees based on their skill sets and skill gaps to ensure that each employee has something to gain from the relationship. • Mentor/mentee relationships are usually most successful when the pairing lasts approximately 6 months, but DOTs should determine the length of the pairing based on employees’ needs. • Supervisors, managers, and department heads should encourage employees to join the program and ensure they have time to participate. • To ensure that first-time mentors know how to effectively convey information or engage their mentees, DOT managers should offer support (e.g., training) to mentors throughout the program. • To promote knowledge transfer, DOT managers may encourage employees to write down what they learned during each mentorship meeting, a step that has been linked to better memorization of information.102 • Junior employees may be hesitant to think of themselves as mentors, and senior employees may be hesitant to think of themselves as mentees, but emphasizing the benefits of bottom-up teaching may help limit these issues. • Mentees and mentors may be hesitant to sign up for a program with a long duration. Offering mentoring options with varying durations (e.g., 1 hour, 1 month, 3 months) may help increase participation. • Smaller DOTs may lack the resources to fully build out a mentoring program. These DOTs may consider integrating a smaller scale mentoring program into existing training (e.g., presupervisory, management development training). Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information that may be useful when considering this strategy: • Driscoll, S. (2019). How to Set Up a Reciprocal Mentoring Program for Employee Engagement. Quill. https://www.quill.com/blog/workplace-culture/how-to-set-up-a- reciprocal-mentoring-program-for-employee-engagement.html. • Hazard Community and Technical College. (n.d.). Reciprocal Mentoring Program. http://goben12.net/pdfs/projects/HCTCReciprocalMentoringProgram.pdf. • The Mentoring Project. (n.d.). Mentor Training Manual. Florida Atlantic University http://www.fau.edu/mentoringproject/pdf/mentor-training.pdf. • Mentoring Software to Engage, Develop, and Retain Employees [example mentoring program software]. https://www.mentorcliq.com/mentoring-software. 102 Naka, M., and H. Naoi. (1995). The Effect of Repeated Writing on Memory. Memory & Cognition 23:201–212.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 251   Tools to Establish a Reciprocal Mentoring Program to Encourage Internal Knowledge Transfer Mentoring Program Toolkit – Provides several resources that DOT managers may use to help implement a reciprocal mentoring program within their organization. Mentoring Program Matching Form – Provides information for creating reciprocal mentoring pairs such that each participant may be able to help bridge their ’ Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Satisfaction with coworkers with varying levels of tenure – Ideally, implementing a reciprocal mentoring program will help ease ’ h their colleagues with varying lengths of tenure. For this reason, one metric by which the success of ’ which their more senior-level/junior- ,” , , , .”103 2. Presence of a knowledge-sharing culture – believe that th -sharing culture may be one metric for measuring , organization share thei employees freely provide other employees with hard-to-find information or specialized .”104 3. Adoption of new technologies – The success of these mentoring programs may be assessed by measuring the number of new technologies implemented within the DOT. As senior-level employees are taught how to use new technologies in their mentoring relationships, the number of new technologies that are adopted and subsequently implemented should increase. 4. Comfort with using new technologies – Because one major goal in implementing a reciprocal mentoring program is to introduce senior-level employees to various ’ various technologies throughout the course of the pairing. Comfort level may be assessed by such as, , , .” 103 Avery, D. R., P. F. McKay, and D. C. Wilson. (2007). Engaging the Aging Workforce: The Relationship Between Perceived Age Similarity, Satisfaction with Coworkers, and Employee Engagement. Journal of Applied Psychology 92:1542–1556. 104 Faraj, S., and L. Sproull. (2000). Coordinating Expertise in Software Development Teams. Management Science 46:1554–1568.

252 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance 5. Knowledge of multi-modal transportation – Because a reciprocal mentoring program may be used to increase junior-level employees’ knowledge of and confidence with multi- modal transportation, it may be useful to assess these employees’ comfort level with and knowledge of multi-modal design throughout the mentoring partnership. Comfort level may be measured by asking employees to rate the extent to which they agree with items such as “I am comfortable [designing/maintaining/constructing] multi-modal transportation,” “I would enjoy [designing/maintaining/constructing] multi-modal transportation,” and “I think it will be easier to perform my job now due to increased familiarity with [designing/maintaining/constructing] multi-modal transportation.”

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 253   Tool: Mentoring Program Toolkit This tool provides multiple resources that DOT managers may use to help implement a reciprocal mentoring program within their organization. More specifically, this toolkit includes (a) resources for establishing a mentoring program, (b) an example mentoring program agreement, (c) examples of interactive mentoring program activities, and (d) resources for evaluating a mentoring program. Establishing a Reciprocal Mentoring Program This section of the toolkit includes an overview of topics DOT managers may wish to consider when creating a reciprocal mentorship program. More specifically, this section includes resources to help managers (a) determine the goals of a reciprocal mentoring program, (b) define reciprocal mentoring program characteristics (e.g., elements, design), (c) pair employees in a reciprocal mentoring program, and (d) encourage employee participation in a reciprocal mentoring program. Determine the Goals of a Reciprocal Mentoring Program First, DOT managers should think about the goals they would like to accomplish with their reciprocal mentoring program. Understanding the program goals will allow DOT managers to develop them appropriately. Example mentoring program goals are provided in the following table. Goal Elaboration on Goal Satisfaction with Coworkers with Varying Levels of Tenure Program helps ease employee ’ frustrations working with their colleagues with varying lengths of tenure. Presence of Knowledge- Sharing Culture Program ensures that critical knowledge (e.g., institutional, technical) is shared among employees in the organization. Adoption of New Technologies Program introduces employees to various new technologies that will help them perform their jobs more effectively and efficiently. As a result, DOT has greater technology adoption overall. Comfort with Using New Technologies Program helps employees become more comfortable using various technologies by giving them opportunities to learn and practice using the technologies in a safe space. Knowledge of Multi-Modal Transportation Program helps junior-level employees become more knowledgeable about and more comfortable with multi-modal transportation. Define Reciprocal Mentoring Program Characteristics (e.g., Elements, Design) Early in the development process, DOT managers should determine the structure of their ideal reciprocal mentoring program. To help with this process, managers may consider the following questions. How long will the program last? Which occupational group(s) will be included?

254 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Who will be eligible to participate in the program? Will participation in the program be mandatory or voluntary? What are the incentives to participate? What are the expectations for participants? How often will partners be expected to meet (i.e., what will be the time commitment)? Will partners be allotted the time required for mentoring activities? If so, how? Will pairs have specific duties and tasks to complete? How will a mismatch between participants be dealt with? How will conflicts of interest be addressed? Who will take on the role of program coordinator/administrator? How will DOT management support the program coordinator/administrator? How will DOT management support the program participants? What will be the role of the program coordinator/administrator? Will involvement in the program be monitored? What resources are available to participants and how will they access them? The answers to questions such as these will determine how the DOTs should develop and implement the mentoring program. Decide How Employees Will Be Paired in the Reciprocal Mentoring Program Once the program goals and structure have been developed, the criteria on which to create mentor pairs can be determined. Reciprocal mentoring program developers should consider each of the criteria presented in the table on matching criteria and select the one or ones (combined appropriately) that will create the best pairs to accomplish DOT goals. Matching Criteria Elaboration on Criteria Skills Pairings are based on employee strengths and weaknesses. For example, a junior-level employee with strengths in technology utilization who lacks networking skills may be paired with a senior-level employee who is unfamiliar with emerging technologies but is skilled in interpersonal communication and network development. Job Type Junior-level and senior-level employees who have a similar job type are paired within their occupational group. For example, a senior-level employee could be partnered with a junior-level employee who currently works in a role the senior-level employee used to have; or a junior-level employee could be matched with a senior-level employee who currently works in a role the junior-level employee is interested in. Demographic Characteristics Pairings are based on employee demographic characteristics such as race, gender, age, veteran status, parent status, etc. This may be beneficial for fostering social support networks. Self-Directed Pairings are based on employee preferences. Employees review information about potential partners and select their top three preferences. Employees should keep in mind what they can offer a potential partner and what they would like to learn from a potential partner when ranking preferences. Combination Employees are paired based on a combination of the criteria listed above or other criteria deemed appropriate by the DOT. Some criteria (e.g., competencies) may be prioritized over others (e.g., preferences).

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 255   After the criteria on which DOT leaders choose to match employees are selected, a mentorship matching form should be created with these criteria in mind. See the next tool, “Mentorship Matching Form,” to help with this. The form should be completed by employees who are eligible to participate in the reciprocal mentoring program. Information collected with these forms should be used to pair employees. Encourage Employee Participation in the Reciprocal Mentoring Program Management support of the mentoring initiative will encourage employee participation. This may be demonstrated by allowing participants time in their schedules to engage with their partner and perhaps by designating some funds for relevant activities. Participation may also be encouraged by highlighting the many benefits of engaging in reciprocal mentoring. Some of the benefits are listed below: Development of new professional skills, such as coaching, advising others, and teamwork. Expansion of ’ professional network. Understanding the work that colleagues perform and how the DOT operates. Establishment of a reputation as a leader, educator, and subject matter expert. Facilitation of learning within an effective, safe environment. Ability to gain skills outside of a formal training process. Career advancement due to a new skill and knowledge acquisition. Support in times of change or transition. Improvement of interpersonal communication and relationship skills. Reciprocal Mentoring Program Agreement Example This section of the toolkit outlines a reciprocal mentoring program agreement that employees who participate in the program may complete at the beginning of their partnership. This type of agreement may help employees set expectations and boundaries early in the program, allowing for the development of a healthy, productive, and developmental relationship.

256 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Mentoring Program Agreement Senior-Level Partner: ___________________ Title: ___________________ Junior-Level Partner: ___________________ Title: ___________________ Length of Partnership: ___________________ Start Date of Partnership: _________________ End Date of Partnership: __________________ How often will meetings occur (e.g., weekly, monthly)? ______________ How long will meetings last (e.g., half hour, hour)? _________________ Where will meetings take place (e.g., meeting room)? _______________ Who is responsible for scheduling meetings? ______________________ What can the senior-level partner teach the junior-level partner? ________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ What can the junior-level partner teach the senior-level partner? ________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Goals of this pairing (think specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound): _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Partner expectations (e.g., responsiveness, availability): ______________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Method of communication outside of scheduled meetings (e.g., email): __________ Agreement I agree to work alongside my partner to make this mentoring relationship successful. I will honor the mentorship expectations outlined above and do my best to mentor my partner so that they gain valuable knowledge and skills. I also agree to keep anything shared between myself and my mentor partner confidential unless otherwise specified. Senior-Level Partner Signature: ___________________ Date: ___________________ Junior-Level Partner Signature: ___________________ Date: ___________________

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 257   Mentoring Activities Examples This section provides a list of interactive activities that employees in the reciprocal mentoring program may use. Managers may offer this list of activities to employees to encourage the development of interactive and developmental relationships between partners in each pairing. Providing employees with this list of optional activities will also encourage them to continually set new goals and continue learning from one another. Mentorship Program Orientation Goal: Ensure partnership expectations are mutually understood and increase the likelihood of mentoring program success. Ideal Time: Beginning of mentoring partnership. Activities: Review program structure and roles/responsibilities of each employee. Complete a reciprocal mentoring program agreement. Discuss any available resources (e.g., contact information for program coordinator, repository of relevant materials). Engage in icebreaker activities (e.g., share professional history, read over why pairing was made). Brainstorm a list of topics to cover in future meetings. Have participants write their personal development goals using the SMART framework (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound)105,106 and have partners discuss how they can help achieve them. Relationship Building Activities Goal: Foster a strong interpersonal relationship between the two members of the mentoring partnership. Ideal Time: Throughout mentoring partnership. Activities: Schedule lunch breaks together. Attend guest speakers together and discuss the presentation afterward. Shadow partner for a specified amount of time (e.g., an hour, a half-day). Volunteer for job-related charity work together. Participate in job-related training together. Contribute to a job-related conference together. Midway Check-In Goal: Evaluate the progress of mentoring program pairs and redirect pairs that are not progressing well or learning from their mentoring relationship. Ideal Time: Halfway through the scheduled mentoring program. Activities: Program coordinator encourages mentor pairs to review their mentoring program agreement to assess whether they are making progress toward their goals. Program coordinator has employees write down what they have learned, how they have benefited, and the activities and discussions that have been most beneficial. 105 Locke, E. A., and G. P. Latham. (1990). A Theory of Goal Setting & Task Performance. Prentice-Hall, Inc. 106 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Human Resources. (n.d.). Goal Setting. https://hr.mit.edu/performance/goals.

258 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Evaluating a Reciprocal Mentoring Program This section of the toolkit includes information about program evaluation and example questions to include in the evaluation. It is recommended that DOT managers continually evaluate their reciprocal mentoring programs to ensure that (a) the program goals are being met, (b) employees are satisfied with the program, their pairing, and their knowledge/skill acquisition, and (c) there is an acceptable return on investment. In a program evaluation, the following topics should be covered: Assessment of participant satisfaction. Details of program implementation, such as meeting frequency. Skills acquired and transferred to the jobs. Other factors to measure progress toward program goals. Results from this evaluation should be used to inform future reciprocal mentoring program characteristics and employee pairings. Example Items to Evaluate Program An evaluation of the reciprocal mentoring program should occur at the conclusion of each mentoring partnership. The evaluation questionnaire should be kept short (i.e., requiring less than 10 minutes to complete). See below for a list of example questions. For each item, ask “To what extent do you agree with the following statement?” along a 7-point scale. 1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Slightly Disagree 4 = Neutral 5 = Slightly Agree 6 = Agree 7 = Strongly Agree Assessment of Participant Satisfaction This mentoring program was a valuable use of my time. This mentoring program was a high-quality program. This mentoring program provided opportunities to develop my skills. This mentoring program facilitated strong relationship building. My partner provided meaningful contributions to the mentoring partnership. Overall, I am satisfied with this mentoring program. For each item, the respondent provides a written response. Open-Ended Response Questions Explain how your supervisor did or did not provide support for participation in this mentorship program (e.g., provided time during work hours for partners to meet). Explain why or why not your partner was an appropriate match. List and describe what you learned from your partner. Be specific. List and describe what you taught your partner. Be specific. Program coordinator evaluates the participants’ responses and provides resources or guidance to pairs that are not progressing or satisfied.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 259   Where did you meet with your partner (e.g., in a meeting room, Skype)? Explain why this location was chosen. What goals were set as part of the mentoring program? Did you and your partner accomplish the goals you set for yourselves? Explain. What aspect of the program would you like to see improved in its next iteration? How to Analyze Responses to Questions To assess participant satisfaction, it is recommended that the program coordinator average the reported scores for each question. If using the example items presented within this tool, higher scores will suggest greater satisfaction. For any items that receive a mean response less than 5 (slightly agree), it is suggested that DOT managers and/the program coordinator brainstorm and implement ways to improve the score. For example, if the average response to “This mentoring program facilitated strong relationship building” is 3.5, then ways to increase relationship building should be incorporated into the mentoring program structure. To analyze the open- ended questions, the program coordinator should read all responses to each item and look for general trends (i.e., recurring comments). One way to do this is by using word clouds to quickly identify the words most frequently used. How often did you meet with your partner (e.g., weekly, monthly)? Explain why this frequency was chosen.

260 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Tool: Mentorship Program Matching Form Purpose and Overview This tool provides information for creating reciprocal mentoring pairs such that each participant may be able to help bridge their partner’s skill gaps. More specifically, this tool offers an example mentorship application and tips for using it to match employees based on their self - reported strengths and weaknesses. Editing the Mentorship Matching Forms The goals of the mentorship program should be the main driver of how participants are paired. For example, if the main goal in implementing a reciprocal mentoring program is to encourage knowledge sharing at work (related to new technologies, multi-modal designs, etc.), then employees should be matched based on their knowledge/skill gaps and areas of expertise. A junior-level employee with strengths in technology utilization who lacks networking skills may be paired with a senior-level employee who is unfamiliar with emerging technologies but skilled in interpersonal communication and network development. Indeed, research has found that mentorship arrangements in which participants are matched based on their workplace skill sets are often highly successful.107 Likewise, if the purpose of the mentorship program is to provide participants with a support system at work, participants may be matched based on their demographic characteristics in addition to their skill sets and job types. For example, if women employees feel as though they lack connections with their women colleagues, pairs may be created such that employees of the same gender who can teach one another valuable skills are matched. Therefore, the goals of the mentoring program should inform the matching criteria. Furthermore, the templates and examples offered in this tool should be modified based on the needs of each DOT. This means that some of the questions in the example mentorship matching form presented herein should be modified or deleted based on each DOT’s needs. Questions may also be added. Disseminating Mentorship Matching Form This mentorship matching form can be provided physically to participants (i.e., delivered via paper copy) or through an online survey platform (e.g., Survey Monkey, Google Forms). Administering the forms with an online survey will allow the mentorship program organizer to quickly download and analyze the results as opposed to manually inputting the results from a hard copy survey for analysis. Pairing Based on Responses Participants should be matched based on predetermined criteria (e.g., skills, demographic characteristics, business units) based on the program’s goals. For example, if the mentorship program wants to match participants based on skills, the person matching should first look at the participants’ rankings of the skills they are most confident in as well as the skills they most want to develop (see the “Ranking of Skills” section). Participants should be matched so each pair has some overlap between the skills one person is confident in and the skills the other person wants to develop. For example, if one participant ranks time management as a skill they are confident in and communication as a skill they are not confident in, then they would be a 107 Eby, L. T. (2010). APA Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. American Psychological Association.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 261   good match for somebody who reports a desire to develop time management skills and confidence in communication. Pairing people whose skill sets complement each other (i.e., one person’s strength is another person’s weakness) will allow them to learn from one another. No pairing will be a perfect match based on the ranking responses. There may be several individuals whose strengths and weaknesses do not perfectly compliment another person’s strengths and weaknesses. In this case, the matchmaker can refer to people’s general evaluations of skills (see “General Evaluations of Skills” section) when pairing participants. Unlike the rankings, which collect information about what people are most confident in and most want to develop, the general evaluations collect employees’ confidence in various skills. For individuals who could not be paired with a partner based on the information provided by their rankings, the general evaluations can be useful for matching pairs. Like with the “Ranking of Skills” section of the form, the information provided in the “General Evaluations of Skills” section of the form should be used to pair employees who complement one another. For example, if somebody reports that they are somewhat confident and could share their experience with technology, they may be a good match for somebody who is not confident and has a high need to develop their experience with technology. In some instances, there may be several good matches for a given person. If this is the case, then responses to other questions on the form, such as job tenure, communication preferences, and open-ended responses should be considered in determining the best reciprocal mentor pairing. Example Mentorship Matching Form As a reminder, this is an example form and the items, including the list of skills, should be tailored and updated as appropriate, based on the DOT and occupational group needs. Background Questions Name: Job Title: Email: Telephone number: Department or division: [Drop-down menu of department of divisions.] Years worked at [Insert organization name]: Communication Preferences Questions I would like to talk and offer advice as often as: Multiple times a week Once a week Once every two weeks Once a month Less often than once a month I would like to talk and receive advice as often as: Multiple times a week Once a week

262 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Once every two weeks Once a month Less often than once a month I anticipate communicating [select all that apply]: In person Over the phone Via email On a video conferencing platform (e.g., Zoom, Skype, FaceTime) Ranking of Skills Instructions: Please indicate with an [X] three skills that you are most confident in and would like to teach your partner. Then indicate with an [X] three skills you want to develop most and learn from your partner. Three Skills I Am Most Confident In Three Skills I Want to Develop Most Time Management Critical Thinking Conflict Management Communication Experience with Technology Experience with Multi-Modal Transportation Interpersonal Skills Exhibiting Teamwork Leading a Team Developing Others Delegating Work to Staff General Evaluation of Skills Instructions: You and your partner will work toward achieving several goals during the mentorship program. Some goals will be related to general workplace skills, such as improving communication, whereas other goals may be related to leadership skills. Where possible, you will be matched with someone who complements your abilities and interests. Please rate your confidence in each of the following skills. The results will only be used only for the purposes of matching and will be shared only with the mentoring coordinator. Please note that you are more likely to be invited to share a skill you are more confident in with someone who lacks confidence in that same skill.

Developing a Talented Workforce: Training Employees 263   Open-Ended Questions Instructions: The remaining questions are open-ended and optional. Please ensure your responses (3-4 sentences or bullets) convey key points so we can best match you. You may respond with “N/A” if there is nothing you would like to share. Is there any other information you would like us to know during the matching process? Are there any other knowledge, skills, and experiences you are hoping to share and gain? Are there specific attributes you are looking for in this partnership? Application Conclusion Thank you for completing this mentorship application. If you have answered all of the questions and you are ready to send your responses to the mentoring coordinator, please click submit below. For more information or questions about the mentoring program, please contact [placeholder]. Communication Experience with Technology Experience with Multi- Modal Transportation Interpersonal Skills Exhibiting Teamwork Leading a Team Developing Others Delegating Work to Staff Very Confident Somewhat Confident Little Confidence Not Confident Not Interested Time Management Critical Thinking Conflict Management