By Irma Henderson, CAPP

Listening to Steve Lerch’s keynote about finding innovation from all team members and giving people the time and freedom to find great ideas at IPMI’s Mobility & Innovation Summit last week, I know many in the public sector or union environments may think their hands are tied. However, most job descriptions have the ubiquitous “10 Percent Duties as Assigned” clause.  Why not use this in a more positive way:

10 percent: Provides operational support for [your organization], which may include some of the following functions:

• • Participates in the development and implementation of the department’s mission, goals, and strategic planning.
  • Assists in the review of operations and services to identify efficiencies and integrate best practices.
  • Coordinates and/or participates in special projects and assignments, the scope of which may extend beyond day-to-day operations.

This gives employees four hours each week or a whole day every two weeks to do whatever they are interested in: out-of-class work, cross training, etc.

Irma Henderson, CAPP, is director of parking, transportation, and fleet services at the University of California, Riverside.