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MRSC Insight Blog


Posts for Management

Two people with opposing views

Managing Conflict at Work with Strategies that Actually Work

By putting certain strategies into place, organizations and teams can set themselves up for healthy conflict that results in better outputs and greater inclusion and satisfaction among employees. 

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Care and Feeding of Your Library Collection Policy

Care and Feeding of Your Library Collection Policy

All libraries, whether they are independent districts or part of a city or town, should have both a sound collection management policy and an understanding of how to implement that policy in a way that furthers the library’s mission while reducing legal risks.

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Dealing with Difficult Behavior

Dealing with Difficult Behavior

Dealing with people who exhibit difficult behavior can be a challenge, whether they are coworkers, acquaintances, or members of the public. Here are some strategies that can help local government staff and officials make the next encounter less stressful. 

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ADR: Negotiation and Facilitation

ADR: Negotiation and Facilitation

This blog post provides an overview of negotiation and facilitation, two Alternative Dispute Resolution tools. 

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Risk Management During Pandemic and Widespread Illness

Risk Management During Pandemic and Widespread Illness

This blog post looks at how agencies can apply risk management strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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The Hidden Power of the Government Form Letter

The Hidden Power of the Government Form Letter

Your routine letters and forms may be creating more internal costs and constituent frustration than you realize. This post shows how reducing the jargon, simplifying the message, and talking to the reader can, instead, win over citizens.

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The Importance of Documentation in Risk Management

The Importance of Documentation in Risk Management

This blog explores the importance of documentation as it relates to risk management. 

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How to Talk to the Public When the Heat is On

How to Talk to the Public When the Heat is On

Don't wait until a crisis hits your agency to develop a plan for managing communication with the public. This blog post provides an overview of how to plan ahead—before crisis puts you in the spotlight. 

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Risk Management Strategies

Risk Management Strategies

This blog examines three strategies you can use to manage risks: risk prevention/control, risk reduction, and risk avoidance/ transfer. 

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An Introduction to Risk Management

An Introduction to Risk Management

In this blog, guest author Roger Neal examines the basic elements of local government risk management, including the benefits of risk management, risk assessment, prioritization, and the adoption of risk management response strategies.

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Retaining Institutional Knowledge in the Wake of the Silver Tsunami

Retaining Institutional Knowledge in the Wake of the Silver Tsunami

This blog focuses on the potential loss of institutional knowledge that the silver tsunami may leave in its wake, and some ways your organization may be able to capture and retain this valuable knowledge.

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3 Steps to a More Meaningful Mission Statement

3 Steps to a More Meaningful Mission Statement

In this post, MRSC's Executive Director Tracy Burrows looks at the role of an organization's mission statement and an easy, 3-step process to creating mission statements that will engage employees long after the process is over.

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ADR? What’s That?

ADR? What’s That?

Alternative Dispute Resolution offers methods that are considered “alternatives” to litigation, the traditional — and often expensive — form of dispute resolution. In this post Legal Consultant Linda Gallagher discusses two ADR methods: arbitration and mediation.

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Easy Problem Solving Using the 4-step Method

Easy Problem Solving Using the 4-step Method

Is your worksite suffering from 'change fatigue' and your staff, leery of any new improvements? Guest author Jennifer Haury offers a 4-step problem solving method to help you avoid making new changes that ultimately fail to address old, underlying issues. 

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Succession Planning: Navigating the Incoming Wave

Succession Planning: Navigating the Incoming Wave

The accelerating retirement of public sector workers born between 1946-64 is predicted to hit like a wave. This post looks as what some local governments in Washington are doing to plan for the expected leadership turnover. 

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Better, Faster, Cheaper: Sometimes Front Line Workers Are the Best Problem Solvers

Better, Faster, Cheaper: Sometimes Front Line Workers Are the Best Problem Solvers

Problems that seem intractable at the management level, can often be fixed by those employees that understand the processes the best.

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A Basic Approach to Succession Planning

A Basic Approach to Succession Planning

For those just starting to develop a succession plan, here's some tips and strategies from HR Advisor Marci Wright.

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Municipal Management Model: Leading an Action Agenda

Municipal Management Model: Leading an Action Agenda

Are you frustrated by the seemingly endless studies and discussion, yet no action? Unlike businesses, cities are looking to build community instead of profits. So how can we better put our plans into an action agenda?

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Charting Your Future Part 2: Conducting a Strategic Planning Retreat

Charting Your Future Part 2: Conducting a Strategic Planning Retreat

Stan Finkelstein continues his series on strategic planning by describing the role of retreats along with key strategies for conducting them effectively.

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Communication, Communication, Communication

Communication, Communication, Communication

In real estate or economic development discussions we hear it’s all about location, location, location. When it comes to good governance, whether in Council-Manager or Mayor-Council-Administrator forms of local government, it’s all about communication, communication, communication.

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