Ontario Managers - 2002: A Year in Review

The goal of the Ontario Managers Council is to create a forum for affordable, accessible learning, networking, and sharing best practices among managers across Ontario. An important touchstone to the success of the Ontario Managers' Community has been the group's ongoing focus on leadership, learning and development and networking.

The Ontario Managers' Community Council has grown from a nucleus of six members to over 24 members representing all regions of Ontario. The Ontario federal public service includes some 4,000 middle managers from 30 federal departments.

The OMC has been a catalyst encouraging activity in various parts of the province including but not limited to: Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste Marie, London, Kitchener, Burlington, Greater Toronto Area, Peterborough, Belleville and Kingston. Several OMC members are chairs or active members of local groups, bringing a geographic diversity to the network. The OMC supports and encourages the use of technology and other means to link regional locations so that information and knowledge can be shared without incurring travel costs.

Ingredients for Success

Grassroots

The underpinning to this momentum is "grassroots". Managers are constructing their own renewal through shared learning. Issues and directions for learning come from the participants. The process is bottom up. The result is a more committed and engaged manager community.

"Local forums and learning events are tailored to self-identified needs of our community. We develop and deliver for ourselves exactly what we need. These are grown "organically" in many geographic locations including but not restricted to major metropolitan areas." Tanya Marwitz, Human Resources Development Canada

Collaboration

Outstanding achievements of the Manager community in the past year are directly attributable to the developing partnerships and collaborative efforts with manager colleagues in other governments and the community. Connections are being made with Ontario Federal Council functional groups to share ideas and best practices. Collaborative events involving the larger community promote a focus on common ground as public managers and as providers of services to the public. Ultimately, the direct impact will be payback in better client service delivery.

Recognition

The Eastern Ontario Managers' Council was the recipient of a 2002 Ontario Federal Council's Leadership through Collaboration Award. The council was honoured for its dedication to building a strong managers' community that works together as a public service team in Eastern Ontario.

"The Eastern Ontario Managers Council is an unbelievably energetic, proud and dedicated group of individuals who manage people and deliver the full range of government services in the greater Kingston area and south eastern Ontario. Its sole mandate has been to build a real sense of community that will lead the public service in Eastern Ontario into the future." Milan Whelan, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency

Learning Events

With financial support from the National Managers' Community Secretariat and The Leadership Network, the Ontario Managers' Community brought leadership and learning cultures to the community through a series of learning events. Too numerous to mention all of them here, below are a sample of manager leadership and learning events that have collectively strengthened the level of co-operation and collaboration among managers across departments in every geographic region of Ontario.

GTA Managers' Council

Successful Small 'n' Negotiations: Managing People Effectively - A lunch and learn event for federal public service managers in the GTA held during Public Service Week. 100 managers from 19 federal government departments attended. Bringing managers together at this event encouraged reflection and learning. Through the process of learning events and dialogue, participants reconsider their way of working and equally important, the options for moving ahead expand exponentially with new contacts in other departments and the community at large.

Eastern Ontario Managers' Council

Take Your Colleague to Work Day. This event is organized for National Public Service Week. People who are interested in finding out what a career in another department would be like or in the services that department offers, identify themselves and accompany someone for the day. (50 people from the federal and municipal sectors) Participants enhance their management capacities, develop leadership skills, learn new ideas and techniques and build relationships with people doing similar work elsewhere in their community and region.

South Central Federal Managers' Group and the Kitchener-Waterloo Federal Council

Public Service A Workplace in Trouble, presented by Dr. Linda Duxbury, Professor, School of Business, Carleton University (60 participants) Workshops and presentations by expert resources provide in-depth, practical knowledge in areas of public management, personal effectiveness, organizational development and leadership styles 

"I think the benefits are being able to get fresh perspectives from managers in other departments who deal with similar types of things. Sharing how they resolve issues in their departmental networks may be beneficial for others. It also allows points of contact when client needs overlap." Vince DiMartile, Human Resources Development Canada

Sudbury Federal Interdepartmental Committee for La Relève
Intergovernmental Leadership Forum 2002, Science North, Sudbury.

Based on the film Shackelton's Way, this event encouraged change, supported learning and provided discussion of common values, challenges and opportunities. It brought together 200 managers from the Federal/Provincial/municipal sectors and participants came from Timmins, North Bay, Sault Ste Marie and Sudbury.

"The film was breathtaking. The presentation by guest speaker Brian Keating was mesmerizing. And the fascinating people that I met combined to make a profoundly spiritual journey." Pamela Mintern, National Managers Community - Ontario Region

Learning Organization Practitioners' Retreat

The objective of this session was to build a Community of Practise in the field of Learning Organization Theory and Practise within the Federal Public Service. Eighteen participants developed new ways of working together across department and government boundaries.

Tools to Build a Leadership Culture

Evaluations by participants reveal the outstanding contribution of the tools and techniques presented by Bob Chartier for promoting the development of a learning and leadership culture. The Leadership Toolbox allows participants to learn from a diversity of techniques that are based on employees working together collectively to achieve results through collective decision-making. 

2003 is already shaping up to be as exciting and dynamic as 2002 with Knowledge Management, Coaching, CCMD and Public Service Commission events offered into March 2003.