🚀 go-pugleaf

I work for a state agency that has a central office and seven field
offices around the state.   We are looking into ways in which
communication/information sharing between central office and field
office personnel can be improved.

We have an e-mail system with bulletin boards (accessible to
everyone and currently the main conduit for sharing technical and
operational information), an agency newsletter, and the field office
managers have frequent telephone contact with central office staff.
We also include field staff on agency project teams.  Unfortunately,
there are still problems with field staff feeling disconnected and
isolated from events that are occuring at the higher organizational
level, and complaints that they are not well enough informed of critical
information.

So my questions to the list are:

1.  Have other people experienced these same problems, and how
have you dealt with them?

2.  What are the ways in which information is shared with
field/regional offices?

3.  How "hands-on" are central office supervisors of field staff?  How
often are visits made to the field?  How often are field personnel
brought in? How frequently are meetings held to share information?

4.  Is anyone aware of any reference source in which I could find
information to attempt to address these concerns, or does anyone
have information on an organization with whom we could benchmark?

I would really appreciate your collected wisdom on this subject.
In other words . . . PLEASE HELP!!!

Thanks.
Mary Beth Kline
Organizational Development Specialist
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
State Employe's Retirement System
mkline@sers.state.pa.us
717-237-0361