Developing a Workplace of the Future in Dearborn, Michigan

Guest blog by Rana Allawnha, Laura Demarse, Angela Fortino, Zaineb Hussein, Mariam Jalloul, Amanda Bright McClanahan, Anisa Sahoubeh.

The City of Dearborn’s young and energized workforce is not equipped to fill the jobs of the future.

While cities across Michigan are losing their populations, Dearborn’s population grew by 12% according to the last census, the fastest growing city in the State. This means we have a young, energized, and growing population that historically stays local and settles in Dearborn or nearby. It matters that we create workforce opportunities for them to thrive.

While there is evidence of high academic achievement among youth, there is not a clear path for those students or other low-earning adults to gain relevant accreditation and subsequent employment in the region’s leading industries.

Absent intervention, the City of Dearborn will not attain the necessary job growth for 1) median incomes to rise; 2) for increased business and corporate investment; 3) or to become the talent hub in the State of Michigan.

The public value that will come from solving this problem is that our local economy will grow, we will have increased tax revenue, people’s standard of living will rise and cycles of poverty will be interrupted, and we will reduce income inequality in the city. In short, we will help neutralize the disparities that exist and persistent between low-income and high-income earners in the city by providing tools and resources that will help with economic mobility.

One of the most important insights we gained while tackling this problem is how important it is to construct and deconstruct the problem. Deconstructing a complex problem into smaller, more achievable goals with action plans is essential when addressing issues at the city level. This approach helps to break down a seemingly overwhelming issue into manageable parts, making it easier to identify the root causes  of the problem and develop effective solutions. Moreover, by deconstructing the problem, it is possible to identify specific areas that need improvement, allowing for a more targeted approach to problem-solving. For example, in our problem of our young workforce not having the tools to meet the jobs of the future, one of the issues we identified through our fishbone diagram (below), is that the city has never had a person spearheading this type of work around workforce development. We were able to identify that and make it one of our solutions by hiring on a person to do this work beyond this program. This allowed us to focus on that specific issue and tackle it, which was a lot more manageable than trying to solve this larger complex problem.

Additionally, one of the most important takeaways we had as a team is to ensure that the problem being addressed is not oversimplified to a lack of a solution. For the longest time, we thought our problem statement is that “Dearborn is not the talent hub of the  State of Michigan.” It is very clear that this statement is a lack of a solution (the solution being that we become the talent hub). It wasn’t until we met in New York City as a team that we were finally able to narrow in on the actual problem, which coincidentally was inside our initial fishbone diagram as a bone. By taking the time to understand the complex problem and breaking it down into smaller components, we were able to really hit the ground running with our work streams and pushing this forward.

Lastly, we really learned about how important it is to bring stakeholders to the table who have historically not had a place or historically not invited to the table. These stakeholders, such as marginalized communities, may have unique insights and experiences that have not been considered in the past. The equity piece is huge here: including their perspectives in the problem-solving process can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the issue and can result in more effective solutions that work for all members of the community.

This new approach has been such a gift to the city and to our team. We feel confident that when future problems arise, we will do the important work of deconstructing our problem into smaller bits. We’re also going to be a lot better about being comfortable just simmering on what the actual problem is rather than jumping into solutions mode. We’ve learned more than anything that finding and identifying the correct problem is half the work, and once that is done, the solutions will be fruitful and meaningful to solving the problem.

As we alluded to above, as soon as we were able to solidify our problem statement, we were able to hit the ground running in terms of making progress. Our gameplan was to have each member of the team spearhead a specific pilot pipeline program that will give youth and adult job seekers resources to grow in their careers.

So far, we have accomplished the following, with action plans to keep this work going:

• We are in the midst of a proposal between a local college and a major hospital in the city to create a nursing pipeline – the proposed pipeline entails the hospital providing a scholarship to students going through the nursing program and after successful completion of the program, students will have a guaranteed job at the hospital, graduating debt free and employed with a good paying job.
• We have also completed the logistical work to bring Google Career Certificates for free to Dearborn residents, which will be administered by a local non-profit that is represented in our team of 8. We will be announcing this at the State of the City!
• We have also just begun conversations around bringing an EV training academy to the city of Dearborn, where students in high school and college can receive training to meet the growing field of EV technology.
• We have also finalized and posted a job posting for a Workforce Development Manager at the city to ensure that these partnerships persist.

Advice to others

• Trust the process! While it can be daunting, and sometimes feel repetitive, it will truly allow you to diagnose a complex problem and be successful in solving it.
• Don’t fear failure! This process almost requires experimentation and learning from failure. Don’t be afraid to try new approaches and take risks. Don’t be afraid to test out a pilot program and evaluate how it does, and then adjust that program.
• Baby steps! As mentioned in the title, PDIA is inherently an iterative process, so start with a small, manageable parts of the problem and go from there. Break the problem down into smaller components, and work on them one at a time, with clear tangible steps and someone responsible for those steps.
• Be a team player! Having a team that you can be psychologically safe around is so important, but building that culture doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It is important to be communicative and honest with your team, whether it is that you can’t attend a meeting, or maybe the person you report may be getting second thoughts about the program you’re helping in creating. Either way, it is so important to create a culture that allows for success.
• Have fun along the way! Speaks for itself. Remember that you are all working towards a goal that matters to each of you. So make friends, build connections, and have fun!

This is part of a blog series written by city leaders who participated in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative cross-boundary collaboration track during 2023.