Merrick Community Services
Report date
November 2020
What has been most instrumental to your progress?
In this past year, we see the xChange genuinely thriving within a culture and shared understanding of working together as collaborators rather than competitors. This was a key component of our vision at the start, and it felt like it moved forward during this past year in some tangible ways: a) We had previously created an internal shared catalog of services across the partners, including an internal referral protocol. Through the launch of the xChange.mn website, we've made this public-facing, and in doing so, reiterate that we wish to view our offerings as a collective resource for East Side residents; b) We are sharing tools together (job listings, assessments, and more) - all toward better service to jobseekers; and, c) We are using pooled resources (funds raised collaboratively) to support client training and services across organizations and to external partners. The xChange is paying for client training within partner programs and with external training and support services. These are significant steps that are blurring the lines between 'my' client and 'your' client. The xChange is creating space for 'our clients' - collectively serving East Side residents as they need.
The xChange is continuing to create space to 'co-create' services with East Side residents, employers, and service partners to best serve local needs. A few specific examples include: a) We are developing a cybersecurity training program with Metro State aimed at moving East Side residents into lucrative jobs in the IT sector; b) Through our Jobs Action Team, the voices of East Side jobseekers and service providers are being heard! We are bringing resident perspectives on job quality and availability to employers, resulting in consideration of new hiring practices; c) Partners are developing a shared approach for aspirational job coaching/case management to help East Siders find work that is most meaningful to them; d) We have shaped the 'Dreams Pursued' project with Ramsey County and other partners that is reaching job seekers/residents directly to assess long-term career interests, and bring that information 'upstream' into workforce and economic development planning for our region. These are all fresh and responsive efforts specifically created through the blank canvas that the xChange provides for East Side service organizations, residents, employers, and other stakeholders.
We are currently developing some shared response to the unemployment spike resulting from the COVID pandemic. This is, obviously, a current work in progress. While the pandemic has disrupted prior plans and of course created significant upheaval in the local labor market, we've found that the existence of the xChange has been helpful to our nonprofit and public partners -- creating a clearer line of communication for policymakers and philanthropy seeking to respond quickly and in coordinated fashion. Our work (cited above) on a shared aspirational coaching approach, coupled with conversation with employers about when and how their demand for labor will increase again, is laying the groundwork for a coordinated response to help East Siders get back to work. Clearly, the story is still unfolding... but we anticipate being able to help East Siders identify longer-term interests now, and then move through some specific pathways to work, building on the key areas of COVID displacement we have seen over the past six months.
Key lessons learned
As we've reported previously, a key lesson for us has been the critical importance of relationship management. We made very strong progress up until COVID in building a strong collaborative network that is grounded in both organizational/institutional connections as well as meaningful individual relationships among staff. The disruption of COVID underscored two key points of learning:
a) Without that groundwork previously laid among partners and employers, we would not be able to be responsive now to help employers and jobseekers begin to recover from economic downturn caused by the pandemic; and, b) As new staff and partners have come on board since the pandemic, we are acutely aware how challenging it is to build new relationships without the benefit of regular, face-to-face contact. The xChange is a 'high touch' venture -- and there's no question that the pandemic has slowed our progress on relationship management among new staff.
a) Without that groundwork previously laid among partners and employers, we would not be able to be responsive now to help employers and jobseekers begin to recover from economic downturn caused by the pandemic; and, b) As new staff and partners have come on board since the pandemic, we are acutely aware how challenging it is to build new relationships without the benefit of regular, face-to-face contact. The xChange is a 'high touch' venture -- and there's no question that the pandemic has slowed our progress on relationship management among new staff.
Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving
As we've reported previously, we think the xChange's collaborative energy is the most significant element. We are a continuing exercise in togetherness! And while this has been challenged by COVID and not being able to build face-to-face connections (particularly for new staff), we continue to feel the collaborative energy of our work. Just recently, we hosted a successful online virtual job fair - a testament to how some strong relationships formed pre-COVID helped move the group forward during COVID.
Partners have continued to connect at least monthly among three active work teams, continuing to bring in other colleagues within their organizations as well as introducing the xChange to other external partners, when appropriate.
Partners have continued to connect at least monthly among three active work teams, continuing to bring in other colleagues within their organizations as well as introducing the xChange to other external partners, when appropriate.
Other key elements of Community Innovation
Nothing further to report here from our previous interim report.
Understanding the problem
In prior reporting, we've noted that the long-term goal is to shift the balance of power in the labor market so that employers and jobseekers meet each other on more even footing. The pandemic is creating a unique opportunity to reshape the terms of engagement. Employees press for health and safety measures as a condition of returning to work; and employers (in some cases) are reshaping how and where work can get done and still be useful to the enterprise! In the coming months, we will continue to work on all sides - with jobseekers, employers, and intermediaries - and perhaps there can be some tangible shifts in power dynamics that we could not have envisioned prior to the COVID pandemic.
If you could do it all over again...
In previous reporting, we spoke of the learning/advice related to structure and relationship management. This still holds true. And, we are also learning how important it is to understand the work flow within each partner organization so that partners can effectively and efficiently engage in the collaborative work with others. We might have started with some internal process analyses among all partners as a pre-cursor to launching our collaborative efforts. But again, this is an ever-evolving effort and we appreciate the opportunity to learn as we go!
One last thought
As we look at how we've grown over the past two years, we are particularly appreciative of the Bush Foundation's initial support! And, we thought we'd say that here. Now. THANKS AGAIN.