Robert C. Johns

Use of Air Transportation by Business and Industry in Minnesota

Current and forecasted use of air transportation by businesses in Minnesota using the Standard Industrial Classification is described. The research is based upon a study on air service and commercial and industrial activity in Minnesota required by the Minnesota legislature in 1996. Purchases from the air transportation sector that includes scheduled and nonscheduled passenger and freight services are based upon the 1993 IMPLAN input-output model for Minnesota and Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts for Minnesota. In addition to intraindustry transfers within the air transportation sector, purchases of air transportation are dominated by business associations, management and consulting services, and the U.S. Postal Service sectors. These four sectors also represent the sectors with the largest share of purchases of air transportation. BLS historical and forecast data suggest that the major group of industries that purchased air transportation in 1977 will remain intact through 2005. Under BEA forecasts for Minnesota, air transportation purchases by all industry sectors will increase more rapidly than other transportation modes. BEA also forecasts the air transportation component of gross state product growing faster than forecasted passenger originations at Minneapolis–St. Paul (MSP). The implications of the BEA forecasts will be considered in the next update of activity forecasts for MSP. This research is considered only the first step in understanding the role of air transportation to commerce and industry in Minnesota and other states.

Signals from the Crowd: Strategic Management and Learning Through Crowdsourcing

One way to ensure broad organizational support of strategic management efforts is to include employees in strategic planning. An inclusive strategic planning process can spur creativity and innovation and increase organizational commitment to implementing change and has been shown to improve employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention. Crowdsourced strategic planning engages employees by using techniques traditionally used to engage external stakeholders. Turning these tools inward provides opportunities for a broad range of employees to develop a shared vision of a desired organizational state and to identify, develop, and sustain strategies to achieve that vision. This paper describes the design, implementation, and immediate outcomes of a crowdsourced strategic planning process at the U.S. Department of Transportation John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, a research-based public agency. The strategic planning process engaged about one-half of the workforce and resulted in the identification of more than two dozen employee-generated strategic initiatives, of which nine are currently being carried out. By providing employees a platform for expression, the process also had the unexpected benefit of generating information about the concerns and aspirations of employees and the fundamental organizational conditions required to manage change. In this way, crowdsourced strategic planning supports strategic learning; emergent strategies are identified and deliberate strategies are adapted to address the organizational vision expressed by employees.

Transportation research contributions to society by university transportation centers

This paper discusses the importance of knowledge in the global economy and reviews the process in which knowledge is applied to develop innovations. It confirms the importance of innovation as a key factor for success in todays competitive environment. The paper discusses the contributions a university can make to the innovation process in the field of transportation, and offers a vision of how a university center can enhance and facilitate these contributions. It then describes the efforts of one center, including three examples of innovations facilitated by the center in traffic detection, regional planning, and pavement management. The paper concludes with suggestions that would strengthen the societal contributions of university transportation centers.

Challenges of upgrading strategic capability in public sector

Noting significant shifts in public expectations of government transportation policy, management at the Minnesota Department of Transportation concluded that its approach to internal operations and external affairs required adjustment. After thoughtful discussion of the options, management decided to import and adapt advanced management techniques from the private sector in ways that were consistent with public sector values and introduce them by means that would support healthy development of a learning organization. This innovative approach produced benefits for the organization. It also demonstrated the unique challenges public sector organizations have in upgrading strategic capability: creating a framework of outcomes that are clear and congruent; adapting strategic techniques to agree with public sector organizational values and introducing them in ways that garner public acceptance; being accountable for shaping a future according to shared public aspiration; creating systems to provide the grist f...

Impacts of Participatory Strategic Planning on Advancing Innovation at the Volpe Center

Strategy and innovation are critical in ensuring the continued success of research organizations in the face of rapid economic, technological, political, and social changes. In 2010, the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe), a fee-for-service research organization in existence for more than 40 years in the U.S. Department of Transportation, embarked on a participatory strategic planning process. This paper presents a case study of this process, which used crowdsourcing as a tool for staff engagement. In addition, the paper evaluates the effectiveness of Volpes strategic planning efforts through the lens of the literature on strategic planning and innovation. Employing both quantitative and qualitative methods, the paper examines two questions. First, has the participatory strategic planning process strengthened Volpes ability to carry out its purpose of advancing transportation innovation for the public good? Second, does the employee engagement and crowdsourcing approach used by Volpe offer an effective and successful alternative to the traditional model of conducting strategic planning at the top organizational levels? Strategic planning and innovation literature provided quantitative metrics with which to measure characteristics associated with innovative organizations. Findings indicated that six completed strategic initiatives were perceived by staff as contributing positively to Volpes purpose of advancing innovation. Differences between managers’ and nonmanagers’ perceptions were found. Findings also indicated that crowdsourcing was an effective tool with high participation rates and positive comments in the qualitative analysis. This research demonstrated the continuing need for further research on the impacts of strategic planning and on the use and effectiveness of crowdsourcing.