In the complex world of public health, effective communication, and strong leadership are not just desirable but essential. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), serving a population of nearly 5 million residents, recognized this crucial need and embarked on an ambitious journey to transform its organizational culture.

With a workforce of 2,500 to 3,000 employees spread across the state, ADPH faced the daunting task of improving internal dynamics, enhancing inter-agency cooperation, and ultimately providing better service to the people of Alabama.

This is the story of how ADPH, in partnership with TrainSMART, leveraged the power of DiSC® profiles to revolutionize their workplace dynamics and set a new standard for public health administration.

The Challenge: A Call for Organizational Change

Like many large public sector organizations, ADPH grappled with a range of challenges that impacted its effectiveness:

  1. Communication Barriers: Clear and effective communication was often a struggle with thousands of employees across various departments and locations. Even more daunting is having to meet the public’s expectations for provided services.
  2. Interdepartmental Friction: Silos between different units hindered collaboration and efficient service delivery.
  3. External Relations: Interactions with other state and federal agencies were sometimes strained, affecting the department’s ability to coordinate comprehensive public health initiatives.
  4. Employee Turnover: High turnover rates were impacting continuity and institutional knowledge.
  5. Low Morale: The cumulative effect of these challenges was taking a toll on employee satisfaction and engagement.

ADPH leadership recognized that addressing these issues required more than just procedural changes—it called for a fundamental shift in how their employees understood themselves and interacted with others.

The Solution: TrainSMART’s Comprehensive Approach

Enter TrainSMART, a leading provider of corporate performance improvement solutions. Recognizing the unique needs of ADPH, TrainSMART designed a multi-faceted training program centered around the Everything DiSC® family of profiles. This approach was chosen for its proven track record in improving workplace dynamics across various industries.

TrainSMART’s solution consisted of three key components:

  1. Customized Workshop Design: TrainSMART developed three instructor-led workshops tailored to ADPH’s specific needs and challenges.
  2. Train-the-Trainer Model: TrainSMART conducted Train-the-Trainer (TTT) sessions for ADPH’s Training Department trainers and select Human Resource staff to ensure sustainable, long-term impact.
  3. Ongoing Support: TrainSMART provided continued guidance to ensure smooth implementation and address any challenges during the rollout, including the management of ADPH’s Electronic Profile Information Center (EPIC) interface.

The Workshops: A Deep Dive into Personal and Professional Development

TrainSMART designed three distinct workshops, each leveraging a specific DiSC® profile to address different aspects of ADPH’s organizational needs:

1. Understanding Yourself

Profile Used: Everything DiSC® Workplace Profile

Target Audience: All ADPH staff

This foundational workshop was designed to help every ADPH employee better understand themselves, their co-workers, and their clients. By exploring their own DiSC® style and learning about others, participants could:

  • Recognize their strengths and potential blind spots
  • Appreciate the value of diverse working styles
  • Adapt their communication approach for more effective interactions

2. Difficult People

Profile Used: Everything DiSC® Agile EQ Profile

Target Audience: All ADPH staff

This workshop tackled one of the most common challenges in any workplace: dealing with difficult people. By focusing on emotional intelligence, the workshop helped participants:

  • Identify personal emotional triggers
  • Develop strategies for managing challenging interactions
  • Improve relationships with clients, other agencies, and internal staff

3. Leading Others (Being implemented)

Profile Used: Everything DiSC® Management Profile

Target Audience: Senior leadership, managers, supervisors, and team leads

Recognizing the crucial role of leadership in driving organizational change, this workshop provided ADPH’s leaders with tools to:

  • Maximize their management style
  • Improve directing and delegating skills
  • Motivate staff to enhance performance
  • Develop others effectively
  • Work more productively with their managers

Implementation: Scaling Change Across a Large Organization

Implementing such a comprehensive training program across a large, geographically dispersed organization presented its challenges. TrainSMART’s Train-the-Trainer approach proved invaluable in this regard:

  1. Capacity Building: By training ADPH’s trainers and HR staff, TrainSMART ensured that the department had the internal capacity to deliver high-quality delivery consistently.
  2. Customization: ADPH trainers, armed with deep knowledge of their organization, could tailor examples and discussions to resonate with their specific audience.
  3. Sustainability: This approach allowed ADPH to continue offering the workshops to new employees and provide refresher courses as needed, without ongoing external support.
  4. Cost-Effectiveness: While the initial investment in TrainSMART’s expertise was significant, the Train-the-Trainer model provided a cost-effective way to reach all 2,500-3,000 employees.

The DiSC® Difference: A Common Language for Transformation

At the heart of TrainSMART’s solution was the Everything DiSC® family of profiles. These tools provided several key advantages:

  1. Scientific Validity: Based on decades of research, DiSC® offers a reliable framework for understanding behavioral differences.
  2. Simplicity: The four DiSC® styles (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness) are easy to understand and remember, making the lessons stick.
  3. Non-Judgmental Approach: DiSC® emphasizes that all styles have strengths and challenges, promoting acceptance of diversity.
  4. Practical Application: Each profile provides actionable strategies for improving interactions with different styles.
  5. Consistency: Using DiSC® across all three workshops created a common language and framework throughout the organization.

Early Signs of Success: Transforming ADPH’s Culture

While comprehensive data on the program’s long-term impact is still being gathered, early anecdotal evidence suggests significant positive changes within ADPH:

  1. Improved Communication: Employees report feeling more understood and better able to express their needs and ideas.
  2. Enhanced Collaboration: Interdepartmental projects run more smoothly as team members leverage their understanding of different working styles.
  3. Leadership Growth: Managers receive positive feedback on their improved ability to delegate, provide feedback, and motivate their teams.
  4. Conflict Reduction: There’s a noticeable decrease in interpersonal conflicts as employees apply their new skills in managing complex interactions.
  5. Increased Engagement: Participation in departmental initiatives and cross-functional teams has increased, suggesting higher client and staff engagement levels.

Lessons for Other Organizations

ADPH’s experience offers valuable insights for other large organizations, particularly in the public sector, looking to drive significant cultural change:

  1. Invest in Self-Awareness: Understanding oneself is the first step to improving interactions with others. ADPH’s “Understanding Yourself” workshop laid a crucial foundation for all subsequent improvements.
  2. Address Pain Points Directly: By tackling the challenge of “difficult people” head-on, ADPH demonstrated its commitment to improving day-to-day working conditions for all employees.
  3. Empower Leadership: The “Leading Others” workshop recognized the crucial role of leaders in driving and sustaining organizational change.
  4. Create a Common Language: The consistent use of DiSC® across all workshops provided a shared vocabulary for discussing behavioral styles and strategies for improvement.
  5. Plan for Scale: The Train-the-Trainer model allowed ADPH to roll out the program efficiently across a large, dispersed workforce.
  6. Customize Content: While leveraging established tools like DiSC®, TrainSMART ensured that the content was tailored to ADPH’s specific needs and challenges.
  7. Commit to Long-Term Change: By investing in training its own trainers, ADPH demonstrated its commitment to making lasting cultural changes.

The Road Ahead: Sustaining Momentum

As ADPH continues to roll out these workshops and integrate DiSC® principles into its operations, several key focus areas have emerged:

  1. Ongoing Measurement: Developing metrics to quantify employee satisfaction, turnover rates, and interdepartmental collaboration improvements.
  2. Integration with HR Processes: Incorporating DiSC® insights into hiring, onboarding, and performance review processes.
  3. Extended Applications: Exploring how DiSC® principles can be applied to improve public and government agency interactions.
  4. Refresher Courses: Planning periodic refresher sessions to reinforce key concepts and address new challenges as they arise.
  5. Leadership Development: Expanding on the “Leading Others” workshop to create a comprehensive leadership development program.

Conclusion: A Model for Public Sector Transformation

The Alabama Department of Public Health’s journey with TrainSMART and the Everything DiSC® profiles is a powerful example of how investing in employee development can transform a large public sector organization. By focusing on self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and effective leadership, ADPH has taken significant steps toward creating a more engaged, collaborative, and effective workforce.

As public health challenges continue to evolve and grow in complexity, the importance of having a well-functioning, adaptable organization becomes ever more critical. ADPH’s proactive approach to improving its internal dynamics positions it to serve the people of Alabama better and potentially serve as a model for other public health departments nationwide.

The success of this initiative underscores a crucial lesson for all organizations: your people are your most valuable asset. Investing in their development and providing them with tools to understand themselves and others better, you unlock tremendous potential for positive change. As ADPH has shown, even the largest and most complex organizations can transform their culture and enhance their effectiveness with the right approach and commitment.

In an era where public trust in institutions is more important than ever, ADPH’s efforts to improve its internal functioning will likely translate into better service delivery and increased public confidence. It’s a powerful reminder that organizational change while challenging, is both possible and essential for any institution committed to excellence in public service.