ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. -- A Lunch and Learn event, hosted by Jay Carr, executive director, Army Contracting Command-Rock Island, was held in the Lock and Dam Lounge, April 12.
The event focused on candid discussion on three topics that have been consistently mentioned during the past year's human capital initiatives as areas of concern: favoritism/nepotism; leadership accountability; and communication.
Carr opened up to the floor early on in the event to hear peoples' thoughts. A lot of the conversation centered on the perception of favoritism in performance and promotion process.
"The common theme centers on trust and communication," said Carr. "When we start talking about favoritism in the organization, I'm not naïve. I understand there is a perception of favoritism in the organization."
At one point in the discussion, Carr asked all those present to raise their hands if they believe they are in their current position due to favoritism. No one raised their hand.
"There is no place for favoritism in this organization that isn't based on merit," said Carr. "If it is based on a friendship or nepotism, that's unacceptable."
Carr said the issues facing ACC-RI are present -- if not prevalent -- at similar organizations. In addition to building trust in each other and the processes, everyone holding themselves to a high standard is crucial.
"We are all accountable for our own actions," said Carr. "If everyone is doing what they need to at their level, the organization will get better. It isn't going to happen overnight and we can't lose sight of that, but I do know this can't be the last time that we talk about negative issues."
Since the internal promotion process was a main focus during the event, the upcoming May 2 town hall will detail that processes for employees who may not understand it.
"We need to make sure the process is solid enough and communicated well enough that even if someone isn't selected, they feel they were given a fair shake and ultimately have trust that the process works," said Carr. "You might not like the outcome, but can you live with the process."
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