… demand better representation in Pr. George’s County as part of Change Management for the big pie.

Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk

Upset that there are no Latino members on the newly reconstituted Prince George’s County Board of Education, some Hispanic leaders have demanded that the county devise a plan to increase the number of Hispanics considered for board appointments and county jobs.

Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s) said Hispanic leaders have asked Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) to create a task force to examine whether Hispanics — who make up more than 16 percent of the county’s population and about 25 percent of the school population — are properly represented in the county government and the school system. The task force also would offer recommendations on how to boost the numbers. (Read more Washington post, ~> The sentinel

On the same token, African leaders are requesting County Executive Rushern Baker to consider appointing a few Africans in top positions in the county as part of change management. If you look at the numbers based on the current immigration trends and the students in the schools, Latinos and African students are very high. In this regard, administrators and staff from these groups needs to be considered as part of transformation management to help create a great future for everyone.

“We’ve got to be more competitive in the marketplace by embracing other groups. ” a concerned parent said recently. “It’s mission critical.”

“The community has to have a voice and feel listened to by all concerned. That’s why Latino, African  Communities in PG County needs to be listened to,” Another parent said. “Large school systems, because of their size, feel unfriendly, and we need to work hard against that.”

We still have an achievement gap, and economically disadvantaged students are the most significant group and our greatest challenge,” another parent said recently.  “We should make that a priority as we move forward into the future.”

“It’s unfortunate that the dynamic of the debate like advocating for other groups within the community pits school leaders against advocacy groups. We have to own some of that,” one county staffer said. “We can never forget that we’re about serving young people and what’s best for them. We can never lose sight of the children in all what we do. Besides, this debate is not about who is here illegally or not. It’s about looking out for what is best for the county unto the future.  If we can demand the same of the white people, we should demand the same of each other as minorities in a civil way in order to fight discrimination within the county.

“By educating PG County citizens and American taxpayers about PG County’s long and well-documented history of rewarding failure, we hope to enlist citizen’s help in our quest to end the culture of complacency that is contributing to many of the county’s most serious problems and especially within the schools.”

What we should not miss out are the challenges facing PG County citizens, be it in Largo, Bowie, Capital Heights et al. All the people of PG County want to see is improvement in their personal safety and security, they want their children to access affordable and quality education, and want to live a descent life which embraces diversity as opposed to abject poverty in which the majority live today in isolation.

Yet politicians are only divided when it is time for elections, when their political life is under threat. Once they surmount election hurdles, they unite and vigorously wage fierce battles to fight for their self-interests, emoluments or entitlements.

Paradoxically, this is where the behavior of a politician and a common citizen is at crossroads. The common aspiration of all PG County citizen is to have a prosperous county.  It is on this premise that the Maryland legislature overwhelmingly voted in support of the  HB1107 which sadly is now the center of controversy as some groups attempts to find its true platform in the new legal environment.

Unlike politicians, ordinary citizens are ever divided in matters nation building.

You cannot be mistaken; the PG government is a government managing transition. County Executive Rushern Baker and his cabinet must know they are at a historical high point, overseeing PG County Government moving into the future.

Mr. Rushern Baker’s biggest test is creating a smooth transition within the schools, but if he wants to pass this test, he must persuade every single PG County citizen that he has sincere intentions that transcend his own political interest, for the wellbeing of the County to include other groups into the change management with the New CEO.

If PG County is to attain its aspirations for modernity, its politicians must see value in balancing county and national drivers of growth. This way, they can create enabling environment for Businesses to flourish while embracing other groups as part of the county system.

A weak corporate sector cannot alone drive the county or the national agenda. County governments and private university owners are not going to build and equip excellent engineering and medical schools without proper balance. As the county gets consumed by the frenzied competition on who will commit more resources to the county, the ability of the national government to keep its promise of husbanding transition to a medium income economy starts ringing hollow. On this note, we must play our parts well and demand proper changes from our unions and other players. Success can not come if our institutions are used by some of our leaders for selfish motives.

Successful change management is more likely to occur if the following are included:

1. Benefits management and realization to define measurable stakeholder aims, create a business case for their achievement (which should be continuously updated), and monitor assumptions, risks, dependencies, costs, return on investment, dis-benefits and cultural issues affecting the progress of the associated work
2. Effective communications that informs various stakeholders of the reasons for the change (why?), the benefits of successful implementation (what is in it for us, and you) as well as the details of the change (when? where? who is involved? how much will it cost? etc.)
3. Devise an effective education, training and/or skills upgrading scheme for the organization
4. Counter resistance from the employees of companies and align them to overall strategic direction of the organization
5. Provide personal counseling (if required) to alleviate any change-related fears
6. Monitoring of the implementation and fine-tuning as required

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