WIRED Initiative, Partner Survey, local governments

ETA-9145 OMB Control No. 1205-XXXX

Expiration Date xx/xx/20xx

WIRED Partner Survey

This survey is designed to collect information about efforts to increase collaboration in your community between research, education, economic development and workforce development systems. The U.S. Department of Labor has provided funding to support such collaboration, through the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative, in order to increase your community’s economic competitiveness in the global marketplace. This survey is intended to assess the degree and type of collaboration between partners and other stakeholders that is taking place in your region. We have sent you this survey because your organization has been identified as a collaborator or potential participant in this regional economic transformation effort. If you are not participating in collaborative efforts to transform your region’s economy, or WIRED in particular, please answer the first five questions. Please note that the WIRED initiative in your region may be called “_________________________” or “____________________________.”

Disclosure Statement

Your responses will help us better understand these collaborative efforts. Individual responses will not be attributed to specific individuals or organizations. Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes. The reports prepared from this survey will summarize findings across the sample and individual forms will not be available to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

Public Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, persons are not required to respond to this collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number and expiration date. Responding to this questionnaire is voluntary. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate to the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Policy Development and Research, Room N5641, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20210.

Do NOT send the completed questionnaire to this address.

Background:

1. Name of Your Organization: ____________________________ Zip Code: _______________

2. Type of Organization: [CHECK ONLY ONE]

• 1. Business or Industry Association

• 2. For-Profit Business

• 3. State Workforce Investment Board

• 4. Local Workforce Investment Board

• 5. State Workforce Agency

• 6. Other Workforce & Training Organization

• 7. State Economic Development Agency

• 8. Local Economic Development Agency

• 9. Regional Economic Development Agency

• 10. Business Incubator

• 11. Investor (including Banks and Venture Capital Firms)

• 12. Research Institution (University or Private)

• 13. Education (K-12, College)

• 14. Foundation

• 15. Labor Organization

• 16. Media

• 17. Local Elected Official

• 18. Other Government Agency [specify] ____________________________

• 19. Other Nonprofit or Faith/Community-Based Organization

• 20. Other [specify] ____________________________

3. Your Job Title: ____________________________

4. Organizational Role – Which of the following best describes your role in your organization?

[CHECK ONLY ONE]

• Strategist/Visionary Leader, Decision-Maker – Examples: WIRED Leadership, President/CEO, Executive Director, Board of Directors, Chancellor, Benefactor and Foundation, Civic Leader

• Implementer/Manager/Administrator with authority to make things happen – Examples: WIRED Program Managers, Partner Organization Manager, Manager of Operations, Mid-Level Manager, Division Head, College Dean

• General Staff/Doers conducting day-to-day business of the organization – Examples: Front Line Employee, Staff, Clerical, Professor, Service Staff, Instructor, Trainer

5. Within the past 12 months, how often have you played the following different roles in efforts to increase collaboration for transforming your region?	[CHECK ONLY ONE]
	Often	Occasionally	Never
a) Attend meetings regularly
b) Talk at meetings (make comments, express ideas, etc.)
c) Serve as a member of an action committee or task force
d) Assist in selecting recipients of funds
e) Communicate with external constituencies/media
f) Provide access to resources
g) Help organize activities (other than meetings)
h) Participate in the implementation of a program associated with regional transformation or the WIRED initiative
i) Chair/lead a committee or sub-group
j) Facilitate group process (e.g., team-building, conflict resolution, visioning, consensus-building, etc.)
k) Write grant proposals/raise funds
l) Other: (please describe)___________________________ _________________________________________________
Some or all of these activities are related to the WIRED initiative.
None of the above. I do not participate in or am not familiar with collaborative efforts to transform my region’s economy [go to Question #5A]

5A. [only for those who answered “none of the above” to #5] Which of the following best describes why you do not participate in efforts to transform your region’s economy, and economic and workforce development systems? [CHECK ONLY ONE]

• My organization or I participated in the past but no longer do so because [please explain]:

________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________[Skip to Question 13]

• My organization was contacted and invited to participate but chose not to because [please explain]:

______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________[Skip to Question 13]

• My organization has never been contacted or invited to participate. I think the reason for this is because [please explain]:

_________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________[Skip to Question 13]

• Other:

________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________[Skip to Question 13]

6. Which of the following best describes your role in the governance of regional transformation efforts, including the WIRED initiative? [CHECK ONLY ONE]



• Part of formal leadership structure

• Provide leadership for a subregion, specific activity, community, or project as part of efforts to transform our region, including through the WIRED initiative

• Provide leadership for a subregion, specific activity, community, or project that is not part of the WIRED initiative, so far as I know

• Other involvement in governance or leadership [please describe]: _____________________________

• No significant role in the governance or leadership of regional transformation initiative(s). Participant in only a small part of such an initiative and am not familiar with all of the activities in the region

7. Which of the following best describes the extent of awareness throughout your organization of the efforts to transform your region? [CHECK ONLY ONE]

• A few key senior leadership staff participate in efforts to transform our region, but most of the organization is unfamiliar with such efforts

• A few mid-level managers and/or line staff participate in the initiative, but most of the organization is unfamiliar with such efforts

• Staff members of my organization are generally aware of efforts to transform our region, including through the WIRED initiative

• Familiarity with efforts to transform our region is widespread throughout the organization

• I do not know the extent of awareness of regional transformation efforts throughout my organization

8. Thinking back to 2006, to what extent would you say you agree or disagree with the following statements about your region: [CHECK ONLY ONE]	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
a) Agencies in our community had a history of working together.
b) People and organizations in our region had trust in one another.
c) The political and social climate seemed to be "right" for starting a collaborative project related to regional transformation.

Collaboration:

For the following question, we use the term “collaborative” to refer to the formal or informal network of organizations and individuals working together on activities aimed at transforming the regional economy and the economic and workforce development systems, including the WIRED initiative.

9. At the present, to what extent would you say you agree or disagree with the following statements about efforts to transform your region’s economic competitiveness: [CHECK ONLY ONE]	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
a) My organization is benefiting from being involved in regional transformation efforts.
b) Most people involved in efforts to achieve regional transformation are willing to compromise on important aspects of our joint efforts.
c) Most people in this collaborative group have a clear sense of their roles and responsibilities.
d) Most people in this collaborative group communicate openly with one another.
e) The collaborative group is open to "out-of-the-box" thinking where diverse and unique ideas are highly valued.
f) Most members of the collaborative group have a high degree of tolerance for risk-taking and change.
g) The partners in this collaboration have a clear process for making group decisions.
h) This collaborative group is able to adapt to changing conditions, such as changes in political climate, business climate, or leadership.
i) Our collaborative group has adequate "people power" to do what it wants to accomplish.
j) The level of commitment among the collaborative participants is consistently high.
k) Resources (time, money, materials, staff, space, etc.) are shared among groups/organizations.
l) The collaborative group includes a diverse range of stakeholders involved in many different aspects of regional transformation.
m) All the most important stakeholders are involved in the collaborative process.
n) My involvement (and/or that of my organization) in this collaborative effort is increasing over time.
o) My organization has committed substantial resources to this collaborative effort.
p) Significant cross-industry networks are developing in this region.
q) Valuable cross-professional networks are developing in this region.
r) Collaboration has resulted in leveraging new sources of funds beyond those used in the past for these kinds of efforts.
s) I feel optimistic about our ability to improve the job skills of our regional workforce.
t) I feel optimistic about the future of our regional economy.

10. The following are different levels or stages of collaboration. Which best describes the current status of collaborative efforts in which your organization participates to further the goals of increasing regional competitiveness? [CHECK ONLY ONE]

• 1. Co-Existence: Entities are aware of each other, but have no prior history of interaction and know little about each other’s composition or way of conducting business.

• 2. Communication: Entities know of each other, have some history of interaction and know the basics of each other’s composition or way of conducting business. Communication is informal, without commonly defined mission, form, or planning.

• 3. Coordination: Entities have committed to sharing resources in order to accomplish shared goals, and have implemented activities that depend upon these shared resources. Few changes have been made in how core businesses operate, however, and limited sharing of information or decision-making occurs outside the area of coordination.

• 4. Cooperation: Entities have established policies and practices that involve ongoing exchange of information integrated into routine practice/business. They negotiate mutual roles and share resources to achieve joint goals. Collaborating organizations have shared interests, joint decision-making, and integrated efforts.

• 5. Collaboration: Entities have engaged in shared planning and decision making that is taken seriously in the business decisions of each entity – such that each entity is willing to change its practices to achieve a shared goal. Authority is vested in the collaborative – rather than in individuals or an individual agency.

11. In which of the following collaborative functions do you or others in your organization participate in the context of efforts to increase your region’s economic viability? [CHECK ALL THAT APPLY]

• Strategic Planning: Collaboratively assessing community needs and current policies and programs, establishing common goals, sharing data on skills or industry shortages or gaps and regional resources, identifying initiatives and future actions, or developing a common strategic plan that captures areas of mutual interest.

• Resource Acquisition: Coordinating or even combining resource acquisition efforts.

• Resource Allocation: Jointly allocating resources to address common goals.

• Policy and Program Direction: Developing a common framework of policy and program direction.

• Staff Training: Collaboratively training staff in new policies or program directions associated with regional transformation.

• Program Operations: Modifying program operations to adapt to new policies or program directions associated with regional transformation.

• Information Dissemination: Disseminating information specifically about regional transformation efforts, or about different activities associated with aligning resources and systems, using a common message, jointly sponsoring dissemination activity, or otherwise collaborating on dissemination efforts.

• Community Representation: Collaboratively soliciting input from the community or otherwise representing the initiative with a common message or with a shared identity as a region, as WIRED or ________________(regional brand) or as related activity.

• Community Leadership: Collaborating on efforts to exercise community leadership, reaching out into the community to build support for agency efforts and raise awareness of available services.

• Program Evaluation: Collaborating on evaluation efforts, including sharing evaluation results, reviewing evaluation procedures, developing shared evaluation guidelines, and/or conducting formal joint evaluations.

Social Networking:

12. An important part of the evaluation’s efforts is observing and documenting the formation or continuation of communication links among partners and collaborators in the WIRED regions. For five individuals with whom you have significant contact in the context of efforts to transform your region: Please give us names, organizational affiliations, zip code, type of organization, organizational role, and frequency of contact (per week, month, or year). [SEE NEXT PAGE]

WIRED Social Network Data Sheet		Region:			Date:
Please name 5 individuals (outside of your own organization) with whom you have significant contact in the context of the WIRED initiative. (Significant contact includes meaningful and important contact, not necessarily the most frequent contact): See codes below for type of organization and level in organization
	Name	Organization		Job Title	Type of Org.	Level in Org.	Frequency of Contact
1							___ per  week  month  year
2							___ per  week  month  year
3							___ per  week  month  year
4							___ per  week  month  year
5							___ per  week  month  year
Code	Type of Organization	Type of Organization	Code	Level in Organization	Examples of this Level
1	Business & Industry Association	Education (K-12, College)	13	Strategists/Visionaries: leaders, decision-makers	WIRED Leadership, Presidents, C.E.O.’s, Upper Level Managers, Executive Directors, Board of Directors, Benefactors and Foundations, Civic Leaders, Chancellor
2	For Profit Business	Foundation	14
3	State Workforce investment Board	Labor Organization	15
4	Local Workforce Investment Board	Media	16
5	State Workforce Investment Agency	Local Elected Official	17
6	Other Workforce & Training Org.	Other Government Agency	18	Implementers/Managers/Administrators: with authority to make things happen	WIRED Program Managers, Partner Organization Mangers, Director of Operations, Mid-level Management, Division Heads, College Dean
7	State Economic Develop. Agency	Faith- or Community-Based Nonprofit	19
8	Local Economic Develop. Agency	Other	20
9	Regional Economic Develop. Agency
10	Business Incubator
11	Investor			General Staff/Doers: conduct day-to-day business of the organization	First Line Employees, Staff, Clerical and Supporting, Professors, Program Delivery Personnel, Instructors, Trainers
12	Research Institution (University or Private)

13. Please share any other comments or insights you have about regional transformation activities and/or specifically the WIRED initiative in your region, your role, the involvement of other partners, and your predictions for its success:

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