Former Minnesotan describes LASC human resources role as the Super Bowl

In the early 20th century, after the Industrial Revolution in America had been in full swing for at least a generation, a funny thing happened: the "HR" department went from "human resources" to "human resource development". At the time, "scientific management" techniques in the workplace, associated with Frederick W. Taylor, were all the rage. Engineers ran around factories with measuring tapes and stopwatches, breaking complex tasks into smaller, repetitive tasks which could be extracted from workers with great efficiency. Think Henry Ford, interchangeable parts, interchangeable workers and mind-numbing assembly lines.

But some big thinkers at the Hawthorne facility of Western Electric in Cicero, Illinois had another idea. They wanted to inspire company loyalty, discourage high employee turnover and unionization, and present a good face to the public. This required their considering worker well-being which, in turn, applied behavioral, social and medical sciences - not just scientific production efficiency. And, not incidentally, it also involved paying workers more money. Thus did the so-called Hawthorne Experiments commence a revolution in the workplace. Human resource development was premised on (1) treating workers well as individuals; (2) promoting positive group values and relationships in the workplace (harnessing the human instinct for forming cliques and turning it into teamwork); (3) ensuring effective management and supervision (authoritarianism out, participatory leadership in); and (4) establishing effective organizational conditions (safe workplaces, enhancing leadership skills, and aligning management and worker incentives).

Why am I telling you all this, you ask? Because, a century later, it is a useful backdrop to understand the work of our next most important person you have never heard of at the Los Angeles Superior Court (LASC), Nancy Griffin, who carries the title, Chief Deputy, Human Resources & Development. Let us not forget that the LASC (purveyor of justice and symbol of the third branch of a democratic government), is also a workplace for some 5,500 persons every day - placing it among the largest employers in Los Angeles County (about the same rank as Bank of America, Costco and Amgen). Nancy leads a team of 97 HR professionals and reports directly to the Court's Executive Officer, David Slayton.

Nancy's job description has many of the expected elements, no doubt familiar to you labor lawyers out there: leadership and management of the LASC's Human Resources Administration Department, which includes recruiting, labor relations, benefits and retirement, learning and development, and classification and compensation. But with echoes of the Hawthorne Experiments ringing in our ears, Nancy also tells us that she sees her job as "promoting workplace transformation initiatives, including culture change and employee engagement." Transformation of a workplace culture (oh no, not change!) for enhanced employee engagement is not a modest goal. Try it for yourself sometime in your firm or company, and tell me how that worked out for you.

The LASC workforce is predominantly unionized and Nancy is also in charge of what is traditionally called "labor relations", administering 10 collective bargaining agreements with representatives of various labor partners. Nancy's job here includes overseeing negotiations, building, maintaining, and promoting positive relationships with the union representatives, and conducting meetings and conferences over impact, grievances and related policies. Let's hear what Nancy has to say.

Nancy, what's new at the LASC?

(Laughs.) We're hiring big-time and it's a great place to work, but that's not new.

You grew up in Minnesota, spent time fishing with your dad in an ice-house on Lake Minnetonka, and were the Director of Human Resources & Development for the Minnesota Judicial Branch, which has 3,300 employees, 320 judges and 106 workplaces. Is there anything to this "Minnesota nice" business?

The best answer to that is found in the movie "Fargo," which both portrays and busts the myth of Minnesota nice. Remember the woodchipper scene? Minnesota nice is a caricature which has some minimal basis in reality. And no, I didn't only eat "hot dish" casseroles growing up. Look, I think there are lots of very nice people in California, too. Californians are maybe a little bit more outspoken in the first instance than in Blue Earth, Minnesota [interviewer's note: home of the statue of the Jolly Green Giant], but I'm good with that. I love it here. I live in a fantastic neighborhood and I have my own avocado tree. And it is so much warmer!

Your current employer has more employees and judicial officers than the entire Judicial Branch of the State of Minnesota.

Yeah, I noticed that too. That's why I jumped at the job when it was offered in 2016. At the intersection of HR and court systems, the LASC is the Super Bowl.

Nancy, big picture: HR, boring, right?

Only if you literally know nothing about it. How can it be boring? People are never boring. Look at what we are doing. Our HR teams are creating the 21st century workplace, dealing with human potential, human aspiration, human skill development, diversity and equity in the workplace, and constantly inventing new methods of achieving the LASC's mission. We operate in the fraught interface between technology and humanity - a work in progress for the world for the past 25 years. If we do our jobs right, our friends and colleagues at the LASC experience a sense of purpose, belonging and satisfaction in the activities that occupy most of their waking hours. If we are less than successful, we run the risk of our colleagues experiencing frustration, fatigue and burnout. You mentioned the Hawthorne Experiments and the lessons learned about workforce well-being. That thinking still resonates today, especially post-pandemic. I'm not bored by these topics.

What verbs do you most associate with your work?

Seriously, that's your question? (Laughs again.) OK: "recruit, hire, train and develop." Those verbs apply to one of the most basic functions captured by my title, "human resources development." Then there's "manage" - a bland verb which does not do justice to its scope. A manager envisions goals, innovates, enhances efficiency and provides leadership. I try to do these things with a light touch so that the skills and abilities of others are recognized, welcomed and have room to flourish. A good manager knows that she doesn't know everything and makes plenty of space for other voices. Last verb: "support", again a word that does not capture its breadth. HR "supports" the entire LASC workforce relative to all the ins and outs of administration of the workplace, again so that our employees can focus on their jobs and know the Court cares about them as individuals, with aspirations and unique contributions, not just "workers." As the senior manager of the HR function, I see my job also as supporting the nearly 100 of us in HR. It is a stressful, hard job sometimes. Hard choices to be made, hard conversations to be had. We can count on having each other's backs - "support" is too tepid a word for such a valuable thing.

Tell me about HR and COVID at the LASC?

I think I can only tell you some of that story because we are still engaged in the consequences of COVID in the workplace, including our unique workplace. When the first pandemic in a hundred years shut down our society and impacted institutions like the LASC, which as the third branch of government did not have the option to shut down, there was no playbook. Certain assumptions about the nature of work and our workplace were so basic and obvious in February 2020 that we hadn't ever questioned them - such as, our jobs exist at desks in the courthouses, we commute there five days a week and we can speak to one another face-to-face without fear of contracting a deadly disease. By late March 2020, all those assumptions were out the window. Things that were unthinkable a month earlier not only were thinkable but mission-critical, such as thousands of employees suddenly were working...from home! I think it was truly a finest hour moment for our executive team, human resources and our entire workforce, and I will be forever proud and humbled to have played a role. COVID opened our minds to new ways to work and access the court, and we're still applying lessons learned.

Put on your career coach hat. What advice do you have for career development at the LASC?

On this, I have a strong opinion. It is: go for it! That means, ask your manager to be a partner in your development. Ask for feedback about how you can advance and set yourself apart. Ask for an informational interview with a court manager in a leadership position that you have interest in learning about. Be curious. Pick people's brains about what they do and what they like about their job. Ask for feedback and specific steps you can take to gain knowledge and experience and how they got to where they are. Consider developing your professional knowledge and skills outside of work hours. Community colleges offer short certificate programs and there are many free or low-cost online learning platforms such as Coursera. I believe LinkedIn Learn is available through public libraries. Read business journals, e.g. Harvard Business Review, and develop a perspective on leadership, strategy, innovation and technology. Don't give up after a turn-down. Be diligent. Consider asking the HR recruiter for feedback about your interview if you didn't get the job. I think you have to dream it to believe it.

Last words?

Readers might consider a vacation in Minnesota in the summer. There are over 10,000 lakes. It's lovely. Bring mosquito repellent.