The Fellowship of RAA:
The RAA Employee Retreat

by Vincent Lau

In the beginning of two thousand and four, when dragons and giant eagles no longer took flight, a gathering of mythical unification occurred in the grant lands known as Washington. They came to confer upon that which affects their lives and their fortitude, a force which every living soul holds dear – the 2003 Employee Survey.

Research Accounting and Analysis (RAA) comprises Grant and Contract Accounting (GCA) and Management Accounting and Analysis (MAA). The gathering was held at the Waterfront Activities Center in January 2004. It was modeled on similar retreats held by Student Fiscal Services and Financial Services (for details, please see the winter 2004 issue of Directions).

Debby Seaman, an outside consultant from Seaman & Associates, began the retreat with an ice breaker called Winning Colors. This exercise is similar to the Myers Briggs personality indicator but it uses four colors and roles to categorize participants. Debby provided insight about “flexing” and how it enables a more productive working environment. The four color categories used to classify various styles are: red (adventurer), brown (builder), green (planner), and blue (relater). Each category has its own strengths and its weaknesses.

The dialogue for the afternoon consisted of three sessions where participants selected from five topics: Leadership & Planning, Employees’ Role, Teamwork & Cooperation, Working Conditions, and Immediate Supervisor.

FM facilitators began each session by highlighting the survey results followed by brainstorming of how these results might manifest itself in the workplace. The group then voted on those points which they felt struck at the heart of the matter. Throughout this discussion, the leaders were asked to do the same, but were separated from the staff.

At the end of the discussion, management and staff reconvened as the facilitators highlighted the results to the entire group. To ensure that everyone’s voice was heard, another vote was taken. Every person voted on those sections which RAA would concentrate on first. Three teams will be assembled to tackle the following topics:

• Employees’ Role-this team will tackle issues like improving our website, defining our job duties and making expectations more clear.

• Teamwork & Cooperation-this team will work on issues including employee workload, cross training and goal-setting.

• Working Conditions-this team will address physical working conditions such as building issues, file maintenance and improving access to financial data.

RAA would like to thank all those that help make this possible. Our facilitators included Peggy Fitzwater (SFS), Kyra Worrell (SFS), Karem Martinez (FS), Anita Bingaman (Payroll), Tom Phillips (FA), Karen Crowder (FM), and Debby Seaman. Also, thanks to our friends in SFS and FS in sharing their insight on the logistics of the event. This event was organized by RAA staff members and they did a great job!

Let history show, that in the year of two thousand four,
RAA enters the era of prosperity and fellowship.