Change management (participation, training, and documentation at the NLRB)

A report issued in 1999 by the Office of the General Counsel for the National Labor Relations [www.lawmemo.com/nlrb/gchighlights.htm] can instruct any law department in how to inculcate new behavior.

Make sure you use a participatory process to study the problem and devise a solution. [See my contemporaneous post on how the NLRB created a tier system for handling certain charges.] Create a team with representatives from the group or groups that will need to change.

Second, invest amply in training, so that whoever needs to change gets guidance through the slough of despond that comes with breaking molds The NLRB spent time training people, who then went forth and trained others.

Third, codify the new practice and the questions it frequently raises. A manual, ideally on an intranet for ease of making additions, helps as do crib sheets and reminders, such as by e-mail.