SCALE AT SPEED
A Communications Team Stands Up a New Program Overnight
Challenge
One of the largest transportation networks in the country was in crisis. After decades of leadership with almost no oversight – and as criminal investigations into his alleged misconduct began to mount – the authority’s executive director resigned unexpectedly hours before the entity’s board planned to vote on terminating his contract. In the weeks that followed, the authority confronted a surge of complaints and other sudden challenges from internal and external stakeholders questioning the integrity and effectiveness of its practices and operations. The board decided to create an Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Action
At the time, I led the communications team for the firm selected to serve as the interim OIG over an 18-month engagement. The client charged us with investigating allegations of fraud, waste and abuse across the agency and gave us jurisdiction over entity and its board members, officers, employees, contracts and others doing business with it. The communications team served a critical role in winning this work by authoring a 60-page thought leadership white paper on how to stand up an OIG program, based on research, interviews with retired OIG leaders and other experts and our own senior experts’ experience leading hundreds of investigations over their careers. Other key communications deliverables included print, website and email marketing collateral to increase awareness of the OIG’s activities across the agency and all passengers as well as executive briefs to the board on strategic issues and full-color annual and semi-annual reports that were released to the public.
Impact
The agency weathered the crisis. Every complaint reviewed by the OIG received a fair review. Where appropriate, files were passed directly to federal and state law enforcement authorities. Stakeholders from employees to riders found a voice in the OIG’s communications. Employees began to accept and expect this new culture of integrity. And management gained independent insight untarnished by a conflict of interest. Several months later, this ability to stand up a critical new practice overnight resulted in a new contract: this time for OIG services supporting the Department of Defense.