Digital growth is giving us growing pains in my department. I'm hiring new editors while at the same time shifting responsibilities for existing staff. The result isn't quite chaos. But it's getting too close for comfort. My deputy found WDPC on the internet and suggested they might be able to give us a solution. When I talked with them I was gratified to hear that we are not alone in facing these problems. Even better, I was glad to hear that they had remedies for us to use. They explained that we actually had two separate problems. We were bringing in new people into new roles that were not well defined. That left them finding their way in the dark. Not a good situation. With the existing staff it was slightly different. They were coping with me requiring them to change the way they do their jobs. The solution WDPC recommended for the new hires is to have an employee manual to orient them to our publication and the process we go through in creating editorial content. They said having concise job descriptions and performance standards are a must. Actually they said we should have both for the existing staff as well. WDPC emphasized that frequent feedback in a confidential setting would go a long way. They explained that a change in work routines can be very unsettling for the current staffers. People can naturally resist the imposition of change. WDPC's solution is to involve the existing staff in the decision making process. The idea is to give them insight into why things have to change. My managerial style was called into question by WDPC. They thought I was being too autocratic and suggested a more interactive leadership style. To my surprise they asked me to read Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech as a model for visionary leadership. I've read it now and can see what they mean. I'm still in the process of implementing all the WDPC recommendations. But I've got to say I'm encouraged that I'm finally on the right track.