When Governor Dayton announced the Better Government for a Better Minnesota initiative, he recognized that government could not keep doing things the same old way. More than just an initiative, the commitment to making continuous improvements to how the state does business is a core value of Governor Dayton’s administration.

That commitment is paying off. Today, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal reported some of the successes of the state’s partnerships with the business community:

To date, the state has trained more than 5,000 employees from 23 state agencies, 20 counties and four cities through its lean-management program. It also has hosted roughly 250 “kaisen” events where government employees come together to brainstorm problems and ideas for how to fix them. Officials estimate that each meeting generates $90,000 in savings, primarily by eliminating needless work for staffers — a projection that would put the total savings at approximately $22.5 million over the life of the program.

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