Pitkin County, Colorado, encompasses Aspen, an international tourism destination. The County has been vulnerable to uneven tourism activity with consequent fluctuating flows in sales tax revenue, which makes up approximately one-third of the County’s income. Pitkin County partnered with Innes Strategy and TechSolve to ensure our culture and processes were agile and efficient in times of economic change.

The County worked first with Innes Strategy to lay a foundation for change by evaluating and understanding the culture of the organization. Utilizing online surveys, staff interviews, focus groups on staff satisfaction and culture along with a 360° departmental performance review, Innes identified the willingness and momentum of staff to change. Innes also worked with staff to develop an action plan targeting a “win-win” outcome of enhanced organizational effectiveness with increased staff satisfaction in times of economic stress.

This case study was submitted to the Alliance for Innovation for consideration at the 2010 Transforming Local Government conference.