Governments today, regardless of size, location, or services delivered are facing the same challenges to their continued ability to operate effectively.  One approach to reversing these challenges and their impact on our ability to work is to follow the principles of the High Performance Organization (HPO) Model developed by the Commonwealth Centers for High Performance Organizations and taught at the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia. 

High performance organizations do not compromise or trade off service quality, customer value or financial performance.  HPO is defined as the simultaneous delivery of high product and service quality, outstanding customer value and sound financial performance.  It is critical that all three of these variables are delivered at the same time. 

While the HPO model features many components, there are three basic assumptions that can really help to enhance employee engagement and address the fiscal and management constraints that we all face today.  These include:

  1. Recognizing that work has changed over time.
  2. The need to focus on developing the culture of our organizations.
  3. Building organizational capacity through the use of employee teams.

After studying this historical perspective on work, it appeared to the City of Montgomery that the Networked Talent Model made sense in our environment of ever-increasing demands by customer, financial constraints, and ever-increasing technology, and to pursue this, it became apparent that it needed to focus on its most important resource— employees from the front line to the most senior executive. 

This case study will explore the steps taken by the City of Montgomery to “retool” its employee appraisal system to develop employees to guide and encourage higher employee performance.  This includes creative work with human resource tools including job descriptions, performance appraisals, pay for performance, collaborative goal setting, and 360-degree feedback instruments.

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