Book Review by Greg Stopka, Central Regional Director

Interview by Pamela Muse, Western Regional Director with Craig Kocian, City Manager, City of Arvada, CO

Emergenetics is a personal development tool for understanding human behavior and the unique differences in the way people approach work and life.

One of the best ways to launch a successful Social Media program is to ensure that the program aligns with your organization’s overall mission and strategic objectives. Having the SM team review a management tool such as a balanced scorecard or six sigma initiative is a critical success factor. I have seen many organizations lack this alignment, and this in turn leads to inadequate ROI and a pullback from using SM applications.

The examples in this article demonstrate the impact and importance of utilizing technology to successfully stretch beyond traditional means to tackle challenging problems, build community and foster a civic culture.

In Williamsburg, every other year the council redefines their strategic priorities for the following two years, known as their Biennial Goals, Initiatives and Outcomes (GIO’s). Currently, the GIOs contain 10 general goal statements, about 80 concrete initiatives, and 60 outcome measures and ratings. Initiatives are specific and measurable projects and activities over that advance the goal. Initiatives are not a comprehensive list of services and activities, but rather new actions or changes in direction.

Local government leaders have truly been agonizing over how to balance their budgets, many times dramatically cutting services as times have gotten tough, and wishing they had more – or perhaps better – data about the efficiency, quality, and effectiveness of the services they provide. Many finance officers, city council members, county board members, and citizens wonder how the service performance of their communities actually compares to that of other local governments.

Strategic planning is an important investment for any organization. Great plans that never get implemented are remembered as BAD experiences. The implementation process requires the same careful thought and organizational focus as the development of the strategic plan itself. Organizations that pay attention to the details, make the time and resource commitment, provide the right level of oversight and manage the change are the ones that see their plans become reality.