FOR THE COUNCIL MEETING OF AUGUST 1, 2023
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: City Council
FROM: City Manager
Prepared by: Chief Human Resources Officer
SUBJECT: Presentation of the GROW Initiative Cohort I
To receive a presentation regarding the Alignment Project update and present a Certificate of Recognition to the GROW Initiative Cohort I graduates.
BACKGROUND:
The City Council has established the organizational direction for the City of Santa Maria to build a more efficient, effective, and accountable governance model that strives to achieve the highest level of customer service at every level of the organization.
The Alignment Project is the City’s workforce management system that anchors business practices and initiatives to allow the City to meet its talent needs and close critical gaps in competencies. The Alignment Project’s main objectives are as follows:
Administer and support business approaches to ensure the City’s long -term leadership needs are met. Leadership is at all levels of the organization. Assess the competencies needed to support and grow the City and identify gaps. Forecast future workforce needs and plan strategies to develop workforce competencies that support the City’s goals, vision, mission, and values. Provide the workforce with continuous learning opportunities, including opportunities for upskilling and reskilling.
Develop strategies to maintain a robust workforce that has the talent to implement the City’s current and future strategy and goals.
The Alignment Project provides exciting opportunities for employees. The focus is on continual learning and development, and recognition of performance.
DISCUSSION:
A high-performance organizational culture is a culture in which the City strives for thei r employees to perform exceptionally well because they are engaged, valued , and continually learning. This gives their work a sense of purpose, instilling in them a continuous improvement mindset , and a dedication to the City’s mission that drives performance. The GROW Initiative is a building block of learning and development built on a set of competencies that are encouraged by learning and translating learning into action to achieve public service and create greater value. 2 The City and the University o f California, Santa Barbara Professional and Continuing Education (UCSB PaCE) began the partnership in June 2022 to plan, design , and develop the Management Training for Public Administrators (MTPA) certificate program in courses including project managem ent; building high-performing teams; collaborative dispute resolution; negotiations and influence strategies; foundations of leadership; foundations of accounting; budgeting; marketing principles; organizational and personal branding; decision making; foundations of human resources; and ethics.
The City’s inaugural class, referred to as Cohort I, completed the 15-week, instructor-led program whose work culminated in a capstone project that identified opportunities to enhance the City’s extension 8200 phone line, which is a number dedicated to providing translation for Spanish-speaking residents. Each cohort member completed a minimum of 120 hours of instruction. Factoring in the time dedicated to homework and the capstone project, Cohort I devoted an estimated 1300 hours to completing the GROW Initiative. On July 20, 2023, Cohort I graduated from GROW and received a professional certificate in Management Training for Public Administrators from UCSB PaCE. To further recognize their outstanding accomplishme nt, GROW Cohort I will also receive a Certificate of Recognition from City Council.
The following City staff graduated from the GROW Initiative: Kristina Aguilar (City Manager’s Office, Human Resources), Erica Anaya (City Manager’s Office, Human Resources), Alma Mendez (City Manager’s Office, Human Resources), Nancy Meraz (Finance Department), Cindy Muto-Morrison (Public Works Department), Dawn Palacios (Community Development Department), Mark van de Kamp (City Manager’s Office, Administration), Alicia Vel a (Community Development Department), and Carol Ziesenhenne (Community Development Department).