STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1.1: Cultivate an Organizational Culture of Learning, Sharing and Support

AOC’s strategies for this objective include:

• Enhance the foundation on which AOC develops and delivers results and strengthen the agency’s reputation for excellence.

• Increase the use of cross functional teams drawn from across the agency to develop and share solutions to common challenges.

• Expand external collaboration to enhance innovation, deliver better value and exceed expectations.

• Participate and actively engage in professional associations and partnerships.

Discussion: In FY 2014, AOC continued focusing on enhancing the foundation on which it develops and delivers results and strengthening its reputation for excellence. Specifically, AOC implemented a major cultural initiative to enhance the professional and personal growth of AOC supervisors and employees: “Building Leaders.” This in-house program, presented by the Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Programs Office, focuses on developing the leadership skills of AOC’s front-line supervisors and promoting AOC’s diversity and inclusion. Jurisdictional groups, comprised of 10 supervisors, meet weekly for a total of eight weeks. Each week has a different focus—such as team building, conflict management, building trust, communication and emotional intelligence. To date, 95 supervisors have successfully completed the program. A related initiative was the design for the AOC’s Supervisory Academy Program, which was completed in FY 2014 and will be rolled out in FY 2015 (see Future Strategy Efforts).

In addition, over 1,850 managers, supervisors and employees received drug and alcohol awareness education, focusing on AOC’s Drug-Free Workplace policy and the detrimental impact of drug and alcohol use at work. Further, AOC worked to promote efficient standardized business practices across the organization by establishing an operational performance improvement framework. As part of this effort, AOC’s strategy team drafted an order to initiate an AOC-wide review to standardize process documentation. The order includes templates and a compliance checklist.

AOC’s investment in its employees’ education and training also falls under this strategy. As a service organization, AOC’s employees are paramount to its success and investment in learning provides the most basic foundation for ensuring positive results. In FY 2014, AOC continued providing jurisdictions with sufficient training resources. In addition to an education and training budget, AOC promotes a variety of alternative training options, from an online learning portal to a host of courses and seminars delivered by in-house staff. AOC also sustains employee learning and development through a professional exchange program (ExCEL) and an upward mobility program, the Architect’s Mobility Program, as a way to continue demonstrating its commitment to cultivating an organizational culture of learning.

During FY 2014, several efforts were successfully completed by cross-jurisdictional teams composed of employees from multiple organizations, furthering the One Team, One Mission goal of enabling employees to learn from each other and establish new professional bonds. Examples include the Appropriations Lapse Planning Team, the team that prepared the Capitol Dome

SERVE • PRESERVE • INSPIRE

Charity Anderson

Assistant Facility Manager, AOC Supreme Court Building and Grounds

Charity Anderson, Assistant Facility Manager, inspires and fosters teamwork, spirit, pride and trust by recognizing good performers and ensuring concerns are addressed in a timely and consistent manner. At the Supreme Court, she has improved inventory management, purchase reconciliations and contract management. Charity has worked with management to improve morale within the jurisdiction shops and, in just over one year, has already made recognized contributions to the Supreme Court’s team.