Employee performance and innovation

Stronger through...

…a culture of high performance, learning and development

Johnson County Government is several years into an effort of cultivating a culture of high performance that values public leadership and pursues an environment where people feel they matter, are invited to contribute, and have the access to the support they need to deliver the highest levels of individual and organizational performance.

Pillars of Performance combines and communicates those concepts along with the principles that have guided our organization for some time now. These Pillars help create a culture that guides how and why we do our work each day. Employees thrive in the culture of continuous improvement and operate under guiding principles which include:

  • Leadership is a responsibility shared by all.
  • We trust and empower each other to do the right thing for the right reason for the public good.
  • Committed to our shared values, we provide excellent public service, seeking always to improve our organization and ourselves.
  • Together we will leave our community better than we found it.

In 2021, to safely provide employees ongoing opportunities for learning and development, the Department of Human Resources collaborated with staff from other departments, agencies, and offices to transition in-person training classes to online virtual and self-paced courses, such as new employee orientation and ethics in the workplace training.

This web-based learning approach was also used to educate employees about Human Resource Policy changes approved by the Board of County Commissioners in May; specifically, a self-paced online course was deployed so that all employees could learn about key policy changes at their own pace and at a time and location that worked well for them. Other online learning programs, such as the Supervisory Training Institute, were delivered through virtual learning platforms enabling participants to engage with facilitators and their peers through online surveys, chats, small virtual breakout discussions and large group brainstorming.

…our Leadership in Action recipients

In 2021, the county gave Leadership in Action awards to 19 employees, recognizing and rewarding their outstanding contributions. These employees were recognized for activities, including creating efficiencies to save substantial time, demonstrating leadership, taking on extra responsibility and using innovation to save taxpayers thousands of dollars.

…a focus on innovation

Our stronger focus on innovation continued in 2021, leveraging diverse perspectives to generate ideas and turn them into action. In 2021, the county’s Innovation Team work included:

  • Electronic waste process improvement.
  • Aging and Human Services brainstorm sessions.
  • A roundtable session with employees on building our organizational culture.
  • Partnering with the Strategic Facilities Master Plan effort.
Greek-style temple with five pillars

Pillars of Performance

Johnson County Government’s Pillars of Performance address six key areas:

  • Leadership philosophy
  • Vision statement
  • Mission statement
  • Core values
  • Behavioral values
  • Operational values

These values are founded on the Athenian Oath and serve as a reminder to each employee of their role: “We will strive unceasingly to quicken the public’s sense of civic duty. Thus, in all these ways, we will transmit this [county] not only, not less, but greater and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.”