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United Way of Cambridge
-One of the most important ways we ensure our values are present as we interact with the community is to ensure those values are present in our office as well.
-Each staff member has strong understanding of our mission and goals and this is entrenched in office culture
County of Brant CAO's Office
- The County created Key Strategic
Priorities in 2012 to ensure all actions taken
by the County are in line with its vision and values:
- Managing finances in a fiscally responsible and sustainable manner
- Ensuring our infrastructure and capital assets are well managed, maintained and improved
- Ensuring our community is healthy, safe and progressive
- Ensuring high quality service to our community including effective 2 way communication
Questions Continued
United Way Cambridge
- How does your office interact with organizations, companies or individuals that have different values or different opinions on the way a particular issue be carried out?
- How does your organization deal with tendering contracts and seeking out sponsorship? Are there ethical guidelines to follow?
- When there is a conflict within your organizations pertaining to ethics and good governance, what methods are used to seek resolution?
- How do you educate your new staff and volunteers about the culture and values of your organization?
- Strong undercurrent of respect and
community building within the office
- Senior Leadership team demonstrate
respect and collegiality daily.
- There is a staff room where most people eat
lunch which provides time outside of ‘official work’
to build trust and relatioships.
- Staff events inside and outside the office that
provide fun beyond work EX: potlucks, trivia
nights, and even the volunteer projects
worked on together outside of work
hours.
How do you ensure the values of your organisation are present in interactions with the community?
Questions
Brant County CAO's Office
- How do you ensure the values of your organisation are present in interactions with the community?
- Staff is required to adhere to the Key Strategic Priorities at all times – internally on a staff-to-staff basis and externally with the general public.
- Human Resources Division, as well as Health & Wellness group regularly provides information and resources to ensure that organizational values are upheld.
- How are your organizational values and ethics incorporated into staff interactions?
- Does your organization have a code of ethics that shapes the way it operates?
How are your organizational values
and ethics incorporated into staff
interactions?
United Way
- Has your organization ever encountered conflict internally or externally due to a particular organizational value? If so, how was this conflict resolved?
- Yes, with this framework clearly outlined for every employee upon hiring. These ethics are aligned with organizational mission and values:
- Our Mission
To improve lives and build our community by engaging individuals and mobilizing collective action.
- How is your office structured and how does this structure work to ensure good governance?
Our Values
- Respect the dignity, uniqueness and worth of every person
- Be accountable by providing accurate and honest disclosure
of information
- Achieve the highest standards of ethics and integrity
- Provide non-partisan leadership in social change
- Generate innovation, partnerships, and collective action
- Support community wisdom and encourage citizen
involvement
- Encourage and promote volunteerism and volunteer
leadership
- Embrace diversity and inclusivity
- How were your organizations values established? Is there a process in which they are reviewed? Is this done on a local, provincial or national level?
United Way Cambridge
County of Brant
- Does not have a code of ethics, but are guided by mission and values statement
- United Way has been present in Cambridge since 1940 and is a pillar of the community
- United Way works in a coordinated way with community members and organizations across all sectors to address community needs and tackle poverty in all forms
- Located in Southern Ontario and home to approximately 35,000 people, the communities within the County of Brant include Burford and Harley, Glen Morris, Mt. Pleasant, Onondaga and Middleport, Paris, St. George and Scotland and Oakland
- The Chief Administrative Officer (Paul Emerson) oversees all of our departments: ambulance services, community services, corporate services, development services, fire services, economic development & strategic investments and public works.
Our Mission Statement:
To enhance the quality of life of those who live, work or play in the County by providing for the efficient and effective delivery of local services.
Interviewees
Our Vision:
To be a leader in the provision of municipal services by being a responsive and progressive organization that recognizes the importance of respect, integrity and team work.
Our vision recognizes that innovation, creativity and good quality decisions come
from the exchange of
thoughts and ideas.
Organizations
Does your organization have a code of ethics that shapes the way the you operate?
Julia Gingrich: Facilitator,
Community & Voluntary Sector
Investment, United Way Cambridge
Lesley Lehmann: Communications
Coordinator & EA to the Chief
Administrative Officer, County of
Brant
United Way
- CAO's Office, Country of Brant
- United Way of Cambridge
-Nothing as far as Julia is aware.
- United Way CND has been in our community since the 1940s, and is deeply connected to community work
- While this doesn’t preclude the organization from conflict, it does mean that we have a long and transparent relationship with the community, and so our values aim to be aligned with the goals and make-up of the
larger community
County of Brant
- The nature of Municipal Government lends itself to regularly encountering conflict (internally and externally) due to any one of the Key Strategic Priorities and associated policies.
- Endeavor to provide open lines of communication with our stakeholders and constituents. Staff – from front line, to senior level, are regularly available to discuss issues as they arise, and, work with other parties to arrive at mutually beneficial solutions.
Has your organization ever encountered conflict internally or externally due to a particular organizational value? If so, how was this conflict resolved?
United Way
-United Way CND is governed by a very strong board
- All decisions and organizational direction are guided by the board, which is made up of community members.
- The board brings together people of various backgrounds who bring sector knowledge and understanding to the table, and also work as a committee to make decisions.
- This way the organization is run by a group,
and remains accountable.
Conclusion and Questions
County of Brant
- The CAO works very closely with the Mayor and Council to ensure that their directives and initiatives are being carried out, as expected by their constituents.
- The Chief Administrative Officer oversees all of our departments: ambulance services, community services, corporate services, development services, fire services, economic development & strategic investments and public works.
How is your organization structured and how does this structure work to ensure good governance?
County of Brant
Derrick Lovell
- Municipal orientation offered bi-yearly
- Annual ‘All Staff’ meeting
- Quarterly Managers’ meetings
- Bi weekly Senior Management Team meetings
- Departmental meetings
- Staff newsletter
- Website (intranet)
United Way
- New employees meet with director several times throughout my first weeks.
- Conversations about the history of
United way, partners, the ways the office
works, what the norms are, and what to do
if there was ever any problem.
- The culture is shared with new staff, but is also modeled daily in the way staff interact and spend time together.
United Way
- Values are most definitely aligned with United Way Centraide (the national United Way body)
- Direction comes from the central United Way.
- While each United Way has space to develop it’s strategies and impact areas based on community need, they are researched and driven by the national organization.
How do you educate your new staff and volunteers about the culture and values of your organization?
How were your organizations values established? Is there a process in which they are reviewed? Is this done on a local, provincial or national level?
County of Brant
- The County underwent a strategic planning exercise in 2011.
- As part of the strategic planning process, the County developed the Key Strategic Priorities, the Vision Statement and the Mission Statement.
- The strategic planning exercise was undertaken internally, with Council and led by a consultant.
- The Community Vision Exercise was undertaken locally, with residents, and was led by staff.
When there is a conflict within your organizations pertaining to ethics and good governance, what methods are used to seek resolution?
County of Brant
How does your office interact with organizations, companies or individuals that have different values or different opinions on the way a particular issue be carried out?
County of Brant
- Mediation
- Integrity Commissioner
- Individual meetings with Mayor and / or members of Council
- Human resources involvement
- Individual meetings with members of
the Senior Management Team
- Ombudsman
- How does your organization deal with tendering contracts and seeking out sponsorship? Are there ethical guidelines to follow?
- The CAO is a proponent of open communication and accessibility – he regularly meets with members of the public, developers, interest groups, etc. to discuss concerns
- Our Council process allows for members of the public to appear as delegations before any standing Committee of Council, or, Council itself, to express concern, request change, etc.
United Way
- Meetings and conversations.
- Very committed to our values and direction, and staff feedback and thinking are part of this.
- Staff and board need to be aligned so that we move forward in a respectful and guided manner.
- United Way partners often with many different kinds of organizations and businesses, and so when we have different ways of working we have conversations, and more conversations!
- If we feel we can work together, and that our styles/values are aligned we would probably move forward.
- We work very closely with our community partners to hear from them which ways they think will work best in our strategies, so these are really the guiding voices.
United Way
- United Way has strict ethical guidelines and policies when it comes to soliciting and accepting donations
- Because so much work is in fundraising and sponsorship, there are very clearly established guidelines and procedures for our workplace campaigns, and any other fundraising we do.
County of Brant
- The County and CAO's office is bound by the County’s Purchasing and Procurement Policy
- County of Brant recently developed a website specifically for bids and tenders, which has increased transparency, ease of use and the quality of contracts received / let out