Laserfiche WebLink
CITY OF ORONO INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY:PROJECT PROPOSAL <br /> Project Overview <br /> Introduction <br /> City Administrator Ron Moorse has been administrating the City of Orono for several councils over the past <br /> decade plus. The organization has many strengths which are built on a foundation of particularly dedicated <br /> employees. As the arganization and community continue to evolve,the readiness to effectively meet the <br /> challenges of change should be examined,evaluated and discussed. The organization has come to reflect the <br /> personality and leadership style of Mr.Moorse and the department heads. New faces and priorities on the <br /> council and a refonnulated management team have provided an opportunity to revisit the identity or culture <br /> of the organization. Mr. Moorse is attempting to examine the goals, mission,culture and focus of the <br /> organization, including the council and staff,to ensure that it accurately reflects what is desired and needed <br /> to enable the organization to meet the next generation of challenges. <br /> Project Goal <br /> A group of people who are continually enhancing their capability to create their future so <br /> that they produce results they care about,and accomplish things that are important to them. <br /> The goal of the strategic visioning process is to ensure that a desired culture is identified and <br /> ultimately aligned with mission, goals and objectives of the city council and staff. Mr. <br /> Moorse desires to move toward a collaboratively constructed organization that can build and <br /> achieve goals, policies and work plans. The process to be used to achieve the goal is a <br /> learning organization model that uses the concepts of systems thinking, personal mastery, <br /> mental models, shared vision and team learning. Simply put- people should examine their <br /> old ways of thinking (mental models) learn to be open with others (personal mastery), <br /> understand how the organization really works (systems thinking), form a plan everyone can <br /> agree on (shared vision) and then work together to achieve that vision (team learning). <br /> The concepts are further defined as: <br /> 1. Systems thinking: Views the Orono organization as a living entity, with its own behavior <br /> and learning patterns. The idea is to help staff spot repetitive patterns that are leading to <br /> recurrent problems or limits to growth. <br /> 2. Personal mastery: The objective is to develop skills and competencies in individuals, and <br /> introduce the importance of deep individual growth. This helps us to learn how to see the <br /> current reality more clearly and to openly communicate about it with others. By highlighting <br /> the difference between vision and the current reality a creative tension is generated, out of <br /> which successful learning arises. <br /> 3. Mental models: Staff and Managers construct mental models for the driving forces behind <br /> the organization's values and principles. Here we are alerted to the impact of our habits and <br /> 3 <br />