III. Leadership & Knowledge Management

Agency leaders and managers effectively manage people, ensure continuity of leadership, and sustain a learning environment that drives continuous improvement in performance.

Critical Success Factors

Leadership Planning and Implementation
   (SES, managers, and supervisors)

The organization identifies leadership competencies and establishes objectives and strategies to address them.

Questions

1. Does the agency ensure continuity of leadership through succession planning and executive development?

Change Management

The agency has in place leaders who understand what it takes to effectively bring about changes that achieve significant and sustained improvements in performance.

Questions

1. Do leaders establish a clear vision for change and make necessary commitments to achieve results?

Integrity and Inspiring Employee Commitment

Leaders maintain high standards of honesty and ethics that serve as a model for the whole workforce. Leaders promote teamwork and communicate the organization's shared vision to all levels of the organization and seek feedback from employees. Employees respond by maintaining high standards of honesty and ethics.

Questions

1. Do senior leaders generate high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce and promote ethical behavior through modeling, communication, training, accountability systems, and disclosure mechanisms?

Strategic Knowledge Management

The organization systematically provides resources, programs, and tools for knowledge-sharing across the organization in support of its mission accomplishment.

Questions

1. Is there a strategic knowledge management effort in place within the agency?
2. Are employees making the best use of information technology to perform their work and to gather and share knowledge?

Continuous Learning and Improvement

Leaders foster a learning culture that provides opportunities for continuous development and encourages employees to participate. Leaders invest in education, training, and other developmental opportunities to help themselves and their employees build mission-critical competencies.

Questions

1. Is there a culture of continuous learning and employee development within the agency?
2. Do training and development strategies and initiatives support development of individual, team, and organizational competencies linked to the agency mission?
3. Does the agency utilize learning technology and innovative learning strategies in addressing the training and development needs of the workforce?
4. Can the agency evaluate the impact of investment in continuous learning and development on individual performance and mission accomplishment?