Dear Colleagues:

My message to you today has a very specific purpose.  I am asking that you take some time to assess our progress in state government as we establish our four core values of Excellence, Integrity, Inclusion, and Teamwork as the way we do business around here.  

Your insight is needed on our second Employee Values Survey which measures the evidence of the four values in your workplace today and addresses how your leaders are demonstrating the values. 

If you were one of over 13,000 employees who completed the survey last year, you will notice similarity in the questions - that's because we are serious about tracking data over time and making continuous improvement.

Last year, your input was extremely valuable and enlightening.  Your views led to the addition of the fourth value of Teamwork, and you let us know what each value looks like when you see it in action in your workplace.  You also rated the importance of each value and the degree to which you thought the value was evident in your work group and in state government as a whole.  We received over 38,000 specific comments.

I said, then, that this was not a fad or a flavor of the month but an ongoing effort to make state government the best it can be - for our employees and our citizens.  Although we still have much to do, much has been accomplished in our first year:

• The vision and values rollout sessions involved every department and nearly every employee.

• All of the survey data - and the data from the rollouts - was provided to department directors to help them understand how employees feel about their work environment and what changes they would like to see.

• I asked every department to submit an improvement plan based on the results of their survey and the rollout.

• We created a new role of "organizational development officer" in every department, so that in the same way a public information officer is responsible for communicating to the outside world, the "ODO" is responsible for making sure we are continually working to align our reality to our values.  ODOs are responsible for implementing and managing their department's improvement plan.

• New employee orientation has been re-shaped around the values.

• A team of employees is completing a leadership "360 vision" tool through which every supervisor and manager will receive feedback from their supervisors, peers and staff on how well they are practicing the values and good leadership practices.

• Leadership training programs are being developed to assist our leaders in creating a values-based culture and making state government a great place to do great work.

Now, it is your turn to tell me the degree to which you see us making progress.  How well are we "walking the talk?"  Please complete the survey today.  Your responses will remain confidential.  Once all the responses are tallied, you will be able to see the summary data from all respondents on the State's website.

I hope you will study the results and join me in doing all we can to collectively move our workplace forward.  It is my goal that the State of Michigan will become a truly great place to do great work in a state chock-full of great workplaces.

Sincerely,
                                                
Jennifer M. Granholm
Governor

PS: If you cannot take the survey electronically before August 13, scannable forms are available in each department and can be completed and submitted confidentially.  Your ODO or director will explain the procedure for your department.