How Do We Create Culture?
As individuals, we use our annual Goals and Objectives to guide the direction of our work and our Positive Core and Leadership Principles to guide our behavior. Our success is measured by both by the goals we meet or exceed and by the way we live our values and principles as we do our work.
Groups and teams are becoming more agile. We are shifting to the view that our organization is a living organism, which flexes and quickly adapts in response to our larger environment. We are moving away from viewing our organization as a machine with its attending hierarchy, bureaucracy and silos.
Some UTO Teams voluntarily engage in internal development through co-creating shared operating principles for activating the Positive Core. They increase their understanding of themselves and each other by mapping their patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors through the Enneagram. They tackle thorny issues as a team, often using Breakthrough Conversations to cultivate understanding.
In addition to teams that hold development, security, data intelligence, operations, digital transformation and technology innovation, UTO also has workstreams that are specifically focused on enhancing our culture:
- Giving Back to the Community
- Health & Wellness
- Professional Development
- Staff Work Space
- Telling Our Story
The entire UTO family is invited to contribute to our conscious, collaborative culture. Anyone can join a culture workstream or the Culture Weavers Community of Practice mentioned below.
Culture Check-in Highlight
Teams and contributors across UTO were invited to submit for the latest Culture Check-in this past spring as a way to reflect on the organizational culture in light of UTO 2.1. Among the priorities and goals outlined in this new model was a conscious focus on stakeholder voice and a “rapidly reconfigurable and entrepreneurial organizational structure that prioritizes and executes projects to better meet the needs of our community,” as shared by Lev Gonick, Chief Innovation Officer.
Hear an overview of the survey results from Christine Whitney Sanchez, Chief Culture Officer, and Elizabeth Reilley, Director of Data Solutions, hosted by Sophie Jones. Read more today!
UTO hosts two big events every year
Daylong community retreats that Empower yourself and others with conversations about how the New American University’s IT professional community can fulfill ASU’s vision.
Held annually to host 800+ participants from the ASU IT professional community gather for a full day to learn from 25+ presenters on an array of topics, engage in Appreciative Interviews, host self-organized conversations and generate top ideas for activating the ASU Design Aspirations.
Held annually for the 500+ members of our UTO family. We gather to engage in an idea hackathon for a full of fun and self-organized teamwork as we pitched, hacked and presented future-focused winning ideas.