Despite being the only city government to rank in Forbes' top 10 employers in 2017, the report concluded that the city of Austin lacks a strong organizational culture, but it is something employees desire. The report also said that employees feel the city has a tough time attracting and retaining top talent, fails to hold employees accountable and could be more open and inclusive.
The Culture Analyst report, commissioned by city manager search firm Russell Reynolds and Associates, surveyed 286 city of Austin employees in June and asked them to consider the city's organizational culture.
Steve Newton, area manager for Russell Reynolds and Associates, told the City Manager Search Advisory Task Force on Wednesday that the Culture Analyst survey was an important step in shaping the candidate profile for the city manager position, which has been vacant since October 2016. The task force unanimously approved a candidate profile on Wednesday.
Newton said that when leaders fail, it often is not because of their leadership style. Because they do not have an affinity for the organization’s culture, they are either too far ahead or too far behind. Understanding the city of Austin’s culture, and how employees perceive the culture, is crucial to selecting the right person for the job, Newton said.
Here are 4 takeaways from the Culture Analyst results:
- When compared to the average scores for 180 other organizations, the city of Austin scored lower across the six major metrics: culture strength, discipline, openness, strategic growth, performance and relationships.
- The city’s new Municipal Civil Service rules inhibit incentives like pay for performance and prevent employees from being fired. “The lack of pay for performance is viewed to be a serious hindrance for attracting and retaining top talent, particularly as Austin’s cost of living continues to rise,” the report said.
- The city does not do a good job of firing underperforming or unethical employees, which leads to concerns around discipline and integrity, participants said. They expressed a desire for a culture that holds people accountable.
- Participants said city leaders, such as city council members “and other key stakeholders” should be more transparent in their decision-making and strategy.
