The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutStaff Report 2511-5462CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL Monday, December 08, 2025 Council Chambers & Hybrid 5:30 PM Agenda Item A.City of Palo Alto Organizational Values Refresh City Council Staff Report From: City Manager Report Type: INFORMATION REPORTS Lead Department: City Manager Meeting Date: December 8, 2025 Report #:2511-5462 TITLE City of Palo Alto Organizational Values Refresh RECOMMENDATION This is an informational item; no action is needed BACKGROUND More than twenty years ago, the City established the organizational values of Quality, Courtesy, Efficiency, Integrity, and Innovation. As would be expected, having this values statement in place for such an extended period has led to a loss of connection to the current workforce and its organizational culture as reflected in the manner through which our staff conduct themselves in providing services to the Palo Alto community. Much has shifted in recent years, especially since the pandemic changed the way we engage with each other, residents, businesses and other community members, and how we deliver services. As an agile and resilient organization, emerging from the pandemic provided a timely opportunity to revisit and refresh our core values, so they reflect our evolving culture, aspirations, and ways of working. Organizational values can provide a clear and unifying statement that reflects and reinforces a shared sense of purpose, and the culture we choose to uphold. This can present a unique challenge to cities, given the range of services and interactions involved with municipal services, particularly for a full-service city such as Palo Alto. Undertaking an effort to refresh an organizational values statement can also be a challenge, as commitment to both extensive employee engagement in the effort and ongoing reinforcement following the project are required for the result to be credible and sustainable. Our approach to this undertaking was built on the foundation of the industry-leading “Special Projects Program” implemented as part of our Positive Work Environment initiative supporting organizational development coming out the pandemic. The Special Projects Program enabled staff from across the City to volunteer for projects that would help develop new skills on topics of interest. The Organizational Values Refresh project was undertaken during the second cycle of special projects. At this point the positive impact of the Special Projects Program had been established and broad workforce participation achieved. As an organizational development effort, this project is intended to complement and work in harmony with the Council Values reflected in the City Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook. PROCESS OVERVIEW & EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Are the existing values (Quality, Courtesy, Efficiency, Integrity, Innovation) still relevant? What additional values are essential for our organization to succeed in the current and future environment? Which values help us serve our customers/clients and each other with integrity? What words or phrases represent the type of culture we want to create? accompanying behavioral descriptions were brought back to departments for the second round of focus groups. These sessions asked for feedback on the proposed values: Do they resonate? Are the descriptions clear? How might they be lived in practice? Participants provided input on narrowing the list and refining language. Throughout the process, the Executive Leadership Team provided guidance, reviewed findings, encouraged department-level participation, and ensured alignment with our broader organizational goals. Noteworthy feedback from the engagement process included: Employees across the organization consistently affirmed the importance of integrity, respect, innovation, and service excellence, while also signaling a strong desire for a culture that is more collaborative, inclusive, and adaptive. Many noted that our traditional values are sound, but the definition and language feel dated and do not fully reflect, for example, our increasing digital service delivery, remote/hybrid work arrangements, and continued emphasis on community trust and employee well-being. Survey comments highlighted that “living our values” means not just words on the wall, but observable daily behaviors: how we treat colleagues, how we connect with residents, how we innovate responsibly and respectfully. A recurring theme was the importance of empowerment, both of employees and residents, to shape outcomes, solve problems, and deliver services in new, more responsive ways. Recommended Values The four values and descriptors that emerged from this review and engagement: Respect Exemplify integrity, courtesy, inclusion and professionalism Innovation Develop creative solutions for continuous improvement Service Demonstrate excellence through purpose driven, collaborative problem solving Empowerment Cultivate learning growth and shared success RISE, making it even more effective. Being able to Live our values means that the values are not only aspirational, but also relevant and reinforced in our everyday work. To make this tangible, a guide, and accompanying communications toolkit, of ideas for embedding the values into new staff onboarding, performance conversations, recognition programs and service delivery standards will soon be developed. A citywide employee recognition program designed around recognizing exemplary examples of these City values in action is also being finalized. A periodic check-in to assess how well the values are being integrated and refocus efforts as needed is also anticipated. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW ATTACHMENTS APPROVED BY: