Teamwork and Collaboration

Teamwork and Collaboration

Teamwork and collaboration are critical for local governments to excel in public finance. GFOA's Financial Foundations Framework includes building collaboration and trust as one of its five pillars. GFOA members exhibit teamwork and collaboration in a variety of ways and that reflect the unique culture and style of their local government. As part of the Government Finance Review, GFOA has been documenting effective finance teams in local government. Read the case studies below to learn more about the leadership style, culture, and approach to teamwork in several leading governments.

City of Scottsdale, AZ

The City of Scottsdale’s High Performance and Innovation initiative is an organization-wide effort to measure, analyze, improve, and report on the services provided by the city.

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City of Long Beach, CA

For the leaders of the City of Long Beach Budget Office, collaboration is part of their day-to-day job, but they don’t take it for granted. The team works hard to nurture a culture of collaboration within and outside of the Budget Office, which they believe allows them to serve their community better.

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Lakota Local School District, OH

The leaders of the finance team at the Lakota Local School District (LLSD) in Butler County, Ohio believe collaboration has been the key to the team’s success in navigating the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last year.

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Town of Cary, NC

Over the past four years, the Town of Cary, North Carolina, has developed a collaborative organizational culture so it can achieve its purpose and fulfill its values.

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Gregory Jenkins, Town of Cary

I think collaboration is the key to unlocking the door to potential.

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Jenni Logan, Lakota Local School District

Collaboration is all about problem-solving

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City of Vernon, BC

"Life is short. Work somewhere awesome." This phrase has become a tag line for the City of Vernon, British Columbia’s talent acquisition and retention efforts. City leaders embrace this philosophy and have cultivated a collaborative culture to not only ensure that all employees feel valued but also ensure that citizens are receiving the best service.

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Anoka County, MN

The financial leadership team in Anoka County, Minnesota, have been on a “journey of change together” with focus on creating an organizational culture of collaboration and empowerment in order to develop better, more efficient ways of doing things.

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Douglas County, KS

Reflecting back on Douglas County’s road to implementing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, County leaders agreed that the project’s greatest benefit may have had less to do with technology and much more to do with establishing a new standard for departmental collaboration.

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Jamie Shew, Douglas County

I think we learned that getting around that table and talking was really important

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Grace H. Yoon, City of Long Beach

Foster an atmosphere of gratitude and patience. It sounds potentially cliched, but I really think it’s a truly powerful engine that can drive a team forward and avoid burnout or stagnation

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San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association

The San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association (SBCERA) established a a strategic plan for the organization and developed a more collaborative work environment. Much of the success for both goes to SBCERA’s Fiscal Services leadership team.

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GFOA's Financial Foundations Framework

The Financial Foundations Framework provides guidance on how to implement best practices in a financially sustainable organization by focusing on collaboration, trust, and building a strong team.

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Would you like to nominate an excellent finance team to be featured in GFR?

GFOA is always looking for new examples of excellent finance teams that demonstrate collaboration, teamwork, and a strong work culture. If you know of some that we should feature or would like to volunteer for a feature in an upcoming GFR, please contact Katie Ludwig.


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