Organizational Culture Survey Opportunity
It is my belief, along with that of our Board of Directors and executive leadership team, that there is a direct connection between the quality of Heartland staff and the results our organization can achieve as partners with schools and families. Together we are committed to building a work environment in which employees can thrive and do their best work.
Reflecting on the past several years of change and transition within the Agency, feedback received from internal conversations with staff and past survey data, we believe we can gain from updated information to assist us in building the type of work environment we all desire. For this reason, we will be providing an opportunity based on a random cross section of Heartland staff members to participate in a selected survey model to help us take specific steps to positively impact our work culture.
The Denison Organizational Culture Survey is a 60-question survey that measures aspects of an organization’s culture in each of four areas: Mission, Adaptability, Involvement and Consistency. Individual surveys are collectively tabulated into a graphic profile that will compare our organization’s culture to a database of over 770 other organizations. This will provide us with a measure of our Agency’s progress toward achieving a high-performance culture.
The purpose of this survey is to obtain your opinions about the way our organization operates. The survey measures opinions and perceptions, which means there are no “right” or “wrong” responses. The information will be used to assist us in planning for our future; specifically, in the way we carry out our mission and build relationships not only among ourselves, but also with our customers and suppliers.
If your name is identified in the random selection process, you will receive an e-mail invitation on or near May 17. Your survey invitation will contain a link that you may click or copy and paste into your Internet browser. This link will take you to a survey website that has been designed specifically for Heartland AEA. When filling out the survey, respond in terms that describe our agency as it is today. It’s important that you respond openly to the survey for accurate results. Your responses are completely confidential and will only be presented as part of the overall agency profile. Your responses go directly to the Denison Group, not to anyone at Heartland. We will have a short turnaround time on this survey, as the desire is to get the responses/data prior to staff leaving for summer break.
The results of the survey will be communicated in the fall after staff return for the 2012-2013 school year. At that point, we will then work together to develop a specific and targeted action plan to address key issues.
If you have any questions about the Denison Organizational Culture Survey, feel free to contact Jim Verlengia, Regional Director, at jverlengia@aea11.k12.ia.us, Laura Gillon, Executive Director of Human Resources, at lgillon@aea11.k12.ia.us or visit the Denison Culture website at http://www.denisonconsulting.com.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
About the Denison Organizational Culture Survey
The content of the Denison Organizational Culture Survey was developed by Daniel Denison Ph.D. and William Neale based on 15 years of research and practice in organizational settings. The survey recognizes that cultural traits, managerial behaviors and even organizational strategies can all be linked to a core set of beliefs and assumptions about the organization and its environment. These core beliefs and assumptions lie at the heart of an organization's culture. In the Denison Organizational Culture Model, these core beliefs and assumptions are summarized in terms of four main cultural "traits" (Mission, Adaptability, Involvement and Consistency) that have an impact on bottom-line organizational performance measures such as profitability, growth, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, quality, and return on equity (ROE).
Monday, May 7, 2012
May 31 Deadline to Spend Medical Flex Dollars
We are quickly approaching the end of our plan year for the Agency’s medical flex spending plan. That means that if you enrolled last year in the Section 125 medical flex spending plan and have not yet incurred expenses that you can submit for reimbursement, you need to do so now.
All expenses must be incurred by May 31, 2012 in order to be eligible for reimbursement, and they must be submitted to Kabel Business Services for reimbursement by July 30, 2012. Claim forms can be found on the Intranet > Benefits > Medical/Dependent Care Flex > Medical/Dependent Care Claim form.
Eligible expenses include out-of-pocket medical, dental or vision expenses such as deductibles, coinsurance for office visits, drug co-pays, dental work, contact lenses or contact lens solution, glasses or medical supplies for you, your spouse or your children under the age of 27.
HRA dollars do not need to be used by the end of the plan year, but roll over from year to year (accumulating up to $6,000) unless you terminate your employment.
If you have any questions, contact Kathy Martin, Benefits Specialist, at kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14385 or Kabel Business Services at (515) 224-9400. Claims may be submitted via fax to (515) 224-9256 or to claims@kabelbiz.com.
All expenses must be incurred by May 31, 2012 in order to be eligible for reimbursement, and they must be submitted to Kabel Business Services for reimbursement by July 30, 2012. Claim forms can be found on the Intranet > Benefits > Medical/Dependent Care Flex > Medical/Dependent Care Claim form.
Eligible expenses include out-of-pocket medical, dental or vision expenses such as deductibles, coinsurance for office visits, drug co-pays, dental work, contact lenses or contact lens solution, glasses or medical supplies for you, your spouse or your children under the age of 27.
HRA dollars do not need to be used by the end of the plan year, but roll over from year to year (accumulating up to $6,000) unless you terminate your employment.
If you have any questions, contact Kathy Martin, Benefits Specialist, at kmartin@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14385 or Kabel Business Services at (515) 224-9400. Claims may be submitted via fax to (515) 224-9256 or to claims@kabelbiz.com.
Reminder: 2012-2013 Employee Work Calendars Available Through Leave Online
The 2012-2013 calendar has been added to the Employee Dashboard for all staff members who need to complete a calendar. The link to this function is found in the Calendar Online Forms folder under the Leave Online tab.
These employee working days calendars are due before staff members leave for the summer or June 14, whichever comes first.
If you have any questions, contact Chrissy Bradley, Human Resources Data Specialist, at cbradley@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14432.
These employee working days calendars are due before staff members leave for the summer or June 14, whichever comes first.
If you have any questions, contact Chrissy Bradley, Human Resources Data Specialist, at cbradley@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14432.
Special Education Staff: Please Submit All IEPs As Soon As Possible
As summer is quickly approaching, Cindy Yelick, Executive Director of Instructional Services, and Misty Christensen, Regional Director, ask special education staff to please submit all IEPs as soon as possible so they can go through the process of implementation. This will ensure that teachers and AEA staff will be able to print and send the IEPs to the appropriate individuals before leaving for summer break. If you would like a list of unimplemented IEPs for the districts you serve, you can ask your AEA District Support Staff personnel for that report. Thank you for your assistance in getting this task completed.
May 2012 School Leader Update
Click here to download the May 2012 issue of the School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education.
Our Kids Summer Institute to Focus on ELL Teaching Strategies
Would you or the teachers you work with benefit from attending the Our Kids Summer Institute? If so, registration is still available!
The Our Kids Summer Institute is sponsored by the Department of Education, Heartland AEA, Prairie Lakes AEA, William Penn University and the West Des Moines School District. It will provide participants with the opportunity to network with other educational professionals and to discover new strategies for working with English Language Learners throughout Iowa. Note that the conference is for content teachers and administrators, as well as ESL teachers, and graduate credit is available through William Penn.
Click here to download a flyer with more information.
The Our Kids Summer Institute is sponsored by the Department of Education, Heartland AEA, Prairie Lakes AEA, William Penn University and the West Des Moines School District. It will provide participants with the opportunity to network with other educational professionals and to discover new strategies for working with English Language Learners throughout Iowa. Note that the conference is for content teachers and administrators, as well as ESL teachers, and graduate credit is available through William Penn.
Click here to download a flyer with more information.
May 2012 Board of Directors Meeting Agenda
Click here to download the agenda for the May 8, 2012 Heartland Board of Directors meeting.
Do Not Remove Phones From Agency Conference Rooms
We have found that the telephones in some conference rooms in the Johnston REC have mysteriously disappeared. We ask that you please do not remove the telephone in any agency conference rooms. These phones have been assigned to the conference rooms for conference calling and other meeting purposes. If there is no phone in the room, making a call is rather complicated! If you need a phone or need any phone assistance, please contact Jim Lagnese at jlagnese@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14462.
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