Innovation Champions

Interested In Becoming an Innovation Champion?

We have training twice a year.  The Fall 2018 course enrollment is closed.  We'll open enrollment for the Spring 2019 course in December 2018.  If you're interested and available, you can sign up with your department's GeoTalent registrar. Please send any questions about the program and requirements to  pmacias@cityoftulsa.org.

About the Innovation Champion Program

Innovation Champions play an important role in making our City government more efficient.

• Our Mission: To foster a continuous improvement culture that properly balances efficiency and innovation with reliability and quality. 

• Our Vision: The City of Tulsa will embrace the culture of curiosity and innovation at all levels.

• Our Values:        
  • Customers. We are dedicated to listening to customers, understanding their needs, and aligning processes to honor our commitments to them.
  • Integrity. We act and lead with honesty and integrity, never compromising the truth.
  • Breaking down barriers to improvement. Innovation and improvement happens when people feel safe enough to try new things. We know there can be roadblocks to trying new things and we believe in helping employees get past those so that they can be empowered to continuously improve their work.
  • High expectations. We expect excellence in our work, our organization and the City we are building.
  • Teamwork. We work together toward common goals.

• Our Motto:  Teach. Improve. Serve.

_{Innovation Champions at the Summer 2016 Graduation.}

Examples of Completed Innovation Champion Projects

5S at AB Jewell Water Treatment Plant

Nitrification Control in Water Distribution System

Identifying the Voice of the Customer (VOC) with Tools

Onboarding, Orientation, and Training New Hires

5S at Refuse Inspections Offices

Office 5S at the City of Tulsa

Reducing Errors in City Council Agendas

Improving Employee Progressions

Increasing Customer Care Agent Availability

Physically Limited Refuse Approvals

Creating & Centralizing Procedures for Right-of-Way

Improving Evidence Retrieval Wait Times

Program Impact

In spring of 2018, we surveyed the managers and supervisors who have Innovation Champions in their work groups. Of the respondents, results were as follows:

• 100 percent agree that the program provides value and improvements to the entire organization
• 95 percent agree that the program provides value and improvements to their department
• 86 percent agree that the program provides value and improvements to their work group
• 63 percent agree that the program provides value and improvements to customers

When asked how the program could be improved, responses included:

• Share past projects 
• Increase training opportunities
• We should utilize these people more

As a result, we have added the project examples (see above) and will continue to update those as more projects are completed. We are working on creating an online course for how non-Champions can best participate in projects. And we created a form for anyone to request assistance from champions (see below).

Need Innovation Champion Assistance?

Innovation Champions can assist leaders and teams with their needs to improve processes or results.  If you're interested in finding an Innovation Champion who can help you with your improvement needs, please fill out this form and we will work to get you started on the road to improvement.