This month, as we focus on our Operating Principle “We are accountable to each other,” I am reminded of the importance of looking for opportunities to give and receive feedback – at the individual, team, unit, and campus levels.
This new video highlights two bright spots on campus where our staff effectively elicit, analyze, and act upon feedback to improve performance.
The Strategic Management and Metrics project is a key way that Berkeley is emerging as a leader in accountability in higher education. This Operational Excellence project is developing an integrated framework that will enable the campus to make meaningful choices about how our resources are allocated, measure how well we are doing in achieving our strategic goals – and, importantly, illuminate areas where we can improve. The development of a common metrics framework enables 
Berkeley to be more accountable to students and their families, faculty, staff and other stakeholders. By being transparent about our goals and strategies, and sharing a set of metrics and our progress toward achieving them, we are better able to communicate our achievements and opportunities to internal and external audiences.
I recognize that this approach may sometimes highlight our “trouble spots” – but my goal is to reward a willingness to be open and transparent at all levels and to initiate a process of continuous improvement. While we have weathered the storms of reduced state funding and a tough economy, the current overall budget plan, to the extent there is one, will continue to present serious financial challenges for our campus. Consequently we will need to continue to focus on accountability and measuring where we are, where we’re going, how we’re doing along the way. Although we have achieved a great deal already, we need to continue to push the boundaries of excellence in our administrative operations.
To learn more about what you can do in line with the principle, “We are accountable to each other,” please visit the Operating Principles website.