"If you can understand the why, it can be solved."
~ Will Smith, Chief of Staff at City of Seattle IT
INSIDE TODAY’S ISSUE:
🎬 [New Episode #193] Will Smith, Chief of Staff at City of Seattle IT, shares how they're transforming traditional HR into strategic business partnerships through organizational psychology, innovative frameworks, and intentional culture-building - creating psychological safety, empowering decision-making, and driving measurable organizational change in public sector IT.
📣 Culture Before Code: Leading Digital Government, Ted Ross, Chief Information Officer, City of Los Angeles
Join us at our 2025 live events where we're partnering with leading conferences to bring public sector technology leaders together. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities and our new Better Together Series, email joe@techtables.com
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#193: Strategic HR Evolution: Building Culture-Driven IT Organizations
Featuring:
Will Smith, Chief of Staff at City of Seattle IT
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How Seattle IT revolutionized HR by embedding dedicated business partners within each department, transforming traditional personnel management into strategic partnerships that understand both technical operations and business goals
The critical intersection of organizational psychology and tech leadership, through Will’s doctoral research on how growth mindset principles drive successful cultural transformation in IT organizations
Seattle IT's innovative "from-to state" framework for cultural change, creating systematic pathways from fixed to growth mindset and empowering teams with clear decision-making abilities
The power of intentional culture-building in IT organizations, demonstrated through Seattle IT's focus on psychological safety and creating spaces where all perspectives are valued
How modern HR leadership drives organizational success by understanding both human capital and technical operations, illustrated through Seattle IT's transformation from a traditional personnel office to a strategic business partner
Timestamps
Links Mentioned:
🎬 Welcome to the 🔒 member-exclusive edition 🔒 of the TechTables Collaboratory!
Each month, we deliver fresh, innovative insights to inspire connection, spark bold ideas, and transform the way you tackle public sector challenges—straight from our Monthly Forum call on the 1st Thursday of every month.
Last year we featured Ted Ross, Chief Information Officer, City of Los Angeles.
The conversation was incredible. We covered:
The evolving challenges of digital transformation in government as they navigate smart city initiatives, vendor relationships, and the critical shift from technical expert to transformation leader.
Discover how these executives are aligning technology with community priorities—from LA's 2028 Olympic preparations to citizen-centric digital services—while optimizing costs, managing stakeholder relationships, and building future-proof infrastructure.
What is the TechTables Collaboratory?
It's the Exclusive Peer Network for Senior Technology Leaders in Public Sector, nationwide. The Collaboratory: A 100% Public Sector, Vendor-Free Private Community.
Membership Benefits Include:
📅 Monthly Group Calls – 90-minute virtual sessions where public sector leaders dive deep into challenges and share actionable insights.
🤝 Collaboratory Roundtable Meetups – Exclusive in-person gatherings to foster collaboration and connection.
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Bonus:
🗂️ Episode-Specific Leader Guides – Actionable takeaways and insights from each session, designed to help you empower your team and implement new ideas immediately.
🎙️ Related Episode:
🤝 How to work with TechTables
Join us at our 2025 live events where we're partnering with leading conferences to bring public sector technology leaders together. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities and our new Better Together Series, email joe@techtables.com
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