Annual Report 2016 | Page 7

Foundational Areas of Focus EDUCATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INFRASTRUCTURE LEAD TEAMS (Solution Design & Implementation) Polk County GOVERNMENT QUALITY OF LIFE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT LEAD PROCESS As facilitators of a countywide collaboration among schools, non-profits, businesses, and the public sector, Polk Vision offers a framework for achieving sustained improvement. The work is dynamic and requires continuous learning and adaptive solutions in addressing a range of complex issues. Polk Vision refers to this as our LEAD process: Learn all we can about an issue, Engage community partners knowledgeable and passionate about the issue, Align resources to address the issue and Develop plans that will result in systemic change. This countywide collaborative process provides the following advantages: • Greater returns on investment – By working together toward common goals, resources are leveraged, duplication is avoided, and efficiency is greatly increased. • Higher quality services – Utilizing expertise from multiple organizations guarantees a broader perspective and a wiser approach. • Enhanced capacity – A collective effort enhances the impact of each organization while generating a much greater overall outcome. TECHNOLOGY Polk Vision’s membership in the Alignment USA network has provided us with a technology tool to power our principles, structure and process. This online portal allows our LEAD Team members, community partners and staff to collaborate, measure and report progress, capture information and warehouse our collective work. 7