Data and Evidence
Managing Talent in City Government
Helping cities advance talent management as a strategic function and exposing city leaders to research-backed management practices
City governments are powered by people, and a high-performing workforce is critical to delivering on mayoral and city priorities. However, in a competitive hiring landscape with high staffing turnover, impending retirements, difficulties attracting and upskilling new talent, and the imperative to ensure a more diverse and representative 21st-century workforce, building a high-performing, skilled workforce is a challenge.
Managing Talent in City Government: Recruiting, Retaining, and Supporting Employees, offered for the first time in 2023, helps participants identify strategies to transform recruitment and retention practices; train and equip staff to lead and grow into roles; increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within cities; and bring a renewed focus on employee well-being.
The program draws on The People Lab and the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative’s combined expertise in supporting city officials in their development as leaders, driving organizational improvement, and strengthening their workforces. The program is also based on original research and evidence from public management and insights from behavioral science.
Select alumni cities of the yearlong program for mayors are invited to apply for this program. Elizabeth Linos serves as Faculty Chair of the program.
Investing in Employee Well-Being
This teaching case helps leaders identify and pilot promising practices to improve talent management.
