5.1.1: Partnership Environment

Create a cultural, technical and policy environment that fosters partnerships in program and service delivery

Other Information:

USDA recognizes the opportunities available to further the use of collaboration processes and tools across mission areas or with external entities. To really take advantage of the collaboration efforts underway both internally and externally, the Department will create an environment where collaboration is understood and encouraged. To create a fully collaborative environment, the cultural, technical, and environmental aspects of collaboration at USDA must be addressed. Moving towards an environment that allows collaboration to flourish will allow the Department to more effectively and efficiently cooperate with internal and external partners to achieve its goals. Similarly, USDA agencies are using GovDelivery.com as a communication tool to reach out to a large customer base. Interested stakeholders can select to be notified immediately as information is released in any of 109 categories. The Farm Service Agency, for example, has nearly 26,000 users, with an average of 4 topics chosen per user. Recently, the Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration merged subscriber lists, allowing stakeholders to choose from all food-related options between the two agencies. USDA also is committed to developing and improving the skills and abilities of its workforce to more fully utilize existing and emerging collaborative tools. To this end, the Department is exploring processes to formalize its standards, expectations, and policies for collaboration with all stakeholders. In conjunction with this effort, USDA is working to engage communities using Web-enhanced communications whenever possible to enhance collaborative working opportunities across agencies or with other stakeholders.

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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