Tribal self-governance is not only shaped by laws, leadership structures, and external relationships; it is also shaped by the internal workforce systems that guide daily operations. This session explores how Organizational Development and People Operations support sovereignty by creating clarity, accountability, consistency, and strong decision-making pathways. When workforce systems are weak, tribal organizations may face role confusion, inconsistent policy application, leadership gaps, and operational strain. Grounded in practical experience within a tribally governed healthcare organization, this session offers real-world strategies to strengthen workforce systems, align policy with practice, improve leadership accountability, and support sustainable, mission-driven self-governance. Participants will leave with practical tools to identify system gaps, improve alignment, and strengthen the internal conditions needed for effective tribal self-governance. Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will be able to: - Identify workforce system gaps that weaken tribal self-governance, including unclear roles, inconsistent policy application, and weak accountability structures. - Explain how HR practices and organizational development systems support leadership accountability, operational consistency, and sovereign governance. - Assess common workforce and organizational challenges affecting tribal governments, tribal healthcare systems, and nonprofit organizations. - Apply practical strategies to strengthen policy alignment, supervisory consistency, decision-making pathways, and accountability within tribal organizations. - Develop culturally responsive approaches to building leadership pipelines and strengthening internal organizational capacity.