Developing a Change
Culture in Local
Government
Commentary on the Strategic
Framework - Outlining Governance
Arrangements, Links to the ICE
Programme and Reform of Local
Government
Ashley Boreland
A personal perspective
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Leadership
Chief Executive of Ards Borough Council
 Local projects
Member of Local Government Staff Commission
 Awareness of increased need for sector-wide
solutions
Chair of Local Government Training Group
 Need for sector-wide development
 LGTG support for implementation of framework
Role in ICE Programme
 Drive for sector-led improvement, collaboration and
efficiency
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
People and OD Strategic
Framework
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Leadership
A route map to develop our most important
resource and deliver excellent services
Common platform for development across
the sector and at council level
A work of partnership – LGSC, SOLACE
and PPMA
Consultation on draft complete and
supported by the sector
Implementation from January 2012 onwards
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Putting it into context
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26 Councils, 26 ways?
Reform in local Government
 ICE
 RPA
Increasing public expectations
New legislation
Squeeze on resources – especially money
Recognition of people as the largest and most
important resource
Increasing focus on working together
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Leadership
SOLACE initiative to align regional officer groups
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Why People & OD?
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Leadership
Coping with challenges
 Customer expectations
 Limited resources
 Managing risks
Preparing our people
 Increasing change resilience
 Building a foundation for reform – ICE/RPA
Taking control of change
 Leading design of transferring or new services
 Improving current services
 Creating structures for the future
 Developing a change culture
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
“I know about People but what is
Organisational Development?”
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It isn’t just training!
Concept is over 60 years old (Kurt Lewin)
Improving performance through strategic, linked,
development of the whole organisation – people,
processes, technology, communications etc
Shifts the HR focus from the transactional to the
strategic
Planned interventions of
Positive, sustainable, whole-system change, delivering
Performance improvements for the organisation
Leadership
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
The Six Pillars
TO PROVIDE A ROUTE MAP TO ENABLE
LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO DEVELOP ITS MOST VALUABLE
RESOURCE IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT AND ENSURE
THE ONGOING PROVISION OF EXCELLENT SERVICES WHICH
ARE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Objective
As detailed in
Section 1.
L
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Strategic
Pillars
As detailed in
Section 2.
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ONGOING
REVIEW AND
EVALUATION
DURING
LIFETIME
OF STRATEGIC
FRAMEWORK
Action Plans
As detailed in
Section 3.
Leadership
YEAR ONE ACTION PLANS
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
The Six Pillars
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Initial priorities
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Longer-term culture-shift enablers
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Leadership
Leadership
Performance Culture
Employee Relations
Pay and Reward
Talent Management
Learning Organisation
Goals are deliberately “big, hairy and
audacious!” (Penna, 2011)
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Leadership
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Strategic Goal:
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Why?
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Foundation for progress at all levels
How?
Leadership
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Leadership
Local Government will be led by courageous, innovative, ambitious
and proactive leaders at all levels who inspire others to maximise
their potential in a strong and dynamic local government sector
Define
Supporting processes
Recognition
Career progression
Building reputation
Building networks
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Performance Culture
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Strategic Goal:
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Performance Culture
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Why?
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Supporting efficiency, productivity and innovation.
How?
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Leadership
Local Government will create an environment where, individual,
team and council goals are aligned; individuals will receive
continuous development and feedback on performance and will be
recognised for excellence in service delivery.
Performance Management System
Staff understanding of performance and career progression
Focus on customer and community needs
Clear expectations on standards and behaviours
Appropriate and timely feedback
Underperformance managed
Recognition for accountability of performance
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Employee Relations
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Strategic Goal:
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Employee Relations
Leadership
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Why?
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Local Government will agree on and establish an Employee
Relations Framework and environment that delivers results,
enables change to happen smoothly at sector and council level and
provides consistency.
Supporting relationships to deliver positive change
How?
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Effective and agreed negotiating model
Climate of trust, respect and co-operation
Early recognition and resolution of issues
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Pay and Reward
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Strategic Goal:
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Why?
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Pay and Reward
Leadership
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Local Government will ensure the effective management of Pay
and Reward across the sector to support achievement of a flexible,
motivated workforce.
Motivation to deliver high quality services whilst managing costs
How?
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Focus on productivity and motivation
Reward supporting performance culture and talent management
Promotion of total reward package
Managed workforce costs to support efficiency and cost control
Effective and consistent pay and grading processes
Promotion of flexibility and mobility to create opportunity
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Talent Management
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Strategic Goal:
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Talent Manangement
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Why?
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Developing the individual and the organisation
How?
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Leadership
Local Government will create the culture, systems and processes
which ensure the right people with the right capabilities are in the
right place at the right time to develop and support a strong and
dynamic sector.
Sector-wide approach to join up processes around employee
lifecycle
Supporting policies, processes and systems based on transparency
and fairness
Sector-wide succession management
Building reputation of sector as being progressive in talent
management
Culture of differentiating on performance
Leaders accountable for talent management
Collaborative working
Perception of talent ‘owned’ by sector, not by individual council
Developing the talent management culture across the sector
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Learning Organisation
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Strategic Goal:
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Learning Organisation
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Why?
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Shift from training to business performance-linked learning culture
How?
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Leadership
Local Government will create learning environments where leaders
equip individuals to take ownership of their learning and
development which supports their performance in delivering
excellent service
Deliberate shift from training focus to performance and learning
Continuous learning culture fostered at individual, team and
organisational levels
Recognition of leaders who create learning environments
Motivational conversations on learning and development
Understanding of individual impact on achievement of team and
organisational goals
Culture that supports efforts to continually improve performance
Clear link between learning culture and performance, including
return on investment
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Success/work to date
Pillar
Successes / Work to date
N/A - General
Strategy
Leadership
Executive
Performance
Culture
Occupational
Employee
Relations
Sharing
of knowledge and practice
Pay and
Reward
Sharing
of knowledge and practice
Talent
Management
Collaborative
Learning
Organisation
E-learning
Leadership
complete and wide support!
LGSC HR Strategy Conference
Alignment with ICE Programme
Increased sharing of knowledge and practice to agree shared policy, processes, systems etc
Leadership Programme - SOLACE/LGSC/LGTG
Leadership Team development workshop – Ballymena
Leadership Team training programme – Limavady
Health model review
Competency Framework Development – Coleraine & Derry
Coaching for performance training – numerous
Readiness for OD workshop – Craigavon
Organisational Review pilot - Ards
Performance review – Newtownabbey (lead)
recruitment advertising
HR Systems – Antrim (lead)
Recruitment approach review – Lisburn (lead)
– Belfast (lead)
PPMA development
needs analysis
Performance
Employee
Culture
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Making it happen
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Action Planning
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Programme management
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Leadership
Leaders and cross-sector teams and support
Reviewing
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LGSC
Specialist knowledge within sector
Resourcing
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Defined actions for year 1
Overall progress reviewed annually
Using OD principles/values…
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
OD Principles
Respect and Inclusion
 Collaboration
 Authenticity
 Self-awareness
 Empowerment
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Leadership
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Governance structure
Regional Governance Group
Reporting on Progress
PROGRAMME BOARD
ie SOLACE, PPMA, LGSC,
TU, DoE, Independent HR
rep., and Working Group
Leads
LGSC and LGTG
Oversight, Resources
and
Programme/Project
Management
STRATEGIC PILLAR WORKING GROUPS
Leadership
Leadership
Performance
Culture
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Learning
Organisation
Resourcing
Pillar
SOLACE NI Chair
PPMA Practitioner
LGSC Advisor
1. Leadership
Ashley Boreland,
Ards
Sinead McNicholl,
Derry
Lorna Parsons
2. Performance
Culture
Anne Donaghy,
Ballymena
Raymond Donnelly,
Craigavon
Linda Leahy
3. Employee
Relations
David McCammick,
Antrim
Karen Hargan,
Ballymena
Dermot O’Hara
4. Pay & Reward
Roger Wilson,
Coleraine
Catherine Sweeney,
Newry & Mourne
Dermot O’Hara
5. Talent Management Theresa Donaldson,
Craigavon
Sinead Clarke,
Lisburn
Lorna Parsons
6. Learning
Organisation
Elaine Magee, Antrim
Linda Leahy
Leadership
Liam Flanigan,
Limavady
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Your sector needs you!
Leadership
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Our progress relies on your support
and input
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So please volunteer for the upcoming
workshops
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Final thoughts
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Change isn’t coming – its here
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We must take control of it
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“It is not the strongest of the species that survives…it is
the one that is the most adaptable to change” - Charles
Darwin
The foundation to effective, sustained change
is driving it from within
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Leadership
“Everybody has accepted by now that change is
unavoidable” - Peter Drucker
“Peter Senge introduced the idea of the 'learning
organisation‘. Now he says that for big companies to
change, we need to stop thinking like mechanics and
to start acting like gardeners” – Alan Webber
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation
Final thoughts
We’ve done some great things so far...
…now let’s create something
outstanding!
Leadership
Performance
Culture
Employee
Relations
Pay and
Reward
Talent
Management
Learning
Organisation