Progress Conference on Local Government Development in Northern Ireland

1. PEOPLE AND ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENTSTRATEGIC FRAMEWORKFOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN NORTHERN IRELAND PROGRESS CONFERENCE 21 June 2012

2. INTRODUCTION Dr Adrian E Kerr Chief Executive The Local Government Staff Commission for Northern Ireland

3. Update on Local Government Reform Programme Brian Moreland 21 June 2012 DOE…a better place to live, work and invest.

4. Executive’s Vision “…a strong, dynamic local government creating communities that are vibrant, healthy, prosperous, safe, sustainable and have the needs of all citizens at their core.” Central to this vision is the provision of high quality, efficient services that respond to the needs of people and continuously improve over time.

5. New local government responsibilities • Functions to transfer (2008 package) include: • planning (from DOE) • regeneration (from DSD) • local economic development and tourism (from DETI), • public realm functions of roads (from DRD) • local sports facilities (from DCAL) • Rural development (from DARD) • Final package being reviewed • New statutory duty of Community Planning • New Power of well-being.

6. Delivery structure

7. Funding • The Executive has agreed two guiding principles: 1. Implementation costs incurred at local level associated with reorganisation will not be met by the Executive. Local government will be required to meet these costs. • At the point of transfer, functions transferring from central to local government should be: • fit for purpose • sufficiently resourced • rates neutral This will require the transfer of resources from central government to local government when the functions transfer.

8. Key milestones Boundaries legislation • 11 council model • Draft Local Government (Boundaries) Order • Laid in Assembly (24 April 2012) • Approved by Environment Committee (17 May 2012) • Debated & passed by the Assembly (12 June 2012)

9. Key milestones (cont…) Local Government (Reorganisation) Bill • Will introduce: • new governance arrangements for councils • an updated service delivery & performance improvement regime • an ethical standards regime • community planning powers • the complementary power of well-being • Executive agreement to final policy content (June / July 2012) • Introduce to Assembly (Oct / Nov 2012)

10. Key milestones (cont…) Shadow Councils • Election of Shadow councils – June 2014 • They will have powers to: • appoint senior staff • strike rates for 2015/16 • approve business and financial plans for the new Councils commencing in April 2015.

11. Key milestones (cont…) New Councils • New Councils assume full responsibilities – April 2015 • Existing councils wound up

12. Next steps & key issues • Possible move from voluntary to statutory transition committees before the end of the year • Greater clarity of committees’ roles, responsibilities and key tasks  • Committees will be accountable for progressing the reform programme within allocated timescales • Development and roll out of pilots • Early engagement on key issues, including: • HR issues for civil servants (and others) transferring to local government • Issues around financing the programme and rates convergence • Settling the transfer package

13. TRANSFORMING SERVICE DELIVERY Update on ICE Programme Mr Danny McSorley Chief Executive Omagh District Council

14. INTRODUCTION • Initially conceived as a response to the BSO proposal • ICE Case for Change demonstrated extent of potential opportunity • RPA back on agenda – transition process • ICE provides the vehicle for transformation • Complementary and need to be aligned

15. ICE WORKSTREAMS • 5 key workstreams within ICE • Human Resources • Procurement • Support Services • IT • Customer Facing Services • Local Government led and resourced • Reporting to Regional Governance Group • Decision making retained at a local level by councils

16. Human Resources • Led by David McCammick • ICE HR objectives being progressed via the People and OD Strategic Framework and delivery of the 6 Strategic Pillars • Programme Scope and Work Plan agreed • Working Groups in place to progress the key tasks • Regular reports to ICE RGG and RCEG

17. Procurement • Led by Liam Flanigan working with the LG Procurement Officers’ Group • Key tasks include: • New procurement model for the sector • Development of LG Procurement Strategy • Development of LG Procurement Website • Development of expertise • Continuing progress on a number of regional, sub-regional and local collaborative procurement exercises • Key challenges, eg, litigation, resources

18. Support Services • Led by Liam Hannaway • Initially looking at options for improved delivery of Insurance and Legal Services • Researching ‘as is’ position – getting facts • Scoping and development of options • Will report to RCEG and RGG and will consult with councils

19. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY • Led by Roger Wilson working with a number of IT Officers • Researching ‘as is’ position re hardware/software • Key step – common network platform – business case for Network NI? • Collaborative procurement, eg, broadband contracts • Liaison with Customer Facing Services re service design opportunities

20. CUSTOMER FACING SERVICES • Led by Ashley Boreland • Working with Professional Officer groups in CFS roles, eg, EH, BC, Leisure, Waste • Area of greatest opportunity – 84% of council budgets spent on customer facing services • Pilot of Service Review & Improvement Process – Environmental Health Service – other areas to follow • Report back on progress and findings

21. Improvement Benefits to Date Some Examples include:- • Innovative culture of improvement • Development of the Service Review & Improvement Process • People & OD Strategy and associated projects eg joint recruitment advertising • Development of procurement expertise and initiatives • Progress towards common network platform

22. Collaboration Benefits to Date • Growing, structured programme and culture of collaboration • Involvement of all 26 councils • New services designed once, rather than x26, eg, Animal Welfare Service • Specific examples, eg, collaborative procurement of electricity, stationery, office consumables; shared employment of specialist staff; local collaborative initiatives

23. Efficiency Benefits to date • Over last 2 years real term savings achieved in cost of local government (£29m based on RPI; £16m based on CPI) – supported by the growing ICE mindset and culture • Translated into lowest rate increases in recent history across sector • Efficiencies used to benefit ratepayers and to absorb increased costs • Invest to save model may require short-term investment to make longer-term savings

24. Conclusions (1) EFFICIENCY • The ICE Programme has already delivered savings • Significant potential for further savings • We’ve only just started IMPROVEMENT • Not just about savings – new improvement focused culture – driven by collaboration • Supported by People & OD Strategy • A long term journey, not a short-term event

25. Conclusions (2) RPA • ICE can deliver the transformational change needed to support RPA • ICE is complementary to transition process but not restricted to numbers or boundaries

26. WORKING GROUP SESSIONS Leadership and Talent Management Employee Relations and Pay & Reward Performance Culture and Learning Organisation SPINNING ROOM BRAIDING ROOM DOFFER ROOM

27. FEEDBACK FROM THEWORKING GROUP SESSIONS

28. Leadership and Talent Management PROGRESS/ACTIONS IN HAND 1 Researchuing key themes 2 Definition of talent 3 4 5 6

29. Leadership and Talent Management NEXT STEPS AND RESOURCES 1 Skills Audit 2 Re-establishment of recruitment group 3 Combine 2 groups 4 Leadership programme 5 Succession planning policy 6

30. Employee Relations and Pay & Reward PROGRESS/ACTIONS IN HAND ER – Options – a focus around “Whitleyism” An architecture – Regional Council, Engagement at local level and capacity 2 P&R – Single employer, Local Government Brand, Workforce Profile – NISRA. Expert support and ongoing work in GB

31. Employee Relations and Pay & Reward NEXT STEPS AND RESOURCES Keep going Prioritise – narrower focus? There will always be a core group Deciding on what external help is needed

32. Employee Relations and Pay & Reward CROSSCUTTING THEMES Relationship to Performance Culture Impact of the focus on reform – resources may be directed to this and decisions may impact on proposals from working groups Local Government Brand/Single Employer concept Commonality re information gathering/retreival

33. Performance Culture and Learning Organisation PROGRESS/ACTIONS IN HAND Performance Culture: Researching – Research Day 3rd July Timing of pilots – to allow planning for new financial year Link to DoE work on corporate KPIs Transferring staff (NICS) ‘importing’ their existing system Learning Organisation Lot of research done Good TU in put – progress on TU Learning Rep role Getting to the point where we need to ‘write up’

34. Performance Culture and Learning Organisation NEXT STEPS AND RESOURCES & CROSSCUTTING THEMES This work is by local government for local government Develop specifications and terms of reference for ‘writing up’ Move to a period of virtual meetings? All linked, work of each related to all the others – sharing is good Ask Programme Board to consider grouping the Pillars Not to maintain ‘artificial linkages’ whilst not losing anything

35. EXTERNAL VIEWDr Mark HughesBrighton Business School Author of Managing Change: A Critical Perspective (2010) published by CIPD Publishing

36. PEOPLE AND ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK OBJECTIVE To provide a route map to enable local government to develop it’s most valuable resource in a changing environment and ensure the ongoing provision of excellent services which are responsive to the needs of local communities. (LGSC, 2012, p5)

37. 1. OD BASED MODEL OF CHANGE • 1.Management and staff perception of problem(s) • 2. Data gathering and preliminary diagnosis by those concerned with leading the change (who can be internal and/or external to the organisation) • 3. Feedback to key client, management and those involved in the change • 4. Joint agreement of the problem(s) • 5. Joint action planning • 6. Implementation • 7. Reinforcement and assessment of the change • Generic steps have been identified when undertaking an OD based model of change (Senior and Swailes, 2010)

38. 2. THE DUNPHY AND STACE (1988) CHANGE MATRIX Modular trans- formation Corporate trans- formation Fine tuning Incremental adjustment Style of change management Type 1 Participative evolution Type 2 Charismatic transformation Collaborative Consultative Type 3 Forced evolution Type 4 Dictatorial transformation Directive Coercive

39. 3. The Cultural Web (Johnson, 1998)

40. The Iceberg Metaphor • (adapted from French and Bell, 1999) ASPECTS OF RATIONAL ORGANISATION Goals, Strategies and Objectives Policies and Procedures Finance Organisational Structure Information Technology Products and Services ASPECTS OF INFORMAL ORGANISATION Attitudes, Values and Beliefs  Management Styles and Behaviours Leadership Styles and Behaviours Ethics and Morals  Organisational Cultures  Power and Politics  Group Norm

41. 5. Eight errors which cause transformation failures (Kotter, 1995) Error 1: Not establishing a great enough sense of urgency Error 2: Not creating a powerful enough guiding coalition Error 3: Lacking a vision Error 4: Under communicating the vision by a factor of ten Error 5: Not removing obstacles to the new vision Error 6: Not systematically planning for, and creating short-term wins Error 7: Declaring victory too soon Error 8: Not anchoring changes in the corporation’s culture

42. 6. Force Field Analysis (adapted from Lewin, 1951) Driving Forces Equilibrium Restraining Forces Alternative work schedules Falling Competitiveness Change: Raise productivity by changing working patterns Loss of overtime Rising material costs Different work groups Head office determination Temporarydisruption

43. 7. Attitudes versus Behaviours (Balogun and Hope Hailey, 2008) Attitude-Led Change suggests… Behaviour-Led Change suggests…

44. 8. Strategies for Change (Kotter and Schlesinger, 1979) Education + Communication Where there is a lack of information or inaccurate information and analysis. Participation + Involvement Where the initiators do not have all the information they need to design the change, and where others have considerable power to resist. Facilitation + Support Where people are resisting because of adjustment problems. Negotiating + Agreement Where someone or some group will clearly lose out in a change, and where that group has considerable power to resist. Manipulation + Co-optation Where other tactics will not work, or are too expensive. Explicit and Implicit Coercion Where speed is essential and the change initiators possess considerable power.

45. 9. Communication Escalator (Quire, 1995) • Commitment • Updates • Team problem solving • Talkback sessions • Involvement • Team meetings • Feedback forums • Speak up programmes • Interactive conferencing Degree of Change • Support • Seminars • Training courses • Business forums • Multi-media • Understanding • Roadshows • Video conferencing • Satellite presentations • Customer forums • Awareness • Newsletter • Video • Electronic mail Degree of Involvement

46. Diffusion of Innovations (Rogers, 1962) Innovators 2.5% Early adoptors 13.5% Early majority 34% Late majority 34% Laggards 16%

47. References Balogun, J. and Hope Hailey, V. (2008) Exploring strategic change.Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. Dunphy, D.C. and Stace, D.A. (1988) Transformational and coercive strategies for planned organisational change: beyond the OD model. Organizational Studies, Vol. 9, No. 3, pps.339-55. French, W.L. and Bell, C.H., Jr (1999) Organizational development. 6th Edition, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Johnson, G. (1998) Mapping and re-mapping organisational culture, inExploring Techniques of Analysis and Evaluation in Strategic Management, Ambrosini, V., Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (eds) Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall. Kotter, J.P. (1995) Leading Change: Why transformation efforts fail.Harvard Business Review, Vol.73, Issue.2, pp.59-67.

48. References (cont’d.) Kotter, J.P. and Schlesinger, L.A. (1979) Choosing strategies for change.Harvard Business Review, Vol. 57, Issue 2, pps.94-105. Lewin, K. (1951) Field theory in social science. New York, Harper and Row. Local Government Staff Commission for Northern Ireland (2012) People and Organisation Development Strategic Framework and Integrated Implementation Plan. Published by LGSC: Belfast. Rogers, E.M. (1962) Diffusion of innovation. New York: Free Press. Senior, B. and Swailes, S. (2010) Organizational change.4th Edition, Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. Quirke, B. (1995) Communicating change. London: McGraw-Hill Book Company.

49. GENERAL DISCUSSIONON PROGRESS ANDTHE WAY FORWARD