from Bureaucracy to Business

Overview

1. How were we dysfunctional

2. What our customers were saying, our interactions and the statistics

3. How we responded

4. What our customers are saying now, our interactions and the statistics

5. Current challenges and what the future holds

6. Lessons learnt

How were we dysfunctional

• no clear direction for the business

• decisions were limited to a few• lack of accountability or

responsibility• decision phobia was prevalent• paralysis by analysis was rife• processes were not

measurable• a them and us culture of blame

What our customers were saying

Typical customer interaction

What did the numbers say

How we responded

• Formalised a Strategic Direction

• Established Performance Benchmarks

• Implemented New Systems and Processes

• Our People, Our Culture

• Engagement with Stakeholders

Formalising a Strategic Direction

1. Develop a vision

2. Prepare a story that articulates where you want to be

3. Define what needs to change to achieve the story

4. Prioritise the changes

5. Define what actions are required to deliver on the priorities

6. Get the above endorsed by Senior Management and Councilors so you have a mandate

Establishing Performance Benchmarks

• Use measures that are meaningful and relevant to your customers

• Have the measures endorsed by Senior Management and Councilors

• If you don’t define where you want to get to how will you know when you are there

• How will your team know when to celebrate success

• Don’t choose measures or sample data that don’t accurately report on the state of the business

Implementing Systems and Processes

• Defines individual and business performance challenges

• Assists in necessary performance conversations

• Measures the performance of customers

• Creates a reporting frameworks which can be used to consistently measure business improvement

Our People, Our Culture

• Focus on solutions not problems• Don’t expect perfection but

always learn from mistakes• Be the leader you want others to

be• Be risk tolerant• Offer value for money to

customers• Achieve service excellence

through teamwork, loyalty and fun

• Respond to customers within 24 hours and ideally that day

Engagement with Stakeholders

• Establish industry forums to receive feedback

• Invest the time into understanding your customers business by talking to them regularly

• Look to other municipalities for ideas and share yours

• Partner with industry to respond to mutual challenges

What our customers are saying now

Changing customer experience

What do the numbers say now

Recognition

Current Challenges

• Improving the knowledge across Council of our business

• Bedding down the cultural changes within the team

• Knowing what IT project to invest in

• Improving the ease and availability of information

• Responding to legislative reform

What does the future hold

• We will be expected to do more with less quicker:– Pick the right IT project to

invest in– Removing low risk

development from Council’s assessment

– Working with the State and Federal Governments to continue reforming the process in the right way

– Ensuring we create the right conditions where good people will want to work for us

Lessons learnt

• Have a simple message supported by both Councillors and Senior Management and stick to it relentlessly

• Surround yourself with like minded individuals at various levels to support the implementation of change

• Ensure the systems support the business and not drive it

• If you can’t change the people change the people but be willing to embrace those who may take a little longer to be convinced

• Don’t expect to change culture in a year, after 3 years we are still bedding down the culture

• Don’t sweat the small stuff and worry about the things you can control

Conclusion

We can all make significant, direct and positive impacts in our business.

Without system, process and cultural change the business you have created will quickly revert back to dysfunction.

Questions