creating excellence in uk government communications - russell grossman @ iabc canberra
TRANSCRIPT
Creating Excellence In UK Government Communications
@govuk @ukgovcomms @ICExcellence
Russell Grossman ABC, FCIPR, FCIM, FRSA Director of Communications, UK Department for Business, Innovation & Skills www.gov.uk/bis Director, Engage for Success www.engageforsuccess.org Incoming Chair, International Association of Business Communicators www.iabc.com
Russell Grossman
2008 : Dept for Business, UK Government - Director of Communications
2006 : HM Revenue & Customs - Head of Internal & Change Communications
1999 : BBC - Head of Internal Communications
1997 : Royal Mail - London Director of Communications
1995 : Nichols Associates - Senior Consultant
1994 : Jubilee Line Extension - Public Relations Manager
1993 : Riverbus - Marketing Manager
1988 : London Docklands Development Corporation - Head of Information
1986 : London Docklands Development Corporation Exec Asst to Development Director
1983 : Greater London Council, Press Officer
Formed in June 2009
• c.2500 staff, 49 partner bodies Eg. UKTI, Met Office, UK Space Agency
• Budget 2013-14 : c£16bn (c$AUD32bn)
• 5th Biggest Spending Dept In Whitehall
• 7 Ministers (1 Lord, 6 MPs)
• Secretary Of State – Vince Cable
• High Profile, Big Expectation
Mission:
• ‘Creating Economic Growth’
Her Majesty’s Government
24 Government Departments 330 Non-Departmental Government Organisations c440,000 people employed Of which…. c4,400 are communications specialists (was c6,000 in 2009) Communications spend – 2009/10 : £1,150,000 ($AUD 2,150,000) Communications spend – 2013/14 : £237,000 ($AUD 444,000)
In England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland:
And in the UK we do some great stuff….
Government communications
£
Government spending on
Communication cut by 75% since 2009
Changes in the media landscape are accelerating
Audiences shifting habits
and expectations
…..and the Prime Minister
takes a personal interest
But the world has been changing faster than Government has….
Ouch!
Government communications …we’ve also gone from ‘deference’ to ‘reference’
Leaders
Elders
Experts
People on the street
Celebrities
Friends and family
Leaders
Elders
Experts
People on the street
Celebrities
Friends and family
and now tend to swap facts in no more than 140 characters
All Government Departments had a ‘Communications Capability Review’
in 2012/13
A ‘deep dive’ examination by senior comms reviewers external to the Department - two from outside Government, one from inside - 4-6 weeks each - c.50 interviews: senior managers, stakeholders, journalists, staff etc - group interviews. And desk based research. - key lines of enquiry around strategy, leadership and delivery - reported in executive session to the Departmental top team Schedule of rigorous recommendations, with review points in 6 & 12 months
STRONG EVIDENCE BASE FOR CHANGE
Capability Reviews of UK Government Communication : 2012 & 2013
UK Government Communications were: - tactically strong but strategically weak - disjointed and lack co-operation across Government Six areas needed special attention: •Objective setting •Audience targeting •Strategic planning
• Working better with policymakers • Internal Communications • Digital communications
By Summer 2013, after some quick wins, we created a formal cross-government Functional Leadership programme.
Aim : to make UK Government Comms excellent and be a global exemplar for the profession
More skilled
More unified
Less bureaucratic
Professional Rigour
Stronger resilience and
flexibility
Shared capabilities
and best practice
Better value for money
Attractive role and career
pathways
Better cross government planning &
collaboration
‘Reforming’ government communications
Make the best, standard
GCS programme : 11 streams for change more than 200 volunteers working across UK Government on this!
1 Design and create the GCS 2 Make measurement core to all
communications activity 3 Create a Single Government Comms
Plan and process everyone signs up to 4 New Ministerial governance and buy in
for what we do and improved spending controls
5 Better alignment between the 24 departments and the 330 arms length bodies
6 Have excellent regional government communications
7. Internal Communications moves to become ‘excellent ‘and an exemplar for the profession
8. Campaigns become focused on common audiences, not individual departments
9. Create a central function for communications focused on delivering collaboration and scale economies
10. ‘Digital’ moves to the heart of campaign activity and PR
11. Proactive talent management and people development - central to creating and sustaining a strong professional cadre
So on 1st January 2014 we created the…..
A stronger and exemplary profession
Better careers, career paths and
career management
Better governance
Stronger leadership
Greater accountability
Higher and shared standards
More collaboration
Secondments and mentoring
More respect, inside and outside of
government
STR
ON
G A
MB
ITIO
N D
ETERM
INED
FOCu
S
5 days minimum annually for
communications development
Encouragement to join Professional Associations
Co-ordinated recruitment for
Entry grades
Matrix management to ensure professional
support
Talent management for senior grades
Joint activity with wider public sector
communicators
Stronger focus on performance management
Annual summer, and regional conferences
Shared centres of excellence
The Offer To Staff
Roles are changing and need to change further Old and new roles
Press officer Rapid rebutter, policy launcher, emailer, release writer
Engagement officer Data analyst, content curator, movement builder, counsellor
Media officer Campaign deliverer, blogger, tweeter, insight gainer
2000
2010
2015
Regular discussion of success metrics now features strongly with the
introduction of Performance Hubs
Mnemonics help make it relevant and are easily transmitted
Engaging stakeholder s - ABC
Audience Brevity Conversation
Objective Audience Strategy Implementation Scoring
Planning - OASIS
Direct Online Regions Influencers Activists News
Channels - DORIAN
GCS membership is AUTOMATIC and WIDE
Core Associate Affiliate
Professional communication staff working in a communication directorate or embedded in a departmental policy team as full-time specialist staff
Non-professionals working for part of the time, or part of their career, in a government comms role (Eg, a career diplomat working as a press attaché; services personnel working in military comms)
Other public sector communicators Eg, in a local authority; fire police or ambulance service etc
‘One profession’ if not ‘one employer’ (Departments & Arms Length Bodies all issue their own employment contracts)
The new membership offer is part of the deal
Common Shared Platforms
So buy in has been critical we should , after all, be experts at this ??
We’ve needed to ensure buy in from above, across and below • Government Ministers
• Engaged them in the review, see quick wins • Got their agreement to the outcomes • Engaged the PM personally, and the UK Cabinet
• Directors of Communication (DoC) – key operators in the field • Extensive consultation • Fortnightly meetings • Each DoC accountable for a stream of the ‘reform’ work
• 4,400 Communications Staff • Carrot + stick : 5 days annual training offered : but must take it up to progress • Career benefits must be clear for them • Maintaining momentum and effective communication about the programme
The reforms are generating
greater respect for
communication generally across
Government
Effective and active governance This has been CRITICAL
1. A Main Board with 3 Ministers – Political Support 2. External Non-Executive Comms Directors
(two big hitters from FTSE companies) 3. Department Comms Directors - a central part
of the Board, not “having it done to them” 4. Active PRINCE2 full time project managers
underpinning the 11 strands of change with weekly board meetings
5. Bold and active leadership by the most senior Gvt Comms Director (Alex Aiken, Executive Director)
6. Actively talking internally and externally about the programme, and actively inviting comment #UKGovComms
GCS Board
Directors of Communications
Group
Heads of Media Relations ; Marketing; Internal Comms; Corporate Comms; Digital
Staff in Government departments
c3200 people
Staff in Arms Length Bodies c1200 people
Objective setting, approval, assurance and challenge
Strategy, planning and leadership
Delivery, collaboration and leadership
Delivery, co-ordination
Delivery
Success objectives
By end 2014:
• Better, cheaper, more professional and innovative communications : evidenced quantitatively, and thru polling
• A profession that Government wants to use, and from which communicators demonstrably learn
• A reputation for exceptional service and demonstrable results to build world class communication
• A place where talented communicators want to work
Insight
Ideas
Implementation
Impact
@UKgovcomms Storify.com/UKgovcomms gcn.civilservice.gov.uk (closed site to
UK Civil Service)
Updates every two weeks
The story continues….
Creating Excellence In UK Government Communications
@govuk @ukgovcomms @ICExcellence
Russell Grossman ABC, FCIPR, FCIM, FRSA Director of Communications, UK Department for Business, Innovation & Skills www.gov.uk/bis Director, Engage for Success www.engageforsuccess.org Incoming Chair, International Association of Business Communicators www.iabc.com