larger councils’ conference 2013 oxford belfry hotel 23 rd march 2013 leadership in local...
TRANSCRIPT
Larger Councils’ Conference 2013Oxford Belfry Hotel
23rd March 2013
Leadership in Local AuthoritiesAlan Jones
Part 1
Perpetual Challenges
You are somewhere here
Meanwhile … beneath the clouds
Perpetual challenges
• Continual change • Globalism• Multi-nationalism• Centralism• Localism
Perpetual challenges
• Demographics• Public Expectations• Social & cultural change• Government pressures• The Funding Gap
The widening gap
£
Time
Expectations & pressures
Costs
Funding
How will we bridge this gap?
Current outlook
• Unprecedented deficit• Efficiencies running out of track• Across the board cuts• Need to disinvest and divest• Redesigning services is a priority
Part 2
Contextual Challenges
The context is changing
• Democracy is changing• Public engagement …• Public sphere …• Sense of place …• Public information …
Community LeadershipLeadership
• Representative democracy
• Pluralistic democracy
• Participative democracy
The world wide web was born in 1993. Children born then are now 20. Our children
are digital natives. We, the older generations, are digital immigrants.
The power of the blogerati
Who’s twittering about you?
“ The local authority is the first line of defence against our common
enemies”
Winifred Holtby – South Riding
Local Governance
• Providing basic human needs• Mediating between citizens• Transforming lives• Through:
– Community engagement– Partnership – Democratic involvement
Part 3
It’s About Leadership
‘We put our customers first - right?’
Meaning what we say …
‘OK - get ready to turn the organisation inside-out for them’
The Pillars of Change
Vision Structure
CultureProcess
Better Basics
Risks Results
ResourcesReview
Shaping People, Partnerships & Places
People Politics
PartnershipsPlaces
Leadership Challenges within organisations
Inertia towards change Vested interests
Misinformation & disorganisation
Organisational terrorists
Leadership Challenges between organisations
Institutional chauvinism Phoney competition
Misplaced rivalryPolitics & politics
Public–Private sector tensions
‘Conflicting’ values & rationalities
The spectre of competition
A distaste for profitOrganised opposition
It’s About Resolution
Take a cold, hard look Hold up the mirror
Spread the message Set the tone and standard
It’s About Vision
Make a plan and go for it Oil the corporate clockwork
Remind, reinforce, reward Have a ‘target culture’
It’s About Communication
Simplify the message An unreasonable commitment to communicate
Trumpet the change
Paint a picture of success
It’s About Behaviour
Refine accountabilities Develop a sense of urging
Build a guiding coalitionReward new behaviours
It’s About Teams
Select the best Eliminate the pest
Train the restRe-engineer behaviours
It’s About Giving People Meaning
Gather low hanging fruit Work with those engaged
Strive for alignmentCelebrate success
Thinking and Acting Beyond the Room
“Changing the viewing to change the doing”
“It is easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking than it is to think yourself into a new way
of acting”
Managing On The Edge Of Chaos
• Managing stability• Fostering controlled instability• Unlocking innovative step-change• Ambiguity, complexity and creativity• Staying on the right side of chaos
