cameron and green making-sense-of-change-management

Clarity and impact of core values and direction setting on service deliveryEveryone had accepted the council’s core values, but that was perhapsbecause they were commonsensical and there was nothing in them thatanyone could contest. However there was scope for them to be revisited,made more specifically demanding and directed towards action in orderto realize their potential. There were too many values, and these wereneither meaningfully translated into ways of working nor explicitly linkedto preferred outcomes or any performance management system. They hadbeen launched with a fanfare some time before, and no investment hadbeen put into their continued dissemination and implementation.Everyone in the council had a mix of agendas to work to: variouscorporate policy priorities, service delivery priorities, inter-agencyworking and development initiatives. Greater clarity was neededthroughout the council about what outcomes were being sought and howthey could come together at every level. All managers and service headsfelt the tension of multiple demands and needed an effective process forbalancing these demands and setting personal and team targets.The corporate policy priorities had a tremendously varied degree ofownership, due partly to the lack of clarity around what they actuallymeant, and also to a suspicion whether the political leadership and corporatemanagerial leadership were really committed to driving themthrough. They did not translate easily into a vision for a better city thatemployees could rally behind, and therefore the result was confusion anda growing cynicism, rather than commitment.There was little evidence that people were rewarded or recognized formoving the corporate agenda on, and the lack of ongoing budget provisionfor these corporate initiatives also indicated a hesitancy when it cameto putting money where the mouth was.A visible and congruent leadership and management styleCultural changeAt all levels, but notably at middle and front line, there were requests forclearer, bolder and consistent leadership. This was seen as particularlybeing the challenge for political leaders and senior officers in managingthe council’s myriad conflicting demands.Clarity of vision and articulation of the council’s true direction and theway it was to be achieved were needed to minimize confusion and focuspeople’s minds and resources.265