Continuous improvement

The 'continuous improvement' element of the local government chief executive role involves learning and curiosity, innovation, service re-design, digital and artifiical intelligence, performance, impact and results.

  • Learning and curiosity: collaborative, continuous and curious style of learning
  • Innovation: creative experimentation, trial and error, transform where feasible
  • Service re-design: customer centred service design
  • Digital and artificial intelligence (AI): technology-powered, new media enabled, but human-led
  • Performance: reported metrics of relative cost effectiveness to comparators
  • Impact and results: making a positive difference through impact and results

The structure of knowledge, experience and judgement across the practice of continuous improvement

 

Acquiring knowledge Gaining experience Sharpening judgement
  • 'Best value' – its origins and its application – arrangements that secure continuous improvement in the execution of all council functions – Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) statutory guide on Best value standards and intervention for best value authorities

     
  • Business and management processes to secure continuous improvement in services through service redesign, innovation and digital transformation

     
  • Outward focus on community and the prior impact of public services

     
  • Research and evidence of comparative, normative and ipsative performance

     
  • The role of service plans, corporate plans, improvement plans, as well as assurance and re-assurance reporting

     
  • Focus is on improvement for residents and service users, on better service impact and social results
  • Work with senior directors, service and corporate staff on improvement planning and corporate planning

     
  • Examine organisation-wide learning and improvement in other organisations including private companies, not-for-profit organisations and other councils

     
  • Examine how many improvement targets have external metrics compared to business process improvement metrics

     
  • Adopt clear messages to focus everyone on a few corporate metrics that compare the council’s targets and other councils’ targets, over time

     
  • Share your improvement goals and targets with others

     
  • Understanding of service re-design, innovation and digital transformation
  • Adopt the best ways to work with councillors and officers generating a culture of continuous improvement

     
  • Prioritise those changes that directly impact on the experience of small numbers of service users, with those changes in process and practice that will affect cost effectiveness targets more generally

     
  • “Every success feels like a failure in the middle” – can identify when to persist with those changes that have yet to deliver fully, and when to adjust strategy or tactics and change plans

     
  • Appraise whether change requires transformation boards, top-down drive and strong programme management or whether it is more effectively delivered through bottom-up culture change

Highlighted pages

Public ethics

The 'public ethics' element of the local government chief executive role involves ethical principles, ethical cultures, fairness, services, practices and dealing with violations.

Good governance

The 'good governance' element of the local government chief executive role involves unified powers, being reasoned and reasonable, openness, advice, independence and citizenship.