Resident transformation

What is resident focused transformation?

Resident focused transformation is about delivering improved outcomes and benefits for residents, businesses and communities. This type of transformation can be enabled by making better use of technology to change the way council services are delivered or accessed, and/or altering people’s behaviours, focusing on the human aspect of change using specific models such as the ‘nudge theory’ as an example.

Some examples of resident focused transformation include:

• campaigns to improve public health such as stop smoking, healthy eating, and so on
• providing better access to services online for those who can and will use them.

What does good resident focused transformation look like?

• It is clear on the vision and outcomes it is seeking to achieve. In local government this may involve encouraging people to choose healthier lifestyle options, enabling them to live more independently, or encouraging greater use of online contact options where it is appropriate to do so, or it may involve encouraging employees to adapt their own behaviour to encourage others to build on their strengths for example.
• It starts with understanding the needs of residents. It’s not about assuming what will work, but about understanding what needs to be done - and who needs it. The aim of transformation is to make it easy for people (whether residents or employees) to get things done.
• It involves key stakeholders from the start. Ensuring that capacity and skills are in place to properly impact assess the change and plan for it. Whilst also engaging key partners external to the council who may support with delivery.
• It is evidence led. Changes are made based on evidence, and appraisal of all of the available options, including considering costs, risks, benefits, timescales and effort to deliver the change.
• It seeks evidence to continually enable adjustments to be made. For example, looking at where people drop off when using digital services and adjusting, or looking at why people start smoking again after stopping and understanding / trialing different interventions.
• It looks at people, process and technology together, to take a considered approach to the best way to achieve the right outcomes. This could be the use of technology to automate process steps so that the people effort can be put where it adds the greatest value, or communication methods to reach the right audiences.
• It acknowledges the risks and puts plans in place to address them This includes ensuring appropriate governance and capacity to deliver the changes and sustain services and embed the change beyond the project.
• It encourages experimentation, trial and learning – and enables new processes, campaigns or technology to be trialed, and tweaked after they go live, or built incrementally over time (sometimes this is called ‘agile’ in digitally enabled transformation).
• It considers the different dimensions and potential impacts of transformation and seeks to ensure that there are not unintended negative consequences, for example ethical, equalities and inclusion considerations.
• It doesn’t stop at ‘go live’. Instead, time is taken after go live to ensure that change is properly embedded and that there is a formal transition into mainstream service delivery.

For digitally enabled resident transformation, what does good look like?

• It starts with understanding need. It’s not about digitising ‘as is’ ways of working, but about understanding what needs to be done - and who needs it. The aim of digital transformation is to make it easy for people (whether residents, customers or employees) to get things done.
• It has a clear and joined up vision, that uses data about, and from, real people who will use the service to determine what needs to be changed.
• It helps to break down silos between departments – stopping services from designing ‘the front part’ and the ‘back office’ part of a service in isolation, instead thinking about the end-to-end user journey and experience and whether the data can be joined up. It enables and encourages collaboration.
• It recognises that technology is only part of the answer – and seeks to meet user needs whether online, by phone, face to face or in other ways.
• It is joined up by a set of guiding principles (sometimes called architecture and / or design principles), so that the different technology parts join together in a way that is sensible, and that enables systems to integrate, hold and process data securely.
• It considers not just what the systems can do, but also technical foundations like availability, security, accessibility, scalability, where and how data is held, and how easy it is to maintain the solution/s over time.

Additional resources

• LGA support for cyber, digital and technology
• Local government digitalisation framework: Missions, principles and enablers
• The local government digitalisation almanac

For behaviour change enabled transformation, what does good look like?

• It is ethical. It actively considers the impact of behaviour-led change on real people and the communication of it is transparent.
• It seeks to make the target behaviour the easier option wherever possible. So, it makes it easy for employees to behave in ways consistent with council strategy, it makes online service delivery seamless to use, it might remove unhealthy options for example.
• It involves consistent role modelling, particularly from leaders and managers to avoid undermining the desired behaviour.
• It encourages positive reinforcement – rewarding people for progress or giving praise or incentives.
• It ensures appropriate training and development of employees. Recognising that employee behaviour influences resident behaviour.
• It places a strong focus on evidence-based communication – taking a campaign orientated approach that can be measured.
• It focuses on the long term, recognising that behaviour change is rarely achieved quickly.
• Coaching, mentoring and feedback are used to encourage a growth mindset and challenge fixed behaviours or ways of thinking.

Additional resources

• LGA behavioural insights programme 2022/23
• Behavioural insights

Typical roles and responsibilities

There are lots of different types of roles that are involved in resident focused transformation. Roles that are common are front line staff who engage with the public, project managers, business analysts, service designers, and for digitally enabled change data analysts, developers, testers and business change managers. For behaviour enabled change, you may also find the change involves HR and training teams, organisational psychologists, and communications teams.

It is important to understand that digital enablement and day to day ICT services are not the same thing, although closely related. Some councils have director level roles to oversee digital transformation, while others have heads of service, what you need depends on what you are trying to achieve.

Likewise, you may have directors or heads of transformation in your organisation, or specific roles who are responsible for overseeing transformation such as an executive director with a broader role with other responsibilities.

Questions to ask for all resident focused transformation

As a councillor, you might wear one or more hats at a time, including representing people in your ward, in a leadership role (for example as part of a Cabinet), or on a committee. The questions below are designed as prompts to help those who play a role in scrutinising or making decisions about change:

• Is there a clear vision in place, and how does the vision link to and enable the wider council strategy?
• What are the key measures for success? How will the council know we have achieved the vision? What are the benefits to our residents?
• What are the main risks and what actions are being taken to mitigate them?
• What assurance are you able to provide that service continuity will be maintained whilst the change is implemented?
• How does the council know you are meeting resident needs? What is measured to ensure continual feedback and improvement?
• How are decisions informed by evidence and data?
• How have residents been informed, or been involved in shaping it?
• How are the council preparing employees for changes? Is there clear communication plans to help people understand and support the change?
• What are the council doing to address potential people or process changes, and any pockets of likely resistance?
• How are we communicating to those impacted by the change? Are we making it easy for them to understand?
• Have the council assessed how this change might affect staff and communities from an equalities, diversity and inclusion perspective? What is being done to ensure there are no unintended consequences?
• How are the council enabling employees? What training, coaching or mentoring is in place to support and enable the change?
• Over what time period do we expect to see an impact and what are the key milestones and measures along the way? How can I support the transformation?

Specific questions for digitally enabled transformation

• Is there a clear vision in place and how does the vision for digital transformation link to, and enable wider council strategy?
• How are the council ensuring data security and privacy?
• What governance or standards are in place to prevent buying lots of different technology and / or designing lots of different processes that don’t join up?
• How does the council measure user feedback on an ongoing basis?
• How will new technology integrate with other solutions we already have, and solutions in the future?
• How are teams working together to ensure that the council look at the end to end experience for the user and not just part of it?

Specific questions for behaviour change enabled transformation

• What is being done to ensure this work is ethical and transparent?
• How is the council making it easier for people to adopt the proposed behaviour? What are the key barriers and what else might we do?
• Are the behaviours of the council’s councillors and officers consistent with those that we want to see? What is the council doing where behaviours don’t align?
• Over what time period do we expect to see an impact on behaviours and what are the key milestones and measures along the way?