Transformation roundtable: Change resilience and managing people well through transformation

Date: 18 September 2024

Presentations by:

• Shokat Lal, Chief Executive, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Steve Walker-Whitehead, Director of People, Equality and Organisational Development, London Borough of Hounslow

Shokat Lal, Chief Executive of Sandwell Council, highlighted the focus on transformation and continuous learning amid significant socio-economic challenges in an area with a population of 346,000, ranking high in deprivation.

Shokat spoke about the council’s strategic initiatives, employing over five thousand people, and collaborating with various trusts and companies like Serco, also emphasising improved service delivery and responsiveness to overcome the impacts of the pandemic and Brexit.

They promote servant leadership, proactive community engagement, and inclusive transformation within the workforce, aiming for high performance and progressive improvements in public service.

Steve Walker-Whitehead, as Director at Hounslow, has led a major refresh of organisational culture, introducing new values like "Lead with Heart" through extensive staff engagement and shifting performance management to frequent, value-aligned check-ins.

They also implemented a new resolution framework to handle workplace conflicts more constructively and launched the "A Fair and More Equal Hounslow" strategy to enhance organisational inclusivity and responsiveness to change.

Hounslow have transitioned from traditional restructuring to a collaborative "Transformation through Engagement" approach, allowing employees to co-create organisational changes, and introduced a ‘Jobs Match’ service to better align employee skills and career aspirations with organisational needs

How did you get leadership on board to bring residents in to talk about their experiences?

SL explained that the leadership of the council worked together to recognise the importance of hearing real customer experiences and how they impact the community, by asking leaders to reflect on whether such service would be acceptable for their own families.

Have you seen disciplinary cases and grievances fall because of your resolution framework?

SW noted that the resolution framework allowed people to express their issues early, and while formal grievance cases have not decreased yet, there is an expectation that they will as the framework resolves conflicts through mediation. 

How do you embed values and behaviours in recruiting the right people into Hounslow?

SW shared that values are prominently featured in all role profiles and recruitment processes. The council is refining their methods, including values-based questions in interviews, to align recruitment with organisational culture.

How did you sustain staff engagement post-intervention?

SL emphasised keeping the improvement journey alive even after the intervention has ended, maintaining a strong focus on service improvement and communication to ensure staff stayed engaged in the ongoing progress.

How do you shift transformation conversations away from being solely about money?

SL advised separating discussions about finances from service design, focusing instead on improving services from a resident's perspective and involving staff that are passionate about driving change to shift the narrative.

During the roundtable discussions, various facilitators shared insights from their groups on key challenges and strategies related to organisational transformation. The conversations were rich with diverse perspectives, covering several critical topics:

Capacity building and operational foundations

• The discussion focused on the dual challenge of handling everyday responsibilities while driving transformation. The group stressed the importance of role modelling and establishing robust operational foundations as a foundation for more traditional transformation efforts.

Employee inclusion and engagement

• The conversation emphasised the need to include staff in the transformation process, particularly those on the frontline who may have valuable insights into service delivery improvements. The discussion also touched on utilising change champions and various platforms for gathering and implementing staff feedback.

Leadership's role and financial considerations

• Participants addressed the critical role of leadership in steering transformation efforts and the ongoing challenge of integrating financial considerations into transformation discussions. The group also explored the implications of risk aversion on innovation and the structural positioning of transformation teams within the organisation.

These discussions highlighted the complex relationship between leadership, operational needs, and employee engagement in driving successful transformation within organisations.