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?

Hyperlocalism

http://anke.blogs.com/

“ 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

Contact

alanjones@worldexecs.netwww.future-communities.co.uk