Why some councils perform better than others?
Why do some councils perform better than others?
A key issue is how well people working there are managed.
Ipsos’s work on the best councils looks at what distinguishes them from authorities that never seem to get it together.
We have repeatedly found no relationship between satisfaction with pay and performance, little between the perceived amount of bureaucracy and performance.
So what matters?
Clear goals, widely communicated and shared.
Autonomy and feedback, and controlled risk.
The best councils tell staff how they are performing, but also give them the opportunity to show initiative.
The best leaders, like the late, great, Sir Simon Milton, set the tone with political and managerial colleagues, and sell their story with staff and partners.
In one study, several chief executives confessed they had no idea how important it would be once they became a chief executive – they expected to spend much more time on transactional issues – but instead find themselves spending time with, encouraging and celebrating individuals.
Conversely, we have seen those who fail and make fundamental mistakes: the ex-London chief executive who got all their diverse staff together and then talked about ‘coloured people’.
The chief executive who expects staff to make appointments to see them with their PA – and then wait in reception.
But, above all else, what distinguishes the best is a genuine sense of passion for their authority and the area – only in weaker authorities have we heard things like ‘it’s just a job’.
So are we passionate enough about what we do?
In the next few years, this will distinguish the successful from the losers – people who are more honest about performance, but who give people more space, let them take more risks and celebrate it.
Above all, people in leadership roles will need to double the time they spend communicating about where their authority is going.
In times of change, demand for more information soars – the best leaders will provide it in 2014.
This article was originally published in The Municipal Journal.
