Building bonds

Culture change started with a simple gesture. Prior to the publication of Transformational Culture, David sent a few copies for review. One was to Vicky Leach, Head of People and Culture at NELC. Together, with Assistant Director of Policy, Strategy and Resources Joanne Robinson, the duo are shaping the future of local government. Truly passionate about people, her positive nature shines through at each opportunity she grasps wholeheartedly. For Vicky and Jo, shaking up council culture isn’t ground-breaking. It’s a reflection of the true nature of government: working to serve others in a people-centred, values-based manner.

As the current culture stood, policies were didactic and directive. If a problem arose, there was a single line of conduct to follow that favoured procedure over its people. Following a conversation with David, Vicky realised that Transformational Culture could make the change it so desperately wanted. Embarking on this cultural journey of transformation would bring the Council’s aspirational vision to life, particularly driving sustainability and performance initiatives.

Shaping culture

NELC’s People and Culture function is driven by the EACH model: Employees as Adults, Consumers and Human Beings. All principles, policies and procedures are transitioning to centre around this framework. Specifically, policies are being reviewed to reflect a more flexible and interpersonal approach, in line with People and Culture’s organisational strategy. For instance, their Attendance Management Policy was reframed to become a Wellbeing Policy. This intentional nuance of language reflects the style of employee management People and Culture wants to move toward.

Impacting the future

We think we know what the culture is. But the 5D Review is an opportiunity for us to really get underneath that, dissect it and understand the intricacies of our organisation.

Jo and Vicky hope that the 5D Review will help them to develop a real working plan for the next three to five years. By nature, working in the public sector is about giving back – the People & Culture function wants to ensure that this is true for its staff, too.

Joining the Transformational Trailblazers initiative will help to:

1.  Identify parts of organisational culture that need to move forward.
2. Give focus points to commit to.
3. Build values from the bottom up for staff to apply to their behaviours. As one of the first to join the Transformational Trailblazers initiative, NELC can begin to design their cultural ideals into action. It’s time to put people over policy.

If you would like more information on how your organisation can benefit from The Transformational Culture, please contact us today to speak to a member of the team.