Description

The Introduction of a number of small programs to assist in bringing the organisation together, through conversation, social interactions and merging of services. The overarching objective is to enhance customer experience, employment wellbeing through collaboration and collection of knowledge across the organisation.

Who

Initiated through the Executive Leadership Group, the program is designed for the benefit of the whole organisation and is flexible in its structure to adapt to any size Council.

How

A number of small initiatives were identified and implemented over a period of time and continue as on-going initiatives. These included;

• Merged Services – Bringing services together in the one working environment for example customer service and library services, working in the one space in various locations across the municipality, offering a “community-based centre” offering a variety of services under the one roof.
• Perfect Match – An algorithm was created to generate capability results, based on a number of criteria, matching similarities between staff who are within different teams, departments or directorates. Once paired, the two parties would arrange a connection via a forum of their choosing.
• The Huddle – The Huddle is a 30-minute broadcast to the wider organisation on a weekly basis, with the opening piece presented by a member of the executive team, followed by an individual team providing a “spotlight” item. The spotlight item really allows the team to showcase what they do and where they fit within the organisation.
• Pizza Lunches – Every Thursday, through the personal purchase from the CEO, a mobile Pizza oven is set up at one of the three council locations (on a rotations basis) to offer a pizza lunch to the staff. The responsibilities of setting up, cooking and cleaning up is shared between the three directorates, through a rostering system.
• Christmas Party – This event is considered a “big deal” to the organisation as an annual celebration in coming together. Senior management (CEO, Directors, Managers) take carriage of the food with beverages and entertainment engaged via an external service. With an average attendance of around 80% over the past 5 years.

Outcome

Collaboratively, the evidence is in the increased participation across the organisation and the continued enthusiasm that continues to surround those initiatives. The initiatives have enabled the organisation to confidently move on to collaborative planning.