Transformation of multiple services
The Situation
A public sector director had to cut costs for running the service and improve customer satisfaction from 20%. After some initial scoping we both realised that he needed to deal better with complex wicked demands by creating customer centric workflows. This was much more than simply improving the service processes, and the scope changed to include:
- the way that people in different departments work together – to eliminate silo working.
- new management approaches that promote team working and the empowerment of staff.
- new ways of measuring customers and the operations that help us to learn rather than simply using targets.
The Task
The main approach was to focus on each service and apply a service design lean methodology and work with a team of 5 staff to develop new working approaches and operational workflows. The timeframe was to be three months for each service.
The project was to include the current operational system with regard to procedures, management style, behaviours, culture, and measures. Basically, looking at management approaches and new ways of working for the staff.
Managers were a key part of the transformation, and worked together with the innovation team to come up with new ways of working and managing. They co-led the work so that this way of working was able to be continued after John left.
The Action / Approach
The project plan is created using a Design Thinking iterative approach.
Step 1 Understand & scoping, was to evaluate the current performance and cost. And understand how we got to where we are today. This provides a benchmark to measure any change in performance, and to understand how the current system, behaviours, management style and measures work. This is then used to design a plan for change that is suited to the organisation and its context.
2 – Innovative experiment, various options were trialled by the team, using systems thinking and lean methodologies. These were costed and proven before choices were then made on ways forward.
Managers went through group sessions, which were bolstered by action learning directly with the team. They learned the new methodology, and the creation and management of delegated self-organising teams.
3 – Prototype, the manager team ran the desired new design with the new team, and created new ways of working and measures. The team had created a new way of seeing the customers from an outside-in perspective, and had designed a workflow around what mattered to the customer.
The way the team worked was in a network of skilled people, and they had direct access to partner competence.
The Result
Out of office visits are reduced by 50%.
A drop in Letters/ emails of 90%.
Internal communication within the organiaation increased x4.
Actual cost savings due to reduced activities between 33% – 42%.
Repeat customer calls dropped to less than 10%.
The customers loved the new approach.
The staff began to enjoy their work, and long term motivation increased and began to spread across the organisation.
