KD4 Achieving Excellence - City of Salisbury · Partnership & Collaboration: ... Achieving...

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SALISBURY ORGANISATIONAL EXCELLENCE STRATEGY

Salisbury, Achieving Excellence

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Introduction

The City of Salisbury continues to be a leader in Local Government, delivering services at a high level that

meet our community’s needs. The strategic vision for the City of Salisbury is:

Excellence in building a Community of opportunity and spirit in a quality environment

which challenges us to always strive for excellence in what we do across the complex mix of services we

provide. Organisational excellence is about the creation and ongoing enhancement of our organisational

culture, processes and systems. With this in mind, the vision for the Organisational Excellence Strategy is:

To enhance and sustain the capacity of the organisation as a leader in

building a community of opportunity and spirit in a quality environment

In order to deliver on this vision a number of overarching principles for Organisational Excellence have been

identified. These are:

Sustainability:

The principle of sustainability requires us to consider the longer term perspective. It means that we

must develop our work practices and service delivery in a way that ensures delivery into the future.

The principle of sustainability requires us to effectively manage risk and consider environmental and

financial perspectives of our work practices and services, while still meeting community needs and

delivering on core obligations.

Excellence:

The principle of excellence requires us to continually strive to improve both what we do and how we

do it. It encourages us to focus on the quality of the outcomes we deliver and to seek to exceed

industry standards and our customer and community expectations.

Leadership:

The principle of leadership is relevant at a number of levels. Firstly, it deals with role the City of

Salisbury has as a leader within the community and within the local government sector. This aspect

requires us to look for opportunities to guide, support and develop in a way that adds value to the

community and sector in which we operate. Secondly, it requires us to focus on the application of

effective leadership principles within the organisation to enable greater performance from our

people.

Innovation:

The principle of innovation calls on us to be creative, explore opportunities and look for ways of

doing things differently and smarter to ensure that we achieve greatest value and return from the

investment we make.

Partnership & Collaboration:

The principle of partnership and collaboration recognises that the City of Salisbury plays a pivotal role

within the community and can leverage its leadership position to broker the attraction of resources

to deliver on key community initiatives. It also highlights that in many cases, greater outcomes can

be achieved through working with others.

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Planning Framework

The City of Salisbury has structured its planning process around four Key Directions presented within the

City Plan. The following chart illustrates the relationship at the high level strategic directions and

supporting action plans for setting Council’s annual budget and priorities.

Figure 1 - Three tiered plan structure

The City of Salisbury operates in a strategically and comprehensively planned and integrated environment,

applying processes to deliver best practice and innovation and to ensure excellence.

This Organisational Excellence Strategy delivers on a core direction of the City of Salisbury’s City Plan –

Sustainable Futures. The core elements of the State Strategic Plan are embraced by the City of Salisbury in

its own planning process.

The South Australian Strategic Plan identifies six key objectives that State and Local Government, the

private sector and the community can collaboratively work towards:

1. Growing Prosperity

2. Improving Wellbeing

3. Attaining Sustainability

4. Fostering Creativity

5. Building Communities

6. Expanding Opportunity

The City of Salisbury’s Organisational Excellence Strategy - Achieving Excellence, contributes to the success

of South Australia’s Strategic Plan by addressing priority actions identified within these objectives.

ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

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Salisbury City Plan, Sustainable Futures

The City of Salisbury’s City Plan – Sustainable Futures is a local response to current and future

needs of the Salisbury community. It seeks to address the unique challenges of Salisbury by

developing and benefiting from a range of opportunities and partnerships.

The focus of Sustainable Futures is to build on our strengths and work together in shaping a future

with “excellence in building a community of opportunity and spirit in a quality environment.”

Sustainable Futures is a unique plan which integrates our organisation’s corporate planning

processes with the organisation’s strategic framework.

Sustainable Futures lists the following Key Directions which provide the core strategic directions for

the City:

• Key Direction 1: Shaping Our Future

Develop our city as prosperous and progressive by attracting and sustaining increased

business investment and by providing accessible learning opportunities to grow and support

a skilled workforce.

• Key Direction 2: Sustaining Our Environment

Become a sustainable city in which its residents and businesses embrace sustainability best

practices as part of their day-to-day lives and activities.

• Key Direction 3: The Living City

Maintain a strong and vibrant community by providing safe and supportive environments

that promote opportunity, healthy and creative lifestyles.

• Key Direction 4: Achieving Excellence

Enhance and sustain the capacity of the organisation as a leader in building a community of

opportunity and spirit in a quality environment.

This strategy focuses on Key Direction 4 and includes seven objectives designed to deliver on the

Strategic Vision. Each objective is supported by a series of strategies. In turn, these strategies form

the framework for the development of operational business plans, ensuring that our activities are

directly aligned to the delivery of the strategic vision. Where appropriate, Critical Actions have

been identified within this strategy. These Critical Actions generally have organizational wide

relevance and are intended to be delivered within a two to three year time frame. The delivery of

Critical Actions will be supported through the development of detailed implementation schedules,

which will clearly allocate responsibility and timelines for achievement.

Organisational Structure

The City of Salisbury operates under a model that integrates policy and program development with service

delivery. This sees close alignment of functional areas to achieve collaboration and ‘value

outcomes. Within this structure sit five departments, each led by a General Manager

to the Chief Executive Officer.

City Development: responsible for development

for future land use and infrastructure development, fostering economic

development and a wide range of services and statutory functions

governed by legislation.

Community Development: works to shape our communi

residents through provision of appropriate and accessible

facilities and

adopted to provide

maki

Business Excellence: supports the organisation through the delivery of services relating to

people management, information services and systems,

procurement, property services,

financial and annu

City Projects: responsible for landscape and environmental works, building, traffic and

civil engineering and capital works. This involves the project management

of design and specification development, construction and recurrent

maintenance

Asset Services: responsible for the provision of

support

environment.

GENERAL MANAGER

City Development

Greg Waller

GENERAL MANAGER

Community Development

Jane Trotter

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delivery. This sees close alignment of functional areas to achieve collaboration and ‘value

outcomes. Within this structure sit five departments, each led by a General Manager

Figure 2 - Organisational structure

responsible for development and planning for the City



governed by legislation.

works to shape our community and enhance the quality of life of our

residents through provision of appropriate and accessible

facilities and services and ensures comprehensive and clear processes are

adopted to provide the community with avenues to engage in

making.

upports the organisation through the delivery of services relating to

people management, information services and systems,

procurement, property services, financial planning, accounting services and

financial and annual reporting.

responsible for landscape and environmental works, building, traffic and



maintenance.

responsible for the provision of maintenance services to the City and

supporting the community through maintaining and improving the public

environment.

Chief Executive Officer

John Harry

GENERAL MANAGER

Community Development

Jane Trotter

GENERAL MANAGER

Business Excellence

Peter Fairlie-Jones

GENERAL MANAGER

City Projects

Colin Pitman

Governance & Audit


delivery. This sees close alignment of functional areas to achieve collaboration and ‘value adding’

outcomes. Within this structure sit five departments, each led by a General Manager who reports directly

and planning for the City, including planning



ty and enhance the quality of life of our

residents through provision of appropriate and accessible programs,

comprehensive and clear processes are

the community with avenues to engage in decision

upports the organisation through the delivery of services relating to

people management, information services and systems, contract and

financial planning, accounting services and

responsible for landscape and environmental works, building, traffic and



maintenance services to the City and

maintaining and improving the public

GENERAL MANAGER GENERAL MANAGER

Asset Services

Mark van der Pennen

Governance & Audit

Executive Group

The Chief Executive Officer and General Managers form the

Executive Group is to ensure that the City’s vision and various objectives as endorsed by

achieved through a framework of effective governance.

In addition to the technical advisory role it plays,

engender a culture that encourages a consistent organisational approach, information sharing and

a collegiate atmosphere. In part

and indirect resources in a trans

A successful organisation must also

outcomes and build and maintain a

development and implementation

and provides a structured approach to the continual improvement of the organisation’s

performance.

Organisational Values

The City has committed to creating strategies,

practices, and activities that ensure we are able to

achieve our vision. This would

without articulation and application of organisational

values that develop a culture and working

environment that enables our people to perform at

an optimum level.

The City Plan articulates five core organisational

values (refer Figure 3). These values

we want the world to see our organisation and

provide guidance to our people

for service delivery at both the strategic and

operational level.

Empathy

Empowerment

Innovation

Acheivement

Diversity

Figure 4 - Leadership Principles

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The Chief Executive Officer and General Managers form the Executive Group. The role of

is to ensure that the City’s vision and various objectives as endorsed by

achieved through a framework of effective governance.

In addition to the technical advisory role it plays, the Executive Group has a responsibility to


a collegiate atmosphere. In part, this is achieved through the effective management of both direct

and indirect resources in a transparent and fair manner.

A successful organisation must also capitalise on key stakeholder input to deliver on the required

and build and maintain a constructive environment for staff to excel in.

and implementation of this Organisational Excellence Strategy


The City has committed to creating strategies,

practices, and activities that ensure we are able to

This would not be possible

without articulation and application of organisational

that develop a culture and working

that enables our people to perform at

The City Plan articulates five core organisational

). These values express the way

we want the world to see our organisation and

our people on what is important

for service delivery at both the strategic and

Leadership Brand

The values are supported by the City of Salisbury

Leadership Brand, Principles and Expectations. The

brand and expectations guide the behaviours of our

people. Leadership is critical for the achievement of

excellence and our vision is to develop quality

leadership at all levels of the organisation.

The Leadership Brand “Salisbury Leaders: building city

life” emphasises that leadership is not about the title

an individual holds, but is about how they behave. It

encourages people to be the best they c

consider their leadership opportunities in all contexts.

The brand is supported by Leadership Principles (refer

Figure 4) which guide performance, culture change

and recruitment of our people.

Probity and Ethics

Access and Equity

Empathy

Empowerment

Figure 3 - Organisational Values

Leadership Principles

roup. The role of the

is to ensure that the City’s vision and various objectives as endorsed by Council are

has a responsibility to


the effective management of both direct

on key stakeholder input to deliver on the required

constructive environment for staff to excel in. The

isational Excellence Strategy underpins these aims


The values are supported by the City of Salisbury

d, Principles and Expectations. The

brand and expectations guide the behaviours of our

people. Leadership is critical for the achievement of

excellence and our vision is to develop quality

leadership at all levels of the organisation.

Salisbury Leaders: building city

emphasises that leadership is not about the title

an individual holds, but is about how they behave. It

encourages people to be the best they can be and to

consider their leadership opportunities in all contexts.

The brand is supported by Leadership Principles (refer

) which guide performance, culture change

and recruitment of our people.

Community Leadership

Community and Customer

Service

Competitive Performance

Access and Equity

Organisational Values

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Measuring our Performance

The City employs a range of tools to measure and monitor our culture and performance. These

include, at the organisational level, the Organisational Culture Index (OCI), which maps and tracks

the development and application of the preferred constructive organisational culture. At the

individual level, the Lifestyles Inventory (LSI), which connects to the OCI and helps individuals to

develop behaviours consistent with the preferred culture.

From a performance perspective the City has developed a series of Corporate Performance

Indicators, which track our performance and delivery against the City Plan. The indicators relevant

to the Organisational Excellence Strategy are included at the end of this document.

The Organisational Excellence Strategy has been developed to ensure the City of Salisbury is

focused on business excellence at all levels and is intended to be the tool that we will use to assess

our performance. The decision to develop a unique strategy, rather than use an off the shelf

framework (for example, the Australian Business Excellence Framework) is to ensure that Salisbury

remains progressive and has a strategy in place that suits the unique needs of the organisation.

This work continues to be refined, and to that end, the Business Excellence Indicator (BEI)

framework provides the basis of assessment of our performance. The principles of the BEI require

us to understand our external environment and adapt to change. From an internal process

perspective, it encourages us to reflect the needs of the environment and to continuously review

and improve what we do, with a particular focus on the engagement of our people through sharing

of knowledge and development of effective organisational relationships.

Staff Involvement

The Organisational Excellence Strategy was developed through extensive consultation with staff.

Particular effort was placed on engaging staff effectively in the identification of key organisational

development issues and strategies, with a view to developing greater and broader ownership of,

commitment to, and ultimately success of, the interventions developed.

The development process included a critical review of documents that provided additional

evidence to inform issues and strategy/action identification, along with a series of focus groups and

workshops with staff and the management executive team.

“Salisbury Engage” has been established as the overarching banner for staff participation and

involvement in organisational issues and improvement. Under this banner, project teams will be

established to deliver projects with a focus on organisational issues and to ultimately ensure the

City of Salisbury is Achieving Excellence.

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Objective 1: To have a workforce that is planned, dynamic and skilled

that enables the organisation to achieve excellence

It is essential for a high functioning organisation to have a workforce that meets the

current needs of the organisation and is also flexible and responsive to future needs. This

includes planning for our workforce requirements, ensuring an appropriate investment is

made in the ongoing development of that workforce and establishing conditions of

employment, management practices, policies and procedures that enable us to continue to

attract and retain the best people. This objective will focus on long term and short term

workforce needs, development of the workforce to enable service delivery of the highest

order to our community and a continued focus on the organisational culture and values to

maintain excellent performance into the future.

Strategies:

1. Plan our workforce to meet the continuing needs of the organisation

Critical action: Conduct a long term organisational workforce forecast that is aligned to the City Plan to

develop strategies and actions that support, plan and manage the future needs of the

organisation appropriately.

Critical action: Implement a workforce planning methodology for operational workforce planning (short

and medium term) that supports the strategic plans for the organisation’s workforce.

Critical action: Implement the recommendations from the Volunteer Strategic Management Framework to

ensure the sustainability and integrity of the volunteer workforce.

2. Employ initiatives and methods that encourage and support an

environment of learning and expertise

Critical action: Create and implement a Learning and Development Framework that ensures sustainable

and transferable learning and development for the organisation. This includes sourcing

external funding to support organisational development where appropriate.

Critical action: Implement a robust and varied program for inducting our workforce. The induction

program must ensure that essential knowledge is available and also that builds a sense of

organisational community, commitment and pride.

3. Maintain practices that support, attract and retain a skilled and

productive workforce

Critical action: Performance outcomes, expectations and behaviours of individuals will be managed in line

with business plans, leadership principles and behaviours for a constructive culture.

Critical action: Review of attraction and employment brand strategies to align internal leadership branding

and capitalise on the current reputation and branding of the City of Salisbury.

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Objective 2: To build an organisational culture and environment that is

constructive, diverse and supports organisational well

being

To achieve excellence the City of Salisbury recognises that the culture of the organisation is

critical. We are committed to ensuring that our organisation has a culture of leadership at

all levels and continually strives to be a high performing organisation. Consistent with this

commitment we have identified the importance of ensuring our culture, practices,

activities, programs and plans not only protect our workforce’s safety at work but strive to

prevent injury and illness where ever possible. This objective will focus on continual

improvement of our workplace culture, environment and work practices.

Strategies:

1. Promote and enhance work life safety, health and wellbeing

behaviours and practices

Critical action: Develop and implement a competency framework that integrates in performance

plans and guides the development of skills in employees. This includes an annual

training needs assessment to ensure learning programs are sound and compliant.

Critical action: Maintain a planned continuous improvement and management program for the

Occupational Health and Safety Management System to ensure compliance with

annual audit requirements.

Critical action: Develop a proactive strategic change management plan to ensure that health,

safety and wellbeing become a part of the culture of the organisation.

2. Create a constructive culture

Critical action: Integrate the leadership brand and principles into learning programs, operational

management, tools and resources to embed culture of leadership across the

organisation.

Critical action: Provide education, coaching, support tools and mentoring for leaders in the

leadership principles and associated constructive behaviours. This includes ensuring

development programs are available for all staff that support constructive

behavioural management and manage passive/aggressive behaviours.

Critical action: Create a sustainable communication and collaboration model that can be

integrated into systems and processes to enable the organisation to engage its

workforce and utilise internal expertise and talent where ever appropriate.

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3. Review, audit and monitor the workplace culture and environment to

ensure quality

Critical action: Utilise a suite of measurement tools to measure performance (both individual and

organisational), culture and behaviours and business systems and processes.

Annual, Bi-Annual and Tri-Annual methods will be employed.

Critical action: Create a continuous improvement program from the information provided by the

measurement tools and integrate agreed actions into appropriate corporate

business plans and where appropriate local business plans.

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Objective 3: To deliver sustainable, creative and innovative solutions

that enable excellent operations and service delivery

The way we go about our work is key to ensuring the ongoing sustainability and viability of

both the organisation and the City. With this in mind, we seek to ensure that we maximise

our use of technology in ways that support greater operational efficiencies. We also

encourage people to think innovatively and to question our business practices with a view

to continually improving both what we do and how we do it. This objective focuses on the

consideration of the tools and strategies we deploy in support of our business practices

along with encouraging a corporate focus on continuous improvement.

Strategies:

1. Maintain a deliberate focus on the application of technology and

solutions to deliver organisational efficiencies and outcomes

Critical action: Review existing asset and works management system and implement outcomes to

gain process efficiency and improved asset reporting

Critical action: Introduction of unified communication to enhance service delivery to our external

customers

Critical action: Implement state wide Library Management System to improve customer experience

by extending access to all library resources within the State

Critical action: Undertake major upgrade to electronic content management to improve useability

2. Engender a corporate philosophy that values continuous improvement

of business processes and practices

Critical action: Establish computer application steering groups to better drive system outcomes

Critical action: Develop tools to create and support a continuous improvement framework

Critical action: Extend our program review methodologies to include process improvements, as

well as controls and risks

Critical action: Improve process and procedure documentation to enable robust internal control

reviews and audits

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Objective 4: To ensure informed and transparent decision making that is

accountable, ethical and legally compliant

The City of Salisbury strives to be innovative and creative in the solutions and processes

that we develop, however, we must do this within the constraints of our legislative

framework. As a creature of statute, the City of Salisbury has a range of legislative

obligations that must be met. In addition, as a public sector entity, it has obligations to the

community to ensure that it is open to scrutiny. This objective focuses on ensuring that

practices that influence or impact decision making are made within the bounds of the City’s

governance framework and that the City meets its legislative obligations, while recognising

the importance of effective communication across the organisation to ensure informed

decision making.

Strategies:

1. Administer Council processes to enable decision making in accordance

with legislative and policy requirements

Critical action: In conjunction with the acquisition of ‘Agenda Management’ software review the

Council Business paper preparation process, including costs associated with

production of reports to determine opportunities for improvement and cost savings.

2. Administer organisational processes to enable decision making in

accordance with legislative and policy requirements

Critical action: In concert with the review of the Council Business paper preparation process,

evaluate MANEG governance framework and report preparation requirements to

determine opportunities for improvement.

Critical action: Review and develop communication processes and activities for senior

management that promote collaboration, organisational leadership and decision

making.

3. Conduct audits, reviews and assessments to manage risk and improve

organisational performance

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Objective 5: To apply planning, business and resource management that

enables excellent service delivery and financial

sustainability

Financial sustainability is a key focus for the Local Government sector. Ensuring that our

business practices encompass good planning and resource management is one way to

deliver financial sustainability for our community. This objective focuses on achieving

financial sustainability through the effective use of planning, resource management and

active performance monitoring.

Strategies:

1. Integrate and align planning, business and resource management

processes to improve outcomes

Critical action: Develop methodologies for ensuring alignment of strategic plans, business plans,

and resource allocation.

Critical action: Undertake the Project Management and Asset Management Review, which will:

• Establish business case development for all significant projects to ensure that

appropriate allocation of financial resources and ‘return’ on investment; and

• Ensure the application of consistent project management practices to enable

appropriate oversight, improved outcomes and opportunities for organisational

learning.

2. Use corporate reporting and systems to embed accountability and

deliver ongoing feedback on organisational performance

Critical action: Embed a program of business plan reporting incorporating actions, indicators and

risk management

Critical action: Review City Plan and Key Direction Strategic planning documents to reaffirm our

organisational objectives and performance indicators

Critical action: Investigate application of corporate portal to increase visibility of commitments and

support delivery in agreed timeframes

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3. Maintain financial management practices built on robust information

to deliver long term sustainability

Critical action: Undertake a review of the Business Unit framework and performance

Critical action: As part of the Project Management and Asset Management Review, further

develop long term asset management plans incorporating renewal, replacement

planning, with consideration and articulation of service level standards to be

achieved

Critical action: Undertake the Strategic Property Development Review, which will include

continuation of a program of property development on surplus council land

Critical action: Further develop the Long Term Financial Plan and strategy, incorporating strategic

property disposals, and considering alternative revenue sources

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Objective 6: To provide our customers with excellent service that meets

their needs

The City of Salisbury is focussed on delivering service to our community. Our aim is to

continually enhance our understanding of our customer needs to enable us to respond with

modified service offerings. This includes evaluation and implementation of alternative

modes of service delivery along with a continued focus on analysing customer information

to contribute to service improvements. This objective focuses on developing consistency

and excellence in our interactions with our customers.

Strategies:

1. Build a consistent customer service philosophy across the organisation

Critical action: Develop and implement a Customer Service philosophy that establishes guiding

principles for customer service and includes the development of indicators to

measure the quality and effect of both internal and external service delivery.

2. Ensure the identification of customer needs and measurement is

incorporated within planning approaches

3. Use expertise, knowledge and technology to improve and develop

alternative modes of service delivery

Critical action: Evaluate application of options for customer access to Council Services via the City

of Salisbury website

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Objective 7: To have a community that is engaged and involved in

decisions that affect them

The City of Salisbury places a strong emphasis on ensuring that the community has the

opportunity to both be informed about, and involved in, decisions that impact on their lives.

It is critical that the Council adopts a consistent and inclusive approach to community

engagement across the whole organisation. Customers and stakeholders should expect to

be given clear guidance on when, how and where they can provide input into Council

processes. They should also expect to know how their input will be used and the outcomes

of any consultation process they are involved in. This objective focuses on providing

opportunities to our community to engage in the decision making process.

Strategies:

1. Employ a best practice community engagement framework

Critical action: Review and promote the Community Engagement Handbook

2. Create a culture that values community engagement principles and

builds capability across the organisation

Critical action: Further develop and support community engagement champions across the

organisation

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Corporate Indicators

In order to assess our achievements against the Organisational Excellence Strategy a suite of Corporate

Indicators have been developed. Five key categories of indicators have been identified that will enable

measurement of our performance across all of the objectives of the Organisational Excellence Strategy.

People

- staff turnover

- unplanned absences/frequency of lost time injury

- OCI/ staff satisfaction survey (run alternately every 18 months, ie October once every 3 years, with

customer satisfaction run 18 months later and then at 4.5 years)

- corporate learning and development program: number of programs, number of participants, number of

hours of learning and development activities

- number of internal recruitment appointments/promotions/secondments

Processes & Systems

- Internal Controls Assessment results (CAMS)

- Annual surveys of (internal) customer satisfaction with corporate systems

- % positive outcomes/findings from Internal Audits/Program Review

Governance & Planning

- complaints to Ombudsman

- % business plans set (2010/11)

(2011/12 – include business plans reported against)

(2012/13 – include Action Plans/Critical Actions - implemented and Monitored)

- External Audit findings

Finance

- operating surplus ratio

- net financial liabilities ratio

- interest cover ratio

- asset sustainability ratio

- asset consumption ratio

Customer and Community

- overall level of satisfaction with Council's service delivery (as determined by the Community Survey)

- Number of requests for internal review of decisions

- Number of community engagement activities (include by key direction)

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