Creating the Culture for Sustainability

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Creating the Culture for Sustainability
Innovation

• Stephen Rufus
• CEO
• Berri Barmera Council

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Culture under Question

• To Question. To resist doing things a certain
  way purely because that is the way theyve always
  been done. To look beyond the obvious. To
  challenge convention.
• Audi Motor Companies First Principle

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Culture under Question

• Dell We Make Computing Easy. Like it should Be.

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Cultural Development the Answer

• Its the culture, stupid
• Dells CEO Kevin Rollins

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Corporate Culture

• Is manifest in distinctive patterns of human
  behavior based on core values, beliefs and
  traditions.
• Is made tangible by corporate knowledge,
  ceremonies, celebrations of achievements and
  institutional behavior, as well as through a
  companys goals, strategies, management
  processes, structure and methods of allocating
  resources.

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Local Government Culture

• Today Local Government must commence the Journey
  of changing its culture

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Local Government Culture

• The success of Local Government and individual
  Councils in the future will not be based or
  measured on how we manage rate increases or react
  to public opinion, but more on how we plan our
  future with a robust strategic direction that
  achieves above all long term sustainability for
  the betterment of our communities.

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Culture Make it Right

• You dont build a house with the roof first, you
  make sure the foundation and supporting frames
  provide the right support to hold up the roof and
  enable the house to stand tall and weather the
  storms well into the future.

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Five Components of Local Government Culture

• Organization (individual Councils)
• Local Government Industry
• Community
• Business Like Approach
• Private Sector

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Organizational Culture

• Employees and culture in a comfort zone
• Decisions are made through a hierarchical system
  with little scope for input or innovation
• Underlining attitude of well I will just come to
  work, do what Im told and do the same old thing
  because thats what we do and thats how we have
  always done it

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Industry Culture

• Local Government is not a sexy employer
• The only publicity that the industry gets is
  negative that mainly relates to rates

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Community

• Lack of effective consultation, participation and
  communication
• Scared of what the community actually think

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Business Like Approach

• Local Government in the past has not be viewed as
  a business
• CEOs and Senior Staff have not viewed or
  encouraged the notion of Local Government being a
  business entity

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News Flash

• Local Government is a business and our business
  is providing services and key infrastructure and
  facilities to our shareholders, our ratepayers
  and our communities.

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Business Like Approach

• Ratepayers are shareholders and we must provide a
  return on their investment
• Cannot continue on the basis of viewing singular
  issues such as annual rate increases, an
  unplanned approach to providing services and
  allowing infrastructure to deteriorate all
  because sound management practices are not put in
  place

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Private Sector

• Culture has not been extended to the private
  sector, except to be a contractor under strict
  arrangements
• The culture has not provided many opportunities
  to the private sector to be involved

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Local Government Culture

• We need to change the culture, But How?

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Organizational Culture

• Four basic principles
• Worthwhile Work
• Taking Control of Achieving Goals
• Encourage each other On
• Be involved and Innovative

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Local Government Culture

• Need to be a sexy employer
• Promote good publicity
• Work together to achieve outcomes

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Community Culture

• Include the Community in what we do
• Consult with the community and mean it
• Go to the community instead of the community
  coming to us

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Business Like Approach

• The driver of the ship needs to grasp the concept
  that ratepayers are shareholders and return a
  dividend
• Maintain efficient and effective services that
  meet needs
• Infrastructure to be maintained in a managed
  approach
• Return a direct or indirect cash benefit through
  development

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Business Like Approach

• To adopt a business like approach requires a
  strategic management framework to be implemented
  that is robust, clearly understood by everyone
  and is based on achieving long term
  sustainability. Further, strategic management
  plans are to be linked directly with services
  reviews, a defined approach to a Councils
  Community Service Obligations and defined service
  standards

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Business Like Approach

• To link a business like approach to the
  organizational culture, such an approach will
  encourage innovation and involvement of
  employees, encourage employees to achieve the
  vision, mission and goals of the Council and
  provide greater employment opportunities and
  satisfaction

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Private Sector

• Think outside the square. Invite the private
  sector to come to the table and form
  partnerships. Yes there are probity issues, but
  these issues are not excuses or insurmountable
  hurdles

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Private Sector

• Consider the private sector when considering all
  major projects and infrastructure
• Realize the value of transferring risk
• Negotiate with eyes wide open
• Be surprised

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Culture Change

• To change the culture is the path of most
  resistance
• Dont say the words But we have always done it
  that way

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Culture Change

• Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the
  one less travelled by, and that has made all the
  difference
• Robert Frost from his book The Road not Taken

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Culture Change

• Create the Culture for Sustainability and
  Innovation

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Berri Barmera Culture

• The principles of worthwhile work, taking
  control of achieving goals, encouraging each
  other on and being involved and innovative are
  basic principles that under pin our cultural
  environment

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Berri Barmera Culture

• Everyone needs to be involved and to come along
  for the ride employees, elected members and the
  community

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Berri Barmera Culture

• Staff Meetings
• Weekly Executive Staff Meetings
• Monthly Staff Meetings Depot/Admin, Library,
  VIC
• Half yearly full staff meetings
• Continued consultation on strategic planning,
  services reviews

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Berri Barmera Culture

• Community workshop sessions to enable the
  community to have their say
• Council on the Couch

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Berri Barmera Culture

• Robust Strategic Plan and Framework that is
  simple and easily understood by employees,
  elected members and the community

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Berri Barmera Council

• Reviewing services and exploring ways that
  services can be implemented on a regional basis
  with neighbouring Councils and Regions

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Berri Barmera Culture

• Advertise in different ways to attract employees
  and ensure that people fit into the Culture
• Flexible salary packaging arrangements and other
  benefits are being explored outside of enterprise
  bargaining as a step towards making the Berri
  Barmera Council an Employer of First Choice

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Berri Barmera Culture

• Review all services and involve all staff in the
  process to encourage suggestions, innovation and
  efficient and effective implementation

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Berri Barmera Culture

• In everything we do a business like approach has
  been adopted that integrates with the services
  review and basically involves questioning and
  rethinking how we go about doing things Our
  Business

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Berri Barmera Culture

• Entering a formal Partnership arrangement with
  United Utilities Aust to design, build, own
  operate and transfer infrastructure associated
  with Councils Waste Water ReUse Project valued
  at 12 to 14 Milion

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Berri Barmera Culture

• Council has also entered into an agreement with
  the Hardy Wine Company to support the expansion
  of the exiting winery at Glossop by United
  Utilities designing and constructing the first
  stage of the project that receives a major
  proportion of the winerys waste water
• Investment Valued at 4 Million

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Berri Barmera Culture

• Council has now handed over its whole STEDs
  network to United Utilities to manage and
  maintain. What a quantum leap this has been, and
  after the first few months of the arrangement
  being in operation, Councils STEDs network has
  not been managed better

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Peter Weston and Geoff Campbell Bitumen
Repairs/Road Maintenance
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Barry Clarke Parks Gardens - Gardener
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Brian Kruger Parks and Gardens Supervisor
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John Karner and Paul Harrington Parks and Gardens
Maintenance
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John Farent Grader Operator
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Greg Perry Leading Hand/Truck Driver
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Tom King Works Coordinator and Gavin Marshall
Road Const/Maintenance
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David De Grancy Road Const/Maintenance
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Josie Kosch Admin Officer Barmera Customer
Service Centre
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Nickki McKay and Volunteers Berri Visitor
Information Centre
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Jayne Wishart and Effie Ethimou Customer Service
Berri Office
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Robbie Osbourn Depot Workshop
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John Henwood - Storeman
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Trevor Gray Development Building Officer and
Steven Kubasiewicz Manager Environmental
Inspectorial Services
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Peter Ison Library Manager
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Culture for Sustainability

• Establish new boundaries for all to work within
  that creates a basis for innovation
• Innovation is about pushing the boundaries of the
  comfort zone
• Sustainability is the ingredient or the product
  of innovation and innovative thinking

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Culture for Sustainability

• Sustainability is the destination
• Culture is the Vehicle
• Innovation is the fuel
• Strategic Planning is the Road Map

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Culture for Sustainability

• So Hows Your Culture?

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OUR FUTURE Make it Sustainable