Colin Mair

1. Colin Mair Chief Executive Improvement Service

2. COSLA / IS Conference ‘Mobilising and Supporting Change’ Colin Mair, Chief Executive, Improvement Service

3. Starting Points • Powerful and consensual ambitions for change: Christie Commission; ‘Renewing Scotland’; local government • Strong awareness of contextual challenges: demography, the economy and the public finances • Substantial programmes of innovation and reform already underway: health and care; GIRFEC; regeneration, etc. • 3 ‘P’s’: precision, priorities and performance

4. Key Elements • An articulate and agreed story • Focus on key ‘pay off’ areas: short, medium, long term ‘gain’ • Programme design and management: ‘design for gain’

5. Key Questions • Why do we need to change? • What do we need to change? • How do we need to change? • How will change be resourced & supported? We’re doomed Everything In every way Who knows?

6. Why We Need To Change • The way we are just now is unsustainable • The way we are now does not deliver the results (outcomes) we want • We can and must protect and improve peoples lives and opportunities • What we are heading into • What we want to be Pragmatism and ambition

8. Why We Need To Change • The way we are just now is unsustainable • The way we are now does not deliver the results (outcomes) we want • We can and must protect and improve peoples lives and opportunities • What we are heading into • What we want to be Pragmatism and ambition

9. Outcomes for Most and Least Deprived Areas: 2010

10. Why We Need To Change • The way we are just now is unsustainable • The way we are now does not deliver the results (outcomes) we want • We can and must protect and improve peoples lives and opportunities • What we are heading into • What we want to be Pragmatism and ambition

11. Points • Very general narrative: particular people, places and services? • The ongoing and the new need reconciled • Development and transformation

12. What Needs To Change • The business we do: prevention; early intervention; outcomes • The way we do business: collaboration; co-production; localisation • Leadership culture and attitudes • Performance management and accountability • System design: legal framework; governance; external scrutiny • Localisation; integration/collaboration; co-production

13. But…. • Everyone, all the time, everywhere? • The ‘gain’ principle: prioritisation of key ‘pay off’ areas • Precision: performance requirements • Medium and long term planning: improvement towards final outcomes

14. So…Next 3 Years • Maximising economic and financial opportunities for families and communities (unemployment, welfare reform, etc.) • Reducing inequality in development at primary school entry • Reducing inequality in learning outcomes and destinations (16 – 19) • Reducing the number of older people who require to be hospitalised • Reducing costs: improving productivity

15. How Do We Need To Change • Commitment to families and communities: not structures, processes and practices: ‘beyond boundaries’ • Working with and building up communities: co-production in planning, design and resourcing • Being empowering and being empowered: decentralisation; discretion and responsibility • Living creatively with risk: outcome based risk management; risk of the status quo

16. Again • Everyone, all the time, everywhere? • Precision, priorities and ‘gain’ • System redesign: duties, powers, scrutiny

17. Resourcing and Supporting Change • Creating a precise, prioritised and manageable agenda • Clarity about purpose and short, medium and long term performance commitments • Redesign of system to support change and enable resource flexibility • Planning, phasing and supporting change itself

18. External Support for Local Change • Range of improvement services, change support resources and capacity • Brigading and programming: shared services • Fully exploiting capacity: e.g. Khub

19. Knowledge Hub

20. End Points • Ambition requires focus • Leadership and culture matters: so does design • Communities are partners in outcomes