2017-03-13 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                     13 MARCH 2017


An extensive consultation and change management process has been underway for the last three
months leading up to this Council decision to adopt a new structure. It is important that a logical
transition plan is now applied. The transition plan will apply an orderly transition from our current
structure to our new structure. It is not intended to apply a “big bang” approach but rather to phase
in the new structure. For example, the centralisation of our environmental staff into the new
Environment Branch would not happen immediately but would coincide with the appointment of a
new Branch Manager. Similarly, the recruitment process for our new Directors will commence
shortly after the Council decision on the new structure but it may be some time before that selection
process is finalised and the new Directors can commence. It is anticipated that the new structure
would be fully implemented by 1 July (but that is of course dependant on the recruitment process).
I will keep Councillors informed about the progress of the transition plan.

The other issue to consider as part of the review of the organisational structure is the issue of staff
accommodation and locations. There are no immediate plans to shift branches or sections within
our existing office accommodation as a result of the structure review changes. Some individuals
may move in due course for operational efficiency reasons following the restructure but this is not
a high priority.

However, at some stage in the future, we will need to take a structured look at our office layouts –
are we using our existing office space in the most efficient way possible, are there any changes
that would sit like with like areas near each other to improve interactions and communication, are
our customer interfaces as good as they can be? This will be a future project for our proposed
Council Building and Facilities Branch.

It is also important to note that this proposed restructure is being implemented against the backdrop
of the annual budget process. As Councillors are aware, each year during the budget process,
potential new positions are considered as part of that process. Usually, potential new positions
are identified via a service review process. The proposed new structure has taken these potential
new positions into account but they are identified as being subject to budget consideration in
Attachment 2.

Council should note that:
 The proposed two new Director positions (replacing the vacant Director of Infrastructure and
   Planning role) and the new Environment Manager position are intended to be advertised
   following the adoption of the new structure and these costs have been built into the 2017/18
   base budget.
 Some position titles will be revisited as a result of this restructure. The aim is to better reflect
   what certain roles do and to bring better consistency to how we name positions (e.g. Director,
   Manager, Co-ordinator).
 The only part of the proposed restructure that is contingent on proposed positions under
   consideration in the upcoming budget process is the establishment of the Council Buildings
   and Facilities Branch. This area will only be able to function as a stand-alone Branch in the
   Infrastructure Department if the proposed position of Council Buildings and Facilities Manager
   is advanced. It is not imperative to resolve that issue at this stage as it will be considered
   during the budget process and implementation can occur once that has been determined by
   Council. It will be business as usual until that time.

4.    Cross Department Working Teams

One of the risks about focusing too much on organisational structures is that silos can develop. It
is important that this does not occur. One of the practical ways that this can be avoided is through
the extended use of cross department working teams or project control groups. There are a
number of these already in operation under our current structure.



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