appendix a: performance management framework
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Item 4 Appendix A
BRIDGEND COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL
PERFORMANCEPERFORMANCE MANAGEMENTMANAGEMENT FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK
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Revised March, 2009
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CONTENT
1.0 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................15
2.0 THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK IN BRIDGEND
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3.0 CORE VALUES.....................................................................................17
4.0 CONSULTATION...................................................................................18
5.0 THE PLANNING FRAMEWORK...........................................................18
6.0 STRATEGY AND OBJECTIVES...........................................................19
6.1 VISION................................................................................................19
6.2 COMMUNITY STRATEGY................................................................19
6.3 CORPORATE (IMPROVEMENT) PLAN.............................................20
6.4 BUSINESS PLANNING.......................................................................20
6.5 DIRECTORATE PLANS......................................................................21
6.6 SERVICE PLANS................................................................................21
6.7 UNIT PLANS.......................................................................................21
6.8 FINANCIAL PLANNING......................................................................21
7.0 WALES PROGRAMME FOR IMPROVEMENT.....................................22
8.0 IMPROVEMENT AGREEMENTS..........................................................22
9.0 JOINT RISK ASSESSMENT.................................................................22
10.0 EQUALITIES & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT...............................23
11.0 PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND REPORTING.....................................23
12.0 DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING.........................................................24
Appendix 1 - Performance Behaviours: Standards for Managers...........25
Appendix 2a - Planning Timetable..............................................................35
Appendix 2b - Planning Timetable..............................................................36
For further explanation or detail contact;Policy and Performance Management UnitCorporate Development & PartnershipsCivic OfficesAngel StCF31 4WB
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(01656) 643243
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Sound performance management principles and practices are at the heart of modern and effective organisations. These underpin the management of services commissioned or delivered by the Council and support the drive for continuous improvement. Performance Management is something all of us that work within the Council are responsible for.
1.2 As part of the Supporting Transformation programme, we continue to develop more effective arrangements and our Performance Management Framework supports us to:
be more ‘business like’ in the way that we do our business; be clear about what we are trying to achieve; set out exactly what we are going to pursue and how we will do this; identify threats to the achievement of our objectives; develop a cyclical approach to business planning and reviewing; monitor whether we are achieving our objectives; report on how well we are doing; and provide a clear link between the work of individuals and the key
objectives of the Council.
1.3 The purpose of this guide is to outline the Council’s Performance Management Framework in simple terms in order that you can gain a better understanding of how we work and how all “stakeholders” fit into it.
1.4 This Framework will continue to evolve and develop through consultation with appropriate users. The Corporate Appraisal Scheme will assist implementation of the Framework as it requires objectives, priorities and targets to be developed at all levels of the organisation.
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Community Strategy
Corporate Improvement Plan & other
Strategic Plans
Monitoring & Reporting on achievements against action
plans and targets
Directorate & Service Plans
Individual appraisal &
performance review
Unit / Team Service Plans
Individual Objectives
Core Values, Legislative and
Corporate Policy Framework &
Corporate Budget Process
Consultation
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2.0 THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK IN BRIDGEND
2.1 Performance management is simply the culture (e.g. leadership values), processes and systems (e.g. service planning), which an organisation puts in place to help it manage and continuously improve its performance. It must be central to the management agenda and help us to define and achieve organisational objectives.
2.2 The performance management system is cyclical as shown in the following diagram:
Figure 1 – The Performance Management Cycle in Bridgend
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2.3 Our Performance Management Framework is based on the planning processes that are in place both corporately and within the Council’s services. The Council’s core values, policies and procedures are central to its performance management arrangements as these provide the policy platform within which it operates. They also support the vision and culture of the organisation.
2.4 The Corporate Plan is the Council’s strategic business plan which sets out its priorities and how these will deliver improved outcomes for the community. It is informed by legislative requirements, service priorities agreed with partner organisations and local political priorities.
2.5 This provides the context for the priorities of Directorates and sets the scene for the operational plans of service areas, and smaller business units. Against this background, objectives and targets can be developed for groups and individuals that in turn, enable the effectiveness of actions taken to be assessed which, linked with appraisals, promotes the importance of managerial accountability.
2.6 The reporting processes in place include regular meetings of Cabinet, Scrutiny Committees; monthly meetings of the corporate programme management board and Quarterly Business Reviews. Increasingly, plans have an increased focus on achieving outcomes and the impact of actions that have been progressed. These arrangements also provide a basis for the review of plans. Securing success requires the integration of four key elements; leadership and vision, people, managing the business and customers.
2.7 To support achievement of high performance across the organisation, we have developed a corporate competency framework to support and guide managers - "High Performance Behaviours: Standards for Managers" attached as Appendix 1. These underpin our management development and leadership programme and have been developed to: Help managers understand what is expected of them Promote improvements in service delivery Support the management development programme Support performance management arrangements Help create a more mature organisation
3.0 CORE VALUES
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As Elected Members and employees of Bridgend County Borough Council, we are the FACE of the council and should always be:
Fair - taking into account everyone's needs and situation
Ambitious - always trying to improve what we do and aiming for excellence
Customer focused - remembering that we are here to serve our local communities
Efficient - delivering services that are value for money
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4.0 CONSULTATION
4.1 The Council is committed to developing effective consultation and citizen engagement. Encouraging public participation enables the citizens and communities of Bridgend to contribute to the decision making process across the County Borough. In turn this contributes to the improvement of service delivery in line with the needs and priorities of the community.
4.2 Satisfying customers, service users and local residents is a high priority and the results of consultation processes and public engagement inform policy development and service delivery. Arrangements in place to consult with the public, service users, partners and other stakeholders currently include:
a citizens' panel; on-line consultation; focus groups; service planning groups; and complaints and compliments.
4.3 The results of specific elements are published on our website to provide feedback to interested parties. The full range of consultation techniques is set out in the Council’s Guide to Consultation. The Consultation Best Practice Guide forms a user friendly, concise Toolkit that offers practical advice to Officers when carrying out consultation.
5.0 THE PLANNING FRAMEWORK
5.1 The Council produces a number of strategic plans and each has a direct relationship with the Community Strategy. The revision and further development of this is the responsibility of the Council but this responsibility is discharged via the Local Service Board (LSB). This acknowledges the fact that the Council works in partnership with a number of agencies in the statutory, voluntary and business sectors to meet the needs of the local community.
5.2 The Corporate Plan sets out the Council’s vision, priorities and the risks which impact on the achievement of these. It also outlines the links with the Community Strategy. The Corporate (Improvement) Plan has a direct relationship with service delivery plans at all levels. The process ensures that the organisation is unified in working towards meeting the objectives and priorities that have been identified.
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Figure 2 – Bridgend Planning Framework
5.3 Each year the Council needs to review, evaluate and confirm its strategic objectives and priorities. Resource allocation is now planned over a 3 year period; 1 year firm and the following 2 years indicative to ensure service development and rationalisation match the Council’s priorities. The budget process provides a mechanism for considering Corporate and Service priorities and helps ensure that as far as possible, resource allocation is aligned to current priorities.
6.0 STRATEGY AND OBJECTIVES
6.1 VISION
6.1.1 Our vision is "To transform Bridgend into the Council which provides the best local services in Wales".
6.2 COMMUNITY STRATEGY
6.2.1 The Community Strategy is built around the priorities identified by the Local Service Board (LSB). As part of its agenda to promote interagency working, Welsh Assembly Government in 2007 established LSBs within the 22 Unitary Authority areas to encourage and foster cross sector and cross boundary collaboration.
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6.2.2 Through the pursuit of activities identified in the Community Strategy as the overarching plan the LSB and its member agencies will respond to changing needs, build better services and realise the vision for the area. The Community Strategy will also be reinforced and supported by the priorities of the key strategic partnerships.
6.3 CORPORATE (IMPROVEMENT) PLAN
6.3.1 The annual Corporate Plan produced by the Authority:
sets out the Authority’s strategic aims and objectives; influences the budget process; identifies key risks to the achievement of the council’s
objectives; identifies targets for key services on an annual and longer-
term basis;
6.3.2 The Corporate Plan forms the core part of a composite Improvement Plan and to comply with the requirements of the Wales Programme for Improvement, is published with the Joint Risk Assessment, a summary of performance indicators and other data.
6.4 BUSINESS PLANNING
6.4.1 Business planning processes within the Council continue to be developed and play a central role in the Performance Management Framework. As was illustrated earlier (Figure 2) there is a direct relationship between the Council’s Corporate Plan, Directorate Business Plans and the operational plans of service areas.
6.4.2 Collectively, these form the foundations of the Performance Management Framework within which all the main strategic and operational objectives and priorities are mapped out. Each element of the action plans within these documents needs to be compliant with ‘SMART’ principles to facilitate monitoring and scrutiny. In addition, these plans need to evidence actions that promote equality and sustainable development.
6.4.3 Objectives, targets and risk mitigation measures are set at each level and some permeate between levels and across services reflecting the principle that a number of different service areas and business units can contribute to the achievement of a common objective. Importantly, the objectives, targets and risk mitigation measures set via this process can be translated into objectives for groups of staff or individuals and performance against these can be assessed through the appraisal process.
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6.4.4 All planned actions and targets should be ‘challenging’ and progressively will have measurable outcomes, thereby enabling improved monitoring of performance. Where appropriate, targets should be developed in conjunction with partner agencies (e.g. targets relating to crime reduction or reductions in levels of unemployment).
6.5 DIRECTORATE PLANS
6.5.1 These are linked with the annual corporate budget process and plan the range and scale of services to be delivered by each directorate within the resources available. Importantly, they also map out the actions needed to implement the Council’s corporate priorities including those arising from changes in legislation and the strategic service planning processes. Increasingly, the Business Plans at this level reflect joint working and the development of services in a more effective joined up way.
6.5.2 Directorate Plans contain a suite of key performance indicators relevant to its functions that are reported on regularly as part of the monitoring of progress with achieving directorate objectives.
6.6 SERVICE PLANS
6.6.1 These are essentially action plans that underpin the Directorate Business Plan and map out in more detail the actions being taken to achieve service priorities.
6.7 UNIT PLANS
6.7.1 These are intended to be produced at team/cost centre level where appropriate and: complement the service action plan by identifying the contribution
that the unit/team will make to achieving the service objective; establish a common vision for the direction the unit/team is taking in
order to determine key priorities and areas for improvement; identify what information and/or resources are needed to secure
improved performance and how these might be addressed; and ensure that the unit/team can monitor progress and keep
performance on track.
6.8 FINANCIAL PLANNING
6.8.1 Integration of service and financial planning and budget management is important to securing good performance that result in improvement in service delivery. It is also necessary to ensure that there are clear links between risk mitigation plans, service priorities and the resource allocation process.
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6.8.2 When resources are allocated to a budget heading, responsibility for the management of that budget is assigned to a specific individual who is then accountable for this resource. The corporate business planning framework provides the basis for linking resources to priorities and monitoring performance in the use of these. Separate guidance is available for budget management.
7.0 WALES PROGRAMME FOR IMPROVEMENT
7.1 Legislation currently requires local authorities to: secure continuous improvement in the way in which they exercise
their functions, having regard to a combination of economy efficiency and effectiveness;
consult widely on how to do so, and report publicly on the outcome; conduct reviews of their functions, and prepare a performance (improvement) plan for each financial year.
7.2 The Wales Programme for Improvement process comprises: annual assessments of services and functions to identify priorities
for improvement; feeding of the results to the corporate and budget planning process; communicating and accounting for performance, partly but not
solely by means of an improvement plan; a regulatory plan which sets out the planned activities of regulators
and inspectors to support improvement; and monitoring and evaluation of actions identified in previous years.
8.0 IMPROVEMENT AGREEMENTS
8.1 Successor to the Policy Agreements, Improvement Agreements reflect the understanding reached between each local authority and the Welsh Assembly Government. They are required to reflect the actions being taken locally to achieve national priorities but a number of these are consistent with local priorities for service improvement, whether in terms of raising performance relative to other authorities, meeting citizen needs, delivering strategic change or addressing key risks.
9.0 JOINT RISK ASSESSMENT
9.1 The annual joint risk assessment exercise is a key feature of the Wales Programme for Improvement. The purpose of undertaking such an assessment is to assess the impact and effectiveness of service delivery and support, and identify the issues that present the most significant “risks” to the achievement of the Council’s objectives. These include risks in the wider context, not just insurable risks and the
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actions needed to mitigate these risks are reflected in Directorate and Service business plans.
10.0 EQUALITIES & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
10.1 Under the Wales Programme for Improvement, equality and sustainability are key factors that help support good performance. Sustainable development is an investment for the future and equality ensures equal access to all services and targeted services for those that need it.
11.0 PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND REPORTING
11.1 This is simply the systems and processes in place to help us review how well we are performing. The arrangements we use include: Cabinet meet monthly and the agenda for these meetings include
reports on policy development or performance related issues. The Local Service Board and its Delivery Board both meet monthly
and have processes in place to monitor progress with the top priorities from each of the key inter agency partnerships;
Quarterly Business Reviews meet every 3 months and monitor the progress against Business Plans and other areas of activity (including actions, revenue and capital budgets, key performance indicators and sickness absence). These are important management meetings chaired by the Chief Executive and involve the Corporate Management Board, Cabinet and relevant Scrutiny Chairs. It is at these meetings that we take stock of progress with corporate and service priorities.
Programme Management Board meets 4 weekly and through the use of Programme Briefs and highlight reports monitors progress with the Council’s strategic programmes. Meetings involve CMB, relevant Programme Managers, constituent Senior Responsible Officers or Managers and are supported by the Centre of Excellence;
Scrutiny Committees provide a means of holding the Cabinet and Senior Management to account for decisions made and performance. They also assist with Policy Development and undertake reviews of specific services and ad hoc investigations;
Responses to reports from auditors and regulatory bodies such as Estyn, CSSIW etc.
11.2 At an individual level, the Council’s annual appraisal process helps ensure that all employees and managers of staff teams: are clear about their own and/or their team’s objectives and targets; assess how well they are doing in meeting these; identify barriers to improving performance and take action to
address these e.g. staff training; and recognise good performance.
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11.3 Reporting back on performance is clearly a very important stage in the process and where the concept of accountability is evident. This happens at different managerial levels within the organisation – teams, units, service area, directorate and corporate as well as with elected members, partner organisations and the public.
12.0 DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING
12.1 This framework maps out the direction being followed by the Council. A comprehensive training programme is being put in place to assist successful implementation and subsequent maintenance of these arrangements. The programme is built around the management standards referred to earlier (Appendix 1).
12.2 The training has been developed on a modular basis. Elements of the training will be mandatory for managers at all levels, but the modular approach will enable the content to be tailored to individual and organisational needs. All participants are required to undertake a 360 degree assessment prior to joining the programme and the result of this helps ensure that the appropriate discretionary modules are taken.
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MANAGING RESOURCES
PROMOTING SAFETY AND WELL BEING
DEVELOPING OUR STAFF AND
OURSELVES
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
MANAGING IN A POLITICAL
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNICATING WELL AND SHARING
INFORMATION
BUILDING TEAMS AND
PARTNERSHIP WORKING
FOCUS ON CUSTOMERS
AND DELIVERY
DELIVERING GOOD RESULTS AND MANAGING PERFORMANCE
LEADING AND INSPIRING
FairAmbitiousCustomer FocusedEfficient
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Appendix 1 - Performance Behaviours: Standards for Managers
PERFORMANCE BEHAVIOURS:
STANDARDS FOR MANAGERS
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HIGH PERFORMANCE BEHAVIOURS:STANDARDS FOR MANAGERS
WHY ARE THESE IMPORTANT?
Our vision is to transform Bridgend into the Council which provides the best local services in Wales, and high standards of management are essential to achieve this. Linking organisational arrangements to performance management requires the setting out of some important behaviours that both managers and staff need to demonstrate to deliver business objectives. The implications of an ineffective management style also need to be clearly understood.
The effective management of staff is central to driving up quality and improving performance. These standards will help managers to recognise the behaviours, actions and factors that will support improvements and promote trust and confidence in the Council and its services.
Management effectiveness is crucial to any organisation wanting to achieve its objectives and improve performance. These standards will provide evidence of our commitment to growing our organisation and our staff teams, but will also support any work we do towards achieving recognition as an Investor in people.
In summary, the standards describing high performance behaviours have been developed to: Help managers understand what is expected of them Promote improvements in service delivery Support the management development programme Support performance management arrangements and Help create a more mature organisation.
HOW ARE THEY SET OUT?
As employees of Bridgend County Borough Council, we are all the public FACE of the council and should be
Fair - considering everyone’s needs and circumstances
Ambitious - always trying to improve what we do and aiming for excellence
Customer Focused - remembering that we are here to serve our local communities
Efficient - delivering effective services that are value for money
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The standards are set out in ten ‘areas’ that are important to Bridgend and reflect these values.
HOW ARE THEY USED?
Many authorities have developed behavioural standards like these, which are sometimes known as ‘competency frameworks’. The terms ‘competencies’ and ‘competency’ are used to describe the core skills, attitudes and behaviours necessary to perform a specific job or set of responsibilities and achieve high levels of performance. They are intended to be a practical tool for managers and can be used in a number of ways.
The ‘culture’ of the organisation is influenced by the style or behaviours managers at all levels adopt. These standards give a clear indication of the behaviours which are expected of managers and underpin our core values. It is recognised that behaviours are influenced by knowledge and experience. A management development programme will be available to help managers respond to gaps that are identified through a 360° feedback process. However, whilst ‘attitude’ is something that individuals have responsibility for themselves, the standards set out the organisation’s expectations in relation to these and are useful because:
They identify and describe the behaviour, attitudes and actions needed for work to be accomplished to the accepted/ agreed standard
They encourage managers to review, renew and extend their skills and knowledge, and enable better identification of individual training and development needs
They can provide information to support the diagnosis of the organisational culture
They can help our people identify what represents effective and ineffective management
They can form a basis for individuals and teams to assess their present level of skills/ knowledge/ behaviours to inform both personal and team development plans
They provide objective judgement criteria and will promote consistency when undertaking appraisals
They support programme management arrangements
They provide a basis for the development of realistic and consistent person specifications.
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LEADING AND INSPIRING
Effective managers communicate the organisational vision and purpose in a way that others can understand and are inspired by. They adopt an appropriate style and approach depending on the situation, and are able to enthuse and motivate the whole team. They accept that they are accountable for outcomes of service delivery, and recognise the achievement and effort of others towards this.
An effective manager: An ineffective manager:
Is able to translate vision into practical goals. Has a confused or unrealistic vision of the future
Inspires and motivates the whole team and communicates vision and priorities well
Fails to motivate the team and is vague about the teams’ priorities and longer term goals
Engages teams and individuals in understanding and planning what they need to achieve and why they need to achieve it
Does not help team members to understand how their personal work objectives contribute to the team’s objectives
Supports staff at the ‘front line’ who are delivering services, leads by example and takes personal responsibility for making things happen
Is dismissive about other services, invisible in a crisis, negative about setbacks, and blames others
Recognises and celebrates success, gives constructive feedback to individuals and teams, praises and offers support appropriately
Works in isolation from their staff, never giving support, feedback or praise
DELIVERING GOOD RESULTS AND MANAGING PERFORMANCE
Effective managers plan, prioritise, take action, monitor and evaluate progress towards objectives and targets to ensure an efficient, effective and high standard of service delivery. They understand the components of good performance management, for example programme management, project management, risk management, human resource management and finance management.
An effective manager: An ineffective manager:
Develops and implements strategic and operational plans that have SMART objectives (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely)
Does not understand the need to always agree ‘SMART’ targets and priorities for the service, teams and individuals
Makes sure all plans focus on what matters to the Council, prioritising those actions that will add value, and translates actions within plans into priorities for individuals to deliver
Fails to ensure that their staff team(s) have a list of objectives/ actions that are to be pursued in a given period
Recognises good performance amongst staff and are good at tackling poor performance
Fails to review performance with their staff and does not take action when necessary
Regularly reviews plans and performance Does not monitor progress being made on
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data to determine progress against agreed priorities
agreed actions
Benchmarks with others (including other local authorities) to identify and share good practice
Is blind to the lessons that can be learnt from the success of others
FOCUS ON CUSTOMERS AND DELIVERY
Managers need to be aware of who their customers are, and include all relevant stakeholders in their thinking. They must consider the needs of all of their customers when planning and providing service delivery.
An effective manager: An ineffective manager:
Is sensitive to customers’ needs and expectations and works at managing these positively
Adopts a casual attitude towards customers’ needs and expectations
Provides their customers with information about their services, making sure it is in a language and format that they can understand
Does not see the need to provide good quality information to their customers in an understandable form
Recognises the value of involving customers in service planning and when making decisions about the services delivered and keeps customers informed about progress
Does not think it is necessary for customers to get involved in making decisions about the services they receive
Views customer complaints as constructive feedback to improve services
Ignores the value of customer feedback and does not respond to customers’ concerns promptly
Establishes service standards where practicable to do so, meets agreed timescales, and does what they say they are going to do
Does not set or put into practice standards relating to the service their customers can expect
BUILDING TEAMS AND PARTNERSHIP WORKING
To be effective as a manager you need to work with your team, across the organisation and with external bodies and other stakeholders to achieve our planned objectives. You will build trust to enable service delivery partners to identify shared goals and common ground.
An effective manager: An ineffective manager:
Works to develop an atmosphere of trust and support within the team, and a ‘can do’ culture
Does not work at securing trust, openness, support and confidentiality; is defensive and protective
Understands how partnerships add value and demonstrates commitment to joint working and shared service delivery
Does not see the importance of working with other people and groups and prefers to work in isolation
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Searches for the ‘collective wisdom’ and strengths within their teams to improve service provision.
Appears autocratic and is unwilling to listen to the opinions of others
Monitors workloads to ensure they are realistic and equitable and ensures staff skills and abilities are matched with the requirements of the job
Allows inequitable workloads and has unrealistic expectations without any consideration to the impact of this
Steers the team successfully through difficulties and challenges, including conflict within the team
Avoids challenge and conflict, failing to recognise that early intervention can avoid a problem growing
COMMUNICATING WELL AND SHARING INFORMATION
Effective communication and information sharing is central to a range of managerial activities. Managers communicate and share information with a variety of people, and in a variety of ways; effective managers will make sure that the way they communicate meets the needs of the people they are communicating with.
An effective manager: An ineffective manager:
Regularly meets with teams, groups and individuals to share information in a structured way
Does not hold or attend meetings and provides information too late, or not at all
Uses communication styles that are appropriate to different people and situations
Does not consider the needs of people they should communicate with
Puts information in the right context for individuals and ensures all communication is focussed, relevant and timely
Communicates irrelevant, inaccurate, inconsistent or incorrect information and does not explain the rationale behind decisions
Listens carefully, is approachable, and asks questions to check understanding
Fails to check a common understanding, ignores concerns, and tells rather than listens
Recognises the importance of other languages of choice to the provision of inclusive services
Adopts a casual approach to the provision of information in other formats or languages, and does not see this as important to service delivery
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MANAGING IN A POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
All managers should demonstrate that they understand and are sensitive to the political dimension they work within. They seek to build appropriate and positive relationships with Elected Members.
An effective manager: An ineffective manager:
Respects political diversity and understands the political context, both locally and nationally
Pays little or no attention to the political perspective
Establishes a positive working relationship with Members, keeping them informed about matters in which they have a legitimate interest
Marginalises the role of Members by ignoring or alienating them
Is politically neutral but not politically naïve, understanding and maintaining the boundaries between the political and managerial spheres of operation
Favours some political groups or individual members over others, and fails to maintain professional integrity
Provides timely, constructive, high quality, professional advice to support Member decision making
Offers inaccurate, incomplete, inconsistent, biased or inappropriate advice or information to Members
Understands the political impact of management decisions, how to raise issues constructively, and how to challenge sensitively when necessary
Fails to support or comply with the decision making process, lacks sensitivity when raising issues and gets their timing or approach wrong
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
Effective managers embrace and promote fairness, integrity, respect, sustainability and accountability. Their managerial style is inclusive and ethical, and they will always challenge discrimination and discriminatory attitudes, language and behaviours. They recognise the impact of their decisions.
An effective manager: An ineffective manager:
Promotes awareness of diversity issues and recognises that equality and diversity principles should underpin everything they do
Sees diversity as an ‘add on’ to their job, or the responsibility of equality and diversity specialists
Treats staff equitably by showing integrity, fairness and consistency in decision making
Acts according to their own preconceived ideas, and is inconsistent in the decisions made
Behaves morally and ethically, treating everyone with equal dignity, respect, and fairness, and acts to uphold their rights
Makes decisions that are unethical and tolerates discriminatory and insensitive actions
Consistently follows equality and diversity procedures and works within organisational requirements, policies, and codes of conduct
Fails to comply with organisational requirements, policies, and codes of conduct in relation to equality and diversity
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Promotes equal opportunities at all levels and across all services, working to eliminate direct or indirect discrimination
Does not apply equal opportunities to the service delivered and is not aware of what constitutes direct or indirect discrimination
DEVELOPING OUR STAFF AND OURSELVES
Good managers provide an environment where learning and development is valued. They support their teams to identify their learning needs, and help provide opportunities to address these needs. Team members are encouraged to learn from each other and take opportunities to improve their own learning. Effective managers are open to learning about new ways of working and promote good practice in service delivery.
An effective manager: An ineffective manager:
Coaches and supports team members and colleagues to give of their best, recognising and developing potential
Fails to prioritise staff development and recognise the part they play in this
Encourages team members to take responsibility for their own learning and helps them to identify gaps in their current knowledge, understanding and skills
Does not encourage staff to work on their own development.
Asks for regular feedback on their performance and takes action on the lessons learned
Rarely reflects on own experiences to inform future actions.
Uses appraisal, formal supervision, one-to-one meetings and team meetings to identify learning needs as well as manage performance
Ignores the processes available to help identify learning needs
Encourages innovation and measured ‘risk taking’
Is intolerant of mistakes and risk taking and is under-ambitious about what can be achieved
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PROMOTING SAFETY AND WELL BEING
All managers need to understand how to manage a healthy and safe working environment. They will be aware of what can assist their staff to give of their best, and will understand how to consistently apply policies designed to promote the well being of staff, service users and other people.
An effective manager: An ineffective manager:
Ensures a safe environment for service delivery, communicates health and safety information to their staff, and challenges dangerous or abusive practices
Sets a poor example, and is complacent about any poor practice they see
Undertakes risk assessments when appropriate, and trains their staff accordingly
Is blind to the risks that inevitably arise in all work settings
Proactively contributes to a positive team spirit and creates a feeling of confidence that staff will be supported when dealing with personal problems e.g. ill health, bereavement.
Does not recognise the link between team spirit and team effectiveness
Understands that caring for staff and good human resource management skills are essential and fundamental parts of the managerial job
Believes that staff care and welfare is not part of their job
Demonstrates an appropriate work-life balance, are aware of potential causes of stress or other forms of injury and take action to avoid these
Are not vigilant enough and their inaction contributes to someone suffering harm
MANAGING RESOURCES
Managers have a responsibility to handle all the resources (finance, people, equipment, places, property) under their control efficiently and effectively whilst also understanding their responsibility for sustainability. They should always seek to obtain the best quality of service possible within the resources available and with consideration for the finite nature of natural resources.
An effective manager: An ineffective manager:
Works within the requirements of the Council’s HR/Finance policies, procedures and regulations
Disregards policies, procedures and regulations
Accepts that they are personally accountable for the effective management of all people and resources under their control
Absolves responsibility for the people and resources under their control
Always follows agreed procurement procedures, ensures contracts are properly commissioned and managed, and looks for efficiency savings where possible
Uses suppliers that have not been checked and has little regard for efficient and effective procurement
Maintains accurate records, monitors, Lacks adequate understanding of financial
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evaluates and controls service area budgets within their responsibility
data, has little regard for the maintenance of records, and does not review performance against allocated budgets
Recognises where they are dependant on people and resources not under their control and works with relevant managers to address specific needs
Is reluctant to work with other managers, regardless of the impact on other service areas
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Process Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb MarR
isk
Ass
essm
ent
Risk Assessment
Prioritised list compiled
Mitigation plans prepared
Bud
get
Provisional WAG budget announced
Final WAG budget announced
Directorates prepare budgets
Council approve budget
Bus
ines
s P
lan
s
Corporate Improvement Plan published
Consider draft Directorate plans and priorities + joint and cross-cutting initiativesFinalise Business Plans, including targets for Corporate Performance IndicatorsAppraisal of Principal Officers, including personal targets relating to business plansAppraisal of all other staff Ongoing throughout year
Per
form
anc
e In
dic
ator
s
Report statutory and core indicators
All Wales data released
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Appendix 2a - Planning TimetableAppendix 2b - Planning Timetable
Process Definition…who does what?
Ris
k A
sse
ssm
ent
Risk Assessment This process identifies potential risks to the achievement of the Corporate objectives, having regard for areas such as health, finance and service delivery and comments from Wales Audit Office and KPMG.
Prioritised list compiled Taken from the risk assessment, these are the top risks that the Authority identifies to inform the Corporate business planning process.
Mitigation plans prepared The lead officer for each risk, as identified by Corporate Management Board, ensure mitigation plans are in place for the risks identified.
Bud
get
Provisional WAG budget announced The Authority is provided with its provisional budget settlement from the Welsh Assembly Government.
Final WAG budget announced The Authority is provided with its final budget settlement from the Welsh Assembly Government.
Directorates prepare budgets Having regard for the provisional budget, the risk assessment and the intended business of the Directorate, Corporate Directors and Heads of Service together with their finance teams are to prepare budget proposals for presentation to Corporate Finance.
Council approve budget Following scrutiny process, Council approve Directorates and Corporate budget for following year.
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Item 4 Appendix A
Bus
ines
s P
lan
sCorporate Improvement Plan Policy and Performance Management Unit, in consultation with Directorates, produce this as
per the Wales Programme for Improvement (contained in WAG circular 28/2005).
Consider draft Directorate plans and priorities + joint and cross-cutting initiatives
In preparing Business Plans, all those involved should consider, where possible, the impact on other Directorates and take into account joint and cross-cutting initiatives and key strategic documents as well as Corporate objectives and considerations such as procurement, efficiencies, equality, sustainable development and community safety.
Finalise Business Plans Corporate Directors and Heads of Service finalise Directorate Business Plans for the following year. Cabinet and Corporate Management Board finally approve these.
Performance appraisal of Principal Officers Between March and June, having regard for the Business Plan objectives, Principal Officers and above should have their annual appraisal, as per the Corporate Policy.
Performance appraisal of all other staff Following the Principal officers, all other staff either individually or in teams should have their performance appraisals, as per the Corporate Policy.
Per
form
ance
In
dica
tors
Quarterly performance reporting On a quarterly basis, Directorate contacts submit Performance Indicator data to Policy and Performance Management Unit for reporting to Cabinet and Corporate Management Board through the Quarterly Business Reviews.
Report statutory and core indicators Directorate contacts submit Performance Indicators to Policy and Performance Management Unit for reporting to the Local Government Data Unit.
All Wales data released Following submission of the above data by all Welsh Authorities, national comparable data is published by the Local Government Data Unit.
Please note: Specific timescales for the above activities will be updated regularly and may be viewed on the Policy and Performance Management section of the Authority’s intranet. Alternatively contact the unit as per details in the Preface of this policy.
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