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Culture Shock – Creating a Changemaking Culture in Local Government

  • 21st Jul 2022

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE CHANGE

In government and the wider public sector there is an abiding interest in structural change. However, in this essay we argue that transforming the culture of an organisation is much more likely to secure improvements in performance than shifts in governance regimes and institutional forms. This is the case for three main reasons:

  •   There is a strong evidence base from academic research which shows that organisational culture is an extremely important factor in success;
  •   The increasing complexity and speed of the world within which councils operate requires effective rules of thumb (or heuristics) rather than
    rigid regulations and processes by which a workforce operates. The behavioural norms provided by a well-adapted organisational culture effectively amounts to these rules of thumb;
  •   Organisations with positive, dynamic and supportive cultures are more likely to have healthier, happier staff with lower rates of turnover and more commitment to their work

ASSESSING THE CULTURE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Drawing on the competing values framework developed by Kim Cameron and Robert Quinn which identifies four ideal culture types, an initial assessment of the dominant culture of local government can be made. This is that a ‘hierarchical’ culture tends to dominate in councils with some elements of a ‘market’ culture. Both of these cultures tend to promote stability and control. By contrast, the two other types identified by Cameron and Quinn of ‘clan’ and ‘adhocracy’ cultures, and which tend to promote flexibility and discretion, are far less prevalent.

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