Devon County Council sent this bulletin at 18-07-2014 03:15 PM BST
Special Edition - Team Days
Friday 18 July 2014
Team Days Update
At the July meeting of Devon Highways Board at Lower Moor, Tiverton, the management team reviewed and discussed the feedback and information gathered during the recent Team Days.
The board were delighted with the energy and enthusiasm of the presentations and the positive discussions resulting from these. All the presentations and feedback from discussions are available on the HUB. (click here)
You can see that there are many different comments, suggestions and ideas but as a board we wanted to focus on key messages and common themes that we have heard from the meetings. We have put these below and agreed at our board meeting our commitment to responding to what you have said.
Management
You said...
More effective management and decision making
Need managers to understand life at the front line
Nice to see more of senior managers in local offices
We will...
Continue to encourage managers at all levels to be effective and decisive.
visit local offices and worksites more often, taking advantage of hot-desk facilities.
Communicate thinking regarding shape of staff structure by end of September 2014.
Clearer Roles and Responsibilities
You said...
Locally embedded HQ staff
Avoid duplication
Less silo working
Need to know who does what
More opportunities to meet face to face
Concern about experience and knowledge being used wisely and retained
We will...
Consider your feedback in preparing the staff structure for the future
Encourage teams to meet face to face more regularly. Arrange further team meetings for the Autumn.
Arrange for headquarters teams to regularly hot desk in local offices.
Use ICT technology as an opportunity to capture some of the wealth of experience and knowledge i.e. land charges digitisation, road category review
Greater local empowerment, ownership and responsibility
You said...
Reintroduce minor works gangs
Revise structure and agenda for locality meeting. Relevant feedback and clear actions.
Input to revised process and systems.
We will...
Nominate and support a task group to explore the merits of minor works gangs. How would such gangs be funded? What works would the gangs undertake?
Nominate a task group to review structure and agenda for locality meetings.
Support and encourage individual involvement in the 'Think different - do different' systems review.
Better Communication
You said...
We need to know what the rest of Devon Highways is doing and input to it e.g. works programmes
We need some help to use the HUB
More dialogue/less email
Better IT training/user guides
We will...
Work with you to identify local champions to help provide relevant and accessible programme information
Provide floor walkers to help you to use the HUB and IWAYS
Better Process and Systems
You said...
Fix inefficient systems e.g. Vworks, logging potholes
Better access to Scheme Manager
Improve recharge process
R&R process is unclear
No input or involvement to changes
We will...
Respond to your feedback and evidence from the system review and seek your input to improving inefficient processes
Review access managements to Scheme Manager
Continue the work underway to improve recharge recovery
Clarify responsibility for responding to safety matters and provide reactive team members in local divisions to improve communication
Continue to encourage involvement in working groups and nominate participation if necessary for key tasks
You will see that in order to take this forward we would like your help and knowledge in some task groups.
Can you contribute to making a case for small works gangs?
Can you work with a small group to improve locality meetings?
If so, please get in touch with Joe Deasy.
We have agreed to review our collective progress on the above through future board meetings and we have also set future dates for further team days in the autumn.
2 October 2014 - Exeter and Eastern - Fingle Glen
13 October 2014 - Barnstaple and South Molton - North Molton Sports Club
21 October 2014 - Torrington and Okehampton - Clinton Hall, Merton
24 October 2014 - Tiverton - Tiverton Town Football Club
29 October 2014 - Ivybridge and Tavistock - Ivybridge Rugby Club
31 October 2014 - Newton Abbot - Buckland Athletic FC
We are very interested to have your thoughts on the structure and content of these forthcoming days. Please think about this and discuss with your senior manager with any suggestions.
The Wall
There are over 80 pledges from you! A presentation shows all of your collective commitment to the challenge 'How can you help achieve the Devon Highways Strategy'. The full wall presentation is available on the HUB.
It is a powerful demonstration of the energy and enthusiasm throughout Devon Highways to continue to be successful.
