Communications & Change Impact Plan Description Description Sponsor Manager Lee Robinson Louise Payne Reshaping services Title Date 25.10.13 Version 0.2 Change management programme to implement five year strategy of savings, whilst prioritizing the most vulnerable. Introduction Reshaping Services to meet the financial challenges in Wrexham requires an effective Communications Plan. It is also important to measure the impact that change has on stakeholders as a result of the change programme and ensure they are appropriately supported. This plan identifies stakeholders and the key messages and activities required by the Team to support, inform and consult where appropriate. It is intended to manage stakeholder expectations, including the public, staff perceptions/expectations/objections to gain real benefits in bringing projects to fruition. The plan will also enable new ways for the members and the senior leadership team to communicate with stakeholders, colleagues (internal & external) and establishments on a day to day basis, as well as preparing stakeholders for the changes. The purpose of this Communications & Change Impact Plan is: To provide an overarching framework within which the project will proactively engage and communicate with stakeholders To enable and ensure leadership and ownership of stakeholder engagement and communications to support the changes required to deliver benefits To ensure consistency and quality throughout the project in line with all corporate communication messages internally/externally To ensure messages are regular and consistent, in line with all corporate communication messages internally/externally To ensure proper time schedules are adhered to particularly where information is politically sensitive To ensure the change is implemented and managed effectively to enable benefits to be delivered and maintained To ensure that changes to the organization, its employees and changes to service delivery are coordinated in a timely and sensitive manner A key aspect of the plan is a Stakeholder Mapping Exercise. This identifies those stakeholders who present low or high risks to the success of projects in three ways: Awareness (need to be kept informed and are not involved) Impacted (change will impact this group and they may have to work differently or decisions may result in redeployment or redundancy) Committed (key decision-makers and influencers) Once identified a Change Impact Assessment is drawn up to enable the Manager to particularly manage those who are identified as being impacted as stakeholders in a planned and sustained way. The Communications & Change Impact Plan will be a live document, used to support the project during its lifetime.
General Communication and Change Management Principles The following principles should be followed to ensure consistent delivery The Communication & Social Media Unit s Senior Communication Officer will work with the Sponsor and Manager to devise and develop the Communication & Change Impact Plans A Communication group, led by the Communication & Social Media Manager is set up representing key areas of influence e.g. Human Resources and the Performance, Improvement, Partnership Service The Senior Communication Officer (or a member of the Communications & Social Media team) will act as a Clearing House for all communications and change management initiatives delivered around the project All communications and change management initiatives will be coordinated in line with all corporate communications both internally/externally Appropriate communication channels will be used Pre-existing Council communication channels should be used where appropriate including social media Other innovative and creative communication channels should be explored and used where appropriate Communications and Brand Identity guidelines will be followed at all times Overall Key Message The key word is prioritising services for the most vulnerable and not protecting services, which we cannot guarantee. The overall key message referred to throughout the Communications & Change Impact Plan will remain consistent throughout the project: Reshaping our services to meet the financial constraints is about making significant savings, supporting affected stakeholders, managing public expectations and changing attitudes about what we can deliver in the future. The challenge facing us is how we make these unprecedented savings whilst also prioritising services for the most vulnerable. This is intended to achieve the objective of a planned and considered approach to enable positive stakeholder buy-in and to achieve successful implementation of the Reshaping Services agenda over the next five years. This document supports the Council Plan 2013-2017 (Outcome 01 Engaged and satisfied customers & Outcome 02 Creating the Conditions for Success). This document also supports Our Wrexham Plan 2012-2024 which is the Local Service Board s Single Integrated Plan. This document has three priorities which are: 1. Making Wrexham a place where people can live independently and are healthy and active; 2. Making Wrexham a place with a strong, resilient and responsible economy (make money, but do the right thing) 3. Making Wrexham a place that s safe and where everyone feels included And the document also highlights what residents can do for themselves, as well as the support public sector organisations can give them. The document is also supported by a stakeholder appraisal and change impact analysis. A detailed communication and change management calendar outlines key dates, communication messages, target audiences and the communication channel selected, with final publication release dates. It will also track the status and responsible officers together with the impact it will have on its audience. Page 2 of 6
Stakeholder Appraisal Awareness (A) (Will need to have a general awareness of change but not directly impacted) i.e. Informed, Not involved, Not impacted, Not Direct Decision makers Citizens not resident in Wrexham CB Local Service Board (LSB) partner organisations Voluntary organisations Local businesses Neighbouring Local Authorities Welsh Government Regional Leadership Board Impacted (I) (Directly impacted to varying degrees) i.e. Change will impact them, Will have to work differently, Will have to change routine 1. Citizens resident in Wrexham general population 2. Citizens resident in Wrexham vulnerable groups 3. Lead Members 4. Executive Board 5. Senior Leadership Team (SLT) 6. Senior Management Team (SMT) 7. Chief Exec and SPD (Lee Robinson) 8. All employees 9. Individual departments employees (to be split up when options developed) 10. Senior Managers 11. Town and Community Councils Page 3 of 6 Committed (C) (May or may not be directly impacted but have the power to influence project success and failure) i.e. Decision-makers, Influencers, Manage budget and capacity, Political influencers Other / Local Members (non Lead Members) Full Council Political groupings Scrutiny Committees Trade Unions Change Programme Board Local press / media Chief Exec and Leader
Communication Channels and Change management approaches Stakeholder 1. Citizens resident in Wrexham - general population 2. Citizens resident in Wrexham vulnerable groups Survey You Choose results online Join the conversation brand by icons on website Letter (targeted) Face-to-face 3. Lead members Internet Pigeon Holes 4. Executive Board The Friday bulletin Internet 5. Senior Leadership Team Reports and briefings formal and informal SLT Emails Conversations Communication Channels Senedd Yr Ifanc Focus groups Over 50 s forum, equalities groups etc Change Programme Board Reports Pigeon Holes Internet SAM Page 4 of 6
Stakeholder 6. Senior Management Team Reports and briefings formal and informal SMT Emails Conversations Communication Channels 7. Chief Executive & SPD (Lee) Meetings Emails 8. All employees Workshops / focus groups Employee Forum Communication communities Change champions Posters / notice-boards Payslips 9. Individual departments employees Workshops / focus groups Posters / notice-boards Payslips Chief Executive and Council Leader road-shows Meetings with manager 10. Senior Managers Workshops / focus groups Employee Forum Communication communities Change champions Posters / notice-boards Payslips Page 5 of 6 SMT meetings Chief Exec and Leader road-shows Meetings with manager Team meetings PRCD process Team meetings Departmental newsletters Departmental workshops / focus groups Chief Exec and Leader road-shows Meetings with manager Team meetings
11. Town and Community Councils Town and Community Council Forum Survey You Choose results online Join the conversation brand by icons on website Mail-shots Stakeholder Awareness Local press & media their coverage Internet SAM AVOW briefings Local Service Board meetings Senior Managers Local Service Board (SLB) group meeting Regional Leadership Board meeting Committed Local press & media their coverage Internet Trade Union meetings Pigeon Holes Key Documents required to support project* Programme Definition Document full version The Council Plan 2012-2016 The Organisation Development and Workforce Strategy 2012-2016 Our Wrexham Plan 2013-2024 HR policies and change management toolkit management handbook Communications and brand identity (a toolkit for all staff) Communication Channels WIN / NWIN Press Releases/Media Briefings Chamber of Commerce / trade representative Town-centre Forum Industrial estate Forum Change Programme Board Press Releases/Media Briefings Group meetings Face-to-face meetings Page 6 of 6