The Starting Point
The client operated in a highly regulated environment with a long-standing union presence and a tenuous relationship between executive and union leadership. Under mounting pressure to modernise, the identified solution was a central one-stop shop consolidating 97 complementary functions — improving public image, modernising technology, and streamlining service delivery.
Barriers to Change
Workforce Culture
Entrenched transactional roles with low ownership, low morale, and adversarial management-union relations.
Service Standards
Five years of declining customer satisfaction, with fragmented processes and customers redirected between offices.
Historical Resistance
Previous modernisation attempts met with open resistance — medical leaves, work-to-rule actions, and performance deterioration.
Technology Barriers
Many staff had relied on manual processes for years and faced significant challenges adapting to new digital tools.
How the Transformation Was Delivered
The programme covered workload and gap analyses across all 97 functions to remove duplication and ensure full-service coverage, structured across five sequential phases over 12 months — underpinned throughout by the Prosci change methodology.
Comprehensive Function Analysis
Detailed workload and gap analyses across all 97 functions to identify duplication and consolidation opportunities.
Defining the Target Operating Model
Designing the future-state service model with amalgamated structures, automated roles, and new position profiles.
Securing Stakeholder Buy-In
Engaging executive leadership, union representatives, and frontline staff to build trust ahead of implementation.
Delivering the Changes
Executing operational changes, targeted training, and new premises design — supported by a robust change management strategy.
Launching the New Service Model
Moving into new premises and launching the unified one-stop shop with champion-led peer support and ongoing feedback mechanisms.
Outcomes & What We Learned
Early Stakeholder Engagement
Sustained early engagement with union representatives and frontline staff was essential for building genuine trust.
Tailored Change Management
A bespoke approach for a diverse workforce was vital — particularly for staff moving from manual to automated roles.
HR Integration
Closely integrating HR ensured alignment with transformation objectives and provided critical job security assurances.
Change as a Continuous Process
Sustainable improvement requires ongoing monitoring and refinement — not a one-off implementation event.
By consolidating fragmented functions into a streamlined, customer-centric model, the organisation enhanced efficiency while creating more meaningful and empowered roles for staff.