Case study · Government & Public Sector
Restructuring a council while keeping services running
Major-capital-city local council
Project and change leadership for a major council restructure involving 2,000 employees, nine unions and 57 systems.
Challenge
After nearly ten years without a major restructure, the council needed to consolidate functions, remove duplication and improve accountability while maintaining continuity.
The work involved complex approvals, multiple teams, nine unions and significant changes to systems and employee roles.
The restructure had to consolidate similar functions, remove duplication, break down silos and improve accountability without disrupting services to the community.
The council needed a change process that treated staff and community relationships with care while moving at pace and avoiding prolonged change fatigue.
Approach
Understand affected groups. Used personas, user journeys and empathy maps to understand employee needs and help leaders see the change from different perspectives. The insights shaped communication, workshop design and support.
Prepare the organisation. Ran day-in-the-life workshops to understand employee skills, current responsibilities and stakeholder relationships. This evidence supported redeployment and more informed role decisions.
Keep delivery moving. Used daily technical stand-ups and a Change Alliance Network to resolve issues quickly while maintaining business continuity. Change requests were tested against council strategy and values.
Run formal engagement well. Coordinated leader checklists, executive updates, staff consultation, union notifications, town halls, surveys and retrospectives. Resistance scenarios were rehearsed so managers could respond with confidence.
Change architecture
People, delivery and continuity moved together
The restructure combined formal industrial engagement with practical transition activity and rapid operational problem-solving.- 01
Human insight
Personas, journeys and empathy maps grounded decisions in employee experience.
- 02
Cultural alignment
Changes were tested against council strategy and values before decisions were finalised.
- 03
Operational continuity
Daily stand-ups and the Change Alliance Network surfaced and resolved issues quickly.
- 04
Skill realignment
Day-in-the-life workshops supported role design and employee redeployment.
- 05
Stakeholder engagement
Leader, executive, employee and union engagement followed one coordinated plan.
- 06
Resistance readiness
Managers rehearsed realistic scenarios before teams moved through the change.
Outcomes
The council completed the restructure while coordinating engagement with 2,000 employees and updating information across 57 systems. Services remained operational while roles, structures and accountabilities changed.
The programme finished six months ahead of schedule and under budget, with no negative feedback from the nine unions involved in the certified agreement. The People and Engagement Director’s reflection was direct: “You never stopped caring about our people.”
- Completed six months ahead of schedule
- Delivered under budget
- No negative union feedback