3.3 Collaboration and Connection
Driver: 3.3
Dimension: Culture
Supporting aspiration: Teams share information and deliver together.
Why it matters
Councils deliver through interdependent services. Poor collaboration creates rework, delays and inconsistent customer outcomes.
What great looks like
Teams understand shared outcomes, share information early, resolve hand-off issues and work across organisational boundaries without relying on personal workarounds.
Employee Survey alignment
| Item | Survey question |
|---|---|
| Q1 | Teams cooperate effectively across the Council to deliver outcomes |
| Q2 | Colleagues share information and help each other to get work done |
How to interpret a weak result
A weak result for this driver should prompt a practical diagnosis, not an immediate solution. Ask:
- Is the issue whole-of-council, concentrated in particular work areas or linked to specific employee groups?
- Which question-level result is driving the pattern?
- Do comments or leader perspectives explain the issue?
- Is this mainly a system/process issue, a leadership issue, a resourcing issue or a communication issue?
- What would employees reasonably expect Council to do next?
Possible actions and interventions
- Map service hand-offs that create friction
- Use cross-functional improvement forums for priority services
- Clarify shared outcomes and escalation points
- Recognise collaborative behaviours, not only individual effort
Evidence to review alongside the survey
- Employee Survey question-level results and comments
- Relevant people metrics such as turnover, absenteeism, vacancy, overtime, grievances, safety or EAP themes
- Leadership and SME perspectives
- Relevant workforce, service, budget or risk data