1. Adapt not Adopt: Sharing Best Practice An overview of the Beacon Scheme evaluation and some key themes and evidence Dr Zoe Radnor Warwick Business School January 2008

2. 2 Award schemes as an approach to improvement Award schemes are used widely in the private sector and increasingly in the public sector Threshold awards: an organization that meets assessed standard gains the award Competitive awards: judging panel selects the ‘best’ from applications. Suggested benefits of public service award schemes: service and quality improvement public sector reform increased trust by the public increased organisational effectiveness enhanced reputation sharing of good practice.

3. 3 Description of the Beacon Scheme Competitive award scheme open to all 388 English local authorities Since 2003, includes police, fire, national parks, waste management and passenger transport Panel selects approximately 10 themes per year in consultation with local and central government Applications can be single or joint Three criteria: excellent or innovative service in nominated theme; good overall corporate performance; plan to share good practice Awarded for one year Range of learning events

4. 4 Research Framework The context of the evaluation was to consider the impact on service improvement (including the processes which lead to improvement) The evidence contributed to: Understanding how and why the Beacon Scheme works (and might be improved) Understanding Beacons as providing broader lessons about sharing best practice, capacity-building and organization development Lessons about “self-sustaining improvement”

5. 5 The Evidence Base Longitudinal Qualitative and quantitative Case study and surveys Multi-respondent (elected members, managers, staff, partners, civil servants) Beacons and non-Beacons ‘Hard’ performance measures and ‘soft’ learning measures

6. 6 Motivations for attending Beacon events IMPROVEMENT OBJECTIVES Improvements in service outcomes as measured by PIs, residents, etc. SERVICE OUTCOMES Key learning points taken by participants from events and related activities LEARNING OUTCOMES Changes in process within participating authorities PROCESS OUTCOMES Anticipated improvements resulting from processual changes TARGET OUTCOMES How Beacon Engagement can lead to Service Improvement

7. 7 Traditional Assumptions of Knowledge Transfer Organization with good practice Intended recipients

8. 8 Key Enablers of Sharing Good Practice Originating Organization  Conceptual framework  Systems to identify and promote good practice  Designs knowledge transfer  Distinguishes different knowledge requirements  Experience of learning exchange and networks  Resources and methods for knowledge transfer Recipient Organization  Organizational framework for learning  Capacity to share and receive knowledge  Capacity and resources to adapt and implement learning  Effective internal communication systems and networks  Evaluation models and focus on outcomes  Champions and distributed leadership Enabling Processes  Relevant context  Reciprocal knowledge exchange and dialogue  Customisation of knowledge and choice of transfer methods  Trust, collaboration, challenge and common perspectives  First-hand person to person transfer  Respect for diversity Policy and practice context Hartley & Rashman, 2006)

9. 9 Central Government Interviews Positive about the longevity of the Scheme Theme leads perceived the Scheme to be mutually beneficial for both local and central government Beacon councils provide welcome examples of ‘good practice’ and are regarded as a trusted source Beacon dissemination events perceived to be important source of learning about local authority activities for central government officers Knowledge of the Beacon Scheme is not widespread across departments

10. 1010 Knowledge Creation and Transfer Through the Beacon Scheme Beacon council staff perceive face-to-face dissemination mechanisms such as site visits and open days are most effective knowledge-share mechanisms Beacon Open Days are most utilised form of learning mechanism Majority of attendees at Beacon learning events did some form of preparation beforehand, but mostly researching details of the Beacon council rather than looking at their own council/ service to identify learning priorities (2006 National Survey)

11. 11 Dissemination and Learning in the Beacon Scheme Evaluation indicates the importance of: Sharing learning about processes rather than focus on outcomes Tailoring learning events to current and future challenges rather than focusing on the past good practice of the Beacon service. Dissemination of both explicit knowledge (e.g. performance data) and tacit knowledge (e.g. ways to mobilise change) through a variety of learning activities Sharing ideas and practices about change management as well as about service improvement

12. 1212 2006 National Survey of English Local Authorities Perceptions of the Scheme as a Policy for Improvement* Provides information on best practice88% Provides information on innovative practice88% Encourages networking with peers83% Provides models for improving performance74% Adds value65% *’agree’/ ‘strongly agree’ with the statement

13. 1313 2006 National Survey of English Local Authorities Respondents engaged with the Scheme (through learning or applications) are more positive about the benefits* EngagedNot engaged Provides information on best practice90%83% Provides information on innovative practice 90%79% Encourages networking with peers89%64% Provides models for improving performance 77%60% Adds Value68%53% *‘agree’/ ‘strongly agree’ with the statement

14. 1414 2006 National Survey of English Local Authorities Number of changes implemented as result of attending a Beacons event

15. 1515 2006 National Survey of English Local Authorities Number of changes implemented as result of attending a Beacons event Implemented at least one change66% Implemented 2+ changes58% Implemented 6+ changes51% Implemented at least 10 changes57%

16. 1616 2006 National Survey of English Local Authorities The importance of specific factors in contributing to the success of organizational learning* In terms of source organization, most important that: -Good practice was clear -Knew how to share good practice -Helped learner think about differences in their own organization 97% 90% 86% In terms of sharing learning, most important that: -Able to build trusting and collaborative relationship -Could explore failure as well as success -Respect for diverse circumstances 93% 91% 83% In terms of learner (respondent) organization, most important that: -Able to adapt learning to own organization -Evaluated progress and outcomes of learning -Chose the right time to learn from another organization -Effective leadership and champions for learning 93% 90% 89% 88% * % stating factors ‘important’/ ‘very important’

17. 1717 2006 National Survey of English Local Authorities The contribution of factors to innovation and improvement (in the last two years) *% stating factor contributes ‘extensively’/ ‘fairly extensively’ InnovationImprovement Managerial leadership70%74% Vision and ambition69% Local policy priorities61%65% Grants and extra funding54% Evidence of outcomes51%59%

18. 1818 The Relevance of Staff to Improvement To date, the Government focus has been on external regulation and pressure to improve services more than internal learning The focus has also been more on more mechanistic approaches – plans, targets, systems, finance – rather than on the human element – organizational cultures, human resources. The role of managers and staff in bringing about improvement is relatively neglected

19. 1919 The Role of Staff in Beacons In the 2004 national (England) survey of local authorities (n= 488 members and managers), there were a number of benefits of applying for a Beacon award: 54% said it boosted staff morale (3 rd highest benefit) 52% said it motivated further service improvement (4 th highest) But how does this affect staff morale and motivation, and what more can we learn about this?

20. 2020 Staff Survey (n= 1,933 in 15 councils) Staff at Beacon councils (current or have been Beacons) are more likely to have service improvement attitudes (e.g. more proactive, report more innovation at individual and organizational levels, say their managers are more open to new ideas)

21. 2121 What is Innovation? New ideas which are implemented Large enough, general enough and durable enough to appreciably affect the character or operations of the organization Recognised as such by key stakeholders – i.e. socially constructed

22. 2 Catalysts of Innovation Policy-driven (central government, policy- makers) - “top-down” Organization-driven (meeting needs, expectations and aspirations of users and citizens) - “bottom-up” Professional-driven (comparison with other organizations and sharing good practice) – “sideways-in” User-driven – provided by citizens and users of services

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24. 2424 So What for your Best Practice Scheme? Need to recognise there is a process for the transfer of good practice which involves an originating and recipient organisation Organisations receiving awards can become trusted sources of examples of good practice Face- to-face dissemination is very effective for knowledge sharing Important to recognise that the learning is about understanding the how (processes) rather than just the outcomes. Remember often the transfer of practice is about adaptation not adoption Little doubt that schemes such as these provide information and motivation to implement good practice for all levels in the organisation. Leadership is an important catalyst for change The scheme can be used to drive improvement and innovation

25. 2525 For more information….. Further information and papers from the Beacons research available at the CLG website: http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/ localregional/servicedelivery/beaconcouncilsche me/evaluationresearch/