Joined-up Working

What is Joined-Up Working?

Joined-Up Working" is the term used to describe collaborative working across organisational boundaries to tackle shared issues. Formal structures and procedures are established to support the conduct of business activities which cross organisational boundaries - both within and between organisations - and to deliver joined-up solutions. In the public sector, "joined-up working" is becoming increasingly common where:

• joint action and exchange of information is required to support the efficient conduct of public sector business;

• organisations need to work closely together - possibly through the creation of new organisational forms - and exchange information in order to address problems which cannot be resolved by any single organisation;

• organisations need to join together in order to deliver services to the public which are customer-focused and organised for the convenience of the consumer, not the provider.

The scope of joined-up working varies across the public sector, depending on the organisations involved, the issues being addressed and the nature of the business activity concerned. Various models of joined-up working, the drivers promoting them and examples of current responses, are shown in the table. The distinctions between the models shown in the table are fluid, and many public sector bodies will be involved in joined-up activities represented by several of these models, or variations of them.

Joined-up working should also be seen in the context of the workbooks on Strategy Management (PDF), Programme Management and Project Management

Why is Joined-Up Working important?

The Government has major programmes to modernise the country's economy, schools, the NHS and Criminal Justice system. It has also introduced radical reforms to modernise the democratic framework, with new arrangements for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions as well as for local Government. The Modernising Government White Paper sets out the agenda for taking the modernisation process further - reforming the very processes by which Government itself works.

Achievement of the modernisation agenda requires that policies, issues and programmes are addressed which cut across departmental boundaries, such as tackling social exclusion, fostering small businesses or protecting the environment. All organisations find cross-cutting issues difficult to handle; but if they are not handled well, they can undermine the effectiveness and value for money of Government policies.

The commitment to joined-up government was set out in the "Modernising Government" White Paper (1999), which described the goal of "integration":

"Policies and programmes, local and national, tackle the issues facing society . in a joined up way, regardless of the organisational structure of government."

Success Factors

Putting Joined-Up working into practice

Principles

A CMPS seminar on Joined-Up Solutions for Policy Development identified the changes required in organisational structures and processes in order to achieve Joined-Up Working. These were characterised as involving movement:

The establishment of multi-disciplinary teams within and between organisations can raise issues of personnel management; these are discussed in the Module "HR in a Project Environment".

This section provides checklists from central sources, each addressing good practice in joined up working.

The National School of Government: lessons from the development of cross-cutting units

The CMPS, now The National School of Government, report "Lessons from the Development of Cross Cutting Units" identifies the following good practice for such units:

• as early as possible clarify strategic focus and resources available;

• recognise the different audiences - from ministers to the field - and develop strategies for creating appropriate relationships with each;

• communication is key to achieving objectives - invest enough time, and resources, and draw on specialist communications staff who understand the units' vision and goals;

• recruit people with relevant skills and experience and capacity for flexible working, rather than an exact fit to individual jobs, since tasks and structures will evolve during the life of the unit;

• recruit people with the right leadership skills, but invest also in developing the capacity and leadership skills of existing managers;

• pay attention to organisational design and culture, create structures, systems and ways of working that are 'fit for purpose.' Spend time with the management team and staff exploring ways to improve effectiveness and be ready to adapt and change;

• maximise the contributions of both career civil servants and staff recruited from outside, and have mechanisms for ensuring exchanges of ideas and information within the unit;

• think hard about the most appropriate intervention strategies from the centre, learn from front line and intermediate agencies about the most effective ways to achieve change. Seek the right balance between central direction and local ownership;

• retain some direct links with the users of the service or programmes to ensure effective feedback, even if management or support of programmes is conducted through devolved structures;

• identify information needs and develop own systems unless very confident of other providers;

• plan carefully for set-up, recognise the dangers of staff burn-out, pay attention to their workload and work environment.

Public Services Productivity Panel: Creating successful partnerships

The Public Services Productivity Panel has issued a checklist, "Creating Successful Partnerships", for central government bodies considering sponsoring partnerships. It is designed to give an idea of some of the issues that need to be addressed during policy development:Is a Partnership appropriate?:

• Are you sure that the outcome you want cannot be delivered by existing government organisations with better cross-agency coordination?

• Are you sure that an existing partnership could not be adapted to deliver the outcome instead?

• Are you willing to wait for results while a new partnership takes several years to develop the trust, teamwork skills and capacity necessary for effective delivery?

• Are you sure the benefits outweigh the costs of creating a new partnership?

• Have you consulted with all other relevant departments and key stakeholders about the outcomes and high-level objectives you want the partnership to deliver?

• Have you left scope for the local partnership to work out its own detailed operational strategies, objectives and targets?

• Have you given the partnership time to build up to delivering these objectives?

• Have you consulted the organisations you want to work in partnership about the advice and guidance they need?
  

• Are you fully aware about best practice in what your guidance should cover?
  

• Is there someone available to the partnership to give knowledgeable advice as and when required?

• Have you done everything possible to rationalise the funding and accounting mechanisms, ensured that they are proportional to the scale of the problem and made them as coherent and straightforward as possible?

• Do you have a stable funding regime in place, which will enable the partnership to carry out long-term planning confidently?

• Are you planning for a gradual build-up of resources over time, mirroring the gradual development of the partnership's capacity to use them effectively?

• Have you agreed with all relevant central government departments a single mechanism for monitoring and reviewing performance?

• Have you made it clear how and when central government will intervene if the partnership fails?

Cabinet Office: checklist for success

The Cabinet Office website for Joined-Up Public Services includes a "Checklist for Success", which identifies some features that are common to successful models of joined-up or partnership working:Leadership:

• Build commitment and champion the cause

• Build consensus and obtain wide buy-in

• Develop the vision and values

• Establish shared values and principles

• Create an agreed and shared common agenda

• Build trust and strengthen relationships

• Act as role model and motivator

• Communicate clear ideas and concepts in lay terms

• Consult at all levels to consider views, particularly front-line staff. Involve all levels in decision making.

• Agree communication strategy

• Involve all stakeholders in planning and prioritisation

• Develop joint approach to potential changes and challenges

• Agree formal conflict resolution and exit strategies

• Establish clear responsibility at every level

• Ensure mutual accountability of all partners

• Ensure transparency of accountability mechanisms to all partners and stakeholders

• Agree performance management framework

• Define roles, responsibilities and contributions

• Establish ownership of objectives, targets and milestones set by those responsible

• Ensure adequate resources are made available to achieve partnership goals.

• Understand the skills and competencies needed to implement agreed strategy

• Agree skills and resources available to the partnership

• Agree training and development strategy

• Establish openness as part of the culture and give equal say in decisions

• Understand and respect the differences between partners

• Deal with discord and dissatisfaction promptly

• Share contributions, risks and rewards

• Hold regular joint reviews of working and achievements

• Continually seek to improve activities and ways of working

• Recognise and use the talents available from the partnership

• Build flexible structures that encourage and reward innovation

• Commit time and resource to ensure agreed outcome is achieved

• Ensure right technical skills and infrastructures are in place to support the achievement of goals

• Contribution from partners to match agreed priorities

• Adequate resources from partners with pooled budgets

• Spending is agreed through partnership mechanisms

The NAO report "Joining Up to Improve Public Services" notes the Five Requirements which as a minimum are needed to promote successful Joint Working:

1. Goals - working towards clearly defined, mutually valued, shared goals

2. Progress measurement - evaluating progress towards achieving the desired goal
   and taking remedial action when necessary

3. Resources - ensuring that sufficient and appropriate resources are available

4. Leadership - directing the team and the initiative towards the goal

5. Working well together - to achieve a shared responsibility