Commercial Strategy for 2024-2029 - Theme 1 – Commercial culture

In 2021, the council recognised more commercially focused service delivery models are needed to ensure long-term financial sustainability and to continue to deliver the priorities that matter to our residents against our 2040 vision. 

The role of the commercial implementation manager was established and together with staff learning, and development opportunities, provides service managers with the tools needed to begin taking a more business-like approach. To ensure a coordinated approach, strategic leads were identified, and a commercial strategy steering group was established to support the identification and progression of opportunities. 

The council acknowledges it is in the initial stages of fostering a commercial culture and to strengthen both culture and capability, the council will implement the following initiatives:

Staff engagement and communication plan

For the council's ambitions to be achieved, all staff must grasp the aspirations, their role's implications, and how their individual and collective efforts contribute through the following activities:

• Develop a robust staff engagement plan, that will engage with staff at all levels. (Ref CC1 – Commercial strategy plan 24/25)
• Develop a campaign plan with communication, marketing, and brand teams to establish an engagement process for staff ‘new idea’ suggestions. (Ref CC1 – Commercial strategy plan 24/25)
• Continue with annual performance conversations and engagement with staff throughout the year will encourage innovation and support the realisation of opportunities.
• Regular communications, in a variety of formats will keep both staff and managers informed and engaged with the progress in respect to commercial projects. 

Staff skills development plan

To implement long term change, staff need to be equipped with the skills, knowledge, and experience to be able to take a more commercial approach. The council will need a skilled and forward-thinking workforce, capable of driving innovation and progressive change.

• Develop a commercial training programme. Coaching, learning and development will enhance the skills of the existing workforce with specific training provided where there is a business benefit. (Ref CC1 Commercial strategy plan 24/25).
• Support the recruitment and selection process with an innovative approach, acknowledging the council’s ambitions and provide a mechanism to address skills gaps and facilitate future initiatives. 
• Professional networks and partnerships will be embraced with a particular focus on opportunities to benefit from shared learning, best practice, and collaboration.

Commercial governance

Developing and realising commercial propositions is a joint endeavour and requires a collaborative approach across the organisation. Additionally robust governance will be needed to facilitate an intelligent approach to risk and ensure due diligence. Clarity of roles and responsibilities, and the appropriate level of ownership are therefore key to success.

• A rolling pipeline of commercial opportunities will be co-produced with directors and heads of service to ensure that dependencies and opportunities for shared benefit are realised.
• Opportunities will be supported by robust business cases, incorporating full costings, including staffing, concept development and implementation. 
• The commercial strategy steering group will provide advice, guidance and appropriate check and challenge throughout the process from conception to delivery. 
• This will include agreeing, at an early stage, the appropriate governance based on the value and risk profile of the initiative:

Once a new project is ready for consideration it will be presented to the commercial strategy steering group for review and input.

or

The approach is one of enablement and empowerment and so not all projects will need to go to the commercial strategy steering group for endorsement. Those that are below a financial threshold and where the lead Executive Director and Service Area Director are content to approve as operational decisions, these will be reported into the commercial strategy steering group for information and resulting good news stories being circulated.