Background and Challenges
Since 2021, Trueman Change has partnered with Clackmannanshire Council to address complex challenges across workforce management and corporate services. Over time, our collaboration has brought an analytical lens to pressing issues, with a particular focus on the Place Directorate.
The Place Directorate, a critical arm of the council, oversees a wide range of statutory, highly regulated services - from urban planning and economic redevelopment to bins, recycling, and even pet control. These functions are both vital and costly, making operational efficiency a key priority for the council. With a new director at the helm, the council was eager to ensure that the Directorate’s culture was both productive and aligned with their vision for delivering effective public services.
Our task was around helping the Place Directorate pinpoint its biggest barriers to service efficiency while building a culture capable of overcoming these obstacles. By identifying high-level blockers and providing benchmark-driven strategies, we have supported Clackmannanshire Council in building a foundation for sustainable, impactful change.
The Place Directorate, a critical arm of the council, oversees a wide range of statutory, highly regulated services - from urban planning and economic redevelopment to bins, recycling, and even pet control. These functions are both vital and costly, making operational efficiency a key priority for the council. With a new director at the helm, the council was eager to ensure that the Directorate’s culture was both productive and aligned with their vision for delivering effective public services.
Our task was around helping the Place Directorate pinpoint its biggest barriers to service efficiency while building a culture capable of overcoming these obstacles. By identifying high-level blockers and providing benchmark-driven strategies, we have supported Clackmannanshire Council in building a foundation for sustainable, impactful change.
Trueman Change Involvement
Trueman Change played an important role in driving cultural and operational transformation within Clackmannanshire’s Place Directorate. At the centre of our approach were a series of culture mapping workshops, designed to uncover the underlying attitudes, behaviours, and challenges that impacted the workplace.
To gather a holistic view, we conducted in-depth interviews with staff at all levels, from front-line workers to service heads. These conversations, paired with the rigorous analysis of workforce and operational data, allowed us to identify both strengths and areas for improvement.
A key element of our work was the strategic allocation of staff and resources, ensuring that the directorate could meet its statutory obligations while addressing areas of risk. We explored critical functions - technical services, legal compliance, and other regulated activities – and provided actionable advice to future-proof operations. Our position as a neutral, critical ‘friend’ enabled us to offer constructive feedback, helping the council to prioritise tasks that would provide the most impact.
We also tackled one of the most significant challenges - the intersection of culture and data. We captured staff narratives and worked to back them up with data, quantifying the issues and pinpointing where interventions were needed most. This evidence-based approach ensured that both cultural and operational shifts were both informed and meaningful and could be used to help the council achieve long-term success.
To gather a holistic view, we conducted in-depth interviews with staff at all levels, from front-line workers to service heads. These conversations, paired with the rigorous analysis of workforce and operational data, allowed us to identify both strengths and areas for improvement.
A key element of our work was the strategic allocation of staff and resources, ensuring that the directorate could meet its statutory obligations while addressing areas of risk. We explored critical functions - technical services, legal compliance, and other regulated activities – and provided actionable advice to future-proof operations. Our position as a neutral, critical ‘friend’ enabled us to offer constructive feedback, helping the council to prioritise tasks that would provide the most impact.
We also tackled one of the most significant challenges - the intersection of culture and data. We captured staff narratives and worked to back them up with data, quantifying the issues and pinpointing where interventions were needed most. This evidence-based approach ensured that both cultural and operational shifts were both informed and meaningful and could be used to help the council achieve long-term success.
Outcomes and Solutions
Trueman Change provided Clackmannanshire Council with a comprehensive report, offering clear, actionable recommendations across three strategic areas—people, technology, and processes.We began by analysing the status quo, looking at key metrics such as complaints, escalations, and service target performance. This careful examination allowed us to identify patterns and pinpoint any challenges that needed immediate attention.
Equally important was our exploration of workplace culture. We investigated staff relationships and surveyed their perspectives on burnout, overwork, and underpayment. These insights revealed underlying issues impacting morale and productivity. And by combining cultural feedback with operational data, we ensured a balanced and evidence-driven approach to our recommendations.
Our practical suggestions were organised into short, medium, and long-term objectives. For quick wins, we proposed immediate changes to encourage better communication and streamline processes. Medium-term solutions focused on implementing structural adjustments to address workload distribution and technological efficiencies. Long-term recommendations included strategic investments in workforce development for sustained progress over time.
Throughout, we made a concerted effort to reflect back the cultural findings we encountered, highlighting both productive dynamics and areas needing growth. This honest and transparent feedback allowed the Place Directorate to genuinely understand its strengths and challenges. With our core recommendations in place, the council is now better equipped to improve performance, enhance workplace culture, and achieve their goal of delivering more effective and efficient services.
Added Value
Trueman Change’s hands-on experience in local government played a pivotal role in the success of this project. With over 20 years of experience in front-line service delivery and statutory administration, the team brought a practical understanding of the pressures faced by Clackmannanshire’s Place Directorate. Our expertise in council tax and public policy was particularly valuable in identifying risks and navigating financial constraints, allowing the council to prioritise statutory services effectively. Combining real-world insight with academic credentials, such as a Master’s in Public Policy and a Diploma in Local Government Finance and Administration, our team brought a truly unique perspective to help Clackmannanshire meet its objectives.
