Purpose

We care about our purpose, our people and our city.

Featured, Learning

Concise Aberdeen Local Outcome Improvement Plan

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Concise Aberdeen Local Outcome Improvement Plan

What it is

An aspirational report which reaffirms Aberdeen City Council’s commitment to its citizens is now available in a summarised format to encourage people of all ages to find out more.

Why I found it useful

In a concise, easy-read format – it identifies how Community Planning Aberdeen – a multi-agency partnership – will work together to ensure Aberdeen is a place where all people can prosper, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Who might find this useful?

Anyone with an interest in helping to make Aberdeen a place for all to prosper

How long does it take?

5 minute read

6 pages

Find it here

communityplanningaberdeen.org.uk

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Community Planning Aberdeen

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Featured, Learning

Aberdeen City Council: our purpose

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Aberdeen City Council: our purpose

OUR SHARED PURPOSE IS TO ENSURE THE PEOPLE AND PLACE OF ABERDEEN PROSPER

Aberdeen City Council's purpose

Together with our Community Planning Partners – our promise is to make things better for the people and place of Aberdeen.  

Whether you are a catering assistant, an accountant, a housing officer or a senior leader, we are all working towards the same purpose.  

Understanding our shared purpose connects us to the bigger picture – and to each other – and frees us to be more innovative and creative in the way we work. 

Click to access an easy-read version of the Local outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP)

Your Function's purpose

As part of the re-design of Aberdeen City Council, six Functions have replaced the previous Directorate structure. The purpose of this ‘functional’ structure is to reduce silo-working and shape our services around our customers. 

How clear are you and your team on WHY your Function has been created? What is the purpose of your Function?  If you’re not clear visit the Interim Structure pages to find out more.

Find out more about the interim structure of Aberdeen City Council on the Transformation Zone

Your Cluster's purpose

Within each Function there are Clusters of services.  Clusters co-locate people who deliver similar outcomes so that they can more efficiently and effectively  collaborate.  In the same way as a cluster of bars, restaurants and shops adds a buzz to a city, grouping people together in this way improves productivity and adds value.  You’ll find more information on the purpose of your cluster on the Interim Structure page.  

Find out more about what each Cluster delivers on the Transformation Zone.

So why does your team exist?

For ideas on how to get the Team Purpose conversations started, take a look at the Team Toolkit homepage.

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Learning, Peer Shared

Start with Why

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Start with Why

What it is

You’d probably find it quite easy would to describe what your team does.  But if you were asked the question ‘why you do what you do’ …  would it be as easy?

Yet why is by far the most important question

5-minute video by motivational speaker and organisational consultant, Simon Sinek, explains more. 

Why I found it useful

Really helps you understand why some teams – and organisations – succeed whilst others fail. Reinforces the importance of having a really clear purpose and rationale for the work that you do. 

Who might find this useful?

Managers or leaders who are needing to create clarity, direction and joined-upness for their teams. 

Find it here

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Elaine Buchan

People & Organisation Adviser

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Featured, Learning

Creating Shared Purpose

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Why does having shared purpose matter?

When members in a team share the same purpose, that team transform into a more effective, cohesive and high-performing unit.   

Medium

Shared purpose is the foundation upon which successful teams are built, which then leads to improved relationships, higher trust, greater creativity, better decision making.

OUR PURPOSE IS TO ENSURE THE PEOPLE AND PLACE OF ABERDEEN PROSPER
Local Outcome Improvement Plan

Together with our Community Planning Partners – our promise is to make things better for the people and place of Aberdeen.  

Whether you are a catering assistant, an accountant, a housing officer or a senior leader, we are all working towards the same purpose.  

Understanding our shared purpose connects us to the bigger picture – and to each other – and frees us to be more innovative and creative in the way we work. 

So what is your team’s purpose?  And how does it fit into the wider purpose?  How clear is that purpose?  If you were to ask these questions of everyone in your team – would they say the same thing? 

Take time with your team to explore, define and agree your team’s over-arching purpose. Investing this time will mean that everyone is moving in the same direction, knows how you add value to the city and can focus their time and effort on the outcomes that matter. 

Activity for developing shared purpose with your team

Why does our team exist?

In a team meeting, ask your colleagues to work in small groups and answer the following questions:

  1. Who are our team’s primary users?
  2. What product(s) and/or service(s) do we offer to meet their needs?
  3. Why is it so important that we provide the products and services that we do? Ask “why is that important” a few times to get to the fundamental reason for why we provide these services/products. Does this reason connect to our users?
  4. What are 4-5 of our team’s strengths and core capabilities?
  5. What would happen if our team didn’t exist?
  6. Fundamentally, why does our team exist at Aberdeen City Council?

Given our responses above, fundamentally, why does our team exist? 

Once everyone has finished, flipchart the responses to each question. Explore the similarities and differences between group answers. Check for agreement /understanding on why your team exists at Aberdeen City Council. Keep your agreed purpose statement visible for the rest of the session and think about how you can share this more widely to improve understanding your team ‘brand’ across the Council, City, Community Planning Partners and wider! 

Purpose Statement Checklist

Once you’ve developed your purpose statement with your team, test it against the good practice checklist below to make sure that it’s as simple and effective as possible.

Is the purpose of your team different from any other team in the council? 

Is it easily understandable by your wider community – customers, colleagues, stakeholders and partners? 

Could team members explain your purpose easily in different settings? 

Do all team members feel really excited and inspired by it? 

Can all team members see how it links to our wider shared vision and purpose? How does it link to the purpose of other teams in your cluster or function? How can you make it as visible as possible? 

Is everyone bought into the purpose and committed to achieving it? 

As the needs of the city evolve and your team develops, it’s important your purpose statement also evolves so that it remains relevant. Take time in your team meetings for regular review and discussion, particularly during times of change, to make sure it still ticks all the above boxes. For ideas on holding focused and empowering team meetings, check out the Practical Tools for Teams page. 


Once you’ve clarified and agreed your over-arching purpose, the next team task is to agree the objectives and priorities which will deliver that purpose …
For more ideas on activities for creating purpose statements with your team, take a look at Google Re-Works
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