Local Council 180 Day Review

OVERALL
Before diving into the ten questions, take a moment to step back and reflect on how the new council term is going overall:
How well is your new councillor group currently working together?
How strong and effective is the Councillor–Executive dynamic?
0 = Poor (Relationships, understanding, and decision-making are strained or dysfunctional. Significant intervention needed to course-correct).

5 = Developing (Some progress made, but clear gaps remain in cohesion, clarity, or effectiveness. Room for substantial improvement)

10 = Excellent (Strong collaboration, clarity, and effectiveness. The group is well-positioned to achieve its long-term goals together)

1. Individual Perception
Great decisions start with ability of people to see what's going on around them. Individual perception is the capability, capacity, and habit of scanning the environment, spotting changes and understanding what's creating them.

Strengthening individual perception helps people move from “I don’t know what’s going on” to a place of awareness and readiness.
In general, Councillors spend time regularly to understand the 'bigger picture' of local government.
In general, members of the Executive Team spend time regularly trying to understand the 'bigger picture' of local government.
0 = Very Low (Very little to no evidence of this capability or behaviour. It rarely or never happens)

5 = Moderate (Some evidence exists, but it is inconsistent, informal, or unevenly distributed among individuals or situations)

10 = Very High (Strong, consistent, and widespread evidence. This capability or behaviour is actively embedded in normal practice)

2. Shared Understanding
Shared understanding is the foundation of any high-performing, diverse group. It’s about developing a common view of what’s happening now, what could happen next, and agreeing on what key words and terms mean.

Building shared understanding helps address issues associated with misunderstanding and miscommunication and mistrust.
Time is spent by Councillors to establish 'common ground' (where their beliefs and perspectives align).
Councillors and the Executive team spend time together to build a collective understanding of the current and future local government landscape.
Councillors and the Executive Team have spent time together to discuss and capture emerging risks and opportunities the council might face.
Score each of the above questions on a scale of 0-10 where
0 = Very Low (Very little to no evidence of this capability or behaviour. It rarely or never happens)

5 = Moderate (Some evidence exists, but it is inconsistent, informal, or unevenly distributed among individuals or situations)

10 = Very High (Strong, consistent, and widespread evidence. This capability or behaviour is actively embedded in normal practice)

3. Collective Purpose
When a decision making group explicitly agrees on why they exist and what they are setting out to achieve, it makes progress easier.

Collective purpose addresses the challenge of “What are we here to do?” and clarifies where the group should be focusing it's attention.
Councillors have discussed and agreed on what success looks like by the end of their council term.
There is clear, shared understanding of which decisions should be made by Councillors and which decisions should be made by the Executive.
Score each of the above questions on a scale of 0-10 where
0 = Very Low (Very little to no evidence of this capability or behaviour. It rarely or never happens)

5 = Moderate (Some evidence exists, but it is inconsistent, informal, or unevenly distributed among individuals or situations)

10 = Very High (Strong, consistent, and widespread evidence. This capability or behaviour is actively embedded in normal practice)

4. Assessing Options
Good decisions require meaningful choices. Without a diverse range of options — and clear criteria for assessing them — decisions will deliver suboptimal outcomes.

The ability to assess options effectively helps address the question, “What are the different things we could do?”
The Executive understands the criteria Councillors will use to assess options.
The Executive understands the format in which Councillors prefer to receive advice.
Score each of the above questions on a scale of 0-10 where
0 = Very Low (Very little to no evidence of this capability or behaviour. It rarely or never happens)

5 = Moderate (Some evidence exists, but it is inconsistent, informal, or unevenly distributed among individuals or situations)

10 = Very High (Strong, consistent, and widespread evidence. This capability or behaviour is actively embedded in normal practice)

5. Collaborative Decision-Making
Diverse groups tend to deliver the best outcomes when they can bring different perspectives to the table and work through disagreements effectively.

Collaborative decision-making solves the problem of “How will we agree and disagree well?”
There is an agreed process for decision-making that is transparent, fair, and allows for nuanced conversations when opinions diverge.
Score the above on a scale of 0-10 where
0 = Very Low (Very little to no evidence of this capability or behaviour. It rarely or never happens)

5 = Moderate (Some evidence exists, but it is inconsistent, informal, or unevenly distributed among individuals or situations)

10 = Very High (Strong, consistent, and widespread evidence. This capability or behaviour is actively embedded in normal practice)

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