Report of the Director of Human Resources, Organisation Development and Transformation.

This report provides an update on progress to date with the Future Shape of the Council programme, which is evolving the Council’s ways of working in order to meet current challenges.

The committee considered a report of the Director of Human Resources, Organisation Development and Transformation which provided an update onprogress to date with the Future Shape of the Council programme to evolve the Council’s ways of working in order to meet current challenges.

Key points and themes within the report included:

• Providing an introduction and background to the Future Shape programme;
• The achievements and progress made since 2020;
• The current programme;
• The different workstreams of the programme;
• The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on Future Shape;
• Communication and engagement; and
• Future Shape is internally focused, but improved council services will lead to better outcomes for the residents and businesses of Manchester.

Key points and queries that arose from the committee’s discussion included:

• Noting the varying degrees of digital exclusion;
• How difficult it was to detect use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications, and whether the Council would need technology to identify this;
• How products created as part of digital transformation could be cross-sold to other local authorities;
• How it would be ensured that those with visual or hearing impairments were not excluded by the work of Future Shape; and
• The need for an Ethical Framework for the use of AI.

The Director of Human Resources, Organisation Development and Transformation stated that there had been a shift towards Future Shape being the vehicle to implement digital transformation within the Council. He stated that it was important to ensure that suitable conditions were created for systems to be used effectively and that the workforce was equipped with the skills required.

The Director of Human Resources, Organisation Development and Transformation explained that the Council undertook significant engagement with staff and residents when implementing any changes to systems. The Strategic Head of Organisation Development recognised the needs for systems and processes to be insight-driven and based on the experiences of users.

In response to queries regarding the use of AI in job applications, the Director of Human Resources, Organisation Development and Transformation acknowledged that this did occur, but the Council did not have any tools currently in place to identify this. He noted, however, that applying for a role was the first stage of the recruitment process and that AI could not be utilised in all stages. The Strategic Head of Organisation Development stated that there had been improvements in the development offer for recruiting managers and panel members and this would include how to identify AI within applications.

The Director of Human Resources, Organisation Development and Transformation recognised the opportunities afforded by AI but stated that there was a need to identify how it could be used and where there were opportunities to do things differently.

The Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer provided assurances that new major ICT systems would not be bespoke, given the risk involved in this. She stated, however, that front-facing forms and layout of systems could be edited to improve user experience. 

With regards to digital accessibility, the Strategic Head of Organisation Development explained that there was a workstream, which focused on 5 key areas for digital skills. This sought to ensure that all users could access systems and had a positive experience. She noted that there was lots of different aspects to consider in order to inform how systems and processes work. The Head of Workforce Strategy also advised that a Disability Action Plan had been co-produced with the Disabled Staff Network and employees across the organisation. This sought to ensure that all communication and engagement methods and workspaces were accessible.

The Executive Member for Finance and Resources stated that Future Shape was an enormous piece of work which would provide better ways of working to deliver better outcomes for residents and businesses.

Decision:

That the report be noted.