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Ive been open about my vision for the City since the day I returned as City Manager. Over the past five
months I have worked with all levels of the organization to prepare for our collective success. We faced
very real challenges and could not continue to work within an environment constrained by deficits and
limited room for growth and creativity. Change was required to create a sustainable organization that
works within our financial means.
To address these issues and meet Councils 2015 direction to complete an administrative review, I
reached out to thousands of you to understand whats working and whats not. This extensive outreach
effort generated over 10,000 comments and ideas, with the top issue being the overall effectiveness of
our organization. This week, we completed the final step of the organizational alignment with your
feedback as the driver behind the changes.
Setting the Foundation Step One
On July 13, I announced changes to the organizational structure with consolidated departments and a
streamlined and empowered senior leadership team with 9 senior leaders, down from 21. This structure
and new team was endorsed by Council. By consolidating departments, the administration can work
more effectively to meet Council priorities and better serve the public. How we manage and govern
ourselves sets the framework for how the rest of our workforce delivers the essential programs and
services Ottawa residents rely on 24/7.
Renewing the Organization Step Two
Over the summer months, your senior leadership team took on the challenging task of designing
departmental transition plans that mirror the corporate organizational structure and principles
announced in July. This meant we had to update our operating model.
This was a complex process and we, as a senior leadership team, had to make some very difficult
decisions. I want you to know that every senior leader carefully considered the impacts of their
departmental transition plan on our City team and on the services we provide to residents.
With the overall goal of increasing the Citys organizational effectiveness, the following changes have
been implemented:
Flattening management: Managers will have increased accountability, responsibility and more
direct-reports
Empowering staff: With fewer layers of management, the work of our highly-skilled employees
will be more efficient and productivity will increase
Stabilizing our workforce: Most acting positions have been confirmed and temporary positions
have been reduced
Consolidating service areas: Departments have aligned their structures and grouped similar
service areas to better support the public
Streamlining administration: A Business Support Services (BSS) branch has been created in each
department which will serve as the strategic and administrative hub of the organization
Delivering services within the Council-established tax target: The corporate efficiency target of
$14 million has been realized, addressing the targets in this budget year for both 2017 and 2018