Rebuilding together

Leading through Reorganisation, Mergers and Shared Services.

A half day on reorganisation, mergers and shared services: why they happen, Avanti's five phases, culture, top teams and life after vesting day.

Level: Explore
Learning time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Where: Leading through Reorganisation, Mergers and Shared Services
Price: £129

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About this course

Overview and Outcomes.

Who It's For

Officers, members and board leaders facing reorganisation, mergers or shared services

Overview

Reorganisation, mergers and shared services are reshaping public service across Wales and England, and each new organisation is built twice: once on paper and once in people. This programme covers both over a half day. It begins with why organisations reorganise and the state of English local government reorganisation in 2026, then follows Avanti's five phases from district into unitary, shared service models and mergers in housing, charities and health. It turns to culture and identity, top teams and political leadership, and life after vesting day, drawing on Huish and Milliner, Bridges, Schein and Heifetz, before testing it all against the Tri-borough, Northamptonshire and the new unitaries.

Aims

The aim is to develop leaders who can design structural change well and lead people through it with care. It is for officers, members and board leaders facing reorganisation, mergers or shared services who want to connect structure, purpose, culture and politics, and to secure benefits that are real and lasting.

In summary, you will be able to:

Explain the drivers, forms and evidence of structural change, and compare reorganisation, shared services and merger options against the purpose they must serve.
Plan a transition through its phases, including top team development, culture, staff transfer and vesting day, so that people and services stay whole.
Assess real cases and your own organisation through purpose, politics, people, culture and time, and lead the embedding of benefits after vesting day.

What you'll develop

Across this Explore, you will develop the ability to:

Explain the five drivers of structural change and what the National Audit Office evidence says about whether reorganisations deliver.
Describe Huish and Milliner's five phases of transition from district into unitary and the leadership demands of each.
Identify the six models of shared services and place a partnership on the seven degrees of working with others.
Identify the signs of merger syndrome and the leadership responses that reduce it.
Explain why the political and managerial top teams must work as one, and the distinct roles of members, officers and statutory officers.
Analyse a real case of structural change through the lenses of drivers, model, people, politics and benefits.

What is inside

Built from 4 parts.

5 hours 30 minutes of learning.

01From district to unitaryLocal government reorganisation in EnglandBitesize3 modules
02Joining forces wiselyShared services and public sector mergersBitesize2 modules
03Keeping people with youCulture and leadership in structural changeBitesize2 modules
04Vesting day and beyondVesting day, benefits realisation and embeddingBitesize2 modules

Where it fits

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Part of the Leading through Reorganisation, Mergers and Shared Services topic.

How credit works

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