London Underground PPP

BACKGROUND

Touchstone Renard has provided a wide range of management consultancy support to London Underground (LUL) on a continuous basis since 1987, immediately after the King’s Cross Fire. London Underground is a significant organisation with 20,000 staff, prior to PPP and 12,000 staff after PPP. The majority of Touchstone Renard’s work has involved advising the organisation to identify where change is needed and providing support to bring it about. In recent years we have conducted a series of assignments across the Underground to help implement the Public Private Partnership (PPP). This work continues with the support we provide to the private and public partners of the PPP.

APPROACH

One of Touchstone Renard’s director’s is accountable for all work generated and delivered to LUL and the private sector consortia of Metronet and Tubelines. He is supported by assignment team leaders to ensure satisfactory delivery. The skill areas we have consistently delivered include the following:

Change realisation
Performance improvement
Project management
Organisation design
Teambuilding
Quality management
Assurance facilitation
Risk management

LESSONS LEARNT

Establishing a major PPP of this nature in a longstanding, high profile, safety critical public sector organisation has been challenging to all concerned. The key lessons learnt by Touchstone Renard are as follows:

Using joint client / consultant teams to deliver new or better ways of working can be a highly effective way of realising change quickly
The majority of staff will support better ways of working, particularly if they have an opportunity to contribute ideas. However, some staff may never support the change
Breaking up a public sector organisation into four organisations, three eventually going into the private sector, has a profound effect on how things get done
It is important for staff to be focussed on achieving objectives within an achievement culture.

Download detailed Case | Author: Touchstone Renard | London

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