HDA

Culture Change / Transformational Leadership - Tertiary Education

Background

A higher education establishment operating as six independent faculties on different sites. Now moving senior staff to one site and experiencing a great deal of resistance to the changes. Culture of organisation also needs to change to become more commercially rather than academically focused.

A coaching/leadership programme has been introduced and is ongoing, with the following aims:

• To encourage initiative, enterprise and business focus.

• To improve co-operative working between the faculties and maximise use of shared resources.

• To facilitate the physical move to new premises. A great deal of time was being expended on disputes over space and administration.

• To introduce transformational leadership principles to the academic senior management team who were very functional in management style.

HDA Intervention

• A two day Leadership Workshop introduced all managers to key principles of transformational and transactional leadership.

• Psychometric assessment and 360 degree feedback exercises identified professional development requirements of managers.

• Executive coaching programmes were rolled out, initially to 50 senior managers and now to 300 managers.

• Coaching is supported by half-day “action learning sets” to embed and develop the new behaviours

• Prior to the move, senior staff from across the faculties have recently attended facilitated “appreciative inquiry” workshops to engender team enthusiasm and motivation to overcome difficulties presented by the move.

Results

A challenging and, at times, cynical group – workshop attendance and coaching are voluntary, uptake is increasing and signs of better teamwork and integration are evident.

360 degree feedback and interview are used as evaluation tools. Evidence from both supports that those being coached are managing both their workloads and their teams more efficiently and effectively.

Although the move has not yet taken place, planning of the move is proceeding with greater enthusiasm and commitment. Departments and faculties are involved in positive dialogue and greater co-operation is evident.