HDA

Change/Transformation– Research Institute

The Client

From its foundation in 1909 as a small research department within a UK Hospital, the organisation has grown to become one of the world’s foremost independent research institutes; internationally renowned for the quality of its science.  The company is assisted by Corporate Services – the collective name given to the various support functions within the organisation.  The Corporate Services operate as fairly independent departments with respective Service Directors coming together formally every six weeks (as the Corporate Services Board) to discuss current work. All Corporate Services promote a focus on continuous improvement and have exhibited consistently improved customer service ratings in recent years.

Background

It was however recognised that in order to achieve the organisation’s ambitious growth plans, the Corporate Services functions would need to undergo significant change.  In order to ‘kick off’ the transformation programme, the Head of Corporate Services commissioned HDA to facilitate an event with the respective Heads of the various support functions within the organisation.

The HDA Process

HDA consultants met with each member of the Corporate Services Board for a detailed 1:1 exploration of the future challenges faced by the Board both in terms of what needed to be achieved and how it could be achieved.  Through these interviews, key themes emerged and it was these themes which were then fed back to the entire Board at a one-day, facilitated workshop.  This workshop was designed to explore new ways of working, air individual ambitions and preferred ways of working, and also to share perceptions. 

Outcomes

Through HDA’s involvement the Corporate Services Board “has started on the road to even more productive team working. The workshop reinforced our values as the Board and our philosophy of continuous improvement. It encouraged us to continue to strive to be greater than the sum of our ‘expert’ parts” (Head of Corporate Services).

For more information on any of the above or to understand how HDA can add value to your organisation,

Please contact Melissa Nealon, Client Partner & Project Manager – man@hda.co.uk / 0207 484 5065