using employee surveys to drive organisational change: tips & traps from practitioners

Transcription

1 using employee surveys to drive organisational change: tips & traps from practitioners Chair & Organiser: Dr Peter Langford, Voice Project, Macquarie Uni Maureen Ayers, Manager Human Resources, Ku-ring-gai Council Frank Sedmak, GM People Learning & Culture, The Spastic Centre Richard Boggon, GM Human Resource Strategy, NSW RTA Jon Williams, Partner in Performance Improvement, PwC 8 th Industrial & Organisational Psychology Conference Manly, Australia, 25thJune 2009

2 Performance improvement in the public sector: Improving leadership, performance management and engagement at Ku-ring-gai Council AYERS, M. (Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council), & DYER, L. (Voice Project, Macquarie University) This presentation examined how Ku-ring-gai Council is transforming its organisational culture into one that is more service-focused. A system-wide overhaul over the last three years has addressed leadership, communication, planning, structure, and performance management. An employee survey was used to involve employees, include their input in the change process, and assist with setting priorities for the organisational and HR initiatives. In response to the survey, the General Manager and Directors became more visible and accessible, communicating more broadly, and attending more meetings and social events with staff. A three-phase leadership program was undertaken to improve the leadership skills in areas such as managing change, presentations and coaching. A collaborative working group was established to redesign the performance appraisal system, in order to link individual jobs with management objectives and clarify performance criteria. A follow-up employee survey one year later showed that within a short time-span the Council has been able to substantially improve staff s level of engagement in conjunction with increases in the percentage of organisational objectives being met and reducing processing time for community development applications. This presentation discussed the key change tools and methodologies used to achieve these organisational and HR outcomes. Voice Project Page 1

3 PASSION & PROGRESS Maureen Ayers Manager Human Resources Ku-ring-gai Council 26 June 2009

4 DEALING WITH DEMONS First Things First in 2004 Industrial Relations Strategy Grievance Procedure Industrial Relations Training Inaugural Management Workshop Working Parties New General Manager in 2006 Organisational Restructure Ku-ring-gai Council June

5 FIRST CLIMATE SURVEY 2006 First Climate Survey % response rate Two key issues identified Leadership Communications: top down, bottom up and sideways Leadership Strategy Organisational Change Programs New Approach to the Management Plan Ku-ring-gai Council June

6 Second Climate Survey 2007 Overall Results 93% response rate 5% increase in factors relating to employee engagement 14% increase in factors relating to bottom line results 16% increase in factors relating to organisation direction Details 27% increase in the belief that the GM and directors keep people informed 22% increase in the feeling that performance is reviewed and evaluated often enough 19% increase in employees belief that Council s future is positive 17% increase in employees belief that Council is successful Ku-ring-gai Council June

7 IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS Skills, Performance, Remuneration & Rewards Agreement 2007 Enhanced focus on consultative planning processes Strategic plans linked to employee s work plans Staff Briefings and the Depot BBQ Leadership Programs: coaching and mentoring Building the Ku-ring-gai Council Workforce Plan Ku-ring-gai Council June

8 WHERE TO NEXT? Career Opportunities Regional Cooperation Agreement 2009 Update Next Steps in Leadership Integrated Planning Refinement of the Workface Plan Development of Supportive Policies and Programs Ku-ring-gai Council June

9 Succumbing to success: How to maintain momentum following many years of employee surveying and continuous improvement at The Spastic Centre SEDMAK, F. (The Spastic Centre), & LANGFORD, P. (Voice Project, Macquarie University) Frank Sedmak discussed his experience running six employee surveys during his tenure as General Manager Human Resources at The Spastic Centre. The particular focus of this presentation was the challenges of maintaining a commitment for action when results start to plateau following many years of consistent improvements in human resources practices. In many ways, underperforming organisations can demonstrate a greater justification for action because of their lower survey scores. The urgency and importance of acting upon results, however, can be harder to argue for strongly performing organisations. Frank discussed why The Spastic Centre s You re The Voice staff survey was originally conceived, and how the purpose and implementation of the survey has evolved over six years. The executive leadership team, managers and staff are now accustomed with the roll-out and reporting of the survey, but familiarity runs the risk of complacency and overconfidence. Frank presented his tips for keeping interest, commitment and energy levels high when using employee surveys as a long-term strategy for driving change. Voice Project Page 2

10 SUCCUMBING TO SUCCESS The Spastic Centre Story Frank Sedmak General Manager People Learning & Culture

11 Succumbing To Success 2002 in an NGO far, far away

12 Succumbing To Success Founded in 1945 Over 70 sites throughout NSW & ACT $65m forecasted turnover in FY 09/ FTEs Full time Part time Casual Supported Employees Total % Male Female TOTAL

13 Succumbing To Success The Issues Pay & performance not linked Pay not externally benchmarked Career paths not clear or non-existent (lots of silos) Inefficient grade structure

14 Succumbing To Success The Issues (continued) Inefficient performance appraisal system Disparate training and development goals for individuals Lack of organisational climate and cultural measures

15 Succumbing To Success The Goals To: Attract and retain people with relevant competencies Align roles and people with The Spastic Centre's strategic plan and it s key goals and objectives

16 Succumbing To Success The Approach To align and integrate the following HR activities: Recruitment Performance assessment Learning and development Career planning Succession planning Job design and grades Performance assessment

17 Succumbing To Success The Result The Voice survey tool has provided clear and unambiguous results and therefore has contributed to: Continued improvement in overall employee level of participation rates and engagement %; % (participation) 2003 Top 24%; 2008 Top 18% (engagement)

18 Succumbing To Success The Result (continued) More accurate targeting of areas requiring attention - Change and Innovation up 25% - Organisational Objectives up 21% - Rewards and Recognition up 21% - Recruitment and Selection up 18%

19 Succumbing To Success The Result (continued) Resulting in lower staff turnover (averaging between 10-15% over 7 years) EOWA Employer of Choice for Women

20 Succumbing To Success The Ongoing Challenge (continued) Keep linking organisational actions, management decisions, etc with employee survey results Ensuring that the survey tool is a requirement in the assessment of organisational results

21 Succumbing To Success The Ongoing Challenge (continued) Communication and actions have to be both at a corporate and local level highlight and celebrate successes First line and middle managers must own the strategy making them accountable for achieving the desired results

22 Succumbing To Success The Ongoing Challenge (continued) Strongly promoting each survey reminding employees of the purpose and importance of their participation

23 Improving leadership capability through one of Australia s largest ongoing leadership assessment and development initiatives BOGGON, R. (NSW Roads & Traffic Authority), & BASILE, F. (Voice Project, Macquarie University) Richard Boggon, General Manager Human Resource Strategy at the NSW RTA, discussed the implementation and benefits of one of the largest ongoing leadership assessment and development programs in Australia. Over the past two years the NSW Roads & Traffic Authority has implemented successive waves of leadership assessment, feedback and development, covering the top 130 leaders in 2007 and repeating the initiative to cover the top 300 leaders in The driving forces behind the assessment and development initiative were an ageing workforce and skill shortages in critical technical roles. An Upward Feedback leadership assessment survey was tailored and delivered online to nearly 2,500 participants in order to assess performance against the RTA s leadership competency framework. A carefully managed implementation has achieved a 90% response rate to the survey. The survey highlighted priorities for leadership development including building coaching skills, managing underperformance, emotional intelligence, and building knowledge of leadership theory. In the second wave of the leader survey, improvements have been observed in strategic focus, political and economic awareness, decision-making, individualised attention, and delivering feedback to staff. Richard discussed details about how the assessment and development initiatives have been implemented and acted upon. Voice Project Page 3

24 Leadership Development The Foundation of Our Workforce Strategy Richard Boggon General Manager Human Resource Strategy

25 The organisation $4.5 Billion Annual Revenue/Budget $76 Billion in Assets under management 9300 People (FTE = 7000) Diverse Organisation Infrastructure Organisation Plan, Develop, Construct, Maintain and Operate New South Wales Roads Network License, Register, Educate and Regulate Private and Commercial Network Users Diverse Workforce Engineers & Technical Professionals Skilled Trades Traffic & Transport Management, Planning & Systems Customer Service, (Retail) Contact Centre Road Safety Regulation & Enforcement Policy & Planning Tolling Operations Community Consultation & Communication Finance, Legal, Environment, Administration Research

26 The RTA has a fantastic, talented, highly skilled and diverse workforce

27 Defining the workforce issues Ageing Workforce For RTA = 22.87% Workforce Retiring in 3 5 Years General Industry Average is 11.82% Cost to Replace $104 Million Skills Shortage Average Time To Recruit Retention Retaining Staff in Skill Shortage Environment is Critical

28 RTA Workforce Strategy Priorities Resourcing for the Future Renewing Our Workforce Aligned Business and Resource Planning Talent Attraction, Acquisition and Retention Talent Pool Development & Succession Management Graduate, Apprenticeship, Traineeship Programs Education and Industry Partnerships Growing Our Own Developing RTA People & Careers Leadership Development Critical Technical Skills Development Career Pathways & Professional Development Knowledge Continuity & Innovation in Learning Pre and Post Retirement Options Driving Innovation Sustaining Organisational Performance Individual and Organisation Performance Organisation Evolution (Optimum Cost & Business Models) Workforce Mobility & Flexibility Streamlining Process & Decision Making Re-engineering employment experience

29

30 RTA Leaders Framework Dimensions

31 May/June 2008 Upward Feedback Report for All RTA Leaders Summary

32 Assessment Method & Response Rate The 2008 RTA Upward Feedback Online Survey: Consisted of 112 tailored agree/disagree questions, designed to measure leadership performance across the 8 capabilities specific to the RTA Leadership Framework, including: 106 items that measured leadership performance, and 6 items that measured the important organisational outcomes of employee engagement and bottom-line results Period open: Officially from May 12th to May 23rd (Kept open until June 27th)

33 Gap Analysis Capability Level: Where we rated with our Leadership Framework Categories Ideally, management practices should rest in the oval where there is a good match between performance and importance

34 Gap Analysis Competency Level Breaking It Down Ideally, management practices should rest in the oval where there is a good match between performance and importance Areas of Focus Senior Leaders Initiative 1. Leadership Theory 2. Emotional Intelligence 3. Coaching for Performance 4. Building a High Performance Environment

35 Thank you Prepared

36 How to lose friends and alienate people using an employee survey WILLIAMS, J. (PricewaterhouseCoopers) Jon Williams discussed change blockers those characteristics of unsuccessful employee surveys that fail to deliver adequate return-on-investment. Jon spoke from his vast experience overseeing many large-scale employee surveys in a wide range of organisations and industries. Jon spent 10 years at Hewitt Associates with the last five of those years being Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, overseeing their best employer initiative and hundreds of employee surveys in many of Australia s largest companies. More recently Jon has been Managing Principal for The Gallup Organization in Australia and New Zealand. He is now a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers specializing in organisational culture, leadership and employee engagement. Jon discussed real-life case studies that highlight the importance of scene-setting prior to running a survey in order gain commitment, opening leaders up to listen, preparing leaders for bad news, identifying highlevel champions for a survey and role models of effective change, and maximising the business relevance of an employee survey. Jon s presentation helped pull together the key messages from all the presentations in this Practice Forum and conclude the session with some key tips for using employee surveys to drive organisational change. Voice Project Page 4

37 Ten things I have learnt From working with the best (and worst) employers Jon Williams Partner, Performance Improvement

38 A top-down phenomenon

39 Tolstoy was right

40 Perception is more important than reality

41 Get the right talent

42 There is no point having an umbrella, if there is a hole in your shoes

43 A rising tide lifts all boats

44 It s a big wheel that doesn t come around twice