3.1 Intergroup and Team building activities
According to (Burke 1992) for organisational development to place in any organisation the need for change towards the actual and perceived problem(s) must be driven by client, the planning and implementation of change must involve client and prescribe solution(s) must lead to change in organisation culture.
Waltham Forest has undergone a period of change over the last few years. About seven years ago the council in conjunction with stakeholders formulated and implemented a Performance Management and Development System. They also, established the Local Strategic Partnership in reaction to the woeful corporate assessment report in 2002. The council knew they had to change the way the business was running. The audit commission was particularly critical of its incoherent Performance Management System Framework and its lack of working partnership amongst the directorates and as well as with external agencies in the delivery of vital services to the local community.
According to (Beckhard 2006) organisational development activities are action oriented. Unlike other learning courses designed to increase knowledge, which is then transferred to the operating situation. In OD efforts, participants build in connections and follow up activities that are aimed toward action programmes. Schein et al (2006)
Waltham Forest Local Strategic Partnership brought together all departmental teams and the senior decision makers of external organisations working in the key areas of the environment, employment, education, crime, health and housing.
According to (Pedler et al 1997) the aim of the partnership is to foster participative policy making environment. That is to allow both internal and outside stakeholders to take part in Waltham Forest policy formulation. It is also serves as a forum for internal exchange, where all the seven directorates were able to communicate freely, negotiate terms and view each other as customers and suppliers in the delivery of Council Service Plans. The forum enabled the council to engage in Inter-company learning. The council now fully engaged with the Police, NHS, and Shelter to formulate and deliver our safety, health and homeless strategy respectively.
For example, during their regular meetings both social and housing unit formulated a joint policy, where social workers are now working alongside housing officers in the homeless person unit office. The scheme started in 2007 and the aim was to spot vulnerable clients and intervene at the earliest possible time and this is bearing result in terms of fulfilling our statutory care in the community objectives.
Working with diverse groups of people requires a tremendous amount of interaction. If these interactions are positive, they can help create the right workplace climate, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. Roper (2005)
3.2 Education, Training and Techno-Structural activities
“(Burgoyne, 1988) Suggested that organisations are likely to function as learning companies, if their HR team makes a critical input to the company’s strategic opportunities based on their reading of the cumulative abilities, potentials and vision of staff alongside other departmental colleagues. A management development perspective not only makes inputs to corporate policy, but also illuminates the policy forming process.” Pedler et al (1997)
As mentioned earlier Waltham Forest implemented Performance Management and Development System in 2003. The overall aim of PMDS is to encourage a reorientation of service delivery towards customers and produce a quality driven organisation. “As Victor Vroom expectancy theory assumes that human behaviour is goal –directed and that work will be more motivating when it provides the opportunity for goal attainment and needs satisfaction.” Pinnington et al (2000)
Corporate training programme was brought in 2004 to train the managerial level throughout the council. As suggested by (Cummings 2009) the issue of who should lead team-building session is a function of managerial capability. The PMDS has been a key element of staff management within the council for several years. It is seen by management as significantly important tool in ensuring that staff has clear objectives of both their work and developmental needs.
The Management Standards checklist was put into effect to facilitate effective leadership from line managers towards managing and developing their teams. Managers throughout council are now expected to meet regularly with staff to review achievement and provide support and feedback. Organisations HR planning is crucial within any learning organisation to deliver the right kind of conditions of employment their employees would appreciate. (Bratton 2003)
A major achievement of the PMDS was to align staff appraisal closely with HR strategy. The implementation of SAP Human Capital Management system (HCM) has helped immensely not only with automation of core HR processes, but also, to complement management in aligning the goals of employees with Waltham Forest overarching business strategy. Since the installation of HCM system, managers have taken on more of the HR staff responsibility in the management of staff development. As management development is at the heart of ongoing transformation. The HCM system is serving an Informating function towards the learning process. Pedler et al (1997)
Waltham Forest balance score card is underpinned by the appraisal scheme, staff and customer survey. The appraisal is enabling effective two way communication about work expectations and developmental needs. The staff and customer survey is the vehicle through which the council formulate their service delivery system. The council 360-degree appraisal technique forms the basis of staff assessment. Staff rating is based on information garnered from different source primarily from line managers, colleagues and customers.
According to Latham & Locke goal setting theory, managers would do well to set clear practical goals in order to effectively manage and motivate employees. It is observe that most managers are unable to change people’s personality and the most they could do is to use incentives to channel employees’ energies toward the goals of the organisation. Pinnington et al (2000)
Incremental staff developmental training is now a compulsory component of Waltham Forest PMDS. According to (Rousseau 1995) book “Typically the focus of training is to benefit the individual rather than the organisation. However, Hussey (1985) argues that it may be better to design training to implement the business strategy, thus indirectly benefiting the individual through the organisation’s growth.
- Successful and not so successful development areas
As argued by (Burke 1992) the premise for any OD process is change. Since the 2002 Audit Commission poor performance report, the council has in the intervening years implemented the numerous change programmes in partnership with stakeholders to improve services for local people.
Since 2002 the council has gradually increase it rating from zero star to four star, the highest rating possible in 2008, this according to Audit Commission's report September 2008. The report stated that capacity and performance management has significantly improved through better working relationship with partners, merging of Human Resources and Organisation Development functions and as well as in-cooperating effective customer and staff feedback system. The Council achieved Investor in People accreditation in 2005; 450 managers has completed the Management Development Programme. LBWF CAP REPORT (2008) As the last four years staff survey suggested in the appendix, staff are largely supportive of their working relationship and appreciate the council efforts to inform in the process of transformation. Waltham Forest Staff Survey (2009)
- Evaluate OD aid or hindrance within Waltham Forest and its environment
The past year finance led efficiency review couple with the ongoing transformation agenda is making it increasingly difficult for executives to get employees 100 percent onside. Constant job and team losses are starting to have negative effect on staff morale. Although initially welcome by staff and proving positive with result, the velocity of the transformation in the past year is now proving disruptive to say the least.
Also, the council has for now cut funding for training due to budgetary constraint. Social housing reforms perhaps could cause shrinkage to subordinate services. The adoption of technology in delivering services has led to some opposition from within the council and as well as from the unions.
- Critically evaluate to what extent Waltham Forest is developing
The many OD interventions has transformed poor performance management, non-existent staff consultation, and loose departmental and multi agency collaboration to a more rigorous PMDS culture and built a collaborative group working ethic, thus aiding Waltham Forest strategic mission.
OD team working interventions generally bring about positive outcomes as stated by (west et al 2004) but critics (Allen and Hecht 2004) have stated there is no empirical evidence of the effectiveness of team. It is also generally argued by experts that OD success is susceptible in some cases to receivers’ attitude and value, because not all individuals are alike. Although some of OD interventions might not apply certain settings, but in the context of Waltham Forest operations collaborative team working and learning is crucial if not critical.
- Conclusion
There is the undeniable recognition that employees form the lifeblood of any organisation. It is essential that organisations put effective performance management alongside their organisational learning strategy.
According to (Senge 1994) organisational learning would take place when organisations gear up their human resources to exhibit self-mastery, shared mental models, shared vision, team learning and system thinking.
- References
Burke W. W (1992) Organisation Development; A process of learning and change. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company: USA
, , (1997) A Strategy for Sustainable Development . McGraw-Hill Professional: London
Rousseau D. M (1995) Psychological Contracts in Organisations; Understanding written and unwritten agreements. Sage Publications Inc: California.
Pinnington A. and Edwards T. (2000) Introduction to Human Resource management. Oxford University Press: New York.
Bratton J. and Gold j. (2003) Human Resource management; Theory and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan: New York.
Roper G. (2005) Managing employee relations; develop interpersonal communications and conflict-management skills to better manage employee relations: HR Magazine.
Senge P. M (1994) The Fifth Discipline; The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization. Doubleday Publications: New York.
Schein E. H. and Gallos V. (2006) Organization Development; a Jossey-Bass Reader. Jossey-bass Publications: California.
Cummings T. and Worley C. G. (2009) Organization Development and Change. South-Western CENGAGE Learning: USA
LBWF CAP report (2008), Staff Survey (2009), Investors in People, Waltham Forest Retaining Recognition Report (2010)
Allen, N. & Hecht, T. (2004), ‘The romance of teams’: Toward an Understanding of its psychological underpinnings and implications’. The British Psychological Society, 77, 439-461
Brodbeck, F., Richter, A., West, A., (2004), ‘Does the romance of teams’ exist? The effectiveness of teams in experimental and field settings’ Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 77, 467-473
- Appendix
Waltham Forest Council Customer satisfaction Survey
Our staff
96%rated politeness as good or very good (94% in 08/09, 86% in 07/08)
95%rated helpfulness as good or very good (94% in 08/09, 87% in 07/08)
96% rated information/knowledge as good or very good (95% in 08/09, 88% in 07/08)
94% of customers felt completely sure of what would happen next (92% in 08/09, 71% in 07/08)