Improve Workplace Culture - Realign Structure - Address Board and Staff Concerns

The Client

The Chief Executive of a not for profit providing professional and advocacy services for the community.

The Brief

Against a background of growth, staffing changes and staffing concerns the Board and Chief Executive identified a need for independent professional assistance to improve the workplace culture focused on key areas:

• a review and realignment of the organisation's structure taking into account shifting service demands and role changes
• provision of advice on performance information/indicators for roles, services and outcomes, and
• establishing a contemporary performance and development approach suited to the workforce and organisational needs.

Our Response

We worked with key staff to understand the organisation's strategy, operations and existing processes.  We reviewed documents and conducted interviews including with the Board Chair and we held staff focus groups.  

We facilitated sessions with management and the Board.  These produced open discussions to explore issues and assumptions and test solutions which fed into our analysis and recommendations.

We worked with the Chief Executive in relation to staff communications and supported staff consultation about proposed changes.  This involved both a broad consultation process and specific discussions where individuals were impacted by change.  This allowed for a collaborative approach and enabled sensitive issues to be identified and worked through, providing for well informed decisions to be made by management and the Board.

The Results

We recommended structural changes which were agreed by management and the Board.  We updated Position Descriptions for all roles.  Leadership roles were clearly articulated including significant change in focus for the Chief Executive's role.

We developed a framework for monitoring and assessing organisational performance to provide clarity and enable monitoring, review and recognition of achievements and team contributions.  The focus was to define 'what success looks like'.

The framework was designed to promote reflection, planning and continuous improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of operations, to support evidence based decision making, and enable alignment of efforts within and between teams.  It offered a high level of transparency in understanding and assessing performance.

We provided a contemporary performance management approach underpinned by practices which would be relevant to the workforce, the values and culture of the organisation, and the nature of services provided.