Performing well, this organisation wanted to make the next step up in providing unrivalled service to it's residents.
To facilitate a fundamental culture change across the organisation and to design and deliver a leadership development programme for 400 middle managers (linked to development work with the senior leadership team).
azzur immersion – Our detailed induction included a series of briefings, attending existing development programmes and the new starters' induction process.
In diagnosis, azzur interviewed the L&D team, programme candidates, their line managers, senior managers and directors. This yielded understanding of the organisation's vision and values, and their expression in real time. It also identified levers for development and change and helped establish a clear benchmark for success.
Programme – azzur sought to balance the stretch needed for change at an individual and cultural level with the support for confidence to grow and develop. The emphasis was on support and challenge for the middle managers on values and actual behaviours within roles. The goal was to create an environment in which middle managers effectively exercise their new capabilities.
Each run of the programme was preceded by a 'sponsoring managers' event: programme participants and their line managers worked together in a facilitated session. This built the support and engagement needed to sustain new found skills and enthusiasm in the workplace.
The workshops - 3 two-day modules focused on developing: self-awareness; influencing/communication skills; distributed leadership capability; and creativity/managing change. Facilitated Action Learning Sets for all participants supported this and helped embed the learning while working with real issues.
Outcome – the gains are obvious through the quality of feedback from the first five cohorts and the observations (of sponsoring managers) of shifts in attitude and approach amongst delegates on return to the workplace. Many managers attending the first cohorts have sponsored managers within their team to attend the programme.
Three managers from the first two cohorts have been promoted. Managers who have completed the programme are being routinely sought out to run special projects and join cross-organisational project teams.
Perhaps the biggest gain is the formation of the Alumni – every manager 'graduating' from the programme joins this community. It's a focal group for leading change within the organisation. A number of the Alumni are taking forward key business projects as a result of their own ideas and initiative. As a group, the Alumni acts as a catalyst in service of the organisation's change agenda.