The Professional Services Review: an update

Claire Baines, Chief Operating OfficerTop Team Briefing – October 2013

Aim of the session

Briefing Give insight into the PSR approach to date Share the feedback and outcomes thus far

A view The priorities for the next 3 years

Consultation The next stage of the PSR consultation with academic

staff and students

The original brief…

CollegesProfessional Services

Interface

The PSR approach: 10 June – 31 Aug 2013

Step 1PS top team consultation

(10 June 2013) inc Guild and TUs

Step 2Cascade events in

all Directorates and Colleges (June

and July 2013)

Step 3Listen, reflect and feedback to the

top team (August 2013)

Step 4Web site

(http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/

psr)

Step 5FAQs and feeding

back to individuals (August 2013)

What has been learned thus far?Approach

• Welcomed & viewed as ‘novel’

• Tone and expectation of co-creation/collaboration set

• Some suspicion: ‘where’s the plan?;’is she really consulting us’

• Majority of PS top team: open and engaged; some colleagues will need personal development and support

• 100% TU engagement and positive feedback

Scope

• Not straight forward!

• Is the PSR the overlap in the venn diagram or more?

• Why continue to evolve we are great as we are? Will need to increase comms on:

• Wellbeing factors• Continuous improvement is the

norm• Strength and scale of RG

investments and loans

• No clear/consistent specific opportunities identified by the PS teams

• No hard evidence of duplication yet (rather frustration at collaborative limitations and silo culture)….but data being developed

Outcomes

• 1704 comments, ideas and suggestions

• Structures are OK, future operating model and creation of effective end-to-end processes supported by appropriate culture are key

• Recognition that enhancing academic staff support services are important to the PS teams

• PS vs. college tension evident

• Change fatigue and resource limitations evident

• Directors development agenda: (a) followership and collaboration(b) significant contrast between ‘hares’ and tortoises’

• Initial governance structures in place (but needs development) and communications strategy and tools in place

What did the PS teams say?

3%

25%

20%

2%8%

11%

5%

18%

8%

Get the basics rightProcess change in order to work more ef-ficiently"Us & them" a strong desire for a unified PSDuplication of effortChange & initiative fatigueTraining & development for PS staffSupport during and after PSRGovernance and approach of PSROther

Examples of comments

Process change in order to work more efficiently

‘Us and them’ - a strong desire for a unified PS

team

Training and Development for PS staff

Governance and approach of PSR

“Look at how our systems fit together – there are too many silos currently, with systems that don’t communicate with each other

and duplication of efforts.”

“We believe this is important to help break down the barriers that have been erected over time between the Centre and

Colleges.”

“Embed a culture of CPD so staff are continually up-skilling to develop resilience and meet new challenges.”

“Asking the difficult questions...honest and open feedback channels...focusing on behaviours not structures.”

Core messages to the PS teams

We are really proud of our services’ success and reputation and we intend to continue to be an organisation known for excellent services

Over the past years, we at Exeter have transformed ourselves to rise to the top levels of academic and professional service performance and we now are widely recognised as a leading University in the sector both nationally and internationally.

We have grown very fast and many of you want the opportunity to strengthen what we do: for example we have grown incrementally, our processes and systems are not as good as we would like them to be and we ourselves have stretched ourselves to achieve exceptional results.

To continue to succeed, we must work differently in the future.

The environment in which the University operates is changing , some of which we understand and some we are yet to understand fully. Hence, we need to be collaborative, proactive and wise in how we evolve the Exeter experience for students and academic colleagues so that both have a world class service experience.

Our future successes are likely to be found by ensuring we provide the right activities, in the right place and at the right time.

We pride ourselves in being quick and ready to rise to a challenge or seize an new initiative – and rightly so. This review provides a chance to work together on providing the best possible core services – and getting the these fit-for-the-future will benefit us all.

Why undertake the PSR?

Governance…..thus far

Steering Group

Role Steering Group Member• COO Claire Baines

• Directorates Academic Services – Michele ShoebridgeCampus Services – Geoff Pringle

Finance – Andrew Connolly

• Colleges STEMM – Linda PekaHASS – Ariel Edge

• People and Performance HR – Jacqui Marshall

• Link to Executive Suite/Council Jill Williams

VCEG and College Deans

PSMG

A personal view: what approach is needed

“...the devil is in the detail...It’s finding the smallest areas that you can make gains in...it’s about ‘the accumulation of marginal gains’ – you’re not looking to make a 10 per cent gain in one area, you’re looking to make a 0.1 per cent improvement in 50 areas or 100 areas.”

Sir Dave Brailsford (Performance and Programme Director, British Cycling)

Areas which will bring greatest benefits:

Staff support and wellbeing Communications Finance / College finance operations and data A new of era of fundraising: corporate

partnerships

A personal view: the next 3 years?

Exeter wellbeing

• Invest and grow HR team (inc college HR) investment to full service portfolio

• Focus on regenerating the ‘staff recruitment – probation’ lifecycle and services including performance management

Exeter voice and engagement

• Review and develop CMS structure and skills to deliver internal communications and provide external policy advice to VCEG

• Complete and implement both Council and Senate Reviews

Exeter success

• Develop the college / finance team interfaces and processes

• New opportunities in DARO

• Via PR gradually encourage Directorates towards matrix management structures and practices

• Focus on balance of support

So how might this look/feel in 2013/14

What’s happen thus far in 2013/14?

PSMG Away Day

VCEG Residential

Deans

Heads of Discipline meetings?

Confirm PSR focus areas

To build a sketch for future PS

Briefing and consultation

Bringing academics and students into conversation:

• Outline work thus far• Consult and listen• Build case for and

consensus on the areas to focus on

• Identify local needs and variations

10th Sep

17th Sep

Nov

What are we trying to do?Timing

SMGResidential

Sabbatical officers

2nd Oct

14th Oct

21-28th Oct

External Partners

College Focus Groups

A Cornwall All academic staff briefing

College Executive team meetings

All staff meetings in colleges

A meeting with Guild/AU/FXU Sabbatical officers

October 13 December 13

25 events to engage our stakeholders

The plan for our listening exercise beyond the ps teams

Acad

emic

sSt

uden

ts

A view of 5 years hence (and beyond)

Evolve fewer service ‘points’ with greater emphasis on multidisciplinary (academic) or student support

including greater use of technology and ‘self service’ support

One-stop-services at Penryn and St Lukes

Selective collaboration with partners (e.g. Exeter College, RD&E housing and elements of GW4)