Audit Commission – Workforce Study
Description
Workshop materials to accompany Tomorrow’s people Building a local government workforce for the future 1 Index Introduction.......................................................................................................... 3 Menu of activities ................................................................................................. 9 Activity 1: plotting your progress: using the workforce planning self-assessment guide to assess your stage of development....................................................... 11 Activity 2: a picture of performance: using an image to share views about workforce planning............................................................................................. 14 Activity 3: assessing the ‘now’: using a SWOT analysis to understand your approach to workforce planning......................................................................... 17 Activity 4: the human resources perspective: pulling data together to understand your current position .......................................................................................... 20 Activity 5: brave new world: ensuring your workforce is fit for the future............ 25 Activity 6: ‘mapping the Future’: using future mapping to plan for your future workforce ........................................................................................................... 29 Activity 7: menu of choices: understanding and evaluating your options ........... ...
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Informations
| Publié par | Orro |
| Nombre de lectures | 19 |
| Langue | English |
Extrait
Workshop materi’als to accompany Tomorrow s people Building a local government workforce for the future
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Index Introduction .......................................................................................................... 3 Menu of activities ................................................................................................. 9 Activity 1: plotting your progress: using the workforce planning self-assessment guide to assess your stage of development....................................................... 11 Activity 2: a picture of performance: using an image to share views about workforce planning............................................................................................. 14 Activity 3: assessing the ‘now’: using a SWOT analysis to understand your approach to workforce planning ......................................................................... 17 Activity 4: the human resources perspective: pulling data together to understand your current position .......................................................................................... 20 Activity 5: brave new world: ensuring your workforce is fit for the future............ 25 Activity 6: ‘mapping the Future’: using future mapping to plan for your future workforce ........................................................................................................... 29 Activity 7: menu of choices: understanding and evaluating your options ........... 31 Activity 8: mapping the barriers: understanding the real blockers to effective workforce planning in our council....................................................................... 34 Activity 9: understanding your risks: assessing priorities for succession planning ........................................................................................................................... 41 Activity 10: moving to act: using a planning framework to agree next steps ..... 46
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Introduction What this booklet is for This booklet has been produced by the Audit Commission to accompany the national study reportTomorrow’s People: Building a Local Government Workforce for the Future. The report makes a number of recommendations for councils to ensure that they have a workforce which can deliver the council’s services and achieve its strategic objectives, now and in the future. This booklet has been designed to help councils to take those recommendations forward. It contains a menu of activities which can help any council run a workshop, or series of workshops, for senior council staff to address the high-level issues raised in the national study report. The Audit Commission believes that a competent and committed council workforce is a critical element in service improvement, efficiency and transformation. Because of this, the Commission is incorporating workforce issues in the new performance assessment framework through the ‘managing resources’ theme of the use of resources assessment. Although the Commission has assessed workforce planning before, the inclusion of a specific key line of enquiry which will explore whether organisations ‘plan, organise and develop their workforce effectively to support the achievement of their strategic priorities’ is likely to have more impact than ever before. The activities in this booklet are designed to be used in a ‘pick and mix’ way, depending on the needs of individual councils. For example, using the material in this booklet, councils could design and run: • two-hour workshop for the council’s atop management team,to identify the key risks they need to manage around workforce issues; or • half-day workshop for the asenior management team of a directorate,to review how effectively they are managing their workforce, and identify priority actions. As well as this booklet, the Audit Commission has produced a video and PowerPoint presentation that can be used to open any workshop on workforce issues1. All of these materials, along with good practice case studies, are available from the Commission’s website atwww.aduti-commission.gov.uk/workforce The Commission would welcome feedback on these workshop materials. If you have tried them out, please let us know what worked well and what could be 1was inspired by a presentation created byThe Audit Commission presentation Karl Fisch, a teacher at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado. The original presentation can be found at http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/08/did-you-know.html
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improved. And if you have any other suggestions or comments, please contact Chloe Schneider at-cnog.vou.okcmmsiisr@audit-schneide. Who this booklet is for This booklet is designed for anyone who is planning to run a workshop with senior-level teams on workforce issues within a council. For example, you could be: •who wants to involve the organisation in planning for a strategic director service changes; • awants to take forward some of the human resources (HR) director who issues identified in the Commission’s national study report; •manager who wants to involve your team in planning for service team a changes; • a project officer working on recruitment and retention; or • a consultant or external advisor working with a council on workforce issues or organisational development. Ideally you will have some experience in facilitating meetings and workshops, but we recognise that this is not always the case. So each activity includes step-by-step instructions, and identifies the supporting materials you will need, and top tips for making the activity work. How to use the presentation The presentation that accompanies this booklet comes in two formats: • a Windows Media video file, that can be played on any PC with Windows Media Player installed. This version of the presentation includes music, so is best viewed on a computer with a soundcard and speakers; • a PowerPoint presentation. This version does not include music. The presentation is designed to be used at the start of the workshop. It is intended to catch the attention of the workshop participants, to challenge them, and to show that workforce issues are fundamental to the ability of councils to deliver their key services and strategic objectives. The presentation is also intended to communicate the risks of not taking workforce issues seriously. The PowerPoint version of the presentation can be edited to remove slides or insert additional slides. For example, you may want to include additional slides that are relevant to the particular council where you are running the workshop. The Windows Media Video version of the presentation includes music which is timed to work with the images in the presentation. If you have the CD-ROM version of these materials, it is best to copy this file directly to the hard drive of the computer which will run the presentation, rather than run it from the CD-ROM. And please do test out the presentation before you start the workshop, to ensure that it will work on the equipment that you have available.
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How the activities can be used Each of the activities is presented in this booklet in a similar format: • an explanation of the purpose and outcome of the activity; • a short summary of how the activity works; • suggestions for the audiences the activity can be used with, and group sizes; • an estimated running time for the activity; • materials needed; • instructions; step-by-step • tips for making it work; and top •of any participants’ handouts that are needed for the exercise. copy a You should feel free to adapt the activities to suit your own personal style in running workshops, and to meet the needs of the particular group you are working with. You should also feel free to edit and adapt the participants’ handouts that have been included in this booklet we have deliberately produced this booklet in an editable format so that you can adapt the materials to your own needs. For example, if the language in the activity or in the handout doesn’t sound like the language your council uses, just change it. A workshop can only ever be part of a process of improvement; by itself it won’t make change happen. So you also need to be clear about how any workshop that you are planning will fit into the wider process of change in your council. You will need to know what is supposed to happen with the outputs of the workshop, and who will have responsibility for acting on them. The activities can be combined in a ‘pick and mix’ way depending on your objectives and the needs of the people taking part (see examples 1 and 2). ’ Exampl’e 1: a review by the councils top management team of the council s current approach to workforce planning Some members of the council’s management team have noticed that their discussions about service improvement are often diverted into discussions about staff shortages. As a result, the management team decides to extend one of its normal meetings by an hour, in order to spend some focused time on this issue. A project officer who is working on recruitment and retention in social services is asked to lead the discussion. The project officer decides to use Activity 1 (‘plotting your progress: using the workforce self-assessment guide to assess your stage of development’). She knows that time will be tight, as this activity should take one to one-and-a-half hours. But this is a small group that is used to working together, and they have also had some discussions on this topic before. She feels that if she keeps the introductory session quite brief, she’ll be able to help the team keep to time. She looks at the suggested handout, and decides that the language isn’t right for this council they don’t talk about workforce issues in that way. So she adapts
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the wording to suit her audience, and sends the handout to members of the management team a week in advance. Knowing that they are busy people, she doesn’t assume at the start of the workshop that they have read the handout, and she also brings spare copies with her in case the team members don’t have theirs to hand. Example 2: involving second and third tier managers in planning their future workforce The HR manager responsible for environmental services has persuaded the service director that it would be a good idea to involve second and third tier managers in planning their future workforce. He now needs to design and run a half-day workshop to kick off that process. Knowing that the workshop will start after lunch, he decides to use an ice-breaker that will get the 30 participants moving around the room and talking to each other. He remembers an activity that worked well on a course he attended a couple of years ago, and decides to use that. He’ll follow that with the video version of the presentation, to set the right tone for the following couple of hours. Looking at the workshop materials available, he decides to use a combination of activities. He’ll start with ‘Activity 5: brave new world: ensuring your workforce is fit for the future . He expects that some of the managers will already have seen ’ or used PEST analysis before, but he rehearses how he will explain the activity for those that are not familiar with it. He prepares some examples that are relevant to environmental services to help with the explanation. The HR manager thinks that ‘Activity 7: menu of choices’ will follow on well from Activity 5. Having already given some thought to the changes that lie ahead for environmental services, the managers will be in a good position to identify the most relevant options for the future workforce. He makes a note to talk to his director about the menu he thinks the version in the handout needs to be tweaked to make it relevant for this directorate. The HR manager decides to allow quite a lot of time for discussion, first in small groups and then in plenary, and decides not to do the second part of the activity (narrowing down the choices). He doesn’t think that the workshop will be the best environment for that work. But he makes a mental note that this work will need to be done after the workshop. Finally the HR manager decides to use a very cut-down version of ‘Activity 10: moving to act: using a planning framework to agree next steps’ just to capture the actions arising out of the workshop, and to identify who in the room will take them forward (this will include the ‘narrowing down’ activity he has postponed). He hopes the action planning can be done in 15-20 minutes rather than the suggested 1 to 1.5 hours, but keeps some ‘slack’ in the programme just in case this activity runs over.
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Top tips for running workshops •It is difficult to facilitate a workshop and also take an active part in discussions. If you feel that you need to take an active part in the discussion, invite someone else to play the facilitator’s role if you can. For example, because of their strategic role, an HR director would be better placed taking part in the session as a participant rather than as a facilitator. With all of the suggested activities, it is the action that follows from them • that is important, not the activity itself. Encourage groups to see the ‘bigger picture’ and focus on the key issues, and avoid getting bogged down in debating details that don’t really matter. • Participants who don’t know each other very well may appreciate a fun ice-breaker at the start of a workshop. Even groups that are used to working together may appreciate a ‘warm-up’ exercise to signal that they are going to have a different type of discussion to the ones they are used to having. • longer workshops, Fortry to include different types of activity discussions in small groups as well as a main group, or activities that involve pictures and diagrams as well as activities that focus on numbers or words. • Remember to include breaks in longer workshops, and have a ‘warm-up’ or energiser activity in your back pocket in case energy levels drop. Where to get more help The Improvement Network2offers a range of resources on organisations and people on its website at http://www.improvementnetwork.gov.uk/imp/core/page.do?pageId=1006269. The website draws on the expertise of the four national partner organisations to encourage improvement in local government. These resources are free to people working in local government. The Improvement and Development Agency has a number of resources to help councils to develop workforce strategies. They include: • service Engagingmanagers in workforce planning: this will be a set of activities and guidelines to help engage service managers in the workforce planning process. It will include versions of the activities used in this Audit Commission booklet, eg: o future mapping; o risk assessment and succession planning; and o direction of travel statements. developing The activities can be used to complement a workshop run with senior staff using the materials in this booklet. •The workforce planning toolkit: a three step approach to workforce planning, breaking it down into manageable activities for parts of the organisation or the whole organisation. • Datacollect and how to analyse it. How to keep data as analysis: what to simple as possible and not get bogged down in useless facts and figures. 2of the Audit Commission, the Improvement andThe Improvement Network is a partnership Development Agency, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, and the Local Government Leadership Centre.
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• Skills pathways: reports on successful projects to help meet skills shortages and advice on what’s available. • and retention support: information about tackling workforce Recruitment challenges. Includes graduate recruitment, talent pools, new ways of working, skills for life, retention schemes, and “Best Council to Work For. •how to interpret it, both regional and market data: where to get it and Labour national data. •and Diversity: advice on diversity issues and the equality standard. Equality The IDeA also has case studies, tools and techniques which can be found at www.idea.gov.uk/talentmanagement. And you can find information, discussion forums and events posted on the Workforce Planning sub-section of the IDeA’s Talent Management Community of Practice. You can sign up at www.communities.idea.gov.uk; membership is free for councils. ‘Local government talent’ is a website designed to be a one-stop-shop about working in local government. This website, www.lgtalent.com, includes profiles of a range of local government jobs, information for graduates and listings of current vacancies. For more information on the IDeA’s work in this area you can contact Joan Munro, IDeA National Advisor, Workforce Strategy atoJ.vkua.go@ideunroan.m or on 020 7296 6579 For more information about this Audit Commission study and its associated products, please contact Chloe Schneider at the Audit Commission: c-schneider@audit-commission.gov.uk
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Menu of activities Facilitators should choose from the following ‘pick and mix’ menu the activity or combination of activities that best fits the objectives of the workshop they are running. Activities should be freely changed and adapted so that they work best with the participants who will be involved. Activit 1: lottin our ro ress: usin the workforce Page 11 lannin self-assessment uide to assess our sta e of develo ment What is it?Participants agree a high level assessment of their council’s current to approach workforce planning based on a workforce planning self-assessment guide, and agree how and when they wish to reach a future stage. Who is it for?A council’s senior management team and other staff responsible for planning the future workforce How long should it take?One to one-and-a-half hours Activit 2: a icture of erformance: usin an ima e to share Page 14 views about workforce lannin What is it?Using a visual image, this quick activity allows participants to share how they are feeling about workforce planning. Who is it for?Any group of up to 15 people How long should it take?15-20 minutes Activit 3: assessin the now : usin a SWOT anal sis to Page 17 understand our a roach to workforce lannin What is it?This activity gives participants a comprehensive ‘snapshot’ of their council or department’s strategic approach to workforce planning. Who is it for?Any size of group, from directors and senior management teams to frontline teams. How long should it take?A minimum of one hour Activit 4: the human resources ers ective: ullin data Page 20 together to understand your current position What is it?Enables participants to assess how well their council is managing its workforce and planning for the future, and helps them to identify the internal and external workforce challenges. Who is it for?Management teams across the council, including the top management team. How long should it take?A minimum of two hours. Activit 5: brave new world: ensurin our workforce is fit for Page 25 the future What is it?This activity uses a step-by-step approach to identify the key drivers that are affecting how services will be delivered in the future. It helps participants to identify and describe the implications for the workforce of those key drivers. Who is it for?A group drawn from the different services within a council directorate. Ideally at least two representatives of each service would attend. How long should it take?A minimum of one to two hours.
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Activit 6: ma in the Future : usin future ma in to lan Page 29 for our future workforce What is it?develop a clear vision of what their council and service will look like in theParticipants future, the workforce they will need in order to deliver that vision, and what they are going to do to ensure that a suitable workforce is in place. Who is it for?Any size of group, at any level in a council. How long should it take?A minimum of one-and-a-half hours. Activity 7: menu of choices: understanding and evaluating Page 31 your options What is it?a council to identify and then evaluateThis activity offers two models which can help the range of options available for addressing its workforce challenges. Who is it for?Managers at corporate, directorate and service levels in a council How long should it take?The models are designed to be used as part of a wider workshop activity; the time they will take to use will depend on the time available for that wider activity. Activit 8: ma in the barriers: understandin the real Page 34 blockers to effective workforce lannin in our council What is it?This activity generates a list of the barriers to effective workforce planning using the McKinsey ‘7S’ model to ensure that all aspects of the council are considered. Participants then decide which of the barriers they have control/influence over, and which they do not. The group then decides on actions for each barrier. Who is it for?Any size of group, at any level in a council. How long should it take?A minimum of two hours. Activit 9: understandin our risks: assessin riorities for Page 41 succession lannin What is it?This activity uses a risk assessment matrix to help managers carry out informed succession planning. Who is it for?This activity can be used by a council’s top team to think about different groups in the workforce, by groups of managers or directors who might want to look at a whole department, or by team managers to think about the teams for which they are responsible. How long should it take?At least an hour. Activit 10: movin to act: usin a lannin framework to Page 46 a ree next ste s What is it?Participants use a simple framework to identify specific actions that they are going to take, their priority ratings, and make commitments to specified timescales for which they take individual responsibility. Who is it for?at any level in a council.Teams of any size and How long should it take?One to one-and-a-half hours.
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Activity 1: plotting your progress: using the workforce planning self-assessment guide to assess your stage of development Purpose and outcome • The workforce planning self-assessment guide (Handout 1) outlines the characteristics of councils at different stages in developing effective workforce planning. It assesses two important and interrelated areas a council’sapproachto workforce planning and itscommitmentto it. It outlines five stages of development Resisting, Intending, Starting, Developing and Achieving. •The purpose of the guide is to help people understand and explore the complexity of getting workforce planning right. The activity gets people talking about all the different areas they need to address in order to ensure effective workforce planning in their councils, with the key message that it is a journey that takes time. • The group agrees a high level assessment of their council’s current approach to workforce planning based on the workforce planning self-assessment guide, and agrees how and when they wish to reach a future stage. More detailed planning can then take place, for example using Activity 10 ‘Moving to act: using a planning framework to agree next steps.’ Short summary Participants share their individual assessments of where the council currently sits on the self-assessment guide with the wider group. Through facilitated discussion the group reaches agreement (where possible) on both the stage the council is at and the reasons why. The group then agrees what stage it wants the organisation to reach in the future, and in what timescale. Who is this activity suitable for? This workshop is intended for use with the Council’s senior management team and for other staff responsible for planning the future workforce (eg human resources managers). Note: this activity covers some of the same ground as activity 3 (‘assessing the now’). It is unlikely that you will want to use both activities with the same group. How long should the activity take? This will depend on the size of the group, but in order to ensure good discussion you should allow one to one-and-a-half hours. Materials needed The workforce planning self-assessment guide (see handout), a flipchart, pens and PostIt notes. Step-by-step instructions Preparation You should send a copy of the self-assessment guide to each participant a week before the workshop, so that they can spend some time thinking about how they
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