Senior managers need to “walk the talk” to ensure the success of change programmes, Vicky Hemming, executive director, people, development and governance at RNID, told delegates at the CIPD’s annual conference.
“Our senior team has got that,” she said. “They understand you are leading your people for the good of the organisation and the people you are looking after.”
Hemming described the journey the RNID has been on for the last few years as it changes its name to Action on Hearing Loss. The change programme will culminate next year - the charity’s centenary - with a new website and the launch of a new brand.
RNID (The Royal National Institute for Deaf People) has moved on since it was founded, said Hemming, and while many people still assume it works only for the profoundly deaf this is no longer the case.
“We needed to move our culture forward to align with that. My task was to make sure our staff and volunteers were able to take all of our stakeholders with us,” she said. “You have to engage staff in what is going on and ensure there is no mismatch between external and internal messages.”
The organisation developed a new set of values and behaviours, a staff council has been created and the senior management team has been restructured – twice – and is now considerably smaller.
There has also been a “huge investment” in learning and development, including a senior management development programme and work with middle managers, who were “the hardest group to convince”.
Hemming admitted that although the organisation has got intellectual acceptance from staff, whether they are there yet “with their hearts” was another matter. But she added: “Taking them with us has been one of the greatest achievements of this change programme. I am really quite proud of what we have achieved.”
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“Our senior team has got that,” she said. “They understand you are leading your people for the good of the organisation and the people you are looking after.”
Hemming described the journey the RNID has been on for the last few years as it changes its name to Action on Hearing Loss. The change programme will culminate next year - the charity’s centenary - with a new website and the launch of a new brand.
RNID (The Royal National Institute for Deaf People) has moved on since it was founded, said Hemming, and while many people still assume it works only for the profoundly deaf this is no longer the case.
“We needed to move our culture forward to align with that. My task was to make sure our staff and volunteers were able to take all of our stakeholders with us,” she said. “You have to engage staff in what is going on and ensure there is no mismatch between external and internal messages.”
The organisation developed a new set of values and behaviours, a staff council has been created and the senior management team has been restructured – twice – and is now considerably smaller.
There has also been a “huge investment” in learning and development, including a senior management development programme and work with middle managers, who were “the hardest group to convince”.
Hemming admitted that although the organisation has got intellectual acceptance from staff, whether they are there yet “with their hearts” was another matter. But she added: “Taking them with us has been one of the greatest achievements of this change programme. I am really quite proud of what we have achieved.”