This
award rewards HR teams that have demonstrated that they have led or
significantly supported organisational change. Entrants improved business
performance through their strategies. Judges looked for innovative approaches
and evidence that entrants boosted employee morale and transformed behaviour
while the companies were undergoing transition
Category judge
Kate Marsden is the HR director at Ventura, the customer contact centre
solution provider. The Ventura HR team, led by Kate, won the 2001 Personnel
Today award for organisational change. Prior to joining Ventura, Kate worked in
a variety of HR roles for BP Oil UK and was employee relations manager and head
of training for Pizza Hut UK.
Defence Aviation Repair Agency (Dara)
About the company
Dara is the largest government-owned aerospace repair facility in Europe. It
offers a ‘one-stop-shop’ for repairs and support services for UK military
aircraft
The challenge
When Dara achieved ‘trading fund status’ in 2001, it had to operate under a
competitive regime. New training, organisational design and a performance
management system were needed
What the company did
– Sent managers ‘back to the floor’
– Appointed eight ‘change champions’ from production roles rather than HR
– Appointed a management consultancy which specialised in operations
improvement
– Involved 35 external parties, including trade unions, in the process
Benefits and achievements
– A shift in culture from military to commercial
– Managers are now ‘letting go’ and adopting an empowered leadership style
– Visible improvements in motivation, satisfaction and enthusiasm
– A 35 per cent cut in manpower, saving £2m
– Turnaround times on aircraft improved by up to 30 per cent
Kate Marsden says: "It was large scale with short timeframes, and
clearly committed to from the top down. The HR role was vital to maximise
resources and buy-in. Impressive results were achieved in terms of tangible
bottom line impact and broader organisation change."
The team
No. in HR team 2
Staff responsible for 4,500
Bernard Galton Company secretary
Caroline Hose Head of organisation and employee development
John Reilly Chief operating officer
Steve Hill Chief executive
Ian Beresford Squadron leader, lead change implementation manager
Mike Fisher, Alan Gibb, Keith Taylor, Jim Hall Change implementation managers
Paul Henry Head of Harrier maintenance
Rachel Nealon Flight lieutenant
Dai MorrIs Production manager
Dave Kingdon Vice-chair of the Industrial Whitley committee
Bupa
About the company
Bupa is a global healthcare organisation, with almost four million members
in around 190 countries worldwide
The challenge
Bupa was losing £1m a week. An employee survey rated it one of the poorest
performing service companies, and use of external consultancies had failed to
turn this around
What the company did
– 20 of the businesses most experienced people were sent away for two weeks
to define what was wrong
– 28 strategic projects were developed
– Employees were surveyed and discussed changes
– Staff chose new office furniture
– Customer complaints were acted out on video
– An award was launched to recognise those who go the extra mile at work
– A programme was started focusing on leadership in the new culture
– Brand values were re-examined
Benefits and achievements
– Customer satisfaction up 6 per cent since 1998
– Business partnership and employee satisfaction are also up
– Profit has doubled since 1999
Kate Marsden says: "A broad, intensive change programme, driven by
business performance issues. It showed evidence of strong leadership, teamwork
at all levels and a desire to involve staff to gain buy-in. Numerous
initiatives were undertaken and were all notably well co-ordinated to ensure
effective implementation. Impressive results across a range of measures."
The team
No. in team 7
Staff responsible for 40,000
Bob Watson Group HR director
Simon Sheard Group marketing director
Barry Dyer Organisation development director
Kerry Penrose Resource manager, organisation development
Jeremy Topple Group management development consultant
Trish Ospedale Group management development consultant
Kate Howat Group management development consultant
Nicola Rowe Group management development consultant
Gap
About the company
Gap is a clothing and accessory retailer with more than 4,200 stores
worldwide
The challenge
Facilitating the relocation of Gap’s European headquarters from London to Rugby.
The move was also used to consolidate business units, develop talent and
improve culture and profitability
What the company did
– HR led the strategy and the decision – providing coaching and guiding to
managers
– Provided all departments with a single point of contact
– Outsourced some activity to allow HR to become true internal consultants
– Developed staff focus groups to gauge morale and motivation
– Encouraged staff to move by providing details of new area, visits to
Rugby, retention bonuses and stock options
Benefits and achievements
– 48 per cent of employees were relocated with a 95 per cent retention rate
– Europe was the most successful trading zone for Gap in 2001
– Levels of morale and motivation remained high throughout the move
– All financial goals were achieved (Gap did not want to disclose these)
Kate Marsden says: "A broad change programme centred on relocation and
restructuring of the head office functions. The entry was notable for its
strong team approach, and innovative methods were deployed to use resources
effectively and involve all levels. A very thorough, professional approach
leading to good achievement against objectives."
The team
No. in team 23
Staff responsible for 5,606
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Steve Finlan Vice-president of HR, Europe
Joan Porter-Butler Employee relations manager
Joanna Phillpot HR manager
Vanessa Evans recruitment and training manager
Sue Matthews Compensation and benefits manager
Debra Corey Director of international compensation and benefits
The Work Foundation continues the mission of The Industrial Society to
improve the quality and productivity of UK working life. Our unique
understanding of the importance of nurturing and developing human capital,
enables us to work with our clients to bring about in-depth sustainable change,
through our distinctive brand of research and consultancy, and leadership and
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