1. Getting the best out of our staff
Russell Ashworth
Head of Faculty Administration, Faculty of Humanities
The University of Manchester

2. The plan … The theory … The challenges … The proposition …
The case study …
The learning points
The end …

3. Theory: people and organisations that perform well
‘Best practice’ - one best set of ‘people’ things to do
‘Best fit’ - which ‘people’ things you do depends on your organisation
‘Resource based view’ - maximise the contribution of all resources:
physical
human
organisational
‘Best practice’ - all organisations can and should adopt a set of human resource management practices for the combined benefit of the organisation and its employees : but which ones are the best “set” to adopt?
‘Best fit’ - to experience competitive advantage, ‘progressive’ HR practices need to be aligned with business strategy: the organisation has to choose the appropriate practices: but complex to work out which are appropriate
‘resource based view’ - focuses on the internal resources of the organisation rather than treating factors external to the organisation as the main driver of HR. Focus on adding value and competitive position. Types of resources:
physical (technology and equipment)
human (experience and knowledge)
organisational (structure, systems planning, monitoring and controlling)
As usual (?) academics don’t agree …
but RBV is trendy and makes sense to me

4. More about resources physical (technology and equipment)
“hygiene factors”?
human (experience and knowledge)
performance is a function of ability, motivation and opportunity
organisational (structure, systems planning, monitoring and controlling)
Strategy and management?
Don’t forget about physical things – re-organisation and not enough people can be a problem …
Refer to Sheila Gupta presentation later on how to manage people
We will focus on the organisational aspects

5. Challenge 1: The organisation is not simple
Students with a qualification
Students
Approving and providing programmes
Enhanced or new knowledge
Supporting research
Knowledge
There are other things that could be included … purchasing of services to support these processes etc …
Supporting the development of society
An improved society
Society

6. Challenge 1: The organisation is not simple (2)
WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO?
Ensure that structures and systems are effective and designed to support what the organisation is there to do
This will require a clear strategy which is understood and disseminated at all levels
“Operating in a matrix management structure in a highly political environment”

7. Challenge 1: The organisation is not simple (3)

8. Challenge 2: People in the organisation think differently about it
WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO?
Recognise that people think differently
Beware of the “hard” mechanistic view when dealing with those who are more “touchy-feely” as it can put them off
Recognise that things change – and pursuing harmony may be unrealistic
Think about your own view and how it influences the way you work
“The fundamental problem is a paradox between
calls for a common set of values and
the need to recognise that academics and managers do and should think differently”

9. An elephant is like a brush
Each of his own opinion
exceeding stiff and strong,
though each was partly in the right,
and all were in the wrong
“The blind men and the elephant”
J G Saxe ( )
An elephant is like a brush
An elephant is like a rope
An elephant is like a snake
An elephant is soft and mushy
An elephant is like a tree trunk

10. Some unanswered questions
Why is it easier to work with some people than others?
Why do administrators always stop us doing what we need to?
Why do people misunderstand me? ?
What do academics actually do?
Who is in charge?
Who can make academic staff do things?

11. Challenge 3: staff are motivated by different things
Financial reward
Status
Job Satisfaction
Recognition for a job well done
Being part of a successful team/unit/organisation
Management engagement/opportunity to participate in decision making
Politics

12. Challenge 3: staff are motivated by different things (2)
WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO?
Find out what motivates them
Design systems to support this
Recognise this in times of inter-personal conflict
Academics are egotistical – a lot are motivated by their own glory (and the promotion system rewards this); not by working in a team (reference lunch conversation with Jackie – why aren’t people (academics) nicer to each other? Because they aren’t motivated or rewarded to do that) – Ability, motivation, opportunity

13. How did it affect students and staff?
Challenge 4: Physical and financial resources impact on staff morale and motivation
The situation at work
How did it make you feel?
How did it affect students and staff?
We’re in a terrible state with the student admin. They have put a new computer system in, but quite frankly it doesn’t work, so. It takes four times as long as before to book students onto courses →
Everybody is highly stressed because the staff are under enormous pressure. People dread coming to work.
You feel so helpless really because there is nothing you can do about it.
Students cant get through on the phone so there are loads of complaints when they do start the course. Staff don’t know who is going to turn up and then they complain too because students are late or missing.
WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO?
Provide them (Obviously!)
When you can’t, explain why and think about (and act on) the impact this will have – don’t just assume that staff will cope.

14. Challenge 5: Effective communication is often difficult to achieve
Complicated
Two-way
Influenced by culture
Involves listening
Engagement important
WHAT CAN WE DO?
Think about HOW you communicate
Think about WHEN you communicate
Think about WHY you communicate
More in Andrew West presentation

15. Often difficult to mobilise staff to work as a ‘single team’ when:
Challenge 6 – many administrative activities cross organisational boundaries
For example:
Processes
Projects
Often difficult to mobilise staff to work as a ‘single team’ when:
No line management
Staff have local teams and sub-cultures
Processes need to work across different organisational units

16. Proposition – we will only get the best out of staff if we manage this complexity effectively
Need to organise and mobilise
Have a clear strategy and plan for taking a service forward or delivering the project
Ensure effective leadership (vision important)
Champion a single team approach
Ensure lines of accountability, responsibility and control are clear
Implement a management structure to deliver engagement and buy-in
Effective communication is vital

17. Case study: Student System Project at the University of Manchester
Major project to implement Campus Solutions post merger
Not just a student records system:
Self service
Electronic processing
Essential conditions:
Accurate information and data
Effective process management
November 2005 – project falling behind key milestones
Challenge – get buy-in from “business owners”, agree and implement necessary changes to business processes and mobilise staff

18. Case study: Student System Project (2)
What did I do?
First engaged with business owners to get buy-in
Vision and realistic plan agreed
Set up project management structure
High level Steering Group
Groups to lead process change in each area
Set out clear lines of responsibility, accountability and control
Implemented communication strategy:
Managers, users and all
Engaged with staff face-to-face to get buy-in

19. Case study: Student System Project (4) Outcomes
Success:
Created a sense of team and commitment in the high level management group and
New arrangements and greater buy-in created a renewed momentum across the project as a whole
Had structure in place to identify and solve most problems as they arose
As a result got through registration and averted some major risks to the institution
Mistakes:
Failure to engage sufficiently with academic community
Failure to properly understand and deal with the sheer complexity of the project

20. So, we all need to:
Realise that it is more than knowing the rules and the theory
Understand perspectives
Communicate effectively
Engage in dialogue on key issues – lunches and meetings
Be honest about the constraints under which we work
Recognise that imposed change does not work

21. As managers and leaders we need to:
Lead by example:
Ensure there is a vision and strategy
Engage with stakeholders
Strike the right balance between being directive and consulting/listening
Seek to balance the interests of different levels and groups
Be clear to junior staff about priorities and rules
Involve academics fully in management and resource decisions
Be prepared to put our heads above the parapet: take decisions and stand by them
Build on success: Effective execution builds credibility and support

22. The skilled administrator …
Ability to achieve buy-in
An ‘ear to the ground’
Analytical and problem-solving
Effective project manager
Resolves tensions through dialogue and seeks a consensus
“Leadership: the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
Dwight D Eisenhower ( ) US Statesman

23. So academics need to:
Accept that all academic decisions have resource dimensions,
Recognise that academic autonomy has to be balanced with transparent accountability,
Support the systemisation of academic work,
Share power when working in teams
Engage positively with managers and administrators
Easy to say – less easy to do
Words not originally from academic research but from health service research – where managers and doctors working together can be a very big issue – even made great TV in UK last year when leading business “guru” tried to ‘cure’ the NHS – and found it much harder than he thought
Last week met HR Director from UoM – still finding out about this sector after 12 months – and spoke on the same platform as the HR Director of the NHS – who was previously at Tesco and is finding out that things are different there too – mainly because of the professional loyalties of those in the workforce.