testing new ways of working: the nds high performing work
TRANSCRIPT
Testing new ways of
working:
the NDS High Performing
Work Practices initiative
Melbourne 15 February 2017
What was the inspiration?
• High performance work systems/ practices
• High commitment/involvement management
• Twisted organisations
• Commitment-oriented work systems
What did NDS do?
Following Innovation Workshops in 2015, NDS engaged interested organisations in a collaborative trial of HPWP.
Methodology of Innovation for High Performance Project
• Provide opportunities to share and learn
• Involve other stakeholders, peers and consultants to help deepen practice
• 8 month project, light touch
What united those who took part?
a flatter and less hierarchical structure
where people work in teams with greater autonomy
holistic jobs with dissolved division of labour and minimal back office support
based on higher levels of trust and communication
resulting in customised empowering service delivery
with strong community engagement and relationships.
CEO
Coordinator
Workers
Clients
Coordinator
Workers
Clients
Coordinator
Workers
Clients
Manager Manager
Client (team leader
)
WorkerClient (team leader
)
Client (team leader
)
Client (team leader
)
Worker
Worker
Worker
Worker
Worker
Worker
WorkerWorker
Worker
Technology
Coaching
Leadership
Active Engagement
Informal Support
s
Informal Support
s
Informal Supports
Informal Supports
Informal Support
s
Informal Supports
Other Services
Other Services
Other Services
Other Services
KEY DATA
Location Port Macquarie NSW
Staff 48
Participants
98
Services CommunityParticipation
Timeframe
Ongoing from late 2014
Changes As follows
What has been working well?Inputs/EngagementStrategies
Some outcome descriptors
ACES’ approach to teams and team leadership
Ease of understanding, philosophically robust, customer focus, holistic, defines structure, organic/adaptable, shared and individual responsibility, inclusive
Customer Workbooks and Stewards and Worker Workbooks
Devolved, individual/collective responsibility, team experience, mutual trust and understanding, relationship and confidence building, active engagement
Dedicated change team Sustained focus, outcome focus, less self interest, minimises operational distraction, retains operational focus, accountable
Social media (teams) Customer focus, coalesces all supports, engaged teams, efficient, real time, contemporary/relevant, relationship building, well informed, multi-media
Customer centric IT Customer focus, philosophically robust, operational and administrative efficiency, cost effective, collectively well informed, need to know basis, cash flow friendly, ease of use, dynamic
Incrementalism Engaging, mission focused, explorative, tentative, uniting, flexible/adaptable, responsive to external environment, copes with uncertainty
Essentials?• Leadership - regular restatement of mission and current position
• Incremental/organic
• Tolerance for uncertainty, risk and mistakes
• Time and patience
• Informed courage
• Dedicated resources
• Careful messaging
• Devolved responsibility AND authority - genuine letting go of power
• Active engagement through experimentation, personal/shared responsibilities
• Customer centric technology and social media
• No babies in the bathwater
• Playing all of the above as a symphony
The Way Forward – Aspire v.2 Location(s) involved in your trial
Albury / Wodonga and surrounds (NSW and VIC – cross border)
What changed in your service model?
From old process around intake, planning and allocations to new refined workflow around intake, planning and allocations. More information coming directly from the frontline
# Staff involved in your trial (headcount)
35 What changed in your peoplemanagement?
From team leader controlling workflow processes to team leader overseeing workflow processes
# Teams involved in your trial
Still deciding on formal structure of teams
What changed in your systems / processes?
From old and adhoc process to workflow mapping and improved data collection to inform improved process and structure
# Participants involved in your trial
143 Timeframe of your trial
From Jan 2017 - December 2017
Type of services involved in your trial
Flexible Respite Teen TimeMy Aged CarePeer Support
Other comments Looking to start trial across supported accommodation and day programs mid 2017
The objectives of our change:
• Develop a self managed workforce which is motivated and
flexible to deliver on the needs of our community.
• Develop a point of difference by becoming an employer of choice
with high levels of employee satisfaction.
• Stimulate improved business performance and ensure better
strategy execution through improving individual performance
contribution
• Provide quality support services to individuals and our
community
The Parkside Foundation: Grove# Locations involved in trial1 site /area
What changed in service model?
• High management input to minimal• Minimal decision making to autonomous• Procedures
# Staff involved in your trial (headcount)3 main 3 others
What changed in your peoplemanagement?
• Coordinator overseeing supports instead of manager• Additional training to support staff• Encouragement for staff to self manage
# Teams involved in your trial2
What changed in processes?
• Higher level computer access• Customising procedures to site• Time sheet sign off• Procedural change ie administer medication • Ability to look at external contractors and best fit• Self rostering/on call• Staff intake when required• Higher level client programming
# Participants involved in your trial12
Timeframe February to August
Type of services involvedCommunity Access ServicesIndividual supports
Other comments • Less sick leave taken by one individual in the team• Better client/organisation outcomes evident• Community involvement of clients increased
Hip IdeasLocation(s) involved in trial: MurwillumbahNSW
What changed in your service model?
Location-from a large day centre to a room in community centre.Location-Customers lived in the local areaLocation-Staff lived in local areaTransport-Transport only provided for customers living in accommodationStaff able to communicate directly daily with customer families
# Staff involved (headcount): 6
What changed in people management?
Staff had more autonomy to consider goals/outcomes based on NDIS outcome areasStaff were informed as a whole, no group leaderLearnings for staff-budget, NDIS pricing, discussion of income/expenditureDiscussion of what is not working-working on team rulesLetting go
# Teams involved : 2
What changed in yoursystems / processes?
Teams organised replacements for sick daysPhotos sent to family members of each customer dailyConsidering the PWD in decision makingInformation sharing paper based-staff hardware under maintenance
# Participants involved in trial: 13
Timeframe of trial July to Nov
Type of services involved: Day Program
Information session to discuss learnings and self managed teams with support coordinators and DSWs well supported
Monitoring and evaluation in a
complex system
• Part A: Review, reflect and respond
• Part B: Measure changes across a range of indicators
Commonly identified indicators
Intended shorter term outcomes
• Workers support the change being trialled
• Workers and customers are valued as individuals
• Workers feel a sense of professionalism and accountability for
outcomes
• The service provider cultivates a high trust and values based model of
leadership that focuses on decentralised decision making
• The service provider supports a learning culture—creativity,
innovation, safe to fail experiments, joint problem solving and
feedback loops
• Workers have higher levels of satisfaction and lower levels of job
stress.
Intended longer term outcomes
Customers are empowered to pursue their goals and aspirations
including more choice and control over activities in their daily life
Customers are living fulfilling lives
Service provider is financially sustainable.
Seven factors for realising HPWP
Organisational factorsRelationship with mangers/
peersConfidence in own work
Being valued and supported by
the organisation (factor 1)
A monitoring, evaluation,
learning and adapting culture
(factor 2)
Feeling trusted by management
(factor 3)
Innovation and tolerance for risk
(factor 4)
Confidence in own abilities (factor 5)
Sense of peer support (factor 6)
Satisfaction in autonomy (factor
7)
The survey data revealed seven factors for HPWP. These seven factors explain 67% of all the
variation in all items. This suggests they provide a good summary of all 39 items designed to
measure HPWP.
The HPWP10
The seven factors can be boiled down to just two core factors:
• An organisational commitment to continuous improvement based on staff
engagement.
• Self and manager confidence in ability and decision making.
These can be measured with the following 10 item HPWP scale
1. At our organisation we highlight the learning that comes from successful service delivery
2. At our organisation we review the causes of our failures
3. At our organisation we frequently refine the provision of existing products and services
4. I feel that my opinions and views are listened to in my organisation
5. I feel that my knowledge and skills are recognised in my organisation
6. I feel valued by my organisation
7. My manager believes that I can handle demanding tasks
8. I am confident in my ability to understand the changing support needs of my clients
9. I can talk freely to my peers about difficulties I am having at work
10. I can make my own decisions on how I do my job
HPWP properties and use
• A scale score for the 10 items was calculated for each survey
respondent (using the mean score from the 10 items).
• Reliability analysis showed this scale had very well internal
consistently (alpha=0.87), and a very high correlation with a 20 item
version (.97) further suggesting the simplicity of the 10 item scale
over the 20 item version on the grounds of parsimony.
• The predictive validity of these 10 items is suggested by the fact that
• for every 1 unit increase on the HPWP10 you can see a 0.6 unit decrease in ‘I
often think about quitting this job’ and a 0.5 unit decrease on the Job Stress scale.
• While the HPWP10 can predict the extent to which staff think the change is a
good idea for their organisation and will be feasible to implement, it does not
predict whether they think the change will be good for their clients.
• The only item that predicts whether people think the change is good for their
clients is whether they think the NDIS will be good for their clients
• We suggest using the HPWP10 over time to gauge staff attitudes to
the key factors underpinning a HPWP environment against the
baseline measured in October 2016.
Collective wisdom of the group
distilled by ARTD
Communicate the vision with everyone and ensure you have staff
that actually enjoy working in a team-based, solutions-focused
environment. Be transparent about the magnitude of the challenge
and engage staff, carers and people with disability in finding
solutions. Don’t get stuck on waiting till you have worked it all out.
Create an organisational environment of incremental change in
which there is a continuous process of reviewing, reflecting and
responding. Recognise the additional responsibility your workers
are taking on, encourage them to apply their skills and be their
most enthusiastic supporter. While a grand vision is motivating,
incrementalism is important to getting things going, and staff need
to be confident in their abilities. They must feel supported and
believe in the capacity of their organisation to adapt while believing
any change will ultimately benefit their clients.
What participants said
• “Clarity on the vision coupled with discernment in decision-making can be a more agile, efficient and effective means of generating outcomes than rule-based procedures”
• “Rather than workers asking managers ‘can we do this’ they are now asking the person with disability, ‘how will we do this?”
• “We are making permanent changes to survive”