This project is currently work in progress and there is no outcome available at this time.
Project Leaders:
- Dr Jo Andrews, Head of Learning and Development, University of Essex
- Terry Barry, Learning and Development Manager, University of Essex
Steering Group:
- Professor Jules Pretty, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Essex
- Sue Endean, Director of Human Resources, University of Essex
- Karen Bush, Head of Equality and Diversity, University of Essex
Aims and objectives:
Creativity is a much sought-after leadership quality. An ability to generate ideas, find solutions and most importantly to have the confidence to explore potential innovations is a mindset associated with many leaders across many different fields. Nurturing that mindset across teams is a challenge particularly early on in a leadership role. Putting aside commonly-held beliefs that not everybody is creative, the constraints of operational objectives and role responsibilities can make it difficult for teams and their leaders to see beyond immediate roles. The need to assert a leadership presence can also inhibit a newly-appointed leader and prevent them from moving beyond accepted team strengths and working patterns. The effects can be wide-ranging: valuable ideas left unspoken; inability to delegate effectively; blocked talent development; and over-reliance on individual characters.
This project aims to recognise and build creative capacity among teams using a model adapted from business in which ideas and innovation are actively encouraged and contributions of every team member are respected.
The objectives of the project are to:
- Design and pilot a scalable model for team CPD events -Off Road Days – in which ideas are generated by members of the teams and scoped independently of leaders. Events will introduce creative tools and processes to explore, critique and refine ideas. Key motivation factors- autonomy, personal stretch and added value -will underpin sessions.
- Capture experience of teams and leaders and impact on their perception of individual and collective strengths.
- Provide opportunities for staff to experience leadership and project management roles.
- Develop an Off Road toolkit for use in leadership development.
Methodology
The project will work with three separate teams at the University and involve three stages:
- Evaluation of perceived team strengths.
Belbin profiling will map existing strengths in a team and reveal any over-reliance on a particular strength or any gaps. Teams will not be pre-selected according to strengths; a low number of creative-type strengths (e.g. Plants) may be taken into account. University has five staff accredited to deliver the test. - Delivery of Off Road Days
Two non-consecutive Off Road Days will be delivered for three teams. The model develops from the software company, Atlassian, described by Pink . The 8 hour Off Road day will meet the needs of staff with out-of-work responsibilities that excludes them from residential-style change events. The 8 hour event would be sustainable within normal working patterns.
Managers will be invited to attend part of the Off Road Day but not to take part in the full event. The purpose of this is to ensure that the team are given opportunity to organise themselves and to present strengths outside their normal role. The presence of the leader may encourage them to fall into predictable roles. It may also be difficult for the manager themselves to step back. For the project to work well it is important that ideas are given opportunity to take shape without feedback from the manager in the initial stages.
The Managers will allocate an amount of time, over a specified period, in which the team can go Off Road. The Off Road Days will take place at the University and will be facilitated by the Project Team. The event will contain a scene setter, creativity warm up exercise(s) and a brainstorming session to generate ideas for potential projects. Ideas will be outside the normal working goals and activities and will come entirely from participants. Participants will then vote for projects and choose a project team to join. The remainder of the day will be spent on developing a project plan and starting work on the project itself applying creative-thinking techniques. The final session will involve the project teams presenting their project outline to the manager for comment and feedback.
Evaluation
Questionnaires to all team participants and coaching sessions with team leaders:
- Were the projects completed?
- What impact did the outputs of the projects have?
- What were the outcomes- e.g. effects on the motivation and wellbeing of team members and on the management style of the manager?
Further evaluation of the off road project:
- How effective was the 8 hour session?
- What effect did the Off Road days and subsequent project working have on managers’ views of their teams (capabilities, gains from providing greater autonomy)
- What were the challenges for the manager/leader of the team?
Outputs and outcomes.
The project fits with the University’s strategic emphasis on excellence and, in particular, on developing a high performance culture. It will enable managers to address one of the outcomes of the most recent staff survey: that staff would like more opportunity to exercise creativity in their work. Wider benefits will be to inform Talent Management and Leadership Development across the sector.
Milestones.
Duration of Project: 12 months
Quarter 1
Steering Group
Secure team participation
Run 2 sessions
Quarter 2
Run 2 sessions
Quarter 3
Run 2 sessions
Complete evaluation
Quarter 4
Project report
Dissemination activities
Training toolkit
Dissemination
- Immediate feedback from participants
- End of project questionnaires
- Reflections from interview/coaching sessions
- A summary of the projects completed on the Off-Road Day
- Poster presentation session on campus outlining the Off-Road experience from individual staff perspective and team perspectives.
- A training toolkit for other teams to adapt the model.