Insights from Strategic and Change Management Projects in RTOs

1
Insights from Strategic and Change Management
Projects in RTOs

• Peter Smith
• ET Thinking
• New Ways of Working in VET
• November 2008

2
Aims of 2007 Reframing the Future Projects

• Building internal capability within RTOs to
  improve the productivity of the RTO workforce,
  including managers, with a view to becoming more
  responsive to client needs. Clients here might
  be industry, individual enterprises, communities,
  or individual learners.
• Through achievement of the first aim, the
  development of human capital, workforce
  productivity and workforce participation
  external to the RTO among the clients that it
  serves.

3
Aims of this project

• This project was to look at a selection of RTF
  projects to gauge how well they had performed
  with and contributed to those aims of
• improving workforce productivity
• improving workforce participation
• enhancing human capital
• working collaboratively with industry and other
  stakeholders
• improving the productivity of its own workforce

4
What we did

• Eleven projects were selected across States,
  provider type, and focus
• The project RTF proposals and final reports were
  read and questions for interview developed
• Project coordinators were interviewed by phone
• The interview transcript was provided to the
  interviewee for verification of accuracy
• The interview transcripts were analysed for
  reliable conclusions that could be drawn across
  the projects

5
What were the conclusions we could make?

• There were eight conclusions we could draw across
  the range of projects. They were about
• Internal workforce productivity
• External workforce development and participation
• Collaboration with industry and individual
  enterprises
• Agile structures and culture
• Language and culture
• Change management processes
• The innovation multiplier effect
• Empowerment

6
Internal workforce productivity

• Productivity was enhanced through
• Organisation of personnel and their work into
  teams or project groupings
• Communication enhancements through the common
  team/project focus and through ongoing dialogue
  with clients
• Sharing ideas within the team or project group
  became an expectation among members
• Accuracy and responsiveness with clients was
  enhanced with team continuity providing ongoing
  relationships and dialogue

7
External workforce development and participation

• Client service enhanced through greater
  responsiveness through a broadening of program
  availability
• Through tailoring and targeting of programs
• Client relationship development

8
Collaboration with industry and individual
enterprises

• A focus on new ways of collaborating with
  external organisations
• Enhancement of current collaborative efforts
  through RTO staff skill development to initiate
  and sustain relationships (eg Riverine Institute)
• Reconceptualising services to external clients
  through change to organisational practice and
  thinking, or through the development of new forms
  of organisation (eg Challenger TAFE, Jobs
  Australia).

9
Agile structures and culture

• An agile structure can change with relative ease
  to meet new demands
• Fleet of foot in responding to client demand -
  individuals or organisations
• Agility came through team/project based
  organisation where new teams could be put
  together as requirements change

10
Language and culture

• A project outcome commonly noted was the
  development of a common language between
  stakeholders
• Between staff working together through a
  strategic change process developed a way of
  taking about change
• Between RTO staff and clients - a stronger sense
  of meeting of minds in identifying and
  responding to client needs

11
Change management processes

• Project groups developed sophisticated
  understanding of strategic change management
  theories
• Ways of choosing between theories, and using them
  eclectically
• There is a place for a VET provider based theory
  of strategic change management
• A value in sharing change management experience
  across RTOs

12
The innovation multiplier

• Projects captured the interest of RTO staff not
  part of it
• Projects also captured the interest of clients
  groups
• Projects typically achieved more than had been
  anticipated through impacting on a larger number
  of RTO staff greater client outcomes than
  expected
• Better external relationships served to develop
  better relationships within the RTO as well

13
Empowerment

• To make decisions on the spot out in the client
  workplace
• A managed and agreed shift in responsibility and
  process - capacity for effective action
• Managerial mindset change from control to
  facilitation and guidance

14
Projects in the raw!

• Strategic management was a more popular term
  among participants than change management -
  this is more about language than project
  objectives
• Recovering from project disaster demanded
  development of very useful skills and strategies
  and can be a positive