Description

The initiative addresses retention issues, unidentified high-potential staff, and risks related to succession planning, particularly where leadership and critical role pipelines are weak or non-existent. The goal is to create a transparent understanding of talent across teams, departments, and the entire organisation, what the succession plans look like and where there is risk. This creates intel for the whole organisation, so more opportunities are communicated towards high potential staff – including outside their own team/department.

Who

Senior Leaders and Operational/front-line leaders provided feedback to an Organisational Development consultant. Approximately 180 leaders and other relevant staff participated in the process. The Executive team is fully committed to this initiative.

How

The Organisational Development consultant met with Department Leadership groups to map staff on a matrix, providing solutions on how leaders can better support and develop their teams based on their positions on the matrix.

Regular meetings (every two months) with department leadership groups and periodic Directorate leadership meetings were established to discuss trends and broader issues. These sessions encourage open dialogue and collaboration among leaders, fostering a culture of shared responsibility and mutual support.

The initiative is ongoing, with plans to expand based on stakeholder feedback from the first phase.

Outcome

The initiative, whilst in its early stages, has fostered productive discussions within department leadership teams about their staff, sharing information that hadn’t been communicated before. This collaborative approach has led to a better understanding of team dynamics and individual strengths. Future steps include more collaborative discussions at the directorate level to explore secondments, acting roles, and other opportunities for staff to gain new experiences and understanding of different areas within the organisation, and the initial consultations have proven useful in shaping the methodology. The initiative is expected to significantly increase communication, understanding, trust, and collaboration across all parties, leading to improved consistency in handling issues and better support for high-potential staff.