management user guide April 2008
management user guide April 2008 This is an interactive document. Use the arrows and tabs to navigate. Press Esc to exit.
contents Click to jump to a page FOREWORD...04...05 context for changes...05 what are the key changes?...05 corporate Planning...07 Timetable for Management...10 line Manager Responsibility...11 individual Responsibility...13 PLANNING...15 Team Planning...15 leadership Framework...19 Individual Planning Developing the Agreement...21 individual Planning Feedback Nominations...25 REVIEWING PERFORMANCE...28 review of Progress...28 managing Poor...31 moderation...34 EVALUATION...37 end of year...37 ratings Definitions...40 strategy for Leaders Career Development...43 SUPPORT MATERIALS...46 Grid...46 RACI Team Planning Matrix...47 effective Deliverables: the Leverage Matrix...48 giving and Receiving Feedback...49 Coaching...53 PERFORMANCE PORTFOLIO...57 agreement...57 Review of progress...58 Evaluation...59...60 internal Feedback Request Form...60 external Feedback Request Form...61 Improvement Plan...62
foreword Dear colleague Within this guide you will find the detail on our changed approach to management. These changes are not just about process, they are about us all understanding that providing strong direction in terms of goal setting, managerial feedback and career development has a positive and demonstrable effect on employee effectiveness and motivation. As Martin Davidson, our Chief Executive, wrote to senior managers recently, the changes aim to the shift we have to make in becoming a more commercially aware and delivery focussed organisation, with a clear purpose which all our staff understand and are able to contribute to. Your role as a leader, a manager or a member of staff is critical to the success of the organisation. I am confident that using the principles put forward in the guide will enable you to make the best possible contribution to the organisation and fully deliver on our commitments. With best wishes, Anne Wozencraft Director Human Resources 4
introduction Context for changes Why have we revised the Management Approach? As the British Council works in different ways, Management must adapt to underpin the changes we need to make as an organisation to work effectively and better the delivery of the business. The current system has been used since 2002. A lot of what we already have is still good practice, but there are some elements that have changed to ensure a better fit for our business. Aims of the revised approach The revised approach will allow us to: hold managers accountable for the effective management of their staff align individual/team with business objectives and organisational goals focus on achieving results as well as on how we behave give increased emphasis to individual development promote a culture of honest and rigorous appraisal of where discussions are a continuous process - not a separate once or twice a year task. Staff consultation A major element of the review leading up to the recommended changes was staff consultation. This included a global questionnaire to 800 staff worldwide, focus groups run in London and Manchester as well as a number of overseas offices and interviews with senior stakeholders. The aim of the consultation was to gather feedback from colleagues on how the organisation could strengthen management to reflect the mandate HR were given. Feedback received contributed in a large way to the revised approach to Management. What are the key changes? The key changes are given in the summary below and are structured around the management cycle of, and. Planning There will be a shared understanding of what the organisation wants to achieve and each individual must be able to see how their role contributes to meeting British Council organisational goals. To help line managers and their teams plan towards a common purpose and to align individual goals with higher level plans the following approaches to will be introduced: leaders and managers to promote management as an integral business process. Clear messages starting around February each year from business leaders on strategic direction and organisational will be cascaded through the British Council. Top management will hold their management teams accountable for the effective cascade of corporate targets to inform team and individual plans team will be integral to management and will promote a collaborative approach. Individual will not happen in isolation from team. Deliverables for individuals will only be agreed if there is a clear line of sight to the delivery goals of a higher plan all staff will have a which will replace our existing management documents. A Agreement as part of the portfolio will be drawn up by each individual in March to April each year. It will represent the agreement between the individual and line manager on what they will deliver during the year a formalised approach to feedback to encourage a more rounded view of an individual s 5
throughout the year will allow for comment on cross team/regional/project based work, where individuals work to, and for, a number of people all line managers will have a standard core deliverable in their agreements on managing their staff and they will be evaluated on this. Reviewing management will be instrumental to the creation of a new relationship between British Council and its staff. Leaders and managers will be held accountable for achieving results through their teams, and for demonstrating a management style that is open and honest and promotes continuous dialogue. Individuals will be responsible for self management of their and self development. Main changes will be: there will be less onerous form filling (although some will be needed). There will be more dialogue between the line manager and individual. The individual will lead on drawing up their agreement and preparing for job discussions using the Review of Progress part of the discussions on progress against deliverables will be rolling, rather than static and will be amended throughout the year to reflect the changing priorities for the team and business. There will be four job discussions per year; June/July, September/October, December/January and March. The March discussion will include the end of year and will have started for the following year regular dialogue on whether or not the deliverables and standards in the job description are being met will ensure that under is identified early. The management of will be a significant part of a line manager s work and how they handle poor will be subject to regular monitoring and from their line manager through their own job discussions. once the detailed proposals for talent management and talent pools have been agreed within the Strategy for Leaders (see later section) we will use the new Leadership Framework as the basis to aid discussions between line manager and individual on career aspirations and development activities. Moderation and Evaluation The end of year will be a simple summary of discussions held throughout the year and which have been recorded in the Review of Progress by the individual and agreed by the line manager. The will draw on feedback given by the agreed feedback providers. The new features are: five rating levels to take effect from the 2008/09. Five levels will better differentiate by splitting the Successful rating of the present system into three levels. The ratings are: Outstanding, Exceeds Expectations, Good Performer, Improvement/Development Required, Unsatisfactory the will focus both on results and evidence of the required behaviours, knowledge and skills in the Organisational Skills Profile (OSP) which will remain in use until further notice individuals will take the lead in providing an assessment of their own professional development for the current role throughout the year holding managers accountable for the management of their teams will be a core deliverable and one on which they will be assessed and rated to a more business focused management approach, a more robust and structured moderation process will be introduced. 6
Corporate Planning Overview This section outlines the Corporate Planning process and how it links with team and individual. Learning outcomes By the end of this section you will have covered: the corporate timetable what the corporate outcomes are what the corporate targets are. how corporate informs team and individual Responsibility Line managers will: communicate higher level corporate objectives to individuals and teams ensure that line managers in their line have communicated higher level objectives to their individuals and teams keep up-to-date with changing priorities in higher level plans Individuals will: keep up-to-date with changing priorities in higher level plans and how this will affect their own agreement where responsible for strategic, make sure they complete their plans and contracts by the required deadlines Process Why is corporate a component of individual management? A major aim of the new approach to management will be to ensure that individual is in line with organisational. Everyone should understand what the organisation is aiming to achieve and how they contribute to those goals. Therefore the organisation s approach to corporate and its outcomes will have a direct impact on individual. The process of corporate : the principles, the timetable, the outcomes, the targets and how it is communicated will be reflected in the approach to individual management. The Corporate Planning principles Corporate Planning will take as its starting point what we are trying to achieve rather than how much we have to spend. It involves clear statements of agreed targets and what will be delivered and these will be cascaded down from high-level strategic plans to individual plans. The plans for regions, countries, departments, units and by extension teams and individuals will have the following purpose: to show clearly and unambiguously what each part of the British Council is aiming to do 7
to form an agreement between managers e.g. Regional plans are an agreed contract between Director Operations and each Regional Director; Country Plans are the agreed contract between Regional and Country Directors; similarly a agreement is the agreement on what will be done during the year between line manager and individual together they will show how, organisationally, we will meet our corporate targets The Executive Board has set out three programme areas that we will work to over the next three years Inter-cultural Dialogue, UK Creative and Knowledge Economy and Climate Change. Already as part of the Corporate Planning process, Corporate Outcomes for each of these programme areas have been agreed. The Corporate Outcomes form the high level objectives for all our operational activities and hence will influence management throughout the organisation. Corporate Outcomes Inter-cultural dialogue Strengthen understanding and levels of trust between people in the UK and other societies Strengthen the consensus for rejecting extremism in all its forms Increase the ability of individuals and organisations to contribute to positive social change and the strengthening of civil society Increase the use of English as a tool for international communication and intercultural understanding UK creative and knowledge economy Increase the value to the UK of its share of the market for international education Enhance the UK s reputation as a source of expertise and a partner for skills development, including in the teaching and learning of English Strengthen the international profile and engagement of the UK s creative sector Increase the UK s contribution to international co-operation in research and innovation Ensure that every teacher and learner of English worldwide has access to quality language services from the UK Climate change Increase understanding of the case for tackling climate change Increase for the achievement and implementation of international agreements that address the threats of climate change Strengthen relationships and networks which lead to action on climate change mitigation and adaptation Corporate Targets After the outcomes and objectives the organisation wants to achieve have been set, there follows a process of high-level target setting, challenge and negotiation where it is agreed how, and by whom, those targets will be delivered. Setting targets is an iterative process, led by the ambition of the organisation and informed by the practicalities of the environment we operate within, the expectations of our stakeholders and customers and the opportunities for new business. At present our main corporate targets are: delivery of projects and programmes, with clear numerical output targets consistent annual income growth increasing our surplus from Teaching and Exams ambitious growth in partnership income reducing our platform costs as a proportion of our turnover These targets reflect the strategic direction that the Board of Trustees and the Executive Board has determined for the British Council. 8
In addition there will be many other types of target which will be vital to our success. For example, you may work in an area involving improving stakeholder relationships, providing business or implementing a new system. Your targets should reflect these priorities, for example what service levels your team will deliver. These targets then cascade though the organisation so there is a logical link between all the detailed work we do up to the top level results. Targets, outcomes, outputs and deliverables at all levels will be stretching and ambitious and take us in the direction we want to go as an organisation. Planning Timetable All parts of the organisation will work to a common set of deadlines for and by extension this will also apply to individual. In January, the Executive Board will make clear what the British Council wants to achieve at the highest level, but managers up and down the organisation will need to translate this into meaningful targets that will shape the work of teams and ultimately feed into individual job plans. Managers will be accountable for an effective cascade of corporate goals and targets to inform team and individual plans. Team meetings held in March and April will allow teams to plan and feed their objectives into individual agreements. Resources Click to go to resource Corporate Strategy and Intranet site http://bcnet.britishcouncil.org/cpp/index.htm 9
Timetable for Management February 2008 Regional Directors and UK business leaders agree high level organisation corporate Planning and Strategy issue templates to Regional Directors, Country Directors and Heads of UK Departments for high-level and success measures. March 2008 Regional Directors and UK business leaders discuss high level with senior managers April/May 2008 Individuals agree their deliverables, measures and feedback providers with line manager June/July 2008 Quarterly progress review September/October 2008 Quarterly progress review regional Directors and UK business leaders discuss achievement of high level plans with senior team leaders who agree how their teams will achieve the organisation required. Team takes place which feeds down to individual level. individual prepares for meeting with line manager to ensure deliverables have element of stretch, are linked to the higher-level plan of their department, country or region, determine measures of success and feedback providers. first review meeting between line manager and individual, progress against deliverables discussed and development. second review meeting, progress against deliverables and feedback discussed. Development discussed also. November 2008 Consider likely ratings senior managers consider two highest and two lowest ratings and ensure any under is addressed. December 2008/January 2009 Quarterly progress review third review meeting between line manager and individual. Likely rating discussed. January and February 2009 Team and department moderation team moderation meetings held in January. Departmental and regional moderation meetings held in February. March 2009 Evaluation for 2008/09 and for 2009/10 review meeting, which will lead onto preparation for following year after team. Individual prepares and considers achievements in development as detailed on form. Line manager requests any outstanding feedback. Rating given. 10
Line Manager Responsibility Overview This section describes the responsibilities of line managers in management. Learning Outcomes By the end of this section you will have covered: what the line manager is expected to do Responsibility Overall Line Manager March/ April/May manage the individual and/or team in accordance with corporate standards act as coach/mentor/facilitator to help individual/team to achieve their deliverables ensure there is continuous dialogue about take corrective action when a risk of deliverables not being met seek feedback from nominated feedback providers to inform the view of the individual s provide honest and continuous feedback help the individual to attain their development goals for the current year help the individual to look beyond their current role and assist with longer-term where appropriate using the Organisational Skills Profile (OSP). hold team meetings to discuss priorities for the year and team hold individual meetings to agree deliverables for each member of team discuss and agree feedback providers for each deliverable use the OSP to aid and development discussions. 11
Throughout year End of year engage in continuous dialogue throughout the year prepare for and hold quarterly meetings with individuals in June/July, September/October, December/January to discuss progress against deliverables and core standards of the job description pass on information on how British Council is performing to team(s) mutually agree any changes to deliverables set at the beginning of the year if an individual is not on track to meet one or more deliverables ensure put in at the earliest opportunity. Do not miss this action at a quarterly review meeting if an individual still underperforming complete a Improvement Plan to fully. Ensure this discussed with own line manager if still no improvement despite full consider disciplinary action be prepared and able to give a snapshot of progress for team in September/October be prepared for moderation meetings from January discuss and development requirements with individuals. hold individual end of year meetings in March with team members agree what deliverables were met, not met or exceeded and if all standards in the job description have been met use feedback to assess whether deliverables met or not and final rating discuss development required for the future write end of year form and pass to individual for signature provide signed copy of end of year to HR Services in UK or HR Manager overseas to record rating by end of May. 12
Individual Responsibility Overview This section describes the responsibilities you have as an individual being managed. Learning Outcomes By the end of this section you will have covered: what you are expected to do Responsibility Overall Individual March/April/ May be responsible for own areas of management prepare for meetings write up agreement and review of progress ensure help requested from line manager if there is a risk of deliverable(s) or core standards of job description not being met act upon feedback given provide honest feedback to line manager request help and act upon help in attaining development goals for the current year consider longer-term using the OSP. prepare for team meetings where priorities for the year will be discussed and team will take place prepare own deliverables after team meetings in readiness for individual meeting with line manager agree standards in the job description with line manager discuss and agree feedback providers for each deliverable use OSP to aid and development discussions. 13
Throughout year End of year ask for regular feedback from line manager prepare for and have quarterly meetings with line manager in June/July, September/October, December/January understand information given on how British Council is performing and what that means for team and self mutually agree any changes to deliverables set at the beginning of the year if not on track to meet one or more deliverables request at the earliest opportunity. Ensure this discussed at the next review meeting if a Improvement Plan is necessary to work with line manager to improve discuss development requirements and progress with line manager. prepare for end of year meeting in March schedule end of year meeting with line manager listen to and act upon feedback given prepare comments on development received during the year and how it helped to fulfil requirements of current role discuss development required for the future sign end of year form to state the meeting took place. This should be done in good time for signed copy of end of year to be sent to HR Services in UK or HR Manager overseas to record rating by end of May. 14
Team Planning Corporate Planning drives team. Teams will have higher level objectives which help the team in the team and individual deliverables. Overview This section outlines an approach that will align team, effort and with corporate and management. Learning outcomes By the end of this section you will have covered: why team is important the definition of a team the team process how team impacts and drives individual..... Responsibility Line managers will: liaise regularly with their teams for management purposes ensure that individuals within their line are aware of the teams they are part of and should seek feedback from ensure that their own team plan reflects higher level goals complete team plans in good time to complete agreements by the deadlines regularly review team. Individuals will: contribute to the team process in whatever team they are part of give constructive feedback upwards to team leaders on the team plan regularly review team with the rest of the team. Process Why is team important? As with Corporate Planning there is an organisational mandate to more effectively align team and with business objectives and organisational goals. 15
Although effective team working has always been important to the British Council, it has never formally been recognised as an integral part of the approach to management. With the growing need to work across traditional boundaries in multifunctional and multi-regional teams, even within partnership teams with individuals and managers from outside of the British Council, the importance of team and management is clear: to ensure team and individual deliverables are aligned with the organisational objectives to take a more open and transparent approach to where everyone has a common understanding of how they will be impacting the bottom line to identify strengths and weaknesses in teams and to plan team and personal development accordingly to make managers accountable for achieving objectives through their teams to integrate effective management with new ways of working to mainstream effective team-working throughout the organisation. What is a team? With the British Council increasingly moving towards new ways of working, taking a projectised approach to delivery, with project teams being formed and disbanded according to need, the definition of a team for management purposes is perhaps not as distinct as previously. A team may change several times during a reporting year as individuals become part of one team and stop being part of an old one, or part of several teams at the same time depending on the work they are doing. In simple terms the definition of a team for an individual may be the department, reporting team and/or the project team in which they work. Irrespective of the composition, location and size of the team, what is important is that the team is a group of individuals working towards the same deliverable, which in turn is linked to a higher plan, whether regional, country or departmental. Some individuals may be members of several teams (large and small) at any point in time, some may be part of the same team in the whole of the reporting year and some may be part of a much smaller team of two or three. By identifying the main stakeholders for the project/ work undertaken it will become clearer what teams individuals are being deployed to at any one time and who feedback will come from for the year. The link with corporate The timetable for and the process of team will be closely aligned to the process of corporate. From January onwards, when the Corporate Plan is communicated to senior management teams by the Executive Board, the process of team will start to take place. In February, senior managers will need to work with their own teams to develop their own strategic plans their contracts with the Executive Board. These plans will then be cascaded further down the organisation, so that in March and April of each year, teams across the organisation can meet to agree their own deliverables and targets that will enable the achievement of higher level plans of outputs, outcomes and targets. At the same time, this will allow team members to draw down their own individual deliverables that will contribute to delivering the team plan and hence the organisation should reach a position where team and individual deliverables are aligned with the organisational objectives and everyone has a common understanding of how they will be impacting the bottom line. Project team Project team has much in common with other forms of team and as such project teams will take much the same approach to. Project aims will be linked to higher-level objectives and outcomes. Measures of success will contribute towards higherlevel targets. The project manager will need to ensure that the whole team are working together towards the aims and objectives of the project, with 16
individual components, milestones and outputs from the project forming the deliverables within an individual s agreement. As with any other team, the project manager will be held accountable for the effective delivery of the project through their team The new approach to management will require both project team members and project managers to seek feedback from appropriate members of the team and this will be included in the overall. Team guidance This guidance is devised to help those team meetings that occur in the line, although the general information can be applied to any team at any level. Team leaders should set aside three hours for the first meeting. We suggest that they will need to send out the following information in preparation for the meeting so that team members are well aware of the proposed work and can begin to plan how they will contribute: Key management messages from the Executive Board and Global Leadership regional Directors and UK business leaders outcomes, outputs and targets for the relevant area information for the team to date Key issues team leaders want to highlight (drilling down from Regional Directors and UK business leaders objectives) Own deliverables as team leader Project aims (relevant to project team ). The agenda for a team- meeting will probably depend somewhat on the nature of the team, but the following items should be covered: Purpose of the meeting to ensure that the work of the team is linked to the objectives of the business and that all staff in the team are working towards what the team needs to achieve to the business objectives Key priorities for the team debate what it means for the team in terms of when and what work needs to be done (in what quarter of the year), what does the team need to focus on this quarter/year Population of team plan (example given below) Team plan The following example is based on the RACI Team Matrix approach, which clearly outlines who is responsible, who is accountable, and where appropriate, who needs to be consulted or informed: responsible these people are the doers of the work. They must complete the task or objective or make the decision. Several people can be jointly responsible. accountable this person is the owner of the work. He or she must sign off or approve when the task, objective or decision is complete. This person must make sure that responsibilities are assigned in the matrix for all related activities. There is only one person accountable, which means the buck stops there. consulted these are the people who will be called on for their input before the work can be done and signed-off on. These people are in the loop and active participants. informed these people need to be kept in the picture. They need updates on progress or decision, but they do not need to be formally consulted, nor do they contribute directly to the task or decision. The plan is designed to allow the team deliverables to be planned for the whole year and shared between the team, ensuring there are no gaps or duplication of work. The plan should be updated whenever necessary. As each deliverable will be put against an individual as a prime or shared responsibility the team objectives will be cascaded into individual deliverables, which will form the basis of an individual s agreement. The table will be used to track success, identify where barriers might be if the team are not meeting the deliverables (this will have been highlighted in the quarterly review) and will be a work in progress throughout the year as priorities change. Examples of how to populate a table are given on the next page: 17
Team deliverables Team members Link to higher-level plans Mgr T1 T2 T3 DHR TUS How will we measure success? To review the British Council s approach to Management To transfer the ownership of EWC to European management Deliverable 3 To act as a corporate change agent, designing and delivering broad HR interventions to drive organisational change and secure improvements in corporate To RDs in Europe in implementing the Europe strategy A R R R C C Project completed to standards and deadlines EB satisfaction Improved staff survey management indicators A R C european RD satisfaction minimal informal or formal industrial action taken on internal issue Deliverable 4 Deliverable 5 Moderation of team plans Once a team plan is drafted, managers should send it to all team members so that it can be reviewed. This will ensure that there are no gaps in the priorities for the team, that there are enough resources in the team to achieve the work and that all staff have appropriately challenging deliverables to put into their own agreement. If there are not enough resources in the team to achieve the deliverables the team leader will escalate this issue to the wider team management to identify options available to meet the requirements. How moderation of team plans and individual agreements takes place will be flexible and regions/countries and UK departments will decide how best to handle this. It is expected however, that management teams in country or in a UK department will peer review team plans within their area of work and teams will review deliverables for the team and individuals with line managers to ensure that they are stretching and appropriate. It is essential to ensure that deliverables are stretching to improve individual and organisational. Resources Click to go to resource RACI Team Matrix 18
Leadership Framework Overview This section is intended to familiarise staff with the Leadership Framework and related Career Pathways and outlines the use we will make of these tools in the, review and of staff in the future.. For the 2008-09 year staff will continue to use the existing tools such as the Organisational Skills Profile (OSP) to and development discussions in management. Learning Outcomes By the end of this section you will:..understand the principles, purpose and application of. the Leadership Framework and career pathways. in management..understand how we will use these tools to. the, review and of. in the future. Responsibility Line managers will: familiarise themselves with the Leadership Framework and relevant career pathways to, review and discussions within management. Individuals will: familiarise themselves with the Leadership Framework and relevant career pathways for individuals to, review and discussions within management. Background to the Leadership Framework The Leadership Framework and career pathways are being developed as part of a wider Strategy for Leaders that we will implement in full from April 2009. The framework will be introduced during 2008/09 to familiarise staff with the tool we will use as the main reference point for documenting evidence on leadership and in the future. Once it is completed the Leadership Framework and related career pathways will replace the Organisational Skills Profile (OSP) as part of the implementation of the Strategy for Leaders (see later pages on this). 19
Framework Levels The Leadership Framework covers all roles in the organisation at one of 6 different levels. At each level, the framework: defines the leadership requirements for a role at a specific level against four key areas : Delivering Results; Empowerment; Innovation; Professionalism outlines the main behavioural, skill and knowledge requirements for an individual working in a role at a specific level in September 2008 following further testing of the framework we will provide guidance on how different roles across the organisation can be mapped against the framework. Career Pathways A number of career pathways are being developed to provide more detail on the technical skills, knowledge and experience requirements that will career development discussions within management in the future. The initial set of career pathways being tested for completion by April 2008 comprises: Finance (financial management and management accounting) Human Resources Global Information Systems Contract and Project Management Programme Management Cultural Relations English and Exams Communications and Marketing (to be confirmed) Knowledge and Information Management (to be confirmed) Resources The Leadership Framework and career pathways can be accessed via the intranet. 20
Individual Planning Developing the Agreement Overview This section outlines how to draw up a agreement between line manager and individual. Learning outcomes By the end of this section you will have covered:..the outline of the agreement how to develop a deliverable agreeing feedback providers..the difference between the standards of the job and deliverables..how to develop a development deliverable. Responsibility Line managers will: have a meeting with each individual they manage to discuss the content of the agreement ensure that deliverables are SMART, stretching and aligned with higher-level plans ensure that deliverables are relevant and achievable in terms of time and resourcing ensure that agreements are completed by the required deadline take measures to ensure that all agreements within their line are completed by the required deadline regularly review the content of agreements in light of changing operational priorities. Individuals will: take the lead in drawing up their agreement make sure their deliverables are SMART, stretching and aligned with higher-level plans develop development deliverables that will better enable them to achieve the deliverables within the agreement complete the agreement by the required deadline regularly review the content of agreement in light of changing operational priorities. Process Overview The agreement is a shared understanding between a line manager and an individual. It focuses on what is expected of the individual and the investment the British Council will provide for their growth and development during the year. 21
The contracts between managers at the senior levels of the organisation are effectively agreements for senior management. These are then cascaded down through the organisation forming further agreements that are all aligned with the high-level strategic plans of the organisation. As with corporate principles, the agreement is not a static document it will need to be constantly reviewed with the changing priorities of the organisation. The agreement will guide both line managers and individuals through their discussions throughout the year. Aligning individual deliverables with higher level plans By and large deliverables will fall out of the team process outlined above. Teams will meet in March/April of the year and identify what their deliverables should be for the year. This will be informed by analysis of the team leader s own agreement; project plans; higher-level strategic plans; and the corporate plan for the whole organisation. Individuals in a team will then be able to see how they can contribute to the team plan and higher-level plans in terms of their own deliverables for the year. At the outset individual deliverables should be discussed amongst the team so that they are not made in isolation. The team can then review whether deliverables are relevant and stretching enough. They should also be able to identify whether there are any gaps between individual plans and what the team are trying to achieve. As with Corporate and Strategic principles, these deliverables shouldn t be static and should adapt to changing contexts. Teams, managers and individuals should continually discuss and review throughout the year, checking progress against deliverables and how they are being achieved, but also whether deliverables are still relevant and aligned with higher-level plans. In the same way entirely new deliverables can be agreed throughout the year. The Agreement Once the deliverables are agreed amongst the team, individuals should then write them up in the agreement document. The agreement is the central component of the portfolio a document that records the main points from discussions held throughout the year. The agreement contains the following sections: Deliverables to be achieved in the year a SMART statement of what will be delivered in the coming year. Depending on the nature of the job, there will probably 4-6 deliverables agreed in any one year the higher level plan each deliverable s each deliverable should have a demonstrable and documented link to a higher-level plan the measures used to demonstrate when a deliverable has been achieved there will be a mixture of hard measures linked to higher level targets and softer feedback-related measures linked to the Organisational Skills Profile feedback provider to recognise that individuals work with a wide range of colleagues and external partners, each deliverable should have at least one agreed feedback provider who can comment on the of the individual concerned. Feedback providers can be external or internal development plan this will focus on any development required to achieve the agreed deliverables both results and behaviours, referenced to the OSP. There should be a clear, demonstrable benefit to the business and the individual in terms of. SMART deliverables The agreement is designed in such a way that when writing up the deliverables they should meet the SMART criteria: Specific deliverables should be clear and concise statements of what will be delivered 22
Measurable measures that demonstrate when a deliverable has been achieved should be defined in the how will I measure column Agreed the deliverable is agreed between the line manager and the individual and is achievable Relevant all deliverables will include a reference to a higher level plan Time-bound deliverables must indicate when in the year they are expected to be achieved. Planning for Deliverables: Impact v Influence When setting deliverables it is useful to think about where best to target our efforts the most effective deliverables are those that will have the biggest impact on the business and are within the individual s sphere of control. Clearly the most effective and motivational deliverables are those with the highest impact on the business and where the individual has complete control over their achievement or otherwise. The leverage matrix in the section enables both managers and individuals to assess deliverables in this way. measures when agreeing measures consideration should be given to how these can also align individual with that of the organisation. In the same way that high-level plans and deliverables are cascaded down through the organisation, so are the associated targets and measures. within a project management environment, this may simply be the completion of a specific component of the overall project by the required deadline to a required standard. Within Corporate Services it might be about making a process more efficient to achieve a reduction in platform costs. Overseas it might be about raising a certain level of partnership funding income. another way to align measures and targets will be with the Scorecard, which covers a range of measures, which are linked to the overall of the organisation These measures can also be applied at the individual level: the impact we make customer satisfaction reputation stakeholder efficiency outputs such as audience numbers effective leadership. finally in the area of measures, reference to the OSP will managers and individuals in both setting appropriate deliverables and identifying behavioural indicator measures associated with effective. Feedback providers The process of identifying feedback providers and using feedback in the management process is a much-expanded component of the new approach and is considered in a separate section below. 23
Example of a deliverable Deliverables to be achieved in this year (must be SMART) What higher level deliverable does this? How will I measure my success? Who will provide feedback on whether I have achieved this deliverable? To produce an a new approach to management report on the review for the HR project board by December 2007. The report should include an outline of the consultancy outcomes and recommendations for a new approach To review the British Council s approach to Management (HR Management Plan) report finished on time and to the required standards positive feedback from project board recommendations accepted by project board and HRMT Director HR one project board member The role of the job description Job description duties and standards will still be a part of the management process. In many respects, individuals and managers will use the job description to help them structure the deliverables that will be the priority for the coming year. It is acknowledged that not all duties and tasks in a job description can be caught in a deliverable but they still have to be carried out for the individual to be effective in their role. The standards of the job description will not be assessed in the same way as the deliverables. However, they must be discussed at the quarterly review meetings and the end of year. It is important that the line manager comments on how well they were met or where they were not met and if any behavioural competencies or skills in the OSP could have been used more effectively. Line Management deliverable All line managers will have a mandatory deliverable on managing staff. Adding a deliverable Deliverables can be added at any part of the year as long as individuals have the capacity to undertake the work. Resources Click to go to resource The agreement Effective deliverables: the leverage matrix 24
Individual Planning Feedback Nominations Overview This section tells you why and how we use feedback in Management Learning Outcomes By the end of this section you will have covered: agreeing feedback providers for your deliverables with.. your line manager in your agreement when feedback will be sought how the feedback will the end of year.... rating. Responsibility Line managers will: discuss and agree feedback providers with the individual at the stage of a deliverable request feedback at the agreed time, which will be when the work was completed, the milestone reached or before the end of year discuss the feedback when received from the provider with the individual. Individuals will: provide line managers with a list of feedback providers for each deliverable at the stage act upon the feedback. Process Why use feedback? There are two main types of feedback in management: positive feedback (praise) which tells the individual/line manager what they did well; and constructive feedback (advice) which tells them what they need to change and how. To be able to improve individuals and line managers need to be aware of what they are doing well and where there are areas for improvement. Good use of feedback will underpin a more robust approach to people being responsible for their own achievements. Additionally it will be particularly useful in recognising the work individuals do across the British Council when they are not working directly to their line manager for a specific project or piece of work. Line managers and individuals are still expected to give and receive feedback during the year and in discussion meetings Agreeing feedback providers Individuals will prepare their deliverables after their team meetings. For each deliverable they 25
will suggest at least one feedback provider to their line manager. Once agreed with the line manager, the feedback provider(s) will be listed on the agreement for each deliverable. Feedback providers will be a balanced range of internal and external (where appropriate) stakeholders, chosen to give a full picture of the individual when the whole of the is considered. They will be the key people an individual is working with for each deliverable, for example: for a project, feedback providers would be the project manager or person working with the individual most on the project; an external stakeholder and/or internal peer for internal or external customer service deliverables, feedback providers will be the contract manager or an important recipient of the service whether internal or external for the mandatory deliverable that all line managers will have on managing staff, they will include two direct reports. To ensure feedback providers are not swamped with feedback requests at the end of the year (March/April), feedback will be sought at the point of a milestone being reached or a project or piece of work being completed. Dates for collecting feedback must be agreed between the individual and line manager. The individual will contact the feedback provider, whether they are external or internal to the British Council, to let them know that feedback will be sought by the line manager and when. If a feedback provider wishes to decline giving feedback they must discuss this with the individual and suggest the most appropriate person to give feedback for that deliverable. The individual will then agree the new feedback provider with their line manager, contact the new feedback provider to let them know when the feedback will be sought and update their agreement with the name of the new feedback provider. If and when a new deliverable is added to the agreement, new feedback providers will be agreed in the same way as described above. Collecting feedback The line manager will contact the feedback provider by email attaching the relevant feedback form, either the external feedback form or the internal feedback form. Examples of the forms are given in the of this user guide. The feedback will be emailed or given directly to the line manager. The line manager will discuss the feedback with the individual either at a quarterly review meeting or when the feedback is received. The feedback provider can copy their feedback to the individual, or the individual can ask their line manager for a copy of it if they wish. As the feedback provider will usually be in contact with the individual during the time the deliverable is being worked on, particularly if the deliverable is a project or part of a project, there will already have been discussions between the feedback provider and the individual on the deliverable. If an individual is not on target to meet a deliverable and the line manager does not manage that area of work, the feedback provider must discuss this with the individual rather than wait until feedback is sought from the line manager at the agreed time. The feedback provider should then discuss the issues with the line manager as the line manager manages the individual, not the feedback provider. An example of how this would work is: individual managed by John but working on a project for Sarah individual does not perform well on the deliverable that Sarah is accountable for sarah discusses this with individual but also gives feedback to John John discusses with the individual and looks to development in skills or behaviour to get the deliverable back on track. If the feedback is negative when it is received, the line manager must discuss it with the individual as soon as possible rather than wait for a quarterly review meeting. This is to help both line manager and individual to work out the difficulties of that deliverable and determine what is required to achieve success, whether this is a change in timings or development in skills and/or behaviours. 26
Where feedback gives evidence of poor action must be taken to improve the, e.g. improvement plan. Collating feedback for the meeting and form In preparing for the end of year meeting the line manager will ensure they have all the feedback from the agreed feedback providers. They will use the themes of the feedback and discuss with the individual at the end of year meeting together with their own observations and working experience of the individual. The line manager may quote or record key pieces of feedback on the form. The feedback will be used to help the line manager come to a decision on each deliverable and therefore an overall rating. The feedback provider does not provide an assessment of the deliverable in terms of met, exceeded or not met. This is for the line manager to do, based on the feedback given. This means that feedback must be full and comprehensive to enable the line manager to rate the delivery. Resources Click to go to resource Internal Feedback form External Feedback Form Giving and Receiving Feedback 27