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Agile Working Line manager’s Workshop - 2 hour session
Set up of the session: – 20 participants setting round 4 tables of mixed groups of managers (approx. 5 per group) ideally from
different service areas, flipchart on stand next to each group’s table with flip pens.
Timings
10 mins
Session
1. Introductions
AW
Content
Comments
- Facilitators introduce themselves and ask each person to share
their name, job role, department and what they are hoping to get
from the session.
- Project team member to make a note of
participants objectives – check covered
- Run through the objectives for the session reminding them what
we covered in the managers/leaders presentation.
- Show on SLIDE
1. Understand the new ways of working and what this means for
them and their team
2. Know how to engage with the transition to agile working and
their role in creating the desired culture.
3. Be able to communicate the new ways of working to their staff
4. Be prepared for questions their staff might ask them
5. Know what tools are available to deliver the process and know
where to get support
25 mins
LJ
2. What Agile Working
is/isn’t
Setting the scene about agile working at Bidborough House, what
is it, why are we doing it
- Not formal homeworking
- Able to work from different locations/desks
- Agile or static desks
- Input from project team member to provide
clarity about what the move to agile working
will mean and dispelling myths about what it
will not mean - SLIDE
- Making it clear where there is divisional
choice to adapt to local practice.
- No desk ownership
- Team neighbourhood
- Clear desk protocols
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Whole group brainstorm around 3 topics:

Why?

Possible benefits?

Possible drawbacks?
SLIDE
SUMMARY
Cover: Why – efficient use of space, improvements to PS service
delivery, enablers for 2034 including valuing staff, environmental
sustainability, financial sustainability; Benefits – flexibility for staff,
work where its best for you, choose different seat depending on
the work to be done and your mood, easier collaborative working
across and within teams -being able to sit together if required and
using technology; Drawbacks – loss of personalisation of space;
loss of consistency in neighbours; need to learn how to work with
less paper; potential loss of team cohesion; cannot manage
presenteeism;
45 mins
LJ
3. How can UCL
Professional Services
move to Agile Working?
Questions to line managers in groups to elicit:
 What concerns might there be about agile working?
 What solutions could there be?

Covers: myths such as “there won’t be a desk” – how to
correct misperceptions, facts from other implementations;
won’t be able to find people or be found new practices to
be agreed; start thinking now about reducing paperwork
and clearing desks now; ways to maintain team cohesion ;

How could I help myself/my staff to adjust?

Covers: take a positive approach; isolate the real issues
and demonstrate that they are being addressed; learn
(training) on how to manage flexible workforce; training on
the new technologies; sessions that allow people to air
- 2 questions on SLIDE to small groups –
(suggest 3 groups of people)
- Each group appoint a person to write up
answers to their question on flip/feedback to
plenary
- Small group discuss for 15 minutes
- Each group in turn to feed back to the
plenary group (20 minutes)
Whole group brainstorm on this question (10
minutes)
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concerns; communicate consistent messages in multiple
ways via multiple people
10 mins
AW
4. Managing barriers to
change
Introduction: People find change difficult, briefly list the stages re
Kubler-Ross,
- Brainstorm –Facilitator to ask people to call
out responses and write them up
Q: Why might people react badly to change like agile working?
- Ask for any views about these responses?
Cover: Fear of: change generally, lack of available desks. Loss
of: personal space/personalisation, storage/privacy, feeling of
belonging. Worry over longer hours, social isolation, reduced
team spirit, poor alternative work spaces, loss of desk = possible
loss of job, managers lack of trust over staff productivity, need
for presenteeism.
Q: What behaviours do supervisors, champions, senior managers,
and the project team need to demonstrate to support staff and
encourage open dialogue about issues?
- Think about the different messages you can
give which will enable buy in, reduce anxiety,
build trust etc
-
Suitable responses to negativity
-
Listen to the message not the tone
Cover: Listening, Open Q’s, Empathy, Patience
5 mins
AW
5. Manager’s Role in
Delivering Change
-
The importance of the supervisor in successful change
SLIDE
-
Clarify their role in this change:
Research shows that employees prefer to hear
messages about the personal impact of a
change, how it affect them and their group and
the effect on their day to day responsibilities
from immediate supervisors
o
Hold 1-2-1 sessions to identify individual issues and
work with champions and the project team to
resolve
o
Work with champions and senior managers to
agree local working practices and input into PS
wide working practices for Bidborough House
o
Support your staff to adapt to the changes
o
Adapt to the changes yourself
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15 mins
LJ
6. Line Manager’s
Checklist & Sample
Plan
o
Communicate between staff and champions
o
Be a sponsor of the change
Sample plan
Handout sample plan and checklist
Explain that it is for guidance only, not prescriptive
for protocols etc. mention examples :
– briefly describe the high level steps in the plan

Clear desk protocols
Checklist

Desk usage protocol
What is it for? To capture existing equipment and requirements, so
that the project team can identify how to provide a suitable set-up
at Bidborough for each individual and whether they will require a
static or flexible workspace.

Communications (location &
availability) protocol
Facilitator to present the checklist and explain that line managers
will be using it in a 1-1 with their staff. Electronic copies will be
distributed to be completed and returned.
Put the group into pairs and take turns to be the manager/member
of staff and interview each other, using the questionnaire,
complete to meet their needs.
Office etiquette (respectful working,
guidance for different areas) (5 mins)
Checklist:
In pairs for 5 mins each (facilitator to indicate
when time to swap)
Plenary discussion about the interviews (5
mins)
In plenary - discussion about how interviews worked – any unclear
questions, omissions? Any other points?
5 mins
7. Support for Managers
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Explain how the processes will work and the support in place:
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Champions are the first point of contact for questions or
issues, you need to keep them informed, they will
communicate back to you, does everyone know who
they are?
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Change management team working with and
supporting the champions (Lee, Annie, Rebecca,
Eileen) as part of the wider project team,
communicating across all the stakeholders in the
project, who report into PSLT.
SLIDE
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The wider project team will arrange for resolutions to
issues and may need to discuss in more detail directly
with you
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Senior managers are there to support you and promote
changes
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A dedicated website will have information and links,
FAQs as they develop and guidance on relevant
training.
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Drop-in sessions with the project team (dates tbc)
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