Strategic Leadership Team Update
Date:
March, 2009
Subject:
This is the first in a series of regular (monthly) briefings containing
University-wide updates for all staff
Briefer:
Briefing guidance:
This briefing contains a summary of high-level, key messages to be used
by the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) to support your face to face
communications with your direct reports.
It is a balance of positive and challenging (bad) news.
It should be communicated verbally to your direct reports – and not
circulated by email - and should provide an opportunity for them to give
you feedback on the content
You should also add your own content, which is relevant to your support
division, faculty or area of expertise
The briefing should enable your direct reports to brief their own people on
the important issues facing the University
Encourage your direct line reports to add more localised information
which should still be delivered verbally at each stage of the cascade
Allow at least an hour for the sharing of information and feedback
Communicate with passion and conviction and stay “on message”.
Highlights this
month:
1. Arrival of VC Designate
2. Staff experience survey update
3. The need for change: Project Headroom and ROV
4. Vision and values
5. HEFCE grand settlement
6. National Student Survey
7. RAE outcome
8. Widening Participation
9. New Chancellor sought by University
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The reason for the
introduction of
briefings:
The University acknowledges the need to keep its staff informed. Staff
perform better when they are involved and when they have an open and
honest dialogue with their leaders.
Organisations which communicate effectively are 4.5 times more likely to
report higher levels of employee engagement than those that
communicate less effectively.
Involvement creates “good will” and staff are prepared to go the “extra
mile”.
Results of our recent staff survey show that only 39 per cent of our staff
are engaged.
In addition, the SLT has highlighted three strategic priorities:
 Leadership at all levels
 Management of change
 Non-pay related recognition.
It also acknowledges that only 52 per cent of staff are satisfied with
communications at the University-wide level.
To begin to address this issue, the SLT is now introducing a regular
(monthly) briefing with a view to the information being cascaded down
through the organisation, and where team briefing processes already
exist, to provide the strategic, high level overview of University activity.
This briefing will supplement the Vice-Chancellor’s monthly newsletter
and US Online on the Staff Channel.
Business updates
1. VC designate
The new VC designate, Professor Martin Hall joins the University on 15
April, 2009. From this date until 1 August, he will shadow VC Professor
Michael Harloe who will continue to be responsible for the leadership and
management of the University as Chief Executive Officer and HEFCE
Accounting Officer until the end of July.
The current management and reporting arrangements will also remain in
place until 1 August, when the SLT and other management
arrangements will transfer to Professor Hall. Our VC designate will be
based in the Old Fire Station. Arrangements are being put in place for
him to meet staff in different parts of the University.
2. Staff experience survey update
More than 300 staff attended presentations by SLT members on top-level
findings of the research throughout February. The presentation was also
uploaded onto the web site: http://www.staffexperience.salford.ac.uk/
Next steps are to communicate the local (School and Divisional) results.
How we respond to the results and feedback, and the improvements we
put in place, are crucial if we are to improve levels of engagement and
satisfaction in the University.
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The Staff Experience Survey Action Group, chaired by Keith Watkinson,
HR Director, will be addressing how best to respond to the issues and
questions that were raised at the briefing sessions. In addition, the Group
will be looking at the three strategic priorities and what needs to be done
at a university-wide and local level.
3. The need for change
The University has seen a significant amount of change and
reorganisation during the last five years.
Competition in the higher education sector has never been so
challenging and with the current economic climate becoming even
tougher as the recession continues to bite, we must do what we can to
ensure that our University survives and prospers
Two significant initiatives – Project Headroom and the continuation of
ROV – are examples of the type of change staff are experiencing which
we want to update you on.
Budget Review – Project Headroom update
As you know the Budget Review, called Project Headroom, has been
undertaken to identify savings in 2008/09 of around £7.5million, with
further cost savings of £5 million over the following two years. Our
financial status is fundamentally sound, but our SLT has had to take
action – fully supported by the University Council – to achieve the
financial headroom necessary for the sustained level of new investment
required to assure our future
It is proposed that these cost savings may result in around 150 job losses
across the University. This will not erode the quality of educational
services to our students. We are endeavouring to achieve these
proposed reductions by voluntary means. We cannot however rule out
compulsory redundancies.
The savings realised in Phase 1 were achieved through the voluntary
severance and deletion of vacant posts and the remainder of the savings
required were carried over into Phase 2. This has allowed us to continue
to seek redeployment opportunities for those roles that remained at risk
at the end of Phase 1.
We have received an encouraging number of voluntary severance
applications from across the university and we are currently working very
hard to match the voluntary severance requests to the roles that are at
risk within the affected areas.
The requests that have been received are from both affected and nonaffected areas. As we progress with decisions relating to voluntary
severance applications we continue to examine the remaining requests
to establish if they will provide “bumping” opportunities for those staff that
remain at risk.
It will take the University time to ensure that all options have been
considered fully and it is hoped that we can work with the Trade Unions
to begin to release the voluntary severance applicants after the 16 April
2009 - this being the anticipated date for closure of the statutory 90 days
consultation with the Trade Unions.
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We may still be exploring ‘bumping opportunities’ after 16 April 2009 and
though subject to discussions with the Trade Unions we would hope that
this would not delay the leaving dates of the voluntary severance
applicants.
It is important that you know that to support staff, the University does
offer a free, confidential, independent, 24-hour employee support helpline
which can be accessed via this link:
https://www-personnel.salford.ac.uk/static/ESH.php
Realising our vision (ROV)
Under the ROV process a number of significant changes have taken
place in the University over the last two years involving governance, the
structure of the SLT, the creation of professional services and academic
management
The next stages of this review are taking place at the moment. John
Lauwerys, formerly Registrar of the University of Southampton, will soon
be submitting his final report to the SLT following further discussions with
staff in the University. ROV is expected to be completed by October,
2009.
4. Mission Vision and Values
The University has looked in depth at its performance over the last five
years, through its “Rethinking the University” and “Deciding the Future”
initiatives which focused on the need for reform of its governance,
management and professional and corporate services.
ROV acted upon these recommendations and through this change
process has put in place a leadership team in the senior and middle
ranks of our academic and professional and corporate services teams.
Building on ROV, work on defining our vision for the future and our
values is nearly finalised, and the SLT will be sharing this with the senior
management team at its Spring retreat (on March 26 and 27.)
5. HEFCE grant settlement
We have now received the full details of our grant settlement from
HEFCE. We are disappointed with the outcome as our grant will rise by
only 0.6 per cent or £338,000, whereas the average for the sector is an
increase of 4.1 per cent.
The details of the grant are complex but in relation to the teaching grant
there is a new element which tries to combine a measure of teaching
enhancement and student success. This new element plus other
changes relating to student numbers appears to have lost the University
about £1.2m in funding. We need to check all of this and ensure that we
have not been underfunded for teaching.
But one important element that continues to penalise us is our poor
retention rate.
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6. National Student Survey
We have to improve our student retention rates and this, plus improving
our scores in the National Student Survey, has to be the first priority for
Schools and Faculties in the immediate future.
One of the crucial elements that determine our league table position is
our rating in the National Student Survey and we have been working hard
to improve our scores in the survey and most importantly to address the
aspects of our teaching and learning that need improvement.
As at 23 March, 2009, we are now 1.69 per cent up on the results for the
same time last year for the institution - an overall response rate of 44.58
per cent.
7. RAE outcome
The outcome of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and the new
funding methodology has not been positive for us and our grant for
research income has shrunk by £957,000. That’s 11.5 per cent.
There is a need for a revision of our research strategy and our PVC
(Research & Innovation) Professor Ghassan Aouad, will be bringing
forward a new strategy to reshape how we manage our research going
forward.
8. Widening Participation
A new, radical widening participation strategy has now been developed
following a review of widening participation (WP). This new strategy will
provide a framework for WP activity at all levels and across all academic
departments and professional divisions of the University.
The main aim is to provide a high quality learning and working
experience and ensure that we open up new opportunities for learning to
all who can benefit from them.
9. New Chancellor sought by University
We are now looking for a new Chancellor. The five year term of office of
our Chancellor, Professor Sir Martin Harris, ends on 31 July 2009. Sir
Martin has indicated, regretfully, that he will not be seeking a further term
of office owing to obligations arising from his recent appointment as
President of Clare Hall Cambridge and other commitments.
Nominations are being invited from staff and from students by no later
than Friday 27 March 2009. Recommendations can be forwarded in hard
copy or electronically to: a.m.purnell@salford.ac.uk
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Faculty/Divisional
communications
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Record of notes
and feedback
from briefing
session:
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