A Different Approach

Yesterday, we had the final day of this year's Unpacking Your Chair programme at Newcastle University.  I have blogged before about this award-winning programme (click on the tag UYC) and also on the Futures programme which has been so successful at Newcastle, Essex and Cardiff Universities (cf various 'Futures' tags).

At the end of yesterday's event, one of the participants was saying that the programme had raised more questions for him than it had provided answers - and he and I both thought that was a good thing.

Which set me thinking about how these programmes differ from some of the more corporate leadership programmes I see increasingly in Higher Education.

The corporate programmes seem to me more prescriptive.  Work has been done to identify Leadership Attributes and articulate the University's strategy, and what is needed now is to get people to act accordingly.  So programmes are put together with clear learning objectives and a somewhat didactive philosophy.  Sometimes, it seems to me, corporate programmes are put in place as a solution to relatively isolated instances of under-performance or misapplied effort: rather than leaders dealing directly with the few people who are not contributing appropriately.

The approach we have developed is rather different, and I think rests on different assumptions.  We do not shy away from the didactic, in terms of sessions that teach about the University's finances, for example, or the University's or Faculty's expectations of the professoriate (on Futures and UYC programmes, respectively).  However, we provide such teaching by way of context: the underlying assumption is that participants will use that context to make their own decisions about how best they may contribute.

Thus a large part of our process is discursive: discussions of different perspectives and perceptions, different aspirations and strengths, and the different ways in which people may valuably pursue their own interests and strengths in ways which are congruent with the context and contribute to the institutional purpose.

There are several implicit assumptions underlying this approach. One is that, by and large, people wish to make a positive contribution to the organisation. A second is that academics will, and indeed should, pursue their particular areas of interest and play to (and build on) their strengths.  A third is that commitment and motivation are generated more by people freely subscribing to the institutional agenda than feeling that they are being expected to submit to it.  A fourth is that the mutual understanding, and indeed friendships, generated by this approach encourage a broader engagement with the institution, as well as being stimulating in a number of other ways.

It is harder, of course, to predict what precisely people will learn, following this approach; but the longer term follow-up we have done at both Essex and Newcastle has highlighted both that it is valued by participants over the longer term, (and credited by them with supporting or stimulating many and various achievements) and also that senior managers recognise the longer term positive impact of these programmes in terms of the increased energy, agency, and contribution of most participants.

This is very much a 'thinking out loud' post: I would be interested to hear from anyone who sees it differently, or has more to add: particularly if they have been involved in any of the programmes I have mentioned.

Startling creativity

A while back we had a chap called Gordon Macsween as a guest speaker at Essex Futures.  He went down so well that we invited him back.  His talk was memorable, entertaining and of real practical use.

All of which could be said of his new product, just launched - a wii for wee, or pretty nearly...  You play games by directing your...  well, that's enough detail I think.  Suffice to say that it's a men only game, for very practical reasons.

Initially I wondered if it was a joke, but a quick glance at the company wwwsite persuaded me that it has real commercial possibilities.

Astonishingly creative idea - and yet...

Please remember to wash your hands.

Evaluation Time

I'm currently doing a lot of evaluation.  Both Newcastle and Essex have asked me to undertake longer-term evaluation (ie of all cohorts to date over several years) of their respective 'Futures' programmes.  Indeed, they have agreed to share results and learning, which is good collaborative stuff!

We're starting with a Survey Monkey survey, to get some quantitative and some qualitative data, and then following that up with interviews, to enrich the qualitative.
I've also just completed a pilot, with two cohorts, of an Academic Leadership Programme with Northumbria University, and of course that needs to be evaluated too.

One of the issues, particularly with the Academic Leadership programme, is that the Learning Objectives were not tightly articulated at the start.

But Andrew, you gasp, why did you not do that?  It is text book stuff!

Well, perhaps - but perhaps the text books are wrong.  In this case, the reason was clear and, I think, right.  I wanted the participants on the event to have a large part in designing the programme as we progressed, to ensure that we were addressing the issues that they identified as most important to them.

It's a great way of ensuring both relevance and commitment (or 'buy-in' as I suppose the text book would have it) but it does mean you sometimes go in directions not initially foreseen - which is of course the point...

Essex Futures Final Day

Yesterday we had the final day of this year's Essex Futures Programme.

It was gratifying to hear participants reflecting on their learning over the year - nad also the many friendships forged - and also helpful to hear their ideas on improving the programme for the future.

We were joined for the day by some staff and recent graduates from E15, the University's Acting School, who helped us to prepare dramatic summaries of the projects that the groups have been working on over the year as part of their learning.

These were as creative and entertaining as ever, and were performed in the evening for an invited audience of the previous cohorts, participants' managers, mentors, guest speakers from earlier in the programme, and senior members of the University.  It made for a great celebration.

Essex Futures Media Training

I spent Wednesday and Thursday with the Essex Futures programme.  The Chancellor, Lord Phillips, gave an excellent introduction to the subject, based on his extensive, varied and eventful media career.  Then the University Comms experts brought us up to speed with some of the key issues they are addressing.

The rest of the two days were run by Karen and Kevin from  Mosaic Publicity.  On the first day, Karen took sus through the 5 Ps of podcasting, and participants made a number of innovative and entertaining podcasts about their projects.

Then on the following day, we were put through our paces in radio and TV interviews.  This is always both daunting and exciting, but everyone performed either well or excellently, and I think everyone found it both useful and enjoyable.  As last year, the Mosaic team were excellent - fun, informative and very practical

Essex Futures again

Thursday and Friday were spent with the Essex Futures crowd.  On Thursday we were discussing how to develop an academic career, with contributions from Cam Donaldson of Glasgow Caledonian and Nigel South of Essex, who discussed their own careers and the learning they could draw from them.  Sue Endean, the HR Director, helped keep the focus very practical with an exploration of the promotion process and a case study based on that, and I offered some provocations around the theme of time and priority management.

In the evening we went to see E!%'s production of Dracula, directed by one of last year's EF participants, Chris Main - and a good show it was too!

The second day was more focussed on research strategies, with Rob Massara and a team from the REO sharing their expertise and offering practical advice; and the day culminated in a Dragon's Den exercise, with participants pitching ideas to our visiting Dragons, having had minimal time to prepare the ideas or the pitches: but as ever they rose to the challenge, and came up with some great interdisciplinary ideas, and some compelling ways of pitching them.

And along the way we picked up snippets of how well their projects are going, and also heard some personal successes in the Action Learning Sets.

Another stimulating event with this very energising group!

How to make Governance interesting

A great day at Essex Futures yesterday.  Governance may seem a potentially dull topic, but we managed to put together a day which I at least found very interesting.  I think the participants did, too: there was certainly none of that glazed look one sometimes sees on such occasions.

We started the day, after a brief introduction by Colin Riordan, the VC, with Colin interviewing the Chair of Council.  Somehow this format made the delivery of information about the role of Council much more interesting than a straight presentation.

Following that, we used a World Cafe type format for participants to talk in small groups to the VC (at one table) the Chair of Council (at another), the DVC (at a third) and the Registrar and Secretary (at a fourth).  This was followed by summaries from three of them (the Chair having to leave for another appointment) and a panel-type discussion.  Again, this seemed a much more engaging format than presentations: and lot of ground was covered which might not have emerged through more traditional approaches, not to mention the more human type of interaction it encouraged.

After lunch, participants were given a real proposal that was presented to the University for a decision, and discussed, in small groups, what they would decide and why.  Their criteria were very good (though being academics, they wanted to defer the decision until they had more information...), and the Registrar was able to tell them what really happened...

Finally we had a presentation (the first of the day) from a visiting VC from another University: Dominic Shellard from De Montfort.  In a very open and informal way he discussed his experiences and then engaged in discussion with participants.

I certainly learned a lot, and trust others did too.

And the whole day without a single powerpoint slide!

Brian Hanrahan RIP

I was sorry to learn of Brian Hanrahan's death today.  He contributed to the Essex Futures programme last year and made a valuable and memorable contribution.  He was also kind enough to make time to talk to me about the book I'm writing, purely on the basis of that one previous meeting.  He was obviously an outstanding journalist, but what I remember equally was his kind, unassuming and generous spirit.

May he rest in peace.

A great week

As well as a good day's coaching on Monday and module two of Essex Futures, which went very well on Thursday, I have had a series of fascinating interviews for my book.

This week I have seen Marina Taylor, Philippa Stokes, Tim Melville-Ross, Luke Johnson, Sir John Ashworth, Doug Richard and Merdith Belbin.  Each brought a unique perspective to bear on my project and all were valuable.  I continue to be delighted with how generous busy people are with their time and their ideas.

But as to what they've told me, you'll have to wait till I write the book and buy a copy!  All I can say is that if I do them, their stories and their insights justice, it will be a great read.

Staying busy...

Had a fascinating interview with Marina Taylor at Akzo Nobel today: she told me a recent true story which will make a great case study for the book (suitably anonymised of course).  And before that I was talking with Peter Block in the US (one of my favourite writers) and Chene Swart of South Africa, who offered a lot of valuable insights and encouragement.

Off to London tomorrow for three more interviews, then to Colchester for the next Essex Futures event, followed by another interview, then to Cambridge on Friday for a couple more interviews.

I am learning so much, meeting so many fascinating people, and generally enjoying the process so much that there's a real risk I'll prolong the interview stage for ever and never write the thing - except I have also promised so many people I will, as an insurance policy against that temptation!

Essex Futures '10-'11

Just returning from the kick off event for the next Essex Futures programme.  Each year, Colin Riordan the VC, and I wonder if the new group can possibly meet the high standards of previous groups.

This year, once again, we were delighted to find that they could.  After two days of hard work, they have come up with very thoughtful presentations on leadership, forged real relationships with colleagues hitherto unknown, and developed startlingly creative and exciting proposals for the projects they will work on through the year.

We also had a very thought-provoking session with Essex alumna Philippa Stokes, who has just left a senior Personnel role at British Airways, and shared her perceptions and insights in a very open and honest way.

So I'm already looking forward to the next day of the programme, in December, where I'm sure they will attack the potentially dry subject of Financial Management with similar verve and enthusiasm!

The cycle continues

Down to Colchester yesterday, for two events.  The first was a planning meeting for next year's Essex Futures programme; chaired by the VC, the main contributors were a couple of reps chosen by this year's cohort, to give us feedback on what had worked well and what could be improved.  Althrough they didn't pull their punches, and gave us some clear indications of things to change, overall their feedback was very positive, and we had a most productive meeting.

The second event was a celebration: hosted by the VC, all participants from the first two cohorts of the programme were invited for a drink and buffet - and a viewing of the video diaries I made of both programmes.  It was lovely to catch up with everyone, and great to see the links starting to form between the two cohorts.  We are keen to support that, and hope that being a 'graduate' of Essex Futures will become a part of peoples' identity and a real boost to interdisciplinary networking etc.

Another Ending

It's that time of year: year-long programmes coming to an end.

Yesterday we had the final day for the Essex Futures Programme.  Participants were given some time to reflect in pairs or threes on the journey they've been on - and the one ahead.

Then we challenged them to work in teams to develop creative ways to express this, and as ever, the teams surpassed our expectation.

One team developed a University Challenged quiz, with the VC Colin Riordan, co-opted into the role of question master, and handed the questions to ask.  His respondents were all glove puppets.  It was well-scripted/improvised and very funny - and towards the end even addressed the question of what people had learned.

Another team presented the filming of an advertisement for Essex Futures, with people being rudely interrupted by the Director, asked to repeat things with more passion or sincerity, and so on.  Again, very funny and got some good learning points across.

The third team made an investigative documentary examining this waste of public money, with a wonderfully prejudiced reporter putting loaded questions to his interviewees and summarising outrageously what he wished they'd said.  Once more, laughter and learning went hand-in-hand.

Throughout the day, we had a team from East 15 filming the proceedings, and with lightning quick editing, they presented a documentary of the whole day for the assembled guests at the course dinner.

All in all a great end to a great course - and we are already planning next year's....

Hey Jude! - An inspirational head

Yesterday's Essex Futures day on Teaching and Learning was fascinating.  It was hosted by the Sir Charles Lucas School, and its inspirational head, Jude Hanner, who has turned a challenging school round successfully and told us how she had done so.  I am always humbled when I meet head teachers like Jude: the dedication, courage and sheer tenacity required to do what she has done are exceptional.

We also heard from the PVC for T&L, Andy Downton, who set the context - and some interesting challenges for the participants, and from Maria Fasli, a National Teaching Fellow and Head of School at the University, who shared some innovative approaches to getting learning internalised.

As usual, the other stars were the participants themselves, who came up with some great ideas for the T&L agenda, as well as bringing us up to speed with some excellent projects they have been undertaking as part of the programme, which are now coming to fruition, and their own personal journeys in the ActionLearning sets.

All in all, an extremely positive and enjoyable day: I am so lucky in the work I am asked to do, and in particular in the people with whom I work!

Media Training (2)

I was so busy name-dropping in the last post (cue solo trumpet) that I forgot to mention the real stars: all the academics and professional staff from the University of Essex. Through their practice interviews I learned a huge amount, about Alberti, that great renaissance polymath, Goal Setting and Dental Hygiene, making Art History more vocational (though I do have some questions about that), and pioneering research into Alzheimers' disease.

And that was only a quarter of the group (we were split into small groups for the practice sessions).

I love the diversity of specialisms, the expertise and the passion of these people! Leaders of the future...

Media Training

Excellent two days of Media Training as part of the Essex Futures Leadership programme I help to run.

Brian Hanrahan was a great interviewee, passing on a wealth of experience in a most enjoyable way, and Tony King was both informative and a great speaker.

Karen and Kevin from Mosaic who did the media training were excellent, and all present (including me) benefited from their support - and challenge.

We made several podcasts on the first day, and practiced radio and TV interviews on the second.

Ideas for Questions

I am due to interview Brian Hanrahan on Wednesday in front of the participants on a programme for early career academics at Essex University (brain child of the inspirational VC, Colin Riordan).

So what should I ask him? The overall themes of the programme are about leadership, team working, collaboration, and how academic life really works, and the specific theme for the day is using the media.

So any ideas for stimulating questions gratefully received!

Also, should I be more Desert Island Discs or Question Time (or Weakest LInk, come to that...?)

Interviewer interviewed

I am looking forward to turning the tables on Brian Hanrahan, He is attending a leadership programme I am facilitating for Essex University next week, and we will be interviewing him. Should be fascinating.