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CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Perception of LtD
7.1 The general consensus is that Leading to Deliver is perceived as being 'unique' and a ' luxury' by both participants and line managers. The LtD brand is perceived as having an excellent reputation associated with it and there is a real kudos attached to participation and the fact that it leads to a formal qualification. Both participants and line managers are favourably inclined towards the programme overall.
7.2 The main strengths of LtD appear to be in the fact that it is accredited and in the quality of the delivery of the programme, in particular, the lead facilitator. Although some did not like his apparent ' evangelical' approach to facilitation, the majority described him as ' dynamic' and ' inspirational'. External speakers were regarded less favourably due to their perceived lack of knowledge of Social Services or the public sector more generally.
7.3 The main criticisms levelled at the programme, however, focused around the issue of the e-learning aspect of the programme due to difficulty with access and/or the fact that some participants consider themselves as not particularly computer literate. Consequently, this is perhaps not a suitable component of the learning package and the replacement of this with other methods more suited to the profile of participants should perhaps be considered if the programme is rolled out to future cohorts. If this element was retained as part of the programme, alternative solutions would have to be put in place for some, e.g. physical access to a library, or indeed IT training.
7.4 The other aspect of the programme which was similarly criticised was the accommodation provided during the residential phase of the programme. In spite of the negative review of the accommodation, participants nevertheless think that the residential element was generally a successful phase of the programme. In particular, due to the fact that it provides them with the opportunity to network via access to the syndicate groups. The majority agree that syndicate groups provide a great support mechanism - particularly in the absence of line managers' support or mentors. In addition, it also gave participants the opportunity to focus on the course away from distractions, either in the workplace or at home. Access to syndicate groups is key to the development of Leading to Deliver in the future.
7.5 As one would anticipate there were mixed views with regards to the content of the programme. It is inevitable with any course where there are attendees from different backgrounds and experience that some will be favourably inclined towards the content while others might find it repetitive, particularly if they have participated in other similar programmes. Consequently, the important consideration with regards to modules is to try and get this balance right.
7.6 One of the key issues of the programme for some participants was the lack of line manager engagement and involvement. Less than half attended the line manager workshop and many participants relied heavily on mentors and/or syndicate groups for support. The exception to this appears to be in instances where line managers themselves have participated in the programme. It is important to ensure that line managers and employers take more responsibility in the future for supporting participants other than releasing their staff from the workplace to attend.
Sustainability of LtD
7.7 On the subject of the programme's sustainability in the future, the overall consensus is that it provides high quality leadership training otherwise not accessible to employees within Social Services. As previously cited, participants' strong opinion on this is encapsulated extremely well in one participant's comment on the subject: ' the future of Social Services is bleak without LtD'.
7.8 Consequently, it is deemed extremely important by the range of stakeholders consulted that delivery continues across future cohorts to enable other employees and their respective organisations within which they work to benefit in the same way that participants of previous cohorts have. Although some organisations have commissioned management programmes to be delivered internally or have sent employees on other programmes these are generally deemed to be poorer substitutes in comparison.
7.9 The consensus is that the benefits accrued to both participants and line managers far outweigh any costs incurred. Participants are now better equipped to be adaptive leaders and are increasingly motivating in their relationships with other members of staff. In fact, participants have described the programme as 'life changing' as they have not only implemented a different approach to their working life but also within their own personal lives.
7.10 Apart from anecdotal evidence it is difficult to assess the degree to which the programme has had an impact on service users to-date. Although there has been an obvious move by some employers towards having a more inclusive consultative approach with service users in relation to the provision of information and in improving service provision per se, more tangible benefits will perhaps become more apparent over time in the future.
7.11 Although the consultations with the range of stakeholders in relation to LtD have been extremely positive in that the consensus is that it should continue to be rolled out in the future, the project team responsible for managing the programme have concerns about the impact and reach of the current programme. In the main, this is due to the fact that current funding levels only reach 100 people per year. This raises the question as to whether this is good value for money in comparison to other interventions. Given the huge cultural and service changes that Changing Lives demands, the question has been raised as to whether developing just 100 participants per year will have the level of impact required to drive the change agenda forward.
7.12 In view of the size of the sector itself it is felt that the programme should perhaps be re-designed in such a way as to improve its impact and reach. One option is to have it partially subsidised rather than fully funded. This, however, will have implications on who will be able to attend any future courses. Although some of the larger local authorities may be in a better financial position to fund some of the programme, the smaller voluntary sector organisations are less likely to be able to send employees onto the programme if it is not fully subsidised.
7.13 In order to ensure that there continues to be not only a mix of both national and smaller regional public and voluntary sector organisations participating, but also an increase in the number of employees attending the course in any one year, the current design would have to be designed in such a way as to reduce the overall unit cost thereby making it more accessible to a larger audience.
7.14 With this in mind, potential new design options presented to previous participants and line managers revealed that the favoured alternative approach, albeit by two in five respondents, would be to have the programme delivered on a local and/or regional rather than on a national basis, thereby eliminating the need for the residential element of the programme. The residential element of the programme currently accounts for around 30% of the total cost of the programme. Around one in four suggested that more content could potentially be delivered through distance learning supplemented by locally based tutor support. Of course, individuals all have very different learning styles and it will be difficult to design a programme which accommodates all learning styles.
7.15 Any new design option may, of course, have a detrimental impact on: (i) the overall appeal of the programme; (ii) the degree to which it is suitable for participants with different learning styles; (iii) the degree to which participants can reasonably expect to complete the course within a reasonable timeframe. In particular, the impact of implementing these options will mean missed networking opportunities and in the case of the distance learning option participants having to make study time may impact on their ability to complete the course.
7.16 If the intention is to roll out the programme in another way in the future, consideration needs to be given to achieving a balance between increasing reach and ensuring that this does not have a negative impact on the positioning of the brand.
Recommendations
7.17 Key considerations which need to be taken into account in developing and delivering an alternative version of LtD to facilitate wider reach include:
- the inclusion of the programme's Unique Selling Points ( USPs), e.g. facilitators and the accreditation;
- opportunity to network, i.e. form syndicate groups;
- the change project.
7.18 With this in mind, it is suggested that if delivery is implemented on a local and/or regional basis that participants are provided with an opportunity to develop syndicate groups. This could be initiated through a national event or conference at the beginning of the programme. These could potentially be followed up with another event half way through, or alternatively at the end of the programme. The inclusion of a national event in the design of the programme will ensure that participants are given the opportunity to identify other attendees either within, e.g. the same sector, the same service provision, or with similar change projects.
7.19 In the absence of any residential element of the programme, the onus would be on participants to maintain contact, i.e. face-to-face, telephone or online ( i.e. email discussion forums), with other members of any syndicate groups formed over the course of the programme.
7.20 In the event that a more regionally or locally based approach is implemented, this will have implications for who could potentially be responsible for delivering the programme. It may be difficult for one set of facilitators to deliver the programme on this basis. One resolution to this would be to have a series of facilitators across Scotland. It would, however, be imperative that facilitators are trained to deliver the programme to ensure that the LtD brand is not impacted in any negative way. Current facilitators have built up experience over the last 5 years and would be in a good position to train others up to the same level.
7.21 Conversely, it is suggested that in an attempt to engage more line managers at an early stage a regional rather than a national event is organised. Although it will be more labour intensive to organise regional events this may go some way to increasing attendance, particularly in view of the busy workloads which line managers will invariably have and, indeed, the distance required to travel for some at a centrally based national event. It would appear that line managers may have to be incentivised in some way to attend, i.e. they have to have a good reason to motivate them to attend.
7.22 In going forward, it may be worth considering a multi-pronged approach to delivery to take into consideration the different learning styles of future participants. In view of the busy work schedules of many individuals it may be more suitable for some to opt for the distance learning option. This would facilitate the potential to adopt a modular approach over a longer timeframe, i.e. Whereby participants obtain a portfolio of credits for ' stand alone' modules. A qualification would only be attained on receipt of all credits.
7.23 It is suggested that any re-design does not alter the basic content of the modules as satisfaction levels were relatively high. Different employees benefit from different aspects of the modules content. In view of the criticisms levelled at the programme in relation to the intensity and volume of work this is one area perhaps were a revised design may consider alleviating the pressure of workload, e.g. either by reducing the content covered or by expanding the programme schedule within which participants have to complete the course.
7.24 The accreditation is perceived a vital and integral part of the brand. As such it is recommended that this is retained in any future design option. However, as some participants did feel alienated when assignments were being marked, it is suggested that perhaps they are given the opportunity to visit both the university responsible for accrediting the course, but equally important the tutors themselves.
7.25 It is recommended that if the project management team do, indeed launch a revised version of LtD that this is evaluated after the first year to establish whether there has been any impact on the position and image of the brand. The evaluation will further assess whether any changes need to be made to any new design in going forward.
7.26 In addition, it is suggested that part of the objectives of any new design of the programme should include targets in relation to the minimum number of participants going through the programme over the foreseeable future.
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