ODI’s HPWI Programme Shows Promise

ODI has been rolling out its Callaghan Innovation-supported High Performance Work Initiative (HPWI) programme since October 2015 for the four organisations that have joined this inaugural programme. It is scheduled for completion by the end of calendar 2016. Indications are that it is providing good returns to the participant organisations, with potential for more as the programme rolls out.

We are very pleased with the level of client commitment to the programme and believe that the resulting focus on disciplined organisational development will bear both early fruit and a sustained harvest.

The programme is based on the holistic Burke-Litwin Model of Organisational Performance, from which 10 levers for high performance work have been derived. The 10 levers are:

  1. Customer information and relationship management
  2. Mission, vision and strategy
  3. Leadership behaviours
  4. Structure and organisation of work
  5. Culture and climate
  6. Finance and accounting
  7. Management systems and practices
  8. Performance management and rewards/recognition
  9. Learning and development
  10. Organisation outcomes measurement and reporting

To date, client organisations have participated in 10 diagnostic workshops in which they rated their own organisation against global best practice in each of the lever domains. As well as enabling diagnosis, the workshops also supported organisation learning and best practices information exchange between and within client organisations.

Each client organisation then identified two levers as the focus for the second phase of the programme. In this phase, consultancies are taking place to improve critical elements within the selected lever. Consultancies include:

  • defining the senior leadership behaviours required for achieving success and coaching for their development
  • completing a culture stocktake and preparing a plan to address identified gaps and issues
  • painting a picture of the transformed organisation and establishing a development roadmap to get there
  • creating a shared and owned purpose for the business
  • reviewing position descriptions and rewriting the performance appraisal system.

Each consultancy has transformational potential. Each is to be carried out in a way that maximises organisation learning, supports engagement and achieves agreed outcomes.

As we step into this second phase of the programme, client feedback tells us that organisation learning and heightened engagement are already taking place, and that positive expectations of improved organisational results following the consultancies are in play. Clients express the intention of continuing the high performance work journey beyond the completion of the current programme.

The third and final stage of the ODI HPWI programme is to document brief case studies covering the issues and outcome for each client organisation and to share that with the wider community of interest.

This programme will be run again in 2017. If you are interested in taking part or want to discuss the programme in more detail, please call us on 03 943 2373.