Situation 

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The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is an executive agency sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. Its role is to protect people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, for example decisions about their health and finance.

 

The OPG identified a need to improve the future capability of its Senior Leadership Team during a period of considerable organisational change. People Vision were engaged to provide two facilitators (Sheila McAlpine and Rosanne Bernard) to carry out 1-2-1 coaching for 34 people using the Civil Service 360° feedback tool.

Challenge

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The aim of this project was that the SLT would:

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• Work together more effectively.

• Feel able to have open and honest conversations about the change programme.

• Drive the OPG to be more customer-focused.

• Encourage staff to seek continuous improvement.

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It was essential the coaches should have the credibility, skill and experience to:

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• Build trust and develop an immediate connection with coachees in a 90-minute 1-2-1.

• Build trust and develop an ongoing connection with members of the Executive Board, so that they would be open to challenge and be prepared to adapt their approaches to help the Board meet its objectives.     

Action

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Using Civil Service 360° feedback tool, Sheila and Rosanne worked with their coachees to help them:

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• Identify their individual strengths and areas where they could develop.

• Identify the strengths and weaknesses for the SLT as a whole.

 

Additional tools were used to support the coachees’ development, including:

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• Super teams – Best and Worst Team Continuum.

• Bruce Tuckman.

• Graffiti wall.

• Covey Time Management Matrix.

 

After a 4 week coaching programme, a half-day session was held with the SLT, reporting back on the results and starting work on actions to lead the team towards excellence.

 

Sheila and Rosanne also drew up a report for the Executive Group, with recommendations. Sheila facilitated a Board meeting to present this report and provide feedback on the outcomes of the work with the SLT. She later facilitated a second Board meeting to start work on actions specific to the Executive Group.

Results

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A variety of actions have been implemented as a result of the coaching work and Sheila and Rosanne’s recommendations, including:

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• An organisation-wide review of roles and responsibilities.

• A significant increase in the number of face-to-face meetings, with anecdotal evidence indicating a cultural shift towards open conversations and two-way feedback.

• Regular “lunch and learn” sessions.

• A small working group set up to drive continuous improvement across the organisation.

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Due to the success of this project, People Vision has since been engaged to provide further coaching for six members of the SLT.