Opportunities Post Roberts: Implementing Change for Senior Managers11 March 2010

Event overview

Since the commencement of Roberts funding in 2003/4 significant progress has been made by institutions in enhancing provision of personal and career development opportunities for researchers.  It is recognised however that skills development is not yet permanently embedded in most institutions, and the loss of funding will seriously threaten the progress made - and that this could have a wider impact on the research base.

In order to thrive, and not merely survive, post Roberts, all institutions must view the move as an organisational change, and manage it as such. They will therefore need to define the change clearly, define the network, assess the risk, decide the transition approach and build the change plans.  For many institutions this will require some form of support.  This workshop will provide the starting point for this change process.

This highly interactive 1 day workshop is presented by Dr Caron King, a change expert who works with a large number of UK academic institutions to support the Robert's funded .  Participants will be supported to work up plans to enable them to:

• Define the change, including
  • Understanding the imperative to change
  • Defining the future
  • Clearly defining the solution
  • Assess the scope
• Define the change network
  • Understand who is affected, and who can help and hinder the change
  • Recognise other, simultaneous change demands
• Assess the risk, including the capacity of the organisation to change, the issues surrounding the move to a post Roberts world, and the key actions to mitigate the risks
• Agree the approach to making the transition
• Build a change plan
  • Communication plan, to create understanding
  • Involvement plan, to create ownership
  • Training plan, to create competence
  • Alignment plan, to create alignment with the rest of the organisation, and to create sustainability

Participants will also identify what additional support they will need to help them to facilitate the implementation of the transition from the current to the Post-Robert's future.

The workshop will also draw on the suggested funding options for research councils discussed at the recent Vitae Policy Forum.