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Not just a tag line Jodieann Dawe Director, Research Development and Support Flinders University of South Australia. Flinders University – Quick Facts. Shanghai’s 2018 Global 12 th Global Ranking of Academic Subjects for Water Resources Water Resources.
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Not just a tag lineJodieann DaweDirector, Research Development and SupportFlinders University of South Australia
Shanghai’s 2018 Global • 12th Global Ranking of Academic Subjects • for Water Resources Water Resources
DRIVERS OF CHANGE Unprecedented global and national challenges for Australian Universities • UNIVERSITIES’ DUAL ROLE: PUBLIC TEACHNG AND RESEARCH INSTITUTION VS COMMERCIAL BUSINESS ENTITY* • CHANGES TO GOVERNMENT POLICY , FUNDING MODELS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORTING ON RESEARCH INVESTMENT • TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING THE WAY IN WHICH UNIVERSITIES OPERATE • GLOBAL MARKETS FOR RESEARCH FUNDING: INCREASED OPPORTUNITY BUT INCREASED COMPEITION • CHANGES TO STUDENT FEE STRUCTURES and Government FUNDING MODELS CONSTANTLY SHIFTING REVENUE STREAMS • INCREASED COMPETITION IN TERTIARY SECTOR • Non-UNVERSITY HE PROVDERS • GLOBAL COMPETITION FOR OFFSHORE AND ONLINE TEACHING • THE SHIFTING ROLE OF THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FOR SKILLING AUSTRALIA
DRIVERS OFCHANGE “As a result of recent changes, universities in the UK and Australia must ‘self-disrupt’ in order to remain competitive.” Ref: “Higher Education in the UK and Australia: A cross cultural discussion” Simon Lancaster, Nous Group, UK. www.nousgroup.com/insights/transforming-connecting/
Vision • To be internationally recognised as a world leader in research, an innovator in contemporary education and the source of Australia’s most enterprising graduates • Vision • Mission Mission Changing lives and changing the world
IMPLEMENTING CHANGE • To realise the 2025 Vision the Flinders’ Community realised we needed to undertake transformational change to: • Revitalise our organisational structures • Foster a culture of innovation and customer service • Achieve a more empowered and accountable work environment • Modernise our business systems and processes • Implement more agile and responsive decision making protocols But Change can be confronting and difficult
A NEW ACADEMICSTRUCTURE Replacing Two- Tiered Structure: Single Tiered Structure: 14 Schools 6 Colleges Faculties
RESTRUCTURINGPROFESSIONAL SUPPORT The Professional Services Project focussed on: • Optimising service delivery • Fostering a culture of innovation and customer service • Reducing system inefficiencies, duplication of effort and fragmentation of services • Providing greater consistency in research management and administration • Decreasing bureaucracy • Enable streamlining and integration of business systems and greater data sharing opportunities • Provide staff greater opportunities for professional development and cross skilling
MATRIX MODEL APPROACH Functional Teams Colleges and Portfolios
“The challenge is not so much to build a matrix structure as it is to build a matrix in the minds of our managers” Ref: Matrix Management: Not a structure, a frame of Mind, hbr.org/1990/07/matrix-management-not-a-structure-a-frame-of-mind
THE IMPACT ONRESEARCH SUPPORT Broadened remit of the research office with new functions: • Research Development and Strategic Partnerships • Researcher Training and Development • Commercialisation • Improved customer engagement and service offerings • Focus was on providing end-to-end support for researchers • Embedded College staff with centralised subject matter experts • Very flat management structure – provided big challenges • Name changed to reflect change in business objectives
RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORTSTRUCTURE SUBECT MATTER EXPERTS
MORE THANAN ORG RESTRUCTURE Challenges: • Ingrained ‘old’ culture • Change fatigue and grieving staff • Fear of the unknown work expectations • Lack of clarity regarding the matrix model, roles ad responsibilities • Lost corporate knowledge • Resistance to change • Communication within the RDS • Communication with our researchers and other professional staff • Culture change to focus on the customer • Changing the perception of the researches away from policeman or postbox value adding • Focus on how we provide end-to-end support for researchers
IMPLEMENTING CHANGE • Key approach: Communicate; communicate; communicate
IMPLEMENTINGCHANGE • Established a new name – Research Development and Support • Defined the new identity – brand, logo, marketing collateral, tag line • Delivered RDS Roadshow • Developed and distributed new RDS Brochure • 1:1 meeting with College Executives • Key senior business partner approach introduced
IMPLEMENTINGCHANGE • Two planning days (Mar and Sept) • RDS Matters – Internal Newsletter • Implemented regular team meetings; - RDS team meetings • Functional team • Cross functional (eg College support and Grants • Established the Strategic Leadership Team • Regular Professional Development for RDS (eg Design thinking and ARMS accred) • Re-implemented Performance Assessment and quarterly discussions • Provided opportunities for staff to provide constructive input and feedback
12 MONTHS ON • Tweaked the RDS Org chart and line reporting in response to staff and customer feedback • Consolidated team approaches to provide a greater focus on the research customer • RDS team members present on College Research Committees • Learned from Service Review Forums/Surveys about customer needs and implementing new approaches • Enhanced end to end service delivery through increased clarity of roles and responsibilities of RDS staff • Increased awareness by researchers of service and support offerings • Implementation of Research Activate; Researcher Induction and other Training and Development courses – >58 training courses to be held in 2019 • Productive relationships with all portfolios involved in research support and services
12 MONTHS ON • Developed an RDS Annual Operating Plan for guidance about goals and objectives • Based on a balanced scorecard approach • A productive RDS team with a greater sense of purpose inproactively providing research services and support which are valued
WHATS NEXT? • Reimaging the Research Ecosystem at Flinders University • Implementation of new tools including: 1. Research management system – ResearchNow (Pure by Elesevier) 2. ResearchNow – Ethics (Infonetica) • Process redesign for ethics; grants; contracts; data reporting ect • Refine the value proposition for service and support for the research community • Prepare for the next phase of continuous improvement……