raising the customer voice through genuine engagement.
3 minute read
We worked with a School at the Australian National University made up of a community of researchers and teachers focused on investigating, learning and teaching about the Asia Pacific region.
School reviews are important for quality management and continuous improvement at universities. The School will go through a formal review in 2023. The review includes a self-evaluation component which provides an opportunity for critical self-assessment and should identify areas of success and opportunities for improvement.
“Thank you so much for listening to us so professionally. I didn’t think I would open up, but I’m glad that I did - it’s nice to have someone listen.”
The pandemic and its lasting impact on teaching and learning at the School and across the University have taken a toll on people's workloads, anxiety and energy levels. The School Director’s top priority for this process was supporting the health and well-being of staff and students. It was also crucial for the wider School community to be consulted and contribute to the review process.
The Director wanted the consultation process to be professional, efficient and painless. He knew that staff were tired and on the verge of burnout, having managed through two years of the pandemic. He didn't want to add to their overwhelm and anxieties.
taking a different approach to consultation.
The School engaged Karana to facilitate the consultation process, which we carried out over several months to make sure that people had ample notice and opportunity to contribute. This approach helped reduce the burden on people to fit another urgent matter into their busy schedules.
We used group and individual interviews to engage the community. Strategically essential areas for the School and ANU informed our research design, including:
How the School can utilise its unique strengths to become a leading expert in its respective disciplines
Improving student experience and becoming the school of choice for PhD and coursework students
Identifying improvements in becoming a more inclusive and equitable workplace
Group interview sessions included attendees from diverse backgrounds, experiences, genders, and seniority levels to make sure that we had an appropriate cross-section of the diverse community.
“Thank you for listening. This has been like a counselling session!”
Professional staff sessions minimised mixing supervisors and team members to avoid inappropriate power dynamics. We designed the consultation sessions to be open, welcoming and safe for people to share feedback. Anonymity was afforded to participants, and support services were on hand if required.
We spoke to 70 people across the following groups:
Academic staff (including Casual Sessional Academics)
Professional staff
PhD and Coursework students
We received overwhelmingly positive feedback about our approach. People felt comfortable sharing their views and appreciated that the School had allowed them to be deeply involved.
“I imagine it’s really taxing, and fascinating and interesting, to run these kinds of things. You do a lot of listening and I just wanted to thank you for running these, and facilitating it so thoughtfully.”
highlighting positives and focusing on improvements.
The key theme was that the School is a good workplace. Its leaders are approachable, open, flexible and trustworthy. People felt the School had navigated COVID with empathy and understanding. Their strong desire was for the School's leadership to continue demonstrating these values.
We identified several areas where the School could improve. Some examples include:
How the School communicates its high-quality research and teaching internally and externally to the University.
Diversifying the number and type of career development opportunities available to academic and professional staff, and PhD and coursework students.
Investigating strategies for attracting and retaining female staff in leadership roles to achieve the University's gender equity goals.
The School Director and School Manager provided positive feedback on the consultative approach, clarity of recommendations, and overall professional execution of the project.
We provided the School with strategic recommendations and tactic-level initiatives they could pursue further. These ranged from relatively simple actions to complex issues that need further investigation.
The insights, findings, and recommendations from this project will inform the next strategic plan document that will outline the School's operations for the next 3-5 years.
“Thank you so much for this work. The Senior Leadership Group have been very impressed with your approach. I’ve only heard positive feedback from the people in the sessions. This is excellent work! I will be talking this up with my peers in the other Schools.”
Let us help you genuinely engage your staff and students to improve their experience and reach your full potential.
