Barnet Homes

The Development Company is proud to be working in partnership with Barnet Homes (an arms length management organisation – formerly Housing Service of Barnet Council) in establishing the new culture and providing development for staff in the organisation. The new organisation was set up on 1st April 2004 and this setting up of a new organisation has been taken as an opportunity to start afresh with a new culture and a new way of doing things.

The Development Company was chosen to help with this transition because of our pragmatic approach to culture design and culture change.

January 2004

The project started with focus groups designed to find out what staff like about the existing culture, what they would like the culture of the new organisation to feel like and obtain the information about the required values for the new ALMO.

Staff volunteered to take part in intensive one day events designed to get their words on the past-present and future culture.

March 2004

The Senior Management Team of Barnet Homes attended their own focus group day to agree what they feel the new culture should be like and to discuss the outcomes of the staff focus groups. These outcomes are contained in a short document detailing the mission, vision and values of the new organisation written in the words of the staff who attended their focus groups.

The version of the document agreed with Senior Management was sent out to all Barnet Homes staff for final comment and agreement. Thus design and ownership of the new culture is firmly in the hands of all people working within Barnet Homes.

A team building day for the Senior Management Team enabled them to establish themselves as a focused team working together to achieve the aims of Barnet Homes

April 2004

Barnet ALMO was launched.

Leadership Skills development

The Senior Management team participated in a two day leadership skills event tailored to the new cultures and values of Barnet Homes.

Prior to the event, a self-perception leadership skills questionnaire was completed by the attendees. Each member of the Senior Management team then nominated members of staff to complete a questionnaire on their leadership style. This 360 degree analysis was a core part of the programme, enabling the managers to take a step back, review the results and start an action plan for either continuation or change.

The event was a major learning curve for all attendees and encouraged some dramatic changes in leadership style.

“The good news is that the all the techniques you introduced on the Leadership Programme are a toolkit for a very high performing organisation, which Margaret has come across. So well done to you!”

Gladys Mhone
Learning and Development Consultant
Housing Service

Management Skills

All middle management are to attend a tailored one day event to equip them with the knowledge of their role in the new culture.

These one day events will be pragmatic in focus so that the learning can be easily transferable into the workplace ensuring the continuation of the new culture.

Through 2004/2005

The culture change will continue with managers giving and seeking feedback to enable the new values to become embedded in day to day life within Barnet Homes.

“It has given me pleasure to see how The Development Company has been able to engage with staff in such a short space of time and win their confidence that they will communicate with management in a way that will produced the desired outcomes.”

Gladys Mhone
Learning and Development Consultant
Housing Service

Open Courses

Gladys also uses The Development Company for off-site development.

“The Development Company provides a range of Open Courses and will open a course for me if I have 2 staff with the same need. Their courses are exceptional value for money and prove cost effective even with staff travelling to Northampton for the development.

I particularly appreciate their policy of never cancelling a course, which makes them our preferred supplier as I can be assured that my people do not become disappointed or disrupted because of this policy.”

Gladys Mhone
Learning and Development Consultant
Housing Service