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Whitewater Consulting. Management performance appraisal NI, executive coaching NI, bespoke training NI
Leadership Development and Training Programmes
Almac - Team Leaders
Belfast International Airport - Middle Managers
Hastings Hotel Group – Management Development
Development Programme for the Senior Software Designers at Liberty Information Technology
SX3/ Northgate - Team Leader Development Programme
Northgate/ SX3: HR Development Programme


GRAHAM Management Skills Development Programme

Antrim Borough Council

Belfast City Council

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Case Studies

Leadership Development and Training Programmes



Why use us?

We offer a real partnership approach in delivering a Leadership Intervention.  We don’t just provide training, we work with the Organisation to align the capability of the people to business objectives and long term strategy

Our programmes are fully bespoke and we welcome the input of internal stakeholders to the sessions

We work across the organisation to ensure sustainability, this may mean some changes and improvements to internal processes, which allows the changes to stick!
   
Our team are highly skilled and qualified and each project has a dedicated project manager, which ensures the client gets a quality service and added value input.


Almac Team Leader Programmes

Background

Almac Sciences is an organisation consisting of five unique companies providing pharmaceutical services from drug discovery, development and delivery of commercial products. They are a global knowledge based leader in research, development and delivery and have grown rapidly with high levels of investment over the last few years. Almac now employs up to 1650 highly trained and skilled staff in Europe and the USA. Senior Management have recognised that in order to sustain and grow the business for the future the business does not only need to continuously improve and develop the technical and scientific capability of the workforce but also the leadership capability and performance of the managers in the business. It was decided strategically that at the front line he quality of leadership from Team Leaders was critical to the success of the business in delivering to it's customers at a consistent quality and to this end Almac Sciences have commissioned Whitewater Consulting to design and deliver a comprehensive programme of Leadership Modules for all team Leaders across the group.

Inputs

The Team Leader Development Programme Consist of a series of development modules which are supported by in company reviews from line managers who act as mentors to the delegates. The overall effectiveness of the programme is in turn reviewed by a project team consisting of representatives form the Team Leaders, Senior managers, HR and Whitewater to ensure that the programme is making a difference to the performance of individual team leaders and the organisation as a whole.

Results

Whitewater Consulting are currently delivering the third Team Leaders Development Programme of four with Almac Sciences and to date there is tangible evidence that not only is the programme developing individuals understanding of their roles but that behaviours and management routines are changing and improving and there is a real impact on performance in individual departments.


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Belfast International Airport
Senior Manager Assessment and Development Programme

Background

This programme within Belfast International Airport involved Whitewater Consulting working with the senior management team on both their leadership and management skills.

Belfast International Airport are operating in a very competitive and volatile market at a local, U.K. and International level. With the growth in low cost airlines, the increased security demands post 9/11 and the increased pressures for revenue and profitability at a group level the Managing Director recognised that the Airports long term survival and competitive position was dependent on the capability and performance of the people in the organisation starting with the Directors and Senior Managers.

Therefore a Management Development Programme was put in place to help the Airport achieve both its strategic and operational objectives.

The first stage of the programme involved working with the Senior Management Team and then continuing to cascade the development right down to the front line. An important goal for the organisation was to achieve significant organisational improvement.

Input

Over a number of last year years consultants from Whitewater have designed and delivered a range of development services to Belfast International Airport including the following -
  • Strategic Planning Sessions
  • Role profiling and competence mapping for Directors and Senior Managers
  • 360 degree competence assessment and feedback
  • Executive Coaching
  • Management Development and Leadership Workshops
  • Individual Coaching of MD

In addition we have worked closely with the Head of HR to redesign the performance management and appraisal system and are about to embark on a development programme for all middle managers across the different functions in the airport.

Results

Since embarking on this work the airport management team have developed a clear mission for the next decade, KPI's for the business and individual mangers, a Performance Measurement system and a more focused and capable management team to deliver the strategic priorities for the business.


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Hastings Hotel Group – Management Development

Background

The Hastings Hotel Group is a family run Northern Ireland hotel business. Their hotels include the 5 star Culloden Estate & Spa , the World famous Europa and the contemporary Stormont Hotels in Belfast, as well as the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa in Co Down, the Ballygally Castle on the Antrim Coast Road close to the Giant's Causeway and the 4 star Everglades Hotel in Londonderry. Whitewater Consulting were commissioned by the Hastings Hotel Group to design and delivery a Management Development Programme for their front line managerial staff (supervisors).

The need for management development was highlighted by the Hotel as a priority to ensure competitive edge as well as the fact that very little structured management development had occurred over the last few years.

Input

We are working at all management levels within Hastings. We are currently working with the front line managers with the Middle Managers and the General Managers. We have been commissioned by Hastings Hotels to design and deliver a front line supervisors development programme called ‘Making a Difference’. This programme involved the delivery of a series of 7 core modules
  1. Building Winning Teams
  2. Personal Effectiveness
  3. Customer Service
  4. Employee Relations
  5. Finance
  6. Sales and Marketing
  7. Continuous Improvement and Presentation Skills
Each of the candidates on the programme were given a mentor within the organisation, usually their line manager who meet with them regularly before and after each training module to look at setting learning objectives and reviewing learning. As part of the course the attendees were required to undertake a project to demonstrate how they had made a difference within their hotel or department as a result of the training. At the end of the course they were required to make a final presentation of their project to the managing director and other senior management within the hotel. This programme aimed to enable the staff to manage their teams more effectively and improve overall performance.

We have just begun the delivery of a middle managers development programme aimed at the next tier of management. This programme is called ‘Leaders for Profit’. This will involved core modules such as; Personal Effectiveness, Commercial and Operational Management, Managing Diversity, Leading and Communicating, Customer Management and Managing Change and Continuous Improvement

As a back drop to this work we began to work with the Senior Managers in Hastings i.e. The General Managers of the five main hotels. This worked was aimed at developing a clear development culture within the hotel group. The work also focused on the role of the General Manager and what core skills were needed to be successful in this role.

Results

A key output of this work has been the increased competence and skills of manager and supervisors within the Hastings Group.


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Development Programme for the Senior Software Designers at Liberty Information Technology

Background

Liberty IT had identified the need to develop their experienced Senior Software Developers / Engineers in line with a corporate strategy of improving their alignment to the customer by moving up the value chain. The Senior Software Developers had excellent technical knowledge and skills and were key to the successful delivery of customer projects and solutions. The company has developed a competency framework that outlined the key business skills required of the Senior Software Developer in addition to their technical competence and this was the area that Whitewater Consulting focused on.

It was recognised that these “softer” skills are not fully developed within the Senior Software Developers and that a solution was required to allow the individual to understand, recognise and develop these skills. Whitewater Consulting designed, ran and evaluated a development programme covering areas such as communication skills, negotiation skills, conflict management, and customer service.

Input

The key theme for the programme was “Building Effective Customer Relationships” with three key modules.

Module 1: The Customer in Focus

This module will give participants the opportunity to understand the Liberty customer supplier relationship. In particular it will focus on key expectations and developing core communication skills

Module 2: Win – Win Negotiations

This module will highlight the importance of agreeing commercial solutions with the client. It will focus on managing expectations and enhancing the customer relationship. It will build on the core communications model by focussing on more challenging situations such as, helping the client to clarify expectations, constructively challenging requirements, effectively proposing alternatives and facilitating conversations.

Module 3: Delivering for the Customer

This module will focus on sustaining customer relationships throughout the project cycle. It will introduce a model for managing conflict constructively and consider practical challenges such as giving and receiving feedback and facilitating meetings

Results

A key output of this work has been the increased competence and skills of manager and supervisors within the Hastings Group.



Outcomes

The Senior Software Developers had benefited from the programme in a number of ways examples of which are outlined below;
  1. More confidence in communicating with the customer
  2. Better run / facilitated internal meetings as well as meetings with the customer
  3. More confidence in their ability to negotiate with the internal and external customer
  4. Giving their colleagues feedback on customer service skills
  5. Challenging the status quo and improving internal processes to deliver more effectively for the customer.



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SX3/ Northgate - Team Leader Development Programme

Background

In Sx3, Whitewater ran a number of team leader programmes, with the focus being tailored to the specific needs of each of the business areas i.e. contact centre, desk top managed services, revenue services. Although each programme had some key themes to ensure a consistency of approach the modules themselves were put in the context of their business.

Input

The typical programme included:
  • Leading a team
  • Team Briefings/Team Meetings
  • Managing attendance, grievance & disciplinary procedures
  • Managing staff training, coaching / Mentoring
  • Managing Health and Safety
  • Quality Management
  • Resource Management


Outcomes

Each workshop resulted in an action plan for the participant and the consultant had regular meetings with the line managers to ensure they were providing the necessary support to enable the participants to change and develop their skills.

The programme outcomes were tracked through the company performance management system.
  1. More confidence in communicating with the customer
  2. Better run / facilitated internal meetings as well as meetings with the customer
  3. More confidence in their ability to negotiate with the internal and external customer
  4. Giving their colleagues feedback on customer service skills
  5. Challenging the status quo and improving internal processes to deliver more effectively for the customer.



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Northgate/ SX3: HR Development Programme

Background

The Sx3 HR team recognised the need to review the nature of the services they were delivering to the client and how they were delivering these. Whitewater worked with the HR Director to design an intervention that would help them to audit internal customer requirements and attend workshops to develop their skills and knowledge in acting as HR business partners.

Input

HR Managers conducted an audit of current client requirements which informed the content and action planning from the three workshops. The workshops were based on leading edge thinking in this area (e.g. HR balanced score cards and internal consulting skills). They were highly interactive and involved the use of personality profiles (MBTI), practical tools, techniques and case studies.

Outcomes

Attendees reported high levels of satisfaction with the workshop and they also reported significant levels of impact on how they were delivering services following the intervention. The organisation has however been acquired recently and the HR services are now more centralised.


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GRAHAM Management Skills Development Programme

 

Background

 

 

GRAHAM is a family owned company established over two hundred years ago.  It consists of three operational business units: Construction, Asset Management and Project Investment and offers services to public and private sector clients in the UK and Ireland.  The organisation has experienced a significant growth period in the recent times; doubling in size in the last three years. 

 

There have been a number of significant changes associated with this rapid growth including a shift in the roles and responsibilities of managers, many of whom had previously had little training or development.  Senior Management recognized that to remain competitive, they needed to invest not only in the technical capability, but also in the leadership capability and performance, of their managers.  In June 2008, GRAHAM engaged Whitewater to work with them on a Management Skills Development Programme to ensure managers were equipped with the key skills to deliver results in this changed environment. 

 

Methodology

 

This Development Programme is open to over 100 managers within GRAHAM and covers a range of topics:

 

  • Leading your Team
  • Coaching
  • Negotiation Skills
  • Effective Meetings

 

All workshops in the development programme were designed and delivered using the principles of Accelerated Learning.  This approach maximises learning and create and maintain an ethos of enabling and empowerment.  The workshops were practically focused and often used role actors to bring to life the topic.  During the workshops, participants were given the opportunity to practice and receive feedback on the skills and behaviours.  Participants left the workshops with an action plan to implement the learning and were encouraged to meet with their line manager to discuss their outcomes. 

 

Outcomes

 

Feedback from the development programme has been positive, with participants enjoying the workshops and recognising how they will apply the learning back in the workplace.  A fuller evaluation, in line with Jack Phillips methodology, will be conducted at the end of the year. 


Comment from Michael Smyth, HR and Training Department GRAHAM:

"Whitewater took time to understand our needs and to focus their development solutions to create maximum organisational benefit.  The workshops were infromative, informal and fun, with staff engaged in the learning process and having the confidence to put into practice the key learning objectives in the workplace"


Antrim Brough Council Development Programme


Background

Whitewater Consulting delivered a leadership development intervention for the Assistant Directors in Antrim Borough Council in September 2007.  The programme consisted of 10 Assistant Directors from across the Council and is due to finish in October 2008.

 

Input

Our approach in any leadership intervention is to gain a thorough understanding of the needs of the organisation and individuals, before we design the solution.  This ensures the programme is aligned with the organisational objectives and strategy and value for money is delivered. 

 

Below are the key steps and stages in the Antrim programme:

 

Stage 1: Assessing the Need

·         Current and future state workshop

·         Role profiling

·         Development Centre using four exercises

·         One to one feedback and personal development planning

 

Stage 2: Developing the Capability

·         A teambuilding residential workshop, using a personality tool

·         A series of workshops to address the community training needs

·         Ongoing liaison with the senior managers for buy-in and active involvement in the workshops

 

Stage 3: Sustaining the Development

·         Alignment of the in-house processes, e.g. performance management, communication, business planning

·         Creation of internal systems and processes to ensure sustainability, e.g. new meeting structures and continuous improvement teams from across the functional areas

 

A critical success factor in this project was the Project Management to ensure buy-in and sustainment of the development.  A dedicated project manager and internal project team worked with the Antrim Borough Council to build strong relationships and ensure the sustainability of the project after the intervention has finished.  As part of this Project Management process, an evaluation plan was agreed at the outset and tracked throughout. 

 

Output and Results