Organisational Dial Tool for VIP

7/27/2019 Organisational Dial Tool for VIP

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OrganisatiOn

DiaL

Developed bySara Burns and Joy MacKeith, Triangle ConsultingRichard Piper, Stephen Quashie and Georgina Anstey, NCVO


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Organisation DialInormation

Value o Inrastructure Programme: Organisation Dial

This tool has been written or theValue o Inrastructure Programme by:Sara Burns and Joy MacKeith, Triangle ConsultingRichard Piper, Stephen Quashie and Georgina Anstey, NC VO.

National Council orVoluntary Organisations (NCVO)Regents Whar8 All Saints Street

London N1 9RLT: 020 7713 6161www.ncvo-vol.org.ukCharity Registration: 225922

Triangle ConsultingSocial Enterprise LtdTel: 020 7272 8765www.triangleconsulting.co.ukwww.outcomesstar.org.uk

For urther inormation on theValue o Inrastructure Programme:www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/vip020 7520 2441

Creative CommonsCopyright (c) 2011 NCVO and Triangle ConsultingSocial Enterprise Ltd. Some rights reserved.

In order to acilitate impact planning, measurement andcommunication within and across inrastructure organisations,the copyright holders give you permission to copy, distribute,use and display this work under the ollowing conditions:

You must attribute the work in the manner specied above

You may not use this work for commercial purposes You may not alter, transform or build on this work For any reuse or distribution you must make clear

to others the license terms o this work

Any o the above conditions can be waived i you get permissionrom the copyright holders. Nothing in this license impairs orrestricts the moral rights o the authors or the copyright holders.This is a Creative Commons license, a air way between theextremes o copyright control and uncontrolled exploitation.For more information about Creative Commons visit:www.creativecommons.org.uk.

Published January 2011Design by SteerMcGillanEves Design Ltd 01225 465546

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Organisation DialGuidance or inrastructure organisations


The Organisation Dial gives a pictureo the strengths and weaknesses oan organisation at a particular point in

time. It is designed to both help providestructure and ocus to the support youprovide to a beneciary organisation andto give impact inormation about how

the organisation changes over time.

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Organisation DialGuidance or inrastructure organisations


The Dial consists o eight points each covering animportant aspect o organisational eectiveness.The worker in your inrastructure organisation whois working directly with the beneciary organisation(e.g. development worker) and the individual or grouprom the organisation they are working with discusseach area in turn and agree a score rom one to tenon each o the areas. These scores are then plottedonto the Dial. Joining the points on the Dial gives anoverview o strengths and weaknesses and providesa basis or discussing priorities or development.

By taking scores at dierent points in time, it ispossible to see changes (improvements or otherwise)in the beneciary organisation. This is helpful to thebeneciary organisation itself and provides you asthe inrastructure organisation with valuableinormation about change. Through key questions,

you can nd out what part your infrastructureorganisation has played in these changes, i any.

Although it is designed to be used in dialogue,the Dial can also be used by the inrastructureorganisation on its own (by someone who knowsthe beneciary organisation well) or by people fromthe beneciary organisation itself (trustees, seniorsta, employees, volunteers). However, to identiymeaningul changes over time, its important thatthe scores are decided by the same method. Soif the score was rst decided by the trustee boardof the beneciary organisation, subsequent scoreswill also need to be decided by the trustee boardi the scores are to be meaningully compared.

It is vital that the scores given are based onthe scales in the tool. By dening what it meansto be at each point on each scale, these scalesprovide a more objective underpinning to thescoring than just using the numbers on their own.

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The Organisation Dial is designed tohelp you take a snap shot o how youare doing as an organisation. TheDial comprises eight points, eachcorresponding to an important aspecto running an eective organisation:

1 Creating impact2 Income3 Strategy4 Learning5 Leadership and governance6 People7 Managing resources8 Communications

Across these areas, there is a journey o changewhich explains how organisations move and improve.O course, organisations progress at dierent speeds.Sometimes an organisation will be stuck at one stageon the journey or quite a long time or may even allback. At other times positive movement can be rapidand successes can be sustained or long periods.

1-2 No awareness: Practice alls below normallyrecognised minimum standards. Little or nothingis being done to address it, mainly due to lacko awareness within the organisation o whatconstitutes good practice. At 2 there may be oneor two people saying that things need to improvebut little heed is paid by the rest o the organisation

3-4 Some awareness: Practice mostly alls belownormally recognised minimum standards but somepeople within the organisation are trying to address this

and by 4 there are emerging initiatives to improve things5-6 Adequate practice: Organisational practice is adequateand essential systems are in place. At 6, action is beingtaken to move rom adequate to good practice

7-8 Mostly good practice: Organisational practiceis mostly good though in some areas it is adequate.At 8 there initiatives to achieve consistent good practice

9-10 Strong practice, ongoing improvement:Theorganisation is very strong in this area and they areconstantly on the lookout or ways to innovate andimprove. By 10 they lead the eld and are sharing

their good practice and innovations with othersUsing the scales below, identiy where you are oreach o the eight areas and then enter the scoresonto the Dial or the online system. Once youhave the completed Dial you can discuss:

What seem to be the main areas of strength and weakness? Where do you think change is most urgently needed? What are the next steps to achieve that change?

You can then use the Action and ReviewGrid to create a development plan.

You should aim to complete the Dial again ata later date. I you are receiving support roman inrastructure organisation then it is helpulto repeat the Dial soon ater their interventionas it will help to give you and the inrastructureorganisation a picture o how much it has helped.

Organisation Dial


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Retrope

ctive

1 2 3

Date ocompletion

Completed by:Organisationalone

Completed by:Organisation anddevelopmentworker

Completed by:Inrastructureorganisation

Cempc

Ledehp dovece

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icome

Le

Commuco

People


Organisation DialDiagram

Name o inrastructure organisation:

Name o organisation/s supported:

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No awareness Some awareness Adequate practice Mostly good practice Strong practice, ongoingimprovements

Your organisation is noteective in its area o workand may be having little positiveimpact on its beneciaries.The approach you take maybe outdated or discredited.There is little or no knowledgeo evidence-based goodpractice or involvemento users and no awarenesswithin the organisationthat this is a problem.

By 2 some people are talkingabout the need to improvethe work done with orfor beneciaries.

Your organisation is noteective in its area o work butthere may be one or two areasin which practice is adequate.Some people are concernedthat your core work is not aseective as it could be. They arelearning about good practiceor standards, how to involveusers or other ways orward.

By 4 there are one or twoinitiatives to increase theimpact o the organisation,or example, throughintroducing service standardsor new approaches.

Your organisation complieswith basic minimum standardsin your eld of work. Some of

your work draws on recognisedmethods but some are oquestionable value andmay be outdated.

Plenty o your work createsgood impact, but some workareas are o questionable value.

By 6 there is a concertedeort to raise standards butthey may encounter resistanceto change rom volunteers,sta, managers or trustees.

The methods you use in yourcore work are known to beeective but there are a ewweaker areas. For example,

you may not be involving serviceusers meaningully, or theremay be particular areas owork where practice isoutdated. You know theseand are working on them.

By 8 consistent eort is beingput into improvements andsome people are thinking aboutany negative impacts you maybe creating (e.g. on environment).

Your organisation is highlyeective in its core work,creating very positive netimpact. Your work is soundlybased on the latest evidenceo what works and requentlyreviewed, with appropriateinvolvement of beneciaries.You watch for negative impact.

By 10 your organisation helps

to develop cutting-edge practicein your eld and manages socialand environmental impactholistically.

Organisation Dial1 Creating impact

Is your organisation achievingits purpose or cause bycreating strong impact?

Do you use knowledge andevidence-based practice rom your

eld to create maximum impact?

Do you involve beneciariesand other people in decidingon your planned impacts?

Do you keep an eye on negative impactsyou may create, e.g. environmental?

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Organisation Dial1 Creating impact


Has there been an improvement in thisarea since the last Dial reading (or overthe last year if this is the rst reading)?

Yes No Dont know

I yes, what do you think was

the main cause of the improvement?

I our inrastructure organisation has supportedyou on this area, and there has been an improvement,what percentage o the improvement do you thinkis down to us? (please estimate, e.g. 50%)

I anyone else has supported

you on this area please say who:

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Organisation Dial2 Income

Do you have the income youneed to achieve your missionover the next few years?

Do you plan well ahead tond the money you need?

Do you have a healthy rangeof sources of income?

Are you strong at spotting andtaking advantage of opportunities?



Your organisation has nomoney or frequent nancialcrises or is highly dependenton one or two short term orunreliable sources o income.You dont know how to bringin income or nd funding and

you dont think anythingcan be done about this.

By 2 some people are saying

something can be done toimprove but there is no action yet.

You have one or two fundingsources but it doesnt cover all

your costs and things are ratherhand to mouth. You are notplanning or when current undingends. Some people are awarethat you need to tackle thisprecarious situation. Yourebecoming more inormedbut are still a bit chaoticin your approach.

By 4 one or two initiativesare underway to nd newincome and you have somesort o plan going orwards.

You have adequate incometo cover your costs but justone or two income sourcesand you are not condento replacing them i and whenthey end. I you have grantsor contracts, some o themcover core costs. Some people(trustees, sta) know how tond new income sources andgrow existing ones but theirexpertise may not be well used.

By 6 you are looking at howyou can improve e.g. get incomerom a wider range o sources.

You have adequate levelo income across a range osources with a bit o room tomanoeuvre. Some are securebut others are short-term and/or vulnerable. Core costs aremostly covered. You can answer

yes to most o the questions onthe let but there are still someareas o weakness.

By 8 weaknesses are beingaddressed and your incomeplan is strong or 1-2 years ahead.Most o your people are awareo their role in helping tosecure income.

Your organisation has a strongunding base and can answeryes to all the questions atthe top o the page.

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Organisation Dial2 Income



Yes No Dont know






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Organisation Dial3 Strategy



You only have a vagueunderstanding o the issuesor needs in your eld and lacka strategy or dealing withthem. You are pulled in differentdirections according to undingor external pressures. There islittle planning and no time tolook up rom the day-to-day.

By 2 some people are talking

about the need to plan aheadbut it doesnt seem to happen.

There are some people in yourorganisation seeking clarity onvision, mission and values. Butmany peoples views are dated.There is some agreement about

your purpose but no overallstrategy. People rarely look at thewider context or into the uture.

By 4 there are initiatives such asaway days to develop strategies

or plans and some discussionsabout the cause or need.

There is a vision, mission andstrategy, but its either sketchedtoo lightly or hidden in longplanning documents. It hasweaknesses, such as not beingbased on evidence o need, ornot used to inorm activities.But it does provide a ocusor internal discussion.

By 6 there are initiatives to

improve things, or example,to build a strategy based onbetter inormation and toinvolve the whole organisationin the process.

There is a clear, agreed strategywhich is based on some evidenceo need and analysis o theenvironment and trends. Thereare some problems, such asteams still going their own way,no clarity on your organisationsniche, or too much planningand too little fexibility.

By 8 most people understand

the strategy and the strategicenvironment, and use this intheir decision-making.

There is a clear, shared upto date sense o directionbased on strong evidenceo need and with clarity about

your organisations particularrole and niche. You are proactivein anticipating and meetingemerging needs and externalchanges and the strategy isregularly reviewed and can beadapted as situations change.

By 10 you are helping otherorganisations to look aheadand contributing to strategicthinking across your sector.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Does your organisation know where itsgoing and what its trying to achieve?

Do you involve others in deciding this?

Do you understand the current issuesand needs in your eld of work?

Do you look out around you and lookahead for changes on the horizon?

Are you exible and able to adapt as needed?

Are you clear about your particularrole and strengths?

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Organisation Dial3 Strategy



Yes No Dont know






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Organisation Dial4 Learning

Does your organisation keeplearning and improving?

Does your organisation encouragecuriosity, creativity and innovation?

Does it try new things?

Do you monitor and evaluate,including assessing outputs and impactand learning from what you nd?



You are not a learningorganisation. There isnta culture o curiosity orexperimentation and newideas arent welcomed.

By 2 there are people discussingthis as a problem but they maynot know how to change things.

Your organisation is not yetlistening or learning eectively,but ideas about improvementare foating around and notbeing squashed.

By 4 some new ideas have beentried and embedded perhapsunder the management radar.

There is some monitoringand evaluation but it is sporadicand not a consistent part ohow things are done.

New ideas do get discussedbut only when people arebeing brave, most peoplekeep their head down.

By 6 there is understandingat senior levels (board or

managers) that there needsto be a greater commitmentto continuous learning andimprovement.

Assessing outcomes and impactis part o organisational liebut the inormation is notalways drawn together sothe learning can get lost.

New ideas and innovation areencouraged in some parts othe organisation but not others.

By 8 there is an attempt tointroduce a consistent and

deliberate culture o learningand innovation.

You are a creative, learningorganisation that puts learninginto practice. People expectto learn and improve as parto their job and requentlymake small improvements totheir areas o work and proposebigger ideas to managers/board.

By 10 you are recognisedas permanently innovative

and have much to teachother organisations. Positivechange is constant.

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Organisation Dial4 Learning



Yes No Dont know






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Organisation Dial5 Leadership and governance

Does your organisations board and anysenior sta make sound, well inormed andwell communicated decisions? Do theyhave the right skills and knowledge?

Do the board and any senior

staff work well together?

Do they ensure proper scrutiny,accountability, legal complianceand meaningful risk management?

Does the leadership have the backing othe rest of the organisation? Are people

empowered to be leaders in their area of work?



The people who lead theorganisation (on the boardor as volunteers or sta) donthave the skills or knowledgeneeded and may not contributeeectively. One or two peoplemake all the decisions, thereare unresolved legal issuesand there is little, i any,accountability. Basic systemssuch as having two signatoriesor the bank account arenot in place.

By 2 some people arediscussing this as a problembut nothing is yet changing.

There is basic legal compliancein key areas but the board isnot eective in holding theorganisation to account.Leaders oten appear to beworking against each otherand have big gaps in skillsand knowledge.

Some decisions are wellconsidered but most are

not and there is not enoughpreparation or scrutiny odecision making.

By 4 one or two initiativesare underway to improvegovernance and leadership.

Governance is good enough toensure the organisation is ullylegally compliant and makesreasoned and well inormeddecisions quite a lot o the time.

However, there are signicantissues such as sta and theboard not understandingtheir roles, unclear lineso accountability or some

parts o the organisationnot ollowing the directiono the leadership.

By 6 the organisation ismaking a concerted eortto introduce good practice.

The organisations leadershiptakes with it most sta,volunteers, and beneciaries.Most decisions are well reasonedand well inormed. However,there are certain isolated areasof difculty, for example, skillsgaps, or not enough clarity onrisk-taking versus risk-avoidance.

By 8 work is underway to

improve the areas of difcultyand work towards excellent,accountable leadership.

The organisation is well ledand the leadership teams(board and senior sta) workwell together, respecting theirroles. Risks are actored intodecisions to create a goodportolio o low, mediumand high risk projects.

By 10 people across theorganisation are leaders in

their areas and empoweredto make decisions within theorganisations strategy andaccountability to beneciaries.You may also be sharing yourexpertise on the developmento excellent leadership andgovernance with others.

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Organisation Dial5 Leadership and governance



Yes No Dont know






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Organisation Dial6 People

Is your organisation a good placeto work and/or volunteer?

Do you have the right people in theright roles with the right capabilities?

Are people motivated?

Are people able to improvetheir knowledge and skills?

Are people well managedand supported, working inan appropriate structure?



There are substantial problemsaround people and skills. Whilesta and/or volunteers maycare about the organisation,there arent enough o themand those you have areoverworked, under-skilled,de-motivated, poorly supervisedand not doing their jobs well.Whilst people know thateveryone is stretched andstressed there is no awarenessthat things could be dierent.

By 2 key people are discussingthis as a problem needing tobe addressed but nothing is

yet being done.

There are problems aroundpeople and skills and anypeople management systemsthat are in place are outdatedor ineective.

Some key people understandthat things need to change andare trying to address the issues.

By 4 there are one ortwo initiatives to improve

management, recruitment,retention, supervision andsupport; but the chances oa sta tribunal are still high.

Adequate systems or stasupervision and disciplinaryand grievance procedures arein place. Sta and volunteershave the core skills they needand some support. But thereare problems like workoverload, sickness, poorteamwork, and little supportor career development.

By 6 the organisation ismaking a concerted eortto improve practice.

Most people are capable,ocused on their roles and dotheir jobs well. Recruitment andsupervision are mostly good andissues that arise are dealt withthrough the right channels.

There may be issues aroundorganisation structure, a airminority o under-perormers,and hit-and-miss career

development.By 8 there are initiativesto address these problems.

Your organisation is a greatplace to work; people eelcommitted and motivated, andthey are very capable. Peopleare supported and able todevelop. The structure makessense and supports the strategy.

By 10 the organisation has adynamic structure and brilliantpeople who are empowered

to develop themselves.

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Organisation Dial6 People



Yes No Dont know






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Organisation Dial7 Managing resources

Does your organisation usetime, money, premises, IT, assetsand energy efciently?

Is there good nancial management?

Are reserves wisely invested?

Do you have the rightpremises and use them well?

Do you manage costs and energy use?

Do you use new technologiesto their full potential?



You dont manage nances well,with big under- or over-spends.Your people are in unsuitablepremises with IT that hindersmore than it helps. There isno awareness that thingscould be any dierent.

By 2 some people are voicingconcerns about these issues butare unsure how to improve things.

There is a budget o sorts,usable premises, and someworking, i dated, IT butmoney, premises and ITare not well used.

People recognise this andare actively exploring optionsto improve the situation.

By 4 there are attemptsto improve budgets,

premises and IT.

Your organisation has adequatepremises and IT. It meets mostminimum requirements innancial management and isthinking about its managemento any reserves it might haveor other assets.

However, it is not proactivein looking at how to manageresources well to get the best

value for beneciaries.By 6 this is recognised andthere are initiatives to improveresource management.

Use o resources is reasonablygood with good premises,regularly updated budgets andreasonable IT resources. Thereare some initiatives to improveefciency and some attention isgiven to the use o reserves andassets (e.g. intellectual property).Budgets are updated regularly.Improvements are needed insome specic areas e.g. costcontrol and sharing back-ofceunctions.

By 8 people are exploring extraefciency savings and moreeective allocation o resourcesto priority areas.

Your organisation managesany nances, premises, ITand assets well. Costs aretightly controlled andinvestments made with dueattention to likely benets.Resource allocation aligns withthe strategy. Budgeting andorecasting processes are strong.

By 10 you optimise

resource use and allocationand empower people tomanage their own costs.

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Organisation Dial7 Managing resources



Yes No Dont know






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Organisation Dial8 Communication

Does your organisation communicateeffectively and purposefully?

Does it look outwards and try toinuence its environment?

Are you clear about dierent audiences,different messages and different formats?

Are you making good use o onlinecommunication and social media?



Your organisation rarelycommunicates to itsbeneciaries, to potentialunders or policy makers. Itis not at all outward lookingand does not respond toconsultations or try to infuenceits environment in any way.

When it does communicate,it uses outdated or unsuitable

methods and messages thatdont speak to its audiences.

By 2 some people want toimprove but are unsurewhere to start.

There is some communicationwith external stakeholdersand occasionally people talkabout trying to infuencepolicy, but communication isnot sophisticated and there areew channels or stakeholdersto get their messages across to

you. You are mainly focused onjust one audience or audiencetype (e.g. funders, beneciaries).

By 4 key people understandthe importance o bettercommunication.

You are outward looking at leastto some extent. There are somemain messages including policypositions and key people knowthese and communicate themexternally. You respond toconsultations some o the time.

Communications do reachmore people. There is somelistening to stakeholders, but

not enough. Theres a website.By 6, most people know themain messages and/or partso the organisation arecommunicating well.

You are outward looking andyour communication is good,consistent, and clear in a rangeo ormats or the key audiences.

You have clear policy positionson some issues and have beensuccessul in lobbying or changein some areas. There is goodlistening to stakeholders anda good website.

By 8, intelligence rom outsideis shared internally and outwardcommunications are starting tobe segmented and targeted.

Communication is dynamic,punchy and having the desiredeect on dierent audiencesincluding successully changingpolicy at local or national level.Segmentation is working welland your people know whosspoken to who about what.Social media is used well,with a strong website. Internalcommunications are linked withexternal communications.

By 10 you are a star communicator,with innovative messages andormats, and are a highlyinfuential and respectednegotiator within your eld.The use o social media isembedded in your organisation.

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Organisation Dial8 Communication



Yes No Dont know






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Organisation DialNotes

Name o inrastructure organisation

Name o organisation/s supported

Date o completion

Impact area Score Notes (e.g. the reason or the score or details o progress made)

Creating impact

Income

Strategy

Learning


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Organisation DialNotes continued


Impact area Score Notes (e.g. the reason or the score or details o progress made)

Leadership and governance

People

Managing resources

Communications

Name o inrastructure organisation

Name o organisation/s supported

Date o completion

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Organisation DialAction and Review Grid


Impact area Specifcintended outcome

Planned activities(and who willdo them)

To what extent wasthe specifc outcomeachieved?Green, amber, red

Estimate theproportion o thechange that was dueto our inrastructureorganisations inputE.g. about 50%

ReasonFor rating (green,amber or red) and/or or inrastructureorganisationcontribution (%)

Next steps

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Organisational Dial Tool for VIP

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