BUILDING PARTNERSHIP TRUSTAND

CREATING A SHARED VISION

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH WALES STORY

GRAHAM ROGERSDEPUTY VICE CHANCELLOR USWEX DEPUTY VICE CHANCELLOR

UNIVERSITY OF WALES, NEWPORT

UNIVERSITY MERGERS

• Complex• Time consuming• Difficult to reverse

MANAGING UNCERTAINTYPe

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Merger corridor of uncertainty

TENSION Forces Extending Uncertainty

Forces Reducing Uncertainty

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

• The most commonly cited reason for mergers failing is the failure to reconcile cultural differences

ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE

• Is about the way people work• The social glue of shared values and beliefs• Is the “personality” of an organisation• Unique to an organisation

CULTURAL FIT

• Top Management relations and reporting relationships

• Decision making• Compatability of systems and processes• Employee engagement• Benefits and rewards

TOP MANAGEMENT RELATIONS

• CEO (Vice Chancellor)• Establish executive team early and meet

regularly• Each executive member responsible for a

Delivery Group:– Academic– Systems Integration– Finance, Legal and Governance– HR– Students / Student Union

DELIVERY GROUPS

• Equal representation• Task focussed• Open and transparent• Developed mutual understanding and started

to build trust• Potential for submerged tensions and covert

agendas

DECISION MAKING

Centre versus Devolved

• Differences inevitable• University type• Who is the “top management” team• Budget responsibility• Custom and practice• Personalities• Ownership

USW APPROACH• Timing key

– Merger in 11 April 2013– 2013/14 Academic Year largely fixed

• Structures– Started pre merger and cascaded development

• Appointments– Executive pre merger– Cascade process– Deans / Directors by Summer 2013– Faculty Structure September 2013– Administration May 2014

• Shared values and understanding– Externally facilitated process September 2013-ongoing

SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES

• Audit pre merger• Finance system – by 1 August 2013• Student Record System (SRS)

– Year 1 – Two systems operational– Year 2 – Integrated SRS– Years 3 and 4 – SRS integrated with other

systems

SHARED VISION

• Pre merger– Business Case

• Post merger– Process of establishing and shared vision one of

the tools to engage staff and facilitate partnership working

– Develop strategic plan

SHARED VISIONDeveloping a USW Vision and Mission

• Engaged all staff– Focus groups– Forums– Meetings / debates

• Engaged stakeholders– Students– Community– Employers– Politicians etc

Took 9 months – launched March 2014

NEXT STEP

• Enabling strategies• 2020 Academic Portfolio• High Performance University• Systems and Processes

“NORMAL BUSINESS”

THANK YOU

GRAHAM ROGERS(SSA)