HR Modernisation at the Department for Work and Pensions
Background
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is a department of the British Government created in 2001 from the merger of the Employment part of the Department for Education and Employment with the Department for Social Security.
The department's stated purpose is "To promote opportunity and independence for all through modern, customer-focused services."
In 2003 the Government employed 131,000 members of staff to discharge all of its functions. This figure will reduce by 30,000 by 2008, with a further 10,000 being moved to front-line services.
In order to support the organisation through this change and meet future demands, a significant step change in the HR department of the DWP was required.
New HR Model
To modernise HR, the department moved towards shared service centres, self-serve and HR Business Partners (HRBPs). By 2005, shared service centres had been established and 140 HRBPs appointed.
The HRBP function changed the business relationships with HR. The businesses now see HR as more aligned to business requirements, more accessible and more expert.
The restructure of the organisation to become leaner and more focused, meant the 50,000 line managers within the businesses were required to be more involved with HR issues and decisions, and required the skills and information to be able to do this effectively.
A need to review the overall Learning and Development (L & D) strategy to meet this scale of change became evident. Traditional classroom based training methods would not allow the DWP to achieve what was required flexibly, efficiently or cost effectively.
The DWP would need to embrace technology to deliver self managed learning to these three specific audiences: 50,000 line managers, 120 HRBPs and 2,500 L & D professionals. This use and investment in technology was a real first for the DWP and was followed closely by senior management.
The Team
The team responsible for delivering self serve portals to underpin the modernisation of L & D within the DWP was Maxine Clark, DWP Group Learning and Development Services Design Manager and her team led by Jennifer Barton, Senior Design Manager (L & D Community and HRBPs), Geraldine McHugh, Senior Design Manager (Line Managers).
The team realised that despite a strong vision and solid internal skills they would require a partner to assist them in delivering their vision. This partner would require experience in self serve portals and the infrastructure to deliver to challenging timelines. Their chosen partner was Academee, who had demonstrated that they were professional, capable and committed through its delivery of Leadership Excellence Action Programme (LEAP) for senior management in 2004.
The DWP conducted a review of L & D with Academee and created a modernisation strategy. Their strategy was to upgrade the HRBPs portal, and create two new portals: 1) aimed at up skilling 50,000 line managers; and 2) to serve the L & D community.
This was an enormous project to achieve in a short time frame. The pressure to meet expectations set out to senior management created excitement, drive and much expectation within the team.
Team Highlights
"Our partnership relationship was a key element of our success. We shared goals and worked together with enthusiasm, energy and commitment."
Maxine Clark, DWP
"This was a challenging project both in terms of timescale, and liaison with numerous parties internally and externally. It developed my communication and management skills as well as learning much along the way in terms of technology and what can be achieved."
Gerry Keenan, Lead Designer L & D
"Clear direction and vision from the DWP allowed us to focus on tasks, deliver to brief and add value wherever possible."
Ian Hutt, Academee
"Our team worked flexibly with different teams who had different priorities but the same goals. We lived 'shared working principals' - communicating regularly by telephone, e-mail and face-to-face. We worked not as a different organisation, but as part of the department in a different location."
Clare Roberts, Academee
Strategy Support
In 2004 the team presented their plans to senior management. It was a significant move away from 'usual' practice and the first use of technology on this scale for HR within the DWP. The benefits of the strategy were immediately visible and gained sponsorship from senior management: LAMP was sponsored by Mick Holbrook, Head of Profession; and the L & D Portal and HRBP Gateway were sponsored by Dawn Broderick, Head of Organisational Development for Job Centre Plus.
Time Line
LAMP Portal
Nov 2004: Initial meeting with Academee
February 2005: Launch
L & D Portal
Jan 2005: Initial meeting with Academee
August 2005: Launch
HRBP Gateway
Jan 2005: Initial meeting with Academee
May 2005: Launch
*Please select the links above to view more information about the portals.
Summary
The DWP modernisation of its HR model was bold. They dramatically changed HR delivery in just four months (from brief to launch date) for 50,000 line managers and eight months for the 2,500 strong L & D community. They expanded their skill set by sharing this vision and working with an external partner who could help them deliver what they wanted to, rather than what their internal tools allowed them to. With Academee's knowledge and expertise in learning portals, the DWP delivered the project on time and to budget.
Investing in technology to streamline and standardise L & D across three core areas, along with breaking programmes down into modules for flexible learning, has enabled the L & D offering to be tailored to each individual.
Following the success of this project the DWP are now looking at new areas that will benefit from self-serve portals, namely Policy Portal aimed at DWP policy makers, and Centre Expertise for the HR community.
The DWP modernisation of its HR model was bold. In partnership with Academee, they dramatically changed HR delivery in just four months for 50,000 line managers.
