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Department of Education and Training,
WA
Executive Summary
Assessor/s: Geoff Peate and Muriel Marshall
Date: July 4th, 2006
Plan Objective
Motivated and capable workforce (Key Objective 2 - Plan for Government Schools 2004-2007)
HR's Contribution
The Women in Leadership Programme is an Human Resources initiative in partnership with the department's Executive Leadership Team. It is designed to
develop the Department as a learning organisation in which the status of women is iproved through increasing thenumber of women applying for, and being
appointed to, leadership positions. The HR initiative links directly to the strategic outcomes for the strategic objective identified above.
Overall Recommendation
It is our recommendation that this Programme be awarded the National Prize for its category as it demonstrates excellence in the application of current leading
edge human resource practices embracing diversity and equity with an objective to create and nurture a sustainable learning community.
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Department of Education and Training, WA
Complete Assessment
Assessor/s: Geoff Peate and Muriel Marshall
Date: July 4th, 2006
Applicant: 98% Assessor: 100% Focus group/s: 100%
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Department of Education and Training, WA
Assessor's Comments
Assessor/s: Geoff Peate and Muriel Marshall
Date: July 4th, 2006
Business Outcome Focus
1. Publication of corporate goals and objectives (corporate plan)
The Women in Leadership Programme (WIL)has published in hard copy and on its website a four year strategic plan. This plan can be viewed at the following
website www.wil.det.wa.edu.au
The strategic plan has been delivered to the Minister for Education, the Department's Executive Leadership Team and a broad cross section of the Department's
staff.
2. HR's strategic contribution to business outcomes
The WIL Strategy includes three core programmes that lead directly to improving business outcomes.
1. Catalyst program - to encourage all staff to confidently promote women as leaders across all levels of the Department.
2. Promoting women - to provide purpose-built, culturally-specific professional learning, deeloping the experience and expertise of women with high potential as
education leaders
3. Leading women to support women already in leadership positions and encourage them to sponsor the career development of other women into leadership in
the Department.
Focus group discussions provided anecdotal evidence of women who, as a result of participating in the programme applied for and achieved promotions to
leadership roles, that they otherwise would not have attempted.
3. Organisational success
In our meeting with the Director General for Education, it became evident that this programme has, not only the full support of the Senior Executive but also that
they are aware of achievements of individual women who have participated in the programme.
This year's first intake has produced substantial interest within the Organisation with an increase in requests for participation from women at all levels, in all
branches and across all locations of the Department.
Focus group feedback clearly indicated that support for this programme is organisation-wide. Evidence of success is clearly shown in the more than doubling of
applications for the next intake of this programme.
4. Workforce competence and commitment
Of the first 30 women who participated in the programme in 2005, 17 are now in different jobs and of those 17, twelve are in promotional positions. The
programme has also resulted in an extensive support network of women who embrace the programme and are keen to share their learnings with other women in
the organisation.
Feedback from the focus group indicated that the programme is overseen by a volunteer Mentor Group comprising of senior women from Organisations such as
the State School Teachers' Union (Vice-President)and the Department of Equal Opportunities in Public Sector Employment (Director).
Strategic Thinking
5. Shaping the organisation's purpose and direction
The strategy is about cultural change which includes developing a culture in which :
- both women and men share responsibility for the promotion of women
- succession planning for the Department is improved
- women in the organisation have assured access to high quality professional learning related to career and leadership development.
The strategy has support at all levels of the Organisation. It recognises that the most critical element in culture change is the leader's active and consistent
support for women's participation in the full range of opportunities offered by the Department. For example, the Director-General endorsed the Centre for
Research for Women's Project Enhancing Organisation Culture : Building and Sustaining Integrity, as a professional learning program for the Senior Executive of
the Department for 2005.
Participants in the focus group enthusiastically endorsed the WIL Programme and its already noticeable impact on the Organisation's strategic direction.
6.HR Strategic advice
The Deputy Director General chairs the WIL Reference Group and the overall programme is actively sponsored by the Director General. Both the Director
General and the Executive Director, HR, maintain an active interest and involvement in the programme.
The Focus Group emphasized the role of a sub-set of senior women (several of whom are Executive Directors of the Department) within the Department in
influencing, not only the WIL programme, but also the Organisation's Executive Management Team.
7. Systems thinking
The strategy links to, and builds upon other Departmental initiatives. Like any effective, system-wide initiative, the Women in Leadership strategy does not work
in isolation. In recognising that all women must be provided with opportunities to participate fully in public and community life, the strategy links closely with the
Department's initiatives relating to Indigenous women, women with disabilities and women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, as well as
policies such as the Department's Balancing Work and Family practices and the Part-Time and Job Share Arrangements.
An interesting observation of members of the Focus Group was their expectation that this programme would, not only, be sustainable but that it would evolve to
meet the changing needs of the Department. One comment made was that similar previous programmes depended on individual champions in specific locations
for their success whereas the WIL is organic in nature and hence independent of specific individuals or locations.
Communicating and Influencing
8. Communicating change
The WIL communication strategy aims to :
- ensure that contemporary thinking, research and data on the development and progress of women's status informs DET policy and practice.
- effectively communicate the Department's commitment to, and the importance of, promoting women in leadership positions.
This is achieved through
- the WIL website
- research on and publication of stories of success
- reports on gender balance
- awareness-raising articles for men and women on, for example, gender differences in communication and leadership styles, the importance of valuing diversity
in leadership styles in the workplace, the value of country experience in career development
- ensuring that gender issues are included in all induction programs for newly promoted staff.
A key element as indicated by the Focus Group participants was the fact that this programme crosses internal boundaries and strives to include women from
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both the teaching and non-teaching communities within the Department.
9. Influencing senior management behaviors
There is consistent involvement of senior executives in Women in Leadership events/functions. The Director General is the sponsor of the programme, the
Deputy Director General chairs the Reference Group, the Executive Director Human Resources has ultimate line management responsibility for the strategy.
The diversity of the Reference Group membership ensures that the strategy retains a high profile across many sectors of the Department.
An interesting insight gained from the Focus Group session was that the WIL programme at its inception was a structurally distinct element within the
Department. As it has grown and developed it now forms a key element of the Department's Organisational Diversity activities. Further in our discussion with the
Director General, he indicated that the WIL programme will have a distinct and noticeable influence on the future leadership of the Department.
Customer and Stakeholder Focus
10. Understanding employee needs and expectations
In late 2004, DET commissioned Nexus Strategic Solutions to undertake a survey on teaching staff and school administrators' career aspirations and attitudes
towards promotion. A similar survey had been conducted in 1999, entitled 'Barriers to the Promotion of Women in School Based Positions'. The Department was
keen to assess current attitudes and the extent of attitudinal changes since that time. Subsequently, the Department asked that a second survey be undertaken
in relation to Central and District Office Staff and Registrars in Schools.
Both surveys were conducted in May 2005 and particular analysis was requested for data relating to gender differences and perceptions. This data is being used
to inform future planning for WIL strategy.
Feedback has been sought from participants on the Diversity Forum (March 2006) and on the professional learning program (2005). This will inform planning of
similar events/programs in the future.
The Focus Group emphasized that those involved in directing the WIL programme were aware of unmet needs and expectations within the Organisation and
actively sought to meet those needs through the programme's website and via personal discussion.
11. Responding to stakeholder influences or concerns
There was a perception that the strategy and particularly the professional learning programme was only available to teaching staff and Level 6 and above public
servants. In order to demonstrate that this is not the case, the Principal Consultant Promoting Women has facilitated workshops on Women in Leadership at a
conference for school officers and registrars in the South West Service Area (June 2006) and will do the same in the Canning District (August 2006). The
feedback from this was very positive and resulted in 30 women registering their names to receive information about the strategy.
The Focus Group made continuous reference to the various methods used by the programme to respond to stakeholder concerns. These include the website,
the Reference Group, Mentor Programme intrinsic to the programme and various research programmes either currently in place or planned.
12. Employee relations
One of the greatest opportunities afforded by this strategy is the capacity for developing and maintaining networks. As part of the professional learing programme
in 2005, peer learning groups were formed. Anecdotal feedback indicates that these groups also assumed a support function that successfully allowed countgry
and city participants, from all sectors of the Department, to communicate regularly on professional issues.
With a database of 640 DET employees, the Women in Leadership strategy now has an influence across a broad range of sectors within the Department.
The Focus Group stressed that the wide range of Organisations represented in the Reference Group was further indication of the programme's management of
external and internal stakeholder issues. In addition to the Reference Group, the Programme is moving towards cross agency involvement including such
departments as Main Roads and the Department of Information.
Application of Professional HR Knowledge
13. Professional HR knowledge
Significant research was conducted prior to the implementation of this strategy. The research focused on women's issues, as well as other programs operating
nationally and internationally.
The professional learning program, conducted in 2005, was contracted and negotiated with the facilitators to construct a program that suited the needs of the
organisation and the group.
The focus group identified the rigorous selection process that all participants have to go through as an indicator of the comprehensive HR methodologies
employed in the management of the programme. Further, because of the high level of interest in the programme participants feel a responsibility as role models
within the organisation to help improve the effectiveness of HR initiatives in the Department.
14. Alignment with organisational objectives
There is regular discusion with the Deputy Director General to ensure that progammes within the strategy are closely aligned to current Departmental initiatives.
Now that the programme has been established as intrinsic to the achieement of the Department's goal to improve the representation of women in leadership
positions, the scope of the programme is expanding to incorporate other groups of employees, such as school officers and registrars.
The Women in Leadership Reference group meets once a month to monitor and evaluate the strategy against Departmental objectives. Because of the diversity
of membership of this group, all aspects of the Department are considedred in the development and implementation of programmes.
The Focus Group discussion validated the programme's capacity to motivate and encourage a capable workforce as outlined in the second key objective of the
Department's strategy. They also identified that they had noticed an increase in loyalty to the Organisation arising from individual participation in the programme
and that those participants actively promoted the goals and objectives of the WIL programme.
Ethical Behavior
15. A fair and open process in place to deal with people issues
The processes for participation in the WIL programme are clearly articulated on the Website and by those responsible for administering the programme. As with
all Public Authority programmes there is extensive consultation involved in selecting participants and any nomination to the programme can be challenged by
non-successful applicants. The selection process is designed to allow all female staff within the department an opportunity to participate.
The Focus Group emphasized the role of Peer learning groups in promoting open and effective handling of any people issues arising within the programme.
Furthermore, the virtual learning community being developed via the website is an additional vehicle for transparency and openness in identifying and addressing
any people issues that may arise.
16. Ethical role modeling
The philosophy that underpins the Promoting Women in Leadership programme encompasses :
- the involvement of men, as well as women, as sponsors and mentors for participants
- connection with other Department policies, plans and initiatives such as the Aboriginal Employmet and Career Action Plan; Recruitment, the Policy, Procedures
and Guidelines for the Selection and Appointmet for Substantive School Administrator Positions.
- use of a theoretical framework based on the work of the Gentre for Gender in Organisations, Simmons Graduate School of Management, Boston.
- building a learning community, both actual and virtual through the development of networks and peer learning opportunities
- a broad view of leadership which emphasises that leadership can be exercised at all levels
- looking at organisations through a gender lens thereby developing cultural literacy.
- enhancing understanding of behaviour styles and preferences and their impact on others
- developing skills to enable participants to act strategically, manage organisational politis, communicate and influence mre effectiely in order to enable them to
reach their potential
- clarifying career goals and developing a persona and professional development plan.
An interesting and persuasive observation of the Focus Group was that the ethical nature of all those involved in the administration of and participation in the WIL
programme is clearly demonstrated by the increasing profile of the programme and the eagerness of many women in the Organisation to participate.
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