DfT SCS Development Case Study
- Client:
- Department for Transport (DfT)
- Project:
- Senior Civil Service development programme
As a result of this work, TSOC were awarded a wider framework agreement with the DfT. We continue to provide bespoke development programmes and developmental consultancy.
Result: A few weeks after the first event, we conducted 1-2-1
interviews with each member of the group, to explore with them how the
network was beginning to function and what practical issues we should
tackle in the follow-up events.
Subsequent events involved speakers from a variety of public and
private sector organisations who shared their own experience of
strategic management with the network. Action-learning was used to help
the members of the network apply this experience within their own
situations.
One of the events addressed the issue of personal impact and influence.
TSOC involved the Central School of Speech and Drama, our specialist
partner in communications, who are experts in applying the methods of
acting to the context of business delivery. One of the CSSDs tutors
worked with the network to help them understand and improve their voice
power, communication style and ability to influence others. Events are
still ongoing.
* TSOC was awarded a wider framework agreement with the Department for Transport to provide bespoke development programmes and developmental consultancy. Our first project under this contract collaborated with the DfT's Executive Board in the initial phase of its leadership development initiative.
Situation: TSO Consulting was engaged by the DfT to design a development programme for a group of newly promoted Senior Civil Servants.
Task: The aims of the programme were:
To create a network of senior managers who would share and exchange experience, knowledge and expertise in order to:
- Enable the new SCS members to fully understand the context in which they work.
- Explore how they can expand their sphere of influence and understanding.
- Clarify their own and others' leadership expectations.
- Be a catalyst for positive change.
Action: We worked with the Department's own Leadership and Development team to design a series of activities that would address these aims, taking into account the existing development opportunities for the group, as well as the SCS Competence Framework.
Additionally, we used questionnaires to assess the expectations and needs of each individual and used that information to design and run a 'launch' event that was intended to provide a foundation of trust, knowledge and connection from which the network could evolve.
The first event focused on the theory of leadership in general, as well as how this applied to the Department in particular - the latter being discussed during a Q&A session led by the Permanent Secretary.
We also provided the right environment and framework for the group to begin to form their own informal support network.
