In 2007 NZIM will focus on improving the value proposition we offer our members. This might seem surprising given that the Institute has always been membership organisation offering wide range of member services. For us to survive financially and maintain those member services we’ve needed to concentrate on the service of management development and training delivery as revenue earner.
Recently, however, NZIM’s regional societies decided that even though we deliver great many services, there wasn’t enough focus on members and member services and consequently revised the national strategic plan to reflect the view. The plan has now been adopted by the national and regional boards and the result is that we will focus on several key service areas.
NZIM plans to be:
•the authoritative body for promoting management and leadership excellence;
•the key resource for members and managers wishing to identify and achieve their development needs;
•the primary source of management information and services for members;
•the major research partners and authoritative voice for members and managers on management issues at all levels;
•the leader of innovative change in management education.
The executive team subsequently agreed on the priorities for 2007 grouped under three main headings: NZIM’s Management Model, Management Development and Management Information Needs.
The Management Model will:
•Identify and review current world-class management research and integrate core developments with the NZIM Management Model as appropriate.
•Link NZIM’s Professional Grading Structure with the NZIM Management Model criteria.
•Put the NZIM Management Model assessment tool online to create added value and increase NZIM’s relevance to managers.
Management Development includes:
•Developing and implementing range of assessment and diagnostic tools that will enable NZIM to grow its development consulting services with the aim of creating an added value proposition in the minds of managers and thereby strongly enhancing NZIM’s relevance.
•Building common approach to mentoring delivery across the organisation which again can increase NZIM’s relevance.
Management Information Needs includes:
•Identifying the developing information needs of NZIM members and managers in general and feeding this back to NZIM’s website structure and development of additional services.
•Enhancing the integration of NZIM’s websites (eg, one access address, and common branding structure throughout).
•Transmitting all members’ events via the internet to increase participation opportunity for members and again make NZIM an organisation of relevance.
•Establishing an effective process that identifies ‘hot management topics’ at both regional and national level. Utilising these for planning member events, publications and ‘voice of management’ statement.
Research project
NZIM has, over the past two years, undertaken major research project to identify what members and potential members really want from us.
The information will help position NZIM in the future; establish who the customer (member) groups are likely to be; suggest how they differ from each other in their requirements for management education and, finally, suggest which partners are best able to help NZIM achieve its mission and vision.
The research identified some key issues:
Membership
Change is always on the agenda of any go-ahead enterprise. NZIM is, in that respect, no different from any other organisation. Indeed, some members have asked for seminars “about change”. Interestingly, “more of the same” was recurring response theme, with many members saying they got real value from the networking, training services, mentoring and the supply of management information. Members wanted access to career advice and events relevant to career planning, others wanted email information three months in advance, more accessible process to recognise and formalise previous learning and experience towards NZIM qualifications, more online services and resources, more informal networking opportunities and better profile for management as profession.
Qualifications and courses
The research indicates strong support for NZIM courses, which are seen as more up to date, of very high quality and able to instil ongoing greater confidence in terms of content compared to courses offered by other providers.
Of those who had gained NZIM qualifications, 82 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the course gave them greater confidence in their knowledge and skills; 77 percent agreed or strongly agreed that it was good value to their employer; 74 percent agreed or strongly agreed that it was good value for them; and 73 percent agreed or strongly agreed that it improved their general business or management knowledge.
Future developments in management education and training
The research has provided plethora of ideas and comments which still need to be analysed and acted upon.
Topics such as advanced stress management, advanced facilitation, business development and entrepreneurship, contracts management, how to provide more effective workplace mentoring/coaching to support ongoing leadership development, extra-mural type courses of longer duration, staff retention and why people leave an employer, innovative and futures thinking, strategic visions to operations, relationship management, the need to get into 21st century New Zealand business models away from the multinational competitive corporate models, and into sustainability and new participative leadership and cooperative business models.
In summary I am attracted to the comments of SPCA CEO Bob Kerridge, who when asked how he thought NZIM might change responded:
“I think it needs to change, because the world is changing and we have to evolve with it. It could probably become more proactive. My own feeling would be that it needs to become, dare I say it, more friendly, because people who are members or potential members need to have reasons to want to mix. I see the Institute of the future as having very rock solid management foundation – which it is and I don’t see that changing – but I see it also as volatile, vibrant, entrepreneurial out-there-in-your-face organisation, to build membership and harness excitement.”
Now there’s challenge!
David Chapman is national chief executive of the New Zealand Institute of Management.
NZIM : The Daily Drucker – Converting Strategic Plans to Action
The best plan is only good intentions unless it degenerates into work.
The distinction that marks plan capable of producing results is the commitment of key people to work on specific tasks. Unless such commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes, but no plan. plan needs to be tested by asking managers, “Which of your best people have you put on this work today?” The manager who comes back (as most of them do) and says, “But I can’t spare my best people now. They have to finish what they are doing now before I can put them to work on tomorrow,” is simply admitting that he does not have plan.
Work implies accountability, deadline, and finally, the measurement of results, that is, feedback from results on the work. What we measure and how we measure determine what will be considered relevant, and determine, thereby, not just what we see, but what we – and others – do.
ACTION POINT: Establish specific numerical criteria and goals to measure results. Set deadlines for yourself and your organisation to achieve these results.
Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices
Extracted from Peter Drucker’s book The Daily Drucker.
