NZIM RESTRUCTURE : Changes for the times

Today, the overriding problem for every organisation is how to change, deeply and continually, and at an accelerating place. We live in world where change is shaken, not stirred,” management guru Gary Hammel, wrote last year. And that’s how it is for NZIM and every one of our membership organisations.
The majority of our members assume that we are single, integrated, organisation. In fact, we deliver our services to the market as four individual legal entities. NZIM is looking at changing this and, as consequence, aims to deliver even better and more relevant management and leadership advice and career development than it has in the past.
NZIM has been working towards becoming fully integrated organisation for several months. The move is considered response to different membership needs, shifting economy and the need to both tap and utilise global resources to deliver solutions that meet rapidly changing management learning demands.
NZIM has been building management capability in New Zealand since 1946. It was set up following the trauma of the Second World War to help managers gain on-the-ground practical management experience denied them by the interruption of the war. From this modest beginning NZIM has developed into leading national organisation with centres in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill.
NZIM has three major strategic roles, all focused on building management capability. They are research, learning, and recognition.
Our research role draws information on management development and trends from both international and domestic sources. The aim is to identify what is really happening with the science of management and to communicate it through articles and case studies, to managers wanting to build their personal or organisation’s capability. The main output from this research is the continually evolving NZIM Management Model which effectively identifies development needs.
The learning role has resulted in NZIM becoming one of the country’s largest providers of management education.
NZIM’s recognition role covers the presentation of certificates and diplomas, often linked directly to the New Zealand Qualifications Framework. It also covers the awarding of member professional gradings which recognise individuals’advancing skills and experience. Finally, we recognise role model managers through our involvement in the Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 Awards and the NZIM/Eagle Technology Young Executive of the Year Awards.
As NZIM developed, it formed regional organisations with their own constitutions and boards. Consequently, the current organisation consists of four legal entities, NZIM Northern, NZIM Central, NZIM Southern, and the national NZIM Inc. This structure has served NZIM members well for many years. But the world is changing and new technologies in particular, provide NZIM with exciting opportunities to work more effectively through its National Board and deliver enhanced stakeholder benefits by operating as single legal entity.
The current structure inevitably involves some resource duplication and infrastructure overlap. Moving to single entity will enable much of this multiplication to be removed, releasing resources to deliver increased efficiency and enhanced services.
The National Board’s vision to re-establish NZIM as single legal entity with one constitution will open the pathway for NZIM to develop as an integrated organisation and to leverage its resources and increase stakeholder value. Some benefits include:
• Systems and processes standardised across the whole organisation leading to more effective use of resources, higher levels of systems operation expertise, and the opportunity to develop smart online services through the integration of data into one database.
• Integrating NZIM will result in single website and will enable it to allocate more resource to the development and management of the website.
• One of NZIM’s key roles is research. The integration will enable resources to be allocated to this role which will develop NZIM’s capability in delivering on its strategic goals.
• Integration will also enable NZIM to allocate more to the market development of its programmes and services.
• Further integration will open up leveraging opportunities, for example group purchasing.
• NZIM will focus on the global development of the people working at NZIM and create opportunities for career development across the organisation.
The National Board initiated the single legal entity process just over two years ago. An independent consultant’s report was commissioned in late 2008. The report recommended an integrated structure to deliver the future.
The NZIM president visited all regions to present the results of the report and to discuss options for the future. From this, the National Board started the process of gradually moving towards an integrated structure. In early 2009 the National Board passed two resolutions:
1. To support NZIM becoming single legal entity to gain internal efficiencies and become the pre-eminent organisation promoting management capability in New Zealand.
2. To develop pathway towards achieving this goal for the future.
The process is now underway. Members are being asked by their regional boards if they support NZIM integrating and becoming single legal entity with one constitution.
The National Board doesn’t envisage major structural change initially. “The legal integration will open up channel for shaping NZIM effectively for the future,” says NZIM National president Phillip Meyer.
The initial intent is to have structure similar to the current one with National Board of seven members – three regional chairs and four voted for by members.
Regional committees will operate in the same manner as the current regional boards. They will monitor and review regional performance, develop strategy, business plans, and budgets. The initial change will be that strategies, business plans, budgets, and remuneration reviews will be planned locally but signed off finally by the National Board. Also there will be one audit process for the whole institute.
The National Board will work on longer-term plan to achieving the perceived benefits of the integrated NZIM. The changes will be gradual as opportunity and experience develop and members and staff will be fully consulted, says Meyer.