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Case Study
1. Background
The Chapman Bathurst Partnership are a leading Building Services Consultancy, offering support and guidance on all aspects of mechanical, electrical, public health and lift engineering and facilities management.
The practice was formed in 1972 and currently employs 60 staff in London and Canterbury.
The practice made an initial commitment towards achieving the national IiP standard in November 2002, as a means of improving working practices, and business performance.
Ray Upjohn, Managing Director of Chapman Bathurst, comments, "We felt that improvements could be made to our internal communications process that would improve the efficiency of our business. We also felt that a cohesive training and development program would ensure that our people had the right skills in place to cope with our plans for expansion. In essence, we needed to ensure that our people and business were growing at the same rate. The IiP process acted as a catalyst in bringing these background issues to the fore, forcing us to address them, and work towards solutions. We felt that we needed some support to do this."
2. Why Stepchange?
Stepchange were recommended to Chapman Bathurst by Business Link for London. Ray Upjohn recalls, "We had an initial meeting and liked their approach to our problems. Our discussions were very frank and open. We felt that StepChange were pro-active and interested in helping us to change our working culture and move our business forward."
3. The Symptoms
Stepchange Associates conducted an informal audit to identify and measure some of the cultural and practical factors that needed to be addressed.
Analysis revealed that many of the management team were unable to fully embrace their role as 'People Managers,' as they focused primarily on their role as 'Engineers.'
This led to blurred lines of communication, and organisational processes which lacked definition.
As a consequence, resources within the business were not necessarily all pulling in the same direction. A lack of cohesive direction made effective prioritisation difficult, and this subsequently resulted in an unfocused approach to company goals and objectives.
4. The diagnosis
Stepchange Associates responded to these needs by designing and implementing a custom built programme to strengthen the company, people management skills, and facilitate a clear plan for business development and process improvement.
Stepchange Associates also worked in partnership with the company's management support team to prepare for IiP accreditation success.
The training sessions allowed all participants to give their perspective of the business. This enabled the team to identify and map out what processes and systems could be utilized to develop the performance of the business.
Group discussion resulted in a consensus of the top 10 areas for development, with all personnel participating and agreeing to own individual areas of development.
Ray Upjohn, Managing Director of Chapman Bathurst surmises, "The most difficult aspect was, and still is, pushing the Engineers to follow their areas of responsibility through (which they volunteered for!) The best part of the process was the total motivation and enthusiasm by everyone on the training course. It is so much easier to identify the issues when outside the working environment. The courses were very well structured, everyone enjoyed them and participated."
Stepchange Associates also built a strong infrastructure to support an improved communications process within the company, once their initial work had been completed. This included a format for regular staff briefings and business updates, and a monthly internal newsletter which focuses on both business news, as well as anecdotes and personal news featuring all employees.
5. The Results
Chapman Bathurst have developed strategic business processes, critical to the continued success of their business, as a direct result of Stepchange Associates' intervention and training programmes.
Ray Upjohn concludes , "The cultural changes will be longer term. Some people have responded really positively to our new communications structure and are keen to play an active role. Others see it as an extra chore for their busy schedules. Its a question of conversion by experience, chipping away until people really start to feel the benefits of working in a more open environment."
6. The prognosis
Chapman Bathurst are developing the growth of their business, with continued support from Stepchange Associates. Further training sessions have been scheduled, aimed at developing management performance and processes.
A staff day is also being planned for all employees. This event will be facilitated and managed by Stepchange Associates.
7. Quotes from Chapman Bathurst & Stepchange Associates
Ray Upjohn, Managing Director of Chapman Bathurst concludes,"The impact of our work with Stepchange Associates has been immediate in terms of our ability to build effective strategies to support future growth. The cultural side of our business is also developing, but the results of this will be longer term. We are all starting to think a little less exclusively as Engineers, widening our skills and perspectives. The support we have received from StepChange has been extremely practical, and has been implemented into our central business functions with relative ease."
To learn more about Chapman Bathurst Click Here
Gwen Carter-Powell, Managing Director of Stepchange Associates said; "We can all be guilty of silo working. With the advent of technology, there are more excuses than ever to avoid actually getting up and talking to colleagues. This can result in miscommunications, and lost opportunities. In a hectic working environment, it's also very tempting to focus on the here and now, fire fighting, rather than taking a step back, improving processes and developing a clear strategy for growth. Our clients find that feedback from an external party can really illuminate some of the issues holding a business back. Stepchange Associates focus on building an infrastructure of support to ensure that success is sustained, long after we've finished our work onsite." |
