“Work Based Learning at your Fingertips”

1. Why Set Up Osprey Academy?

Osprey is taking its next major step in Organisational Development to making Osprey a great place to work. We want to place greater emphasis on developing our own team and, we want to focus on the emergence of our next generation of leaders too. We want to create personal development opportunities to help our team members embrace our organisational culture inclusive of empowerment, responsibility and shared leadership.

As a key part of this approach, we are introducing the Osprey Academy. We feel one of the best ways to develop our team is to help them learn more about the fundamental drivers of our business. The more our team can understand how our business works and the key things our senior leaders focus on when it comes to our own business model the better equipped they are to develop personally, understand our Strategic Business Objectives and progress within our business.

The Academy concept is being introduced as we re-emerge from our COVID-19 recovery response plan and will have a role in providing additional stimulus during unprecedented and difficult times in the working and indeed personal lives of our team members – we hope this will help.

2. Culture

Culture is effectively about the way we do things.  We should not be afraid of challenges and remain determined that we will “make a difference every day”.  We now have more reason than ever to focus on our organisational culture given the challenging environment in which we are now operating.

Culture is not only about what we do, it is also about how we do it and why.  This is at our heart and should be what sets us apart from others.  Our operational environment and business approach to achieving our strategic ambitions/objectives requires flexibility, innovation, resilience, effective working practices, determination to make a difference and to keep trying. All this requires new and different ways of working. 

We need to have mature adult relationships that strengthen our commitment to fairness, honesty, transparency and personal responsibility.  We want to encourage the team to be involved within the business, to provide challenge and feedback and all be influential.  We should be confident in trying new things and all contribute towards improvements.  The way that we work aims to ensure we are a partner of choice for others because we are innovative, flexible, honest, and accountable and we deliver results.

This approach is by no means easy.  Contributing voluntarily and tangibly to influencing and achieving the direction of Osprey requires team members to look as much to themselves and to each other as to the CEO and Senior Leadership Team.  A shared model of responsibility and leadership is based upon the interactions of many rather than only the actions of an individual or individual leader.  Such an approach requires courage, confidence, perseverance and a desire to get things done in the spirit of “Care-Connect-Complete”.

Engaging in meaningful work, influencing self and others and having greater freedom to work out what is required with others is a modern approach to work. Osprey, is encouraging, empowering and enabling everyone to have the opportunity to grow and develop with the organisation.  By moving beyond a culture focussed on those in leadership positions we wish to promote the concept of “shared leadership”. Shared leadership is an interconnected network of activity, operating out of a shared set of values with people working across and beyond the traditional hierarchical boundaries.  This does not mean there is no leadership, quite the opposite it is leadership through relationship rather than by rule.

3. What is the Academy Setting Out to Do?

Osprey’s flatter management structure means that traditional opportunities for career path promotion through a series of line management roles are limited. We will therefore look to offer a variety of different development opportunities to our team.

In overall terms, the activities of the Academy will be designed to support:

• The process of shared leadership and responsibility – looking at how making things happen occurs within the organisation.
• Participatory and cross organisation activity – how making things happen with others is enhanced.
• Individual development - how the approach enables people to engage, learn and develop.
• Enhanced participation in organisational mechanisms and processes – to ensure they are well aligned to our approach and values.
• Staff groups to have resources and freedom to meet, learn, plan and reflect.
• Development of a healthy relationship between responsibility and authority in order to act.
• Inclusivity and participation.
• Organisational development and enhancement of the overall business

4. How will it Work?

The Academy will feature a diverse range of activities which may include:

• Signing up for a tailored Personal Development Plan
• Presentation style events
• Bite size briefings
• Quality circle meetings
• In-house participatory workshops
• Peer group meetings
• Service journey/business process mapping sessions
• Mentoring/coaching/buddying
• Job rotation/secondment
• Case study de-briefings
• Attendance at Governing Body meetings
• Project based assignments
• E-learning

This approach to organisational development will overlay the more formal opportunities already established including:

• Participation in external conference/seminar/training events
• Undertaking relevant qualifications
• Apprenticeships

Resources and techniques utilised within these activities may include:

• Use of audio/visual media and recording
• Open Q&A sessions
• Focus on key businesses activities that have been influential in the development of Osprey and/or other successful organisations
• Sessions led by CEO/SMT members or staff particularly experienced and expert in an area of work
• From time to time feature guest speakers/external facilitators
• Online resources
• In-house materials
• Self-completion research and assignment modules
• Surveys
• Use of external resources including CIH/SFHA

Some of these techniques and activities will now have to take account of the greater emphasis on home working and use of online platforms – although where feasible and realistic some will still utilise our office resources subject to COVID-19 compliance.

5. Outcomes

We will link Academy activity to our appraisals process, talent management and succession planning.

The Academy concept is a long-term strategy that will take time to mature. However, it will seek to equip staff across Osprey with opportunities, tools and the confidence to be more able to manage themselves through change. We will aim to provide a bespoke Osprey Academy badged programme of development to positively impact on the organisation, staff groupings and individuals. It will cover the training needed in particular roles and also help understanding through sharing experiences and developing skills/resources to increase both resilience and adaptability for the future.

It is the intention to provide some form of recognition for participation in Academy activities and this may start with something as simple as a certificate but may evolve over time.

The success of the Academy concept will be monitored and reviewed through a series of critical success factors currently being evolved. This process will also involve and be shared with the staff team.