Merging university departments, schools

and faculties

Piers BrissendenSchool of Health Sciences

University of South Australia

Background

School Executive Officer, School of Health

Sciences, UniSA

In 2003 Schools of Physiotherapy/Podiatry,

Medical Radiation, Occupational Therapy,

Human Movement merged 75 academic staff, 18 General staff

Three buildings, two campuses

Background

Previous role as Manager, Environmental

Biology, University of Adelaide

In 1999 Departments of Botany and Zoology

at merged 40 academic staff, 16 general staff

Three buildings, one campus

Why merge?

Strength in numbers

Ever decreasing funding – the need to create

economies of scale

Information technology and communication methods

Changing teaching methods and an expansion of the

education world - globalisation

Development of a corporate culture to embrace and

lead change

Basic principles

Good leadership

Sound planning

Analysis of existing work practices

Clear direction and support from the top

Good communication

Implementation

Monitor and allow feedback

Where to start

Balance staff skills and abilities to meet needs of new structure

Administrative Technical

Academic support Infrastructure/Asset mgt

Financial Information Technology

Occupational Health and Safety

Teaching and research: various activities

Identify how things are done pre-merge

Challenges

Increased number of people

Geographical spread – across buildings and/or

campuses

Communication

Facilities and equipment management

Implementing effective systems to gain most from

resources

Ways of addressingthe challenges

Hold a forum Allows general staff to consider ways of responding

to the challenges Ask the question: Does the current structure provide

a good fit with the current needs and priorities for the new school or unit?

Hold a forum within the first six months of merging – not too early on

Involving HR personnel can be useful

Ask the questions

What is expected from general staff? Management of financial systems

Management of facilities & infrastructure

Management of IT

Support to teaching programs

Support to academics, timetabling, enrolments

Provision of a safe working environment

What else?

Ask the questions

This question could be addressed in two stages:

a) What are the benefits of the current arrangement?

eg. Issues of job satisfaction associated with pride in ones work and

specific responsibilities.

b) What is wrong with the current arrangements?

eg. The current system does not necessarily ensure accountability, quality

of outcomes, efficient and effective use of resources.

How should we best manage staff, facilities and finances in order to ensure the best use of our resources?

A team based approach Collective responsibilities Provides task back up Flexibility in use of staffConsider: What teams would be appropriate? Who would be in them (people can be in more than one

team)? How would teams be managed How would teams be resourced? Who would define team responsibilities? How would teams interact?

Format of the forum

Staff should be asked to bring with them three issues that need to be addressed in order for them to work better; the issues can relate to any aspect of their work

Allow four hours minimum with the first hour being lunch and a get to know you session

Facilitate discussion groups around specific categories

Discussion categories

Academic teaching support Research support Information Technology Health and Safety Communication Human Resources Field work and Laboratories OH&S

Follow up the outcomes

Create a list of issues that fall in each category

List likely methods of addressing them Allocate tasks to people or groups – begin

forming new work groups; redefine existing ones

Consider characteristics of effective teams

Characteristics of effective teams

After Robbins et al, 1997

Clear goals

Unified commitment

Good communicatio

n

Negotiating skills

Relevant skills

Mutual trust

Internal support

Appropriate leadership

External support

Effective teams

Introducing change

It is important to consider the following points: Skill variety and task significance, when combined

create meaningful work A degree of autonomy within jobs (at all levels) allows

an individual the feeling of responsibility Feedback enables the employee to know how he or

she is performing

When the above three factors are present the employee will show greater motivation, performance and satisfaction.

Do not underestimate the impact of workplace culture

Review systems and processes

After work groups have been identified Look at what admin and technical procedures

should be streamlined, modified or scrapped Allocate new work groups to focus on specific

processes such as: Asset management Purchasing OH&S IT support

Communication is the key

Develop new and revised processes

Communicate them to the new school

Staff intranet very effective

Regular staff meetings

Monitor and adjust as needed

Hold another forum after 12-18 months

Where my school is at 18 months after merging

Well defined work groups established

75% positions and roles finalised

70% performance plans established

Combined website well established

Staff intranet - improving every month

Conclusion

To meet the challenge of forming new work groups that are motivated, effective and happy a number of basic principles can be followed

The most important factor is to demonstrate a fair and transparent process

“Being happy leads to a tendency to embrace new activities, to play and perhaps to innovate”†

† Article: Handle with Care - Human Capital Magazine