Penny Lovett, Chief Human Resources Officer for The Salvation Army presented at our NFP event recently. The topic for this event was ‘Transformation in a not for profit organisation and the lessons learned along the way.’
Below are some of the key highlights from this great event.
- To successfully navigate change and transformation, organisations need to have clear objectives around:
- Aligned vision
- United voice
- Stronger partnerships
- Increase innovation
- Greater impact
- Better stewardship
- Challenges of transformation Salvation Army faced: Perceived corporatisation – risky or inefficient processes were streamlined and tightened; many felt the Salvos were becoming too corporate and had lost spiritual and missional grounding.
- There is usually a “sense of loss” amongst staff through periods of transformation, so this needs to be recognised and addressed – a loss of community as people usually leave through a restructure and new people join.
- Develop one vision and mission and clear values; establish a national operating model and implement national policies and systems where appropriate.
- Lessons learned:
- engage hearts and minds and continue to do this as change fatigue sets in
- understand and share accurate vision from a frontline perspective
- value, respect and celebrate the past
- What to differently:
- Leaders need to be 100% on board with and own the changes. Consultants and headquarters were sometimes blamed for the changes being done to them instead of with them
- Keep communications authentic and remain transparent. Honesty and integrity are valued
- Have communication channels in place before we start
- Set expectations about when team members can expect to see change at the start
At Moir Group, our core belief is that a satisfying job leads to a fulfilling life. Our series of expert-led events throughout the year, are all designed to help you to navigate the jobs market in these challenging times. Find out more on our Learning and Events hub.
If you have any accounting or finance recruitment needs in your team, or you’re looking for a role yourself, we would be delighted to assist. We cover all roles, permanent and temporary, from Assistant Accountant to CFO.