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HR Grapevine shares the secrets of CPOs that changed cultures when others couldn’t; here are their stories.
Network Rail – ‘Systems thinking changes mindsets’
Pauline Holroyd, Group HR Director, Network Rail is tasked with supporting one of the most pivotal transitions in British rail history – its transformation into Great British Railways. Embedding a culture to manage such a significant change has meant reshaping mindsets, a tall order for some but not for Holroyd.
“I realised that there wasn’t a culture of improvement, it was historically very command and control and hierarchical. With sponsorship from Andrew Haines, Chief Executive, we set about changing the culture and once again I introduced systems thinking which is a bottom-up approach in which you can pinpoint where failures are occurring and why,” she notes.
Adding, “We also introduced a model delivery unit program to streamline workflows and track maturity metrics, driving c20% performance gains and cost savings which are now embedded in the business plan.”
I realised that there wasn’t a culture of improvement, it was historically very command and control and hierarchical. With sponsorship from Andrew Haines, Chief Executive, we set about changing the culture and once again I introduced systems thinking which is a bottom-up approach in which you can pinpoint where failures are occurring and why
She launched transformational training for line managers, increased talent management and set about improving engagement, leveraging her deep experience with industrial relations. "We worked closely with unions – attempting a groundbreaking pandemic-era partnership," she says. But progress wasn’t smooth: "They walked out of our first meeting, and after a year of consultation on reform we faced over a year of industrial action alongside the train operating companies.
RNLI – ‘Culture is a work in progress’
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has also been faced with a much needed cultural change programme. It received much negative press around alleged sexist behaviour and bullying. Caren Thomas, People Director is charged with changing culture for the better.
Under her leadership she has tracked the data as a barometer to see how culture is slowly altering. The RNLI Engagement Surveys report typically around 80% engagement levels which is extremely positive. Thomas would like to see that score top out at 100%, acknowledging that, ‘more can be done’ and that ‘more will be done’. A further challenge has been instilling a consistent culture across the myriad of lifeboat stations across the UK and Ireland.
“Every lifeboat station feels different and that’s a good thing because it is a representation of the local community on whom we rely on and all the individuals within it, but at the same time there is consistency in terms of how we work and ensuring that we listen when things don’t always go right and act.”
