Dr Paul Phillips OBE is the Principal of Weston College. Here he discusses the task of creating the ideal management team.

Creating the ideal management team is a difficult task for even the seasoned professional.

The main reason is that while we can draw up the most elaborate of structures, it is the people who fit into those structures that create the impact.

So how does one go about achieving the “dream team”?

The mixed economy approach

Generally I would advise the mixed economy approach, take some good established managers and join them with people who have great promise but need to realise their dreams through major exposure to the real world of FE.

At Weston College we did just that some two years ago and the results have been dramatic, as indeed were the teething problems.

My experience was to actually identify more colleagues than you actually need and to sub divide roles so that particular expertise can be developed quickly and robustly.

It is through this micro analysis that skills and competence rapidly develop but actually the real skills are the ability of people to act individually and as part of a team, to learn to delegate but at the same time retain oversight and most importantly to take calculated risk.

In taking that risk, they do need to prove that the risk is at least balanced and identify stepping off points if it becomes evident that the plan is not going to deliver the original goals.

Did it work?

So did the exercise work? The answer is yes, but not in isolation. My role as Principal, for the first twelve months, actually became more complicated as initially colleagues needed significant hand-holding or approval of the direction they were taking.

The situation did improve however and now nearly two years later much greater autonomy is being achieved but equally as Senior Managers moved into corporate positions, there was the need to advance the skills sets of the middle management team.

The approach with the middle management team was very different. In recognition of the need for the College to become even more commercial in operation it was decided to bring in a team of business people from commerce and industry to work with these staff on a series of projects that were pertinent to the forward development of the College.

The results here over a twelve month period were dramatic; not only were difficult real scenarios tackled, but the solutions were both entrepreneurial and in many cases cost effective.

I was impressed – and it takes a lot these days! The most obvious difference after the commercial exposure was the level of confidence of the middle managers after training and the business leaders certainly put them on their mettle.

The success of the development was so great that now the NHS and other organisations are looking to follow suit.

Grow your own

I suppose the one thing that has emerged from the whole exercise for me is that if you want to “grow your own” managers then you will have to devote significant time to the process. It has most definitely worked but it is not a quick fix process, rather one that requires integrity, perseverance and attention to detail.

Neither does this process stand in isolation, you will still need to go out to the market to ensure you have the very best staff for the future – my team stood up very well against the external competition in the main but I have occasionally still had to use locum agencies when up against it.

A definite yes

So should your college or business be growing its own? I think it is a most definite ‘yes’ but once you create the ideal team they are of course liable to be poached and there has been no shortage of attempts to draw the team away.

This brings me to my last point – the dream team need to be well remunerated and need to have clear targets which are challenging but achievable. I think my team would say that they are very stressed at present with the significant demands of a changing FE world.

I would be surprised if they weren’t to be honest – I do expect results from every one of them.

Weston College

So here at Weston College we are getting ready for the next academic year. The GCSE and A Level result days in August will be very important days for existing and future students of the college.

The long term vision is very challenging and exciting and we need to keep our feet firmly in the ground to avoid distraction. I still get incensed at the levels of bureaucracy the college faces in terms of creating the best opportunities for our learners but equally as long as we remember what we are here for, we all have a real chance.

Dr Paul Phillips OBE is the Principal of Weston College. To find out more about Weston College please visit: www.weston.ac.uk

Dr Paul Phillips OBE

The funding maze is out and yes it provides challenges but it also gives a clear indication of a difficult future for learning in general. For 16 – 19 learning there is the potential of a new funding model which could ignore ‘success’ and for adults….. well you are going to be a clever student to avoid loans which will be repayable. In fact do we need to redefine what an adult actually is? I foresee a landscape where adult learning is for the unemployed and learners aged 19 – 23. Take this analysis and then look at the changes occurring in Ofsted who are seeking outstanding learning with an equality of opportunity for learners and Houston – we have a problem!

There is of course another way of looking at the above which is to consider the new adult landscape as a positive and developing partnership with Job Centre Plus so that we refocus adult learning and consider one of the key roles of Further Education as providing the bridge to employment. The rest of the adult market is then developed to provide up-skilling and with a strong focus on apprenticeships. This I am sure is what Government intend but it does reinforce the need for Further Education to be extremely flexible and ‘quick’ to change. We can do it but I hope that some consideration is given to transitional protection as we move to a new and even more target driven model. Let us also hope that the final adult allocations for 2012 / 13 are fair and reflect the SFA approach and give credit to those organisations who made the move from ‘Train to Gain’ to apprenticeships and maximised their approach in accordance with SFA guidelines. Colleagues inform me that to date SFA have not paid due attention to this, but it’s not too late.

While I look at funding in general I cannot let the issue of ‘HE in FE’ pass and the allocation of places to institutions seems at face value to be a mathematical calculation rather than a process which examines quality of provision, results of IQER and success in recent years. I personally had hoped for a sophisticated methodology with real attention to detail such as learner experience, time allocated for scholarly activity and level of entrepreneurship / research. Clearly not – in fairness perhaps this is not the model to be used and yet we do see growth for institutions making offers at high grade or their equivalent. Everyone will have a view on this but let us at least hope that all institutions who have direct funding for HE ie both Universities and Further Education Colleges are allowed to grow in the same way.

So having covered the issue of funding, there is now the chance to consider Capital Investment and the latest news from the Skills Funding Agency regarding approval of Capital Projects has been positive. Many Colleges can at least begin elements of refurbishment and capital investment to improve the learning environment. Again there is a long way to go but simultaneously organisations will be able to re-evaluate their accommodation needs as new funding changes and demography infer less demand in many cases and therefore a reduction in places. Equally this could be reversed in the light of the raising of the school leaving age and rising levels of unemployment.

So much then for the physical resource but what about the human resource – the staff who will engage our learners and those who will create the entrepreneurs and leaders for tomorrow. Firstly there is the issue of flexibility – the new environment will require a mix of managers, lecturers and instructors as well as Colleges being able to recruit staff on short term assignments to meet the demands of the curriculum and in particular response to industry requirements. Secondly there is the issue of conditions of service such as changes to pension entitlement and salary levels which is causing disruption and uncertainty. The debate in pensions continues whereas on salary the issue must rest with Governing Bodies and management. My own view is that salary should be treated as in the private sector with reward for good and outstanding performance. My own College recruits many of its key managers direct from industry – all agree they have never worked so hard in their life!

As we get to the end of January therefore we should be focussed and able to deal with the uncertain future for our sector but equally there is that reliance on receiving guidance and direction from those who continue to reshape our sector. I make no comment except to wish you all every success.