Most people join the voluntary sector because they identify with its values and aspirations, but this masks
the vast differences in approach and style among the estimated 200,000 registered charities and countless other voluntary organisations in the UK. Few voluntary-sector organisations explicitly state their values; RNID, however, is leading the way.

Following the appointment in 2007 of Jackie Ballard as chief executive, our charity – for people who are deaf or hard of hearing – underwent a strategic review that led to a new strategic plan for the organisation. This in turn prompted discussions about the need to support the senior management team – the group directly below the executive directors – in order to help them meet the demands we were now placing on them. They were an amorphous group with up to 43 potential members – plainly far too large to lead the change programme that was under way.

The previous executive directors had undergone a 360-degree appraisal process. Although these appraisals were done individually, there was a striking consistency to their results that enabled us to identify six key characteristics: champions the cause; builds trust; inspires leadership; promotes teamwork; champions the brand; delivers results. We then identified behaviours that we felt characterised the values. These were used as the basis for defining and developing our strategic management team.

We identified 23 key roles that we felt would have a strategic contribution to the development and delivery plans of the organisation and, last September, circulated details to senior staff for consultation. They were then invited to apply for the roles, demonstrating how their professional skills matched the requirements of the role, as well as how they met and demonstrated the values and behaviours. By the end of the process those who were not appointed fully understood and supported the changes.

There was no expectation that anyone would meet all of the requirements. In fact, we anticipated both systemic and individual gaps, which were incorporated into the design of our new leadership development programme delivered by management training centre Roffey Park. They had the flexibility to adapt to our framework and to enable us to deliver an integrated programme, encompassing individual coaching for the executive leadership team; leadership development for the strategic management team; and ancillary development for other management strands in the organisation.

The 23 people appointed to the new strategic management team were divided into two cohorts and attended two three-day residential sessions supported by action learning sets at Roffey focusing on strategic thinking and leadership, as well as on commercial acumen and personal skills. This was followed by project work based on current RNID business issues.

We have now extended the values and behaviours statements to include all staff. The same six values apply to all levels, but the expected behaviours differ according to levels of seniority. Our recruitment and appraisal process has also been redesigned to reflect these values and behaviours, which will allow us to map learning and development needs.

This work has been both a driver of cultural change and a way for us to deliver changes across our recruitment training and appraisal processes. On a practical level, to underpin these changes we are developing a new HR database that will give staff access to their personal files and payslips, ensuring greater transparency across the organisation.

Lessons learnt

- Developing a set of values that make a difference to the organisation is a huge amount of work – not only in producing the framework but also in embedding it in the daily operations of the organisation.
- Introducing radical change is much easier if you have the total support of your chief executive and executive colleagues.
- External partners need to engage in understanding and responding to the character and ambitions of your organisation.