Success Stories: Restructuring
akpsGlobal has had the pleasure of assisting two significant organizations overseas with Corporate Services Review and Restructure projects.
The Commonwealth Secretariat based in London England hired IPAC through whom akpsGlobal was contracted and Alice as the Expert, prepared the scope and the workplan to facilitate the completion of the mandate. Over two missions within a 6 month period, the consulting team reviewed the roles and responsibilities of the Human Resources Unit which ultimately led to a review of the Corporate Services function and its overall mandate in a support role to the Secretariat's key external services. Throughout this process, the team engaged all levels of staff representing all cultures within the Commonwealth, from those working in the Secretary-General's office and as key senior department managers, to the staff association. The recommendations offered significant monetary savings, streamlined services and increased staff satisfaction. Subsequent mplementation of the more signficant ones by senior Commonwealth managers instilled in staff the belief that indeed, positive change was possible, in spite of a highly complex, diverse and political environment.
The National Media Project in Sarajevo offered quite a different challenge. Following the devastation caused by the Civil War in the former Yugoslavia, a rebuilding of national services became an priority. This included the national media and communications such as Radio and Television. Most of the journalistic talent had fled the country during the war, and this left the current organization in a poor state, with a lack of policies and services and a human resources structure to effectively lead and manage regrowth. An international team that included akpsGlobal was created by the interim international governing body, and Alice as the organization expert, received a mandate to rebuild the Corporate Services function, including human resources, contract management and financial services. Over 4 missions and 18 months, policies were rewritten, jobs evaluated, departments restructured, contracts renegotiated and payroll services established. With the hiring of a Bosnian human resources professional who was based in Sarajevo, ongoing commitment to building upon the foundation was assured.
Success Stories: Leadership Talent
akpsGlobal has worked on Leadership and Talent Management initiatives in 3 countries from 3 continents: The Indian Public Sector in India,Asia, the Zambian Public Sector in Zambia, Africa and the Romanian Public Sector in Romania, Europe
The stories are as different as are the cultures. In 2012, Alice was invited as the Canadian keynote speaker at their Indian Public Sector Human Resources Conference. Speaking on Job-Person Fit, she provided an overview of a competency framework as a starting point for creating a productive and satisfied workforce, even in a highly-complex entrepreneurial yet bureaucratic work culture.
In Zambia, Alice facilitated a leadership skill-building workshop for middle management in the public sector. Starting with a common definition of leadership, participants were taken through a customized process that took into consideration their unique workplaces. They debated the essence of leadership in the context of their jobs and culture. Each individual then built a personal learning plan that would help them reach their leadership potential.
In Romania, the public sector was looking to promote and encourage the human resources function. It sought to introduce best practices into a curriculum that would enable development and recruitment of human resources talent. Even though in the political context, human resources still was considered a trade and not a profession, the resulting program initiated a process supported by industry, where a business-oriented mind set of human resources practitioners would be encouraged.