A Lesson from the Public Sector to the Private Sector: Glasgow Housing Association and Think Yes
(PRWEB UK) 10 October 2013 -- One of Investors in People Scotland’s largest and most successful clients is Glasgow Housing Association (GHA). Seven years ago, when they made contact with IiP, the organisations performance and morale were in a depressed state.
Working closely beside two Investors in People Specialists, they are now an award winning customer-focused organisation and group.
Central to the improved relationship between GHA and the customer was the concept of “Think Yes.” This plan to empower all 1,500 employees within the organisation was rolled out with the objective of giving customers an improved service from more engaged employees working from a position of authority.
Speaking to Investors in People at the GHA Academy in the centre of Glasgow last month, their head of Organisational Development, Dorothy Christie told us that;
“Staff members genuinely felt empowered and asserted that they felt trusted by management and that gave them confidence. Staff will make decisions, feel empowered and do the right thing for the customer.
"We needed to see how we could empower staff and I think the extended IiP framework, in terms of supporting, engaging and giving staff a voice all contributed towards our shift in culture."
They have empowered their teams at all levels, inverting the management pyramid so that authority flows from the bottom rather than the top. Those in customer facing roles now have the power and authority to genuinely assist their clients.
After becoming accredited in 2006, GHA had their most recent review in the summer of 2013. They have now blown away their assessors by achieving every evidence requirement in the Investors in People framework giving them Investors in People Gold status.
Kenny Pattie, Investors in People Scotland, http://www.iipscotland.co.uk, +44 1316250155, [email protected]
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