The Management and Organisational Development Research Unit (MODRU) focuses on innovative approaches to management development. Our strengths include action learning and the formulation of novel/original and effective organisational development & change programmes for large and small corporate clients.
We are interested in research through innovation, and enthusiastic about integrating research with development. We have an international reputation for action learning and recently developed a new approach: self-managed action learning (SMAL).
Recent Client Work
The MODRU team has considerable experience of working in partnership with client organisations in designing, developing and delivering programmes of learning and development for managers and other specialists. Examples of our work are given below.
London Probation Project
From 2003 to date we have been working in partnership with the London Probation Service designing, developing and delivering action learning based management development programmes to meet their changing needs. Approximately 100 middle managers have participated in our programmes.
To help facilitate culture change, in 2003 we designed and delivered a Leading and Managing Change Programme to prepare and support managers in managing the required changes and to provide evidence based personal development in change management skills and techniques.
As a result of the changing service needs, in 2005 we designed a new action learning based management development programme Managing Change to Improve Performance.
Programme participants gain accreditation for their work on service related projects and personal development plans. We also run an in-house Post Graduate Diploma in Change Management as a follow on from our management development programmes. In this way London Probation are able to offer further development for participants at a level appropriate to their seniority.
Brighton Neighbourhood Renewal Project
In 2003 the MODRU worked in partnership with among others the Trust for Developing Communities, the Working Together Project, the Learning Skills Council and Sussex University to develop a programme designed around the principles and objectives set out in the national neighbourhood renewal learning framework, "The Learning Curve".
A main aim of the AL Together Programme was to develop participants' ability to work creatively in partnerships, so they could offer a model to others of appropriate behaviour. The programme was innovative, using self managed action learning and having a high proportion of self directed learning.
Evaluation of the first year pilot of the programme by independent evaluators concluded
"The AL Together programme is an exciting training initiative.The programme has developed as an exemplar of the model that "The Learning Curve" proposes. AL Together is both innovative and valued and beneficial to the participants. As such it must receive an unequivocal thumbs up as a model for future development.
Despite this being the first year and something of a prototype, thereby making it a pilot, there has been a unanimously high level of satisfaction on the part of participants.
There is evidence that the aims and the objectives of the programme have been significantly met and that there had been substantial benefit to the participants. We have no hesitation in stating that the AL Together programme should continue to operate and, further, that it should be held up as an exemplar for further development of neighbourhood renewal training nationally." (CAG Consultants, 2004, p. 24,25)
North Western Health Board Project
For five years from 1998 to 2003 we worked in partnership with the North Western Health Board to design and deliver a year long self managed action learning programme which combined management development with organisational development. (Appendix 2, "The joy of sets", People Management, 8 Feb.2001.)
As part of the design process for this programme we developed our model of self managed action learning. This enabled 400 middle managers (60% of all managers) to participate in the programme. The participants came from multi-disciplinary health and social service groups including hospital consultants; accountants; nurses; IT professionals; social workers; environmental health officers; and catering managers.
The programme was delivered on time and to budget. As well as evaluation by programme participants, the programme was evaluated by the MODRU, the NWHB and by an independent evaluator (MODRU, 2000; IES, 2000; Murphy 2001; Murphy 2003). All the evaluations agreed that the programme delivered significant benefits.
A major research project was carried out in 2002/3 by the North Western Health Board itself to evaluate the outcomes of the programme. Among its findings the report stated that as a result of the programme:
- "Managers at the 'coal face' were learning important lessons about the change issues inherent in implementing 'Quality and Fairness'.
- Managers had learned important principles of project and change management, which enabled them to deal with an increasing level of change.
- 100% of respondents said they had changed as a result of participation in the programme
- All the research carried out to date identifies behaviour and attitude change and an ability to deal with situations differently."
Management and Organisational Development Associates
Sue O'Hara
Professor Tom Bourner
Dr. Trix Webber