Organisational Development News

From the Director

As 2011 draws to a close we’ve been busy preparing the 2012 Program Guide by firstly reviewing our current programs and courses and identifying areas of opportunity. Your feedback and suggestions have helped us plan next year’s program. The Vice-Chancellor and members of the Executive welcomed new staff at the Orientation Sessions. These sessions are valuable for informing staff of the many benefits of working at UWS. A number of new programs were introduced this year including the UWS Inspire Leadership Program with 76 participants and the Academic Mentoring Program with 57 participants. While these programs are still in progress, participants have benefited from a strong focus on reflecting on leadership practice and support for career development.

The University is positioning itself for strong growth in student enrolments and its programs and introducing a leadership and management organisational structure that enables better alignment with UWS strategy and decision-making. The Office of Organisational Development (OD) is now located within the newly created Office of People and Culture, to enable improved organisational wide services to the Schools, Centres and Divisions. OD will continue to provide the high levels of professional advice, services and programs that you are familiar with including support for career planning; professional and career development and opportunities; training in UWS policies, systems and business applications; leadership development; mentoring; customer service as well as facilitating team development, and Unit or School planning.

With the end of the year fast approaching it is now time for all staff to complete performance reviews. The Compass Program aims to provide you with guidance and support to navigate the various career pathways and development opportunities at UWS, and to help with the planning and review of your work aligned to the UWS Strategy and goals. Compass uses the MyCareer Online System to help keep your career development and work plans and activities on track and up
to date. Compass is about having ongoing discussions with your manager about your portfolio activities, whether in Teaching, Research, Administration,or Governance, and the support and training needed to help you do your job. Refer to the Compass website for more information or go to MyCareer Online.

Aggie Lim
Director, Organisational Development

UWS Inspire Leadership Program

Blending “the inner work of intense personal development and the outer work of leadership in action” (Brown 2001)

The inaugural Inspire Leadership Program was launched in February 2011 for Academic and Professional managers and leaders at UWS. The program is endorsed by the Vice-Chancellor and Executive and is an initiative of Our People 2015 Staffing strategy. This unique leadership development program is designed to develop and enhance leadership skills and capabilities, and recognises the rich diversity of our staff. There are 5 groups currently participating in this fully funded leadership development program coordinated through the Office of Organisational Development.

In December, all 5 groups will come together for a special event to mark the closing of the 2011 Inspire Leadership Program. We have commissioned the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) to present “Communicating with Impact”, a dynamic and interactive workshop that focuses on making an impact, controlling the nerves, physical awareness and spatial contexts, and vocal articulation and energy. Inspire Leadership Program participants should contact Carolyn Bennett in OD at carolyn.bennett@uws.edu.au ext 7597.

Expressions of Interest are now open for the 2012 Inspire Leadership Program. For more information go to the Inspire Leadership website.

Compass Update - Now's the time to complete your 2011 Performance Review

2011 performance reviews are to be completed during November and December. To complete your review, you will first need to review progress against your work objectives and development goals. Then complete your self-review of performance and submit it to your supervisor who will meet with you to discuss your review. 

All supervisors should complete training in conducting reviews. A one-day workshop on Coaching for Performance focuses on performance conversations and identifying your staff members' levels of performance and potential. It provides practical strategies and techniques for communicating clear expectations, influencing others, giving feedback, and coaching for performance. You will also be updated on the Compass Program and how to complete performance reviews online using MyCareer Online. The next workshop is on 9 November for senior staff and 30 November for managers.

There are also online tutorials and quick guides in MyCareer Online to help you get started. You can contact OD Consultants Bev McSpadyen (b.mcspadyen@uws.edu.au ext 7421), Phillip Marler (p.marler@uws.edu.au ext 7494) or your HR Business Partner if you have any questions. 

Online Learning - Need help with your performance reviews?                           

Online demonstrations and Quick Guides are now available to help staff and supervisors complete performance reviews in MyCareer Online. You can download the Compass Quick Guides in the Knowledge Bank and access the 3 to 8 minute online demonstrations in MyCareer Online:  

• Reviewing Objectives in MyCareer Online for Professional Staff 
• Reviewing Objectives in MyCareer Online for Academic Staff
• Reviewing Staff Member Objectives in MyCareer Online (for superisors)
• Managing Your Progress in MyCareer Online

The online demonstrations have audio so you can also listen to instructions on how to complete your performance review online. You can also download and print the Quick Guides which provide an easy to follow step-by-step guide. To find any of these, type the relevant title in the Search field of MyCareer Online.

OD Courses for UWS Staff  

To register for any of the OD courses, go to MyCareer Online.

3 November – IT Outlook
Improve your Outlook skills and find out more about the program you use every day.

3 November - Tools for Personal Productivity
Learn powerful, practical tools and ideas for increasing your organisation, energy and creativity in work and life.

9 November - Graphics with Gimp
Learn the skills required to fully utilise the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) to create your own original graphics as well as learning image and photo editing techniques to produce professional graphics.

10 November - How’s and Why’s of Process Mapping
Learn to use practical tools for conceptualising, defining, mapping, analysing and documenting business and workflow processes at a high and detailed level.

11 November – Oracle Financials
For staff who need to print reports, run enquiries and enter transactions (including credit card) using the University’s financial system.

14 November – UWS Financial Framework Process
Learn about the University’s Financial Framework process.

15 November – TRIM Advanced
Learn about  the importance of record-keeping, how to use a records information form (RIF) to create files, maintain records in TRIM and prepare records for storage and/or destruction.

16 November – Working at UWS and our Statutory Obligations
Learn about your responsibilities as a public officer and the internal and external sources of information to comply with policies, procedures and your legal obligations under relevant legislation. A core training for all staff.

17 November – HTML
Discover the basics for creating, modifying and maintaining a webpage using HTML.

22 November – Orientation for New Staff
Now that you’re a valued staff member at UWS, find out more about the University, its strategic directions and how to access the many staff benefits and conditions of employment. 

22 November – IT Publisher
Produce a simple publication in Microsoft Publisher and learn the use of functions, manuals and online help.

23 November – Recruiting the Right Person: Behavioural Interviewing
Increase your confidence in making informed hiring decisions and improve your interviewing skills using effective interviewing  techniques that enable more objectivity in the staff selection process. A core training for those who sit on selection panels.

24 November – Managing Small Projects
Learn Project Management principles, practices and tools for managing small projects, using  the UWS Project Management Methodology.

25 November – MySource Matrix Content Management System – CMS
Learn how to use the University’s Content Management System (CMS) for your website as a  Content Author (Web Editor) or Subsite Manager (Web Approver).

Plan ahead and register now for:
IT – MS Project – 29 November
Project Officers Network – 29 November
Coaching for Performance – 30 November
IT – Exploring MS Office Extras – 30 November
Meetings & Minutes @ UWS - 30 November
PowerPoint – 1 December
Building Effective Relationships - 7 December
Travel Information eTan – 8 December
Travel Information e-Res – 8 December

For a full list of courses go to the 2011 Program Calendar, and to register, go to MyCareer Online.

Summer Art Show at Frogmore House

The historic Frogmore House is made all the more beautiful by the works of art contributed by staff, students, members and friends of the UWS community. We invite you to submit your art for the 2011 Summer Art Show. If you, or someone you know, are interested in exhibiting your art at Frogmore House, please contact Kathy Adam-Cross at k.adam-cross@uws.edu.au or ext 7493 or Dearne Richards at d.richards@uws.edu.au or ext 7483.

Please note that submissions must be delivered to Frogmore House by 3:30pm on 8th December 2011. If you have work in the current exhibition, please ensure you make arrangements to collect it.

IT Tip - Listen to your PDF! 

Did you know that some Acrobat files can be read to you? If you have a text file (not one big picture) that you’d like to hear through your speakers or earphones, you can activate the reader to listen to your PDF. To activate the reader:

• From the View menu, choose Read out Loud (at the bottom)
• Select Activate Read out loud. The menu will close.

To control the reader:

• From the View menu, choose Read Out Loud (at the bottom)
• Select either Read this page or Read to End
• Choose Stop or Pause

For more tips and tricks, go to the How to Resources page.

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