HR Case Study - Bordon Infant School
Situation
Bordon Infant School in Hampshire has been established for 29 years. Katy Pinchess is the Head Teacher and as a big-picture thinker she takes a pastoral role towards her staff team to ensure the best results for her pupils. People Vision has established a handpicked team of specialist consultants who design and deliver training across a range of Human Resources skills. Alyson Pellowe, the founder of People Vision, designs and delivers bespoke training to a wide spectrum of organisations.
Challenge
Bordon Infant School had excellent systems of teacher training but had identified a need to provide time for teachers to reflect on their performance, capabilities and teamwork.
“During my Masters degree I studied people and organisation management, which is not something that we tend to focus on in school,” explained Katy Pinchess. “Most industries have lots of time focussed on team dynamics and looking inwards, while in schools our focus is on teaching and learning. I approached Alyson as I thought it would be a good opportunity and would be a different experience for the staff.” (KP)
Action
- From a variety of tools available Katy chose to use Belbin to provide an objective system for review of her team strengths and development areas.
- Belbin explores team dynamics, and through analysis of individual traits displayed in the workplace builds a comprehensive picture of the diverse behaviours within a team in order to promote personal and team development. Participants provide feedback on themselves and everyone in their team, building a 360 picture of their unique situation.
- Alyson was invited to deliver a half-day Belbin workshop with the senior leadership team comprising Katy, 3 year group team leaders and the administration officer. Katy commented that the 360 review process “was very positive and helped us to reflect on our strengths and developments needs. We then decided to use it with the rest of the school.” (KP)
- The Belbin process was adjusted for delivery to the teachers of each year group and it was some people’s first time with personal development intervention. “We built it into a team building and wellbeing day and people really enjoyed the time to talk and relished the experience. I think the way we set up the day for the teams – self-analysis, a discussion with Alyson, then the 360 review - led the staff quite gently through the process.” (KP)
Results
- The workshops incorporating the Belbin tool worked to ensure a continuum of improvement as they worked with the capabilities of individuals and the development of the team in the context of the school as a whole. The reports on each year group have been consolidated with the leadership report to provide a balanced view of the strengths and weaknesses across the whole organisation.
- The senior leadership team enjoyed having time out to think about what they were good at as individuals, as a team and to highlight areas to develop. Completing Belbin identified the team’s problematic tendency to consent too readily when making decisions.
- The school accurately identified many successes and strengths to celebrate and build on, providing motivation for individuals and the whole team. “It made me realise how strong we are as a team and how supportive of one another.” (KP)
- Providing time for self-reflection within a structured framework was a useful catalyst for self-awareness and self-development through performance management and personal goal-setting. “It showed people that they’re not just one thing; that they have lots of qualities and they can adapt according to the needs of their team.” (KP)
- Katy and her team will use the Belbin data to make progress in the daily life of the school through competent self-analysis, identifying problems and finding solutions. “We will be having an individual analysis of what went well from the day and a team analysis after which the teams will give action points to me.“ (KP)
- For Katy as Head Teacher the review process helps her to recognise and direct the varied qualities of her staff. “Most years there is movement of staff between classes to keep things fresh and prevent stagnation, and the Belbin feedback will certainly inform decisions on this process.” (KP)
- Individuals are more aware of their impact in the wider context of the organisation. “Belbin gets people thinking about their role as a member of the school team and how this part of their job, and that it’s important for them to be an effective member of a team. Schools don’t run if they don’t have good teams in place, and it’s good for people to think about that.” (KP)
Client Testimonial
“Belbin is very strong and it’s good to use modern technology due to the computer analysis of information. People Vision provided us with the tools to reflect but most importantly with an outside perspective. We can get very school centric and it was good to look at things with a new view point.”
“The reason I chose to go with Alyson’s company was because she was dynamic and interesting, and was interested in us as an organisation. She was able to lead discussions in a comfortable way and to get people involved.”
Katy Pinchess, Head Teacher, Bordon Infant School
www.bordoninfantschool.ik.org
