Development of Kingston University’s Town House Strategy
Structures and processes within today’s universities are incredibly complex, many of their talented professionals mainly work in silo, and the demands of today’s students has shifted significantly due to recent uncontrollable external factors. This has resulted in a misalignment in what a university offers and what its students need, a lack of vision, no clear common goal, and no clarity on direction.
With diversity on the increase and a rising demand for more flexible learning opportunities, universities’ Strategies must be reimagined.
Through no fault of their own Kingston University found themselves in a position where they needed an unbiased pair of eyes and ears to collaborate with. The strength to identify weaknesses and to know when to ask for help proved to be the key to the university’s future success and growth.
The aim was to create and implement a Strategy where Kingston University would be known as a progressive and inclusive educational institution with the perfect environment where everyone can realise their full potential, and be empowered to use their learnings and acquired behaviours throughout their career.
The vision for Kingston University’s Town House Strategy was well thought through, exciting, revolutionary, and meaningful - a reflection of their brilliance and integrity. But during its infancy, the progression to develop the Strategy was slower than anticipated. Support was needed to accelerate decisions, build consensus, inspire effective conversations, and create a clear plan.
My role: Strategy Consultant
Some of my network will know me as a leadership and mindset coach, but when I’m not coaching individuals, I collaborate with leaders in organisations to support their vision and maximise their opportunities.
Bringing in an external expert was a wise move on the part of the university and enabled me to demonstrate what good looks like.
My responsibilities were to:
overlook and shape the entire project.
develop positive mindsets and bring people together.
identify who to involve at which stage to empower individuals to add real value based on their area of expertise.
unblock bottlenecks and boost productivity
manage any conflict or tension that may arise and reframe any negativity.
help create an optimum working and learning environment.
When you work so close to something it’s common for the ‘can’t see the wood for the trees’ adage to rear its ineffectual head. With me on board, I could look out for opportunities along the way too which may be invisible to those so ingrained in the university’s DNA.
Taking a step back
In December 2021 Kingston University approached Caja, a leading business transformation consultancy for which I work as an associate - and my journey with the university began.
To move forwards I needed to review the work that had been done so far to develop their Strategy, to take a close look at the decisions that had been made, and to assess their impact. It took a bit of unravelling, but in essence all the information was there for me. With a better understanding of what they were wanting to achieve, I was able to create a strawman to summarise their progress to date. This allowed everyone involved to gain clarity on the direction they needed to work towards.
Structures within structures
There were five workstreams working towards a collective goal. I supported all five to gain clarity on their scope of activity and ensured that the right people were placed in the workstreams where their skills, experience and expertise would be of most value.
After the review of each workstream and the membership of each, I created a roadmap highlighting where they needed to go and suggested how they might get there.
A solid framework
The next phase of work saw me continuing to support the Exec Team to develop a new impactful and cohesive Strategy which placed more focus on how they were to work together to deliver this large-scale change. I was mindful to bring this new Strategy to life in a manageable and structured way with the associated governance needed for the optimum outcome.
To ensure success, this is what I did:
Maintained an oversight of the Strategy’s implementation plan alongside the day to day running of the university to make sure it delivers on its other commitments and that its personnel didn’t become overwhelmed.
Facilitated meetings with the Board and the Exec Team.
Accelerated their decision-making processes and made them more meaningful to better support their future goals.
Became a sounding board for the VC, the Exec Teams and the team members that make up the five workstream leads.
Helped to create a set of strategic KPIs in complete alignment with the Strategy.
United individuals and instilled a sense of belonging where they worked towards a common goal and vision.
Identified clear milestones and goals throughout the journey.
Created explicit communications that underpinned the desired culture where cooperation and trust exists between team members and effective confident leaders.
Explored opportunities.
Supported everyone involved with the project either on a 1-2-1 or team basis to embed new ways of working.
Ensured everyone involved embraced their new direction with optimism and enthusiasm.
What now?
The Strategy has been launched but it is still in its early stage of implementation. I’m a big believer in refining and redefining if necessary. With a solid foundation, any Strategy can survive subtle revisions to keep it on track.
I am now working, alongside other Caja colleagues, to futureproof the Strategy’s success, continuing to support the Exec Team and mobilising the people that sit underneath this team. Having complete clarity, I am facilitating conversations in both directions - upwards to the Board and down again to ensure complete alignment to the Strategy’s original vision.
With everybody on board, with a clear understanding of the vision and what is expected of them, the university is in the best place to deliver this innovative and forward-thinking Strategy.
“Kingston University set itself the challenge of creating an ambitious and far-reaching strategy, that aims to have significant impact internally and externally. Kathryn supported us in this, bringing the right teams of people together, using her coaching and listening skills to help drive decision-making and maintain momentum and progress. Her energy and perseverance, and always striving to find the right solution for Kingston University, were key to our success.”
- Myfanwy Davies, Chief of Staff, Kingston University, London
Finally, I have some effective tools and techniques to help you master these steps and free your path ahead so you can proceed to succeed! To learn more about them feel free to get in touch and book in a free discovery call.
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