Introducing the Top Third Program
Introduction
Universities seem to be subject to constant change. At Deakin, when you add our high aspirations for our future development, there always seems to be ‘a lot happening’.
"Top Third" is a new and very important program which aims to bring the changes together and, at the same time, to help Deakin University to move into the top third of Australian universities in a range of measures including teaching, research and the wellbeing, morale and development of our staff and students. We have secured federal government funding for the program which will support work spanning at least the next three years.
Background
The Human Resources Services Division is leading a range of projects in a number of areas such as systems and processes, academic performance, and people management. The role of the "Top Third" Program will be to support the achievement of the goals in our new Strategic Plan –
Delivering Effective Partnerships, to unite the activities of current projects and to develop a number of specific initiatives and measures of progress towards the ultimate objective of reaching the top third.
There will be monthly updates about the progress of the "Top Third" Program and announcements of major milestones as they are achieved on this web site.
Partners
Our partners in this program are the consulting firms SACS Consulting and Insight SRC. Both of these firms are very experienced - SACS has expertise in organisational development, and Insight are specialists in organisational measurement such as the conduct of surveys.
"Top Third" survey
One of the first major activities in this program is the development and conduct of a new organisational survey, which will be conducted annually and which you will be asked to complete for the first time in August. This will enable us to develop a baseline for a number of measures of success, as well as to gain your opinions on a range of important issues. This will replace the employee survey which we previously used.
The survey results will provide information that will help us to develop a range of activities for the coming year which will begin our journey toward the top third.
"Top Third" Champions
To provide guidance to the program team, including feedback from colleagues, we are assembling a team of approximately 60 staff members (academic and general) who will act as ‘Change Champions’ for this program. These members of staff will:
- Inform the program team about what staff members are seeking from it;
- Act as crucial points of communication, both for the dissemination of information and the gathering of feedback to and from staff;
- Act as sources of information for staff – answering queries from staff and letting the program team know what information is needed;
- Guide the program team; and
- Gain involvement and participation from other staff at relevant stages of the program.
If you would like to become involved please contact Leanne Klahsen on extension 72099 or Helen O’Connor on extension 68289 from the Human Resources Services Division. A list of Champions can be viewed on the Champions webpage.
