learning from other sectors
learning from other sectors: links to approaches usedThere is no one correct approach to governance self-assessment – the important thing is to select an approach that meets your specific needs at a particular time. Some approaches measure overall performance and some just measure particular aspects such as leadership and management, learner responsiveness, customer service, people management, culture and ethos. Some focus on the systems and processes to ensure quality, rather than the quality outcomes. So boards may need to use a variety of approaches to address different aspects of quality, based on an analysis of their current quality 'position'. The approach will change as the college's and the governing board's quality 'position' develops, so governing boards need to keep the appropriateness of the selected approaches under review. a. excellence model (European Foundation for Quality Management)This is a self-assessment framework for continuous improvement used by over 20,000 organisations in the UK. The excellence model enables an organisation to review every aspect of its work in a planned way. It is based on the premise that the five key enablers of excellence are:
b. corporate social responsibilityCorporate social responsibility (CSR) lies at the heart of the board's role. Basically, an ethos – linked to values, vision and mission – shows how an organisation relates to its staff, customers, suppliers, local community and environment. It impacts on finances, environmental services, customer services, internal HR and the management of social relations. It is not a lofty ideal but is embedded in the day-to-day operations and values of the organisation. FE colleges and education and training providers are well regulated and compare well with the private sector in terms of CSR. However, it is important to demonstrate that the college and the board are firmly committed to CSR and are leading the way, rather than being compliant. This is particularly relevant in view of the move to self-regulation across the FE system. Sustainability is a current key topic. Policy around capital investment and property strategy funding support will drive the FE sector to have sustainable policies, but these should be embedded anyway as part of valuing our environment and minimising our footprint on it.
Useful links:www.community-links.org (developing corporate values) www.chforum.org/methods/xc417.html (ethics and corporate social responsibility) c. PQASSO (practical quality assurance system for small organisations)PQASSO was developed by Charities Evaluation Services specifically for small to medium-sized voluntary and community organisations. It is designed as a self-assessment workpack. It uses 12 quality areas, including planning, staff and volunteers, governance, managing money, user-centred advice and results. d. Social auditingSocial accounting, reporting and auditing helps an organisation to measure, report on and improve social performance and ethical behaviour, and its accountability to different sets of stakeholders. Social auditing was pioneered by the New Economics Foundation in the late 1990s. Having developed the methods, the Foundation went on to help form the Institute of Social and Ethical Accountability to promote professional standards around social accounting and auditing. e. Investors in People (IiP)This is a standard that reflects an employer's commitment to training and development. Its focus is on developing people by providing the continuous training and development that will enable businesses to achieve their goals. A total of 37,000 UK organisations (including many colleges and private training providers) have obtained the IiP Standard, representing nearly 38% of the UK workforce. The Standard is based on four main principles:
It involves external inspection and verification, which lasts for three years. This is not just based on systems and materials, but also on organisation culture. f. ISO 9000The focus is on developing and maintaining quality systems and policies. It is about saying what is to be done, justifying it and documenting that it has been done. The emphasis is on management/administration systems rather than on actual quality of product or services. It involves external ongoing assessment. Registration can be withdrawn. British Standards Institution Tel: 020 8996 9000 g. ChartermarkThis is designed for organisations dealing with the public that receive significant funding from the public sector. Like ISO 9000, it looks at service delivery and customer satisfaction, and is externally assessed. Charter Mark Team, Cabinet Office Tel: 020 7276 1755.
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