• For Organisations
• For Individuals
• Events and Workshops
• Investors In People London
• Case Studies
• News
• Contact Us
• FAQ's
• CQL Home

The Shaftesbury Society
Employs 1,200 staff and has approximately 250 volunteers that are dispersed functionally and geographically across England. They work in the following areas: support services for disabled adults; specialist education for children and young people; and community development projects for disadvantaged communities. They also have a central office function.

John Grooms Charity
Employs 520 staff and has approximately 100 volunteers that are dispersed across the UK as well as a small number overseas. They provide social care and holiday provision for disabled adults.

Since their formation in the nineteenth century, both charities have concentrated their efforts on providing services for some of the UK's most marginalised people. The last century and a half have brought many changes to the environment in which they work, but both organisations have evolved and developed while still remaining true to their Christian ethos and core values. The last decade has seen both charities affected by sector–wide funding and cost constraints, but simultaneously establishing strong reputations for working with the most disadvantaged members of society.

The decision to merge the two charities was taken in principle in September 2006 and it was finalised in January 2007. The merger took place in June 2007 and the merged charity has now taken on the working title of Grooms–Shaftesbury.

Knowing that both organisations were recognised by the IIP standard the IIP framework was used to underpin the merger planning. Specifically the Organisational Development Plan, was championed by the designate Chief Executive. With both charities having already seen the value of using IIP, this provided a neutral, external and well–respected framework to support collaborative working.

Internally, the approach has been to use IIP to underpin planning. Staff were not explicitly told that activities were part of IIP as there was the desire to avoid overwhelming managers with an additional layer of language at a time when the two organisations needed to get to grips with the basics.

The designate Chief Executive and Directors were concerned that recognition status should not be jeopardized at the point of merger and therefore keen to benchmark change plans against the Standard.

Discussions took place with CQL early on in the process so that their feedback informed the development of the Grooms–Shaftesbury Overarching Recognition Strategy, in a timely manner.

The HR teams from both organisations have been working together on key merger related projects since Autumn 2006. An early opportunity to bring all management teams together was facilitated in November 2006 to ensure that managers were involved and equipped for their central role in the forthcoming changes.

Sitting within the HR funtion, Organisational Development (OD) is represented at board level and is positioned to inform organisational strategy. OD plans are reviewed alongside the HR plans,ensuring that all activities are informed by the organisational strategy as it emerges.

Each organisation had a separate approach to employee consultation and with the support of the IIP framework, a consultation forum has been established to support the merger consultation as well as broader subjects. With the IIP requirements for clarity about the role of leaders, plans are underway for board and executive leadership development programmes. In addition, core leadership competencies will be developed, rooted in the new organisation's vision, mission and values. One of the key vehicles for involving Managers is through a managers conference planned for November 2007.

The value of IIP to Grooms–Shaftesbury has been to provide a trusted, nationally recognised approach to managing people through a period of change. The leadership of the organisation is proud of their recognition status. They recognise the confidence it gives to new recruits as well as established staff and volunteers in knowing they are part of a professional organisation that manages and develops people well.

The Organisational Development Plan has been benchmarked against the Standard, giving confidence and clarity of direction as the two organisations are brough together.  Retaining IIP recognition throughout the transformation into a new entity has also given confidence to charity regulators, as they realise that the organisation is supporting staff and volunteers well during this time of change.