1. March 2010
DNG Newsletter
Leading companies trust us to improve their business performance by creating sustained behavioural change
HRD 21th – 22nd April Welcome
We will be at the HRD Exhibition Hello and a very warm welcome to this newsletter. Here are a few words about
21st - 22nd April at stand 762. what we do. People development has been the primary focus for Dove Nest Group
Come and have a chat. (DNG) since the early 1980’s. We have built a reputation for being the supplier of
choice through our approach to partnering with clients which means we go far
Together with one of our clients,
beyond a pure transactional service. This approach enables us to build and craft
Thames Water, we are also
the most appropriate solutions.
presenting a Topic Taster
Seminar: We are recognised as the specialists for integrating rigorous science with practical
business improving strategies. Our services include:
Date: Wednesday 21st April
Development of Graduates, Teams and Leaders Psychological Profiling
Time: 10.45 – 11.15am
Culture Change Assessment Management and Executive Coaching
Location: Showcase Theatre
Title:
Demonstrating the Non-tangible Kier Corporate Responsibility Event Raises £25K
Benefit of Management
Development Programmes. In December DNG worked with 36 Kier Support
Services Directors at the Assembly House in
Description: Norwich. They were challenged with organising
Quantifying the benefit of any a charity dinner for 90 guests in 24 hours, this
management development included planning, cooking, waiting on
programme is the hardest part of and inviting the guests. The event was a
preparing a business case for significant success in two ways:
the cost. Thames Water report 1. The Directors identified specific action
the benefits accruing from an points to apply back in the workplace as
ongoing programme. a result of their experiences
2. An amazing £25,000 was raised for The D
Events Diary the East Anglia Hospice (it normally take Kier He NG
ll’s Kitc
three months to organise a similar hen
11th – 13th June event)
DNG Open Weekend
4th July
Open Weekend
AGR Annual Conference
August (dates tbc) Using one of our three Lake District venues,
BPS Level A training the Open Weekend last year offered the
opportunity for prospective clients to learn more
3rd – 5th September about DNG and our approach. We also
DNG Open Weekend provided thoughts around key challenges
facing many businesses today. We encouraged
families and friends to come along and
Current Clients offered various outdoor activities such as
abseiling and canoeing.
Following the great success of the event, DNG are running two Open Weekends
in 2010, 11th - 13th June and 3rd - 5th September. If you are interested in
attending please contact Jane Edmondson on 015395 67878 or
jane.edmondson@dovenest.co.uk
Contact Us
Daniel Ross and Martin Saunders
Dove Nest Group
015395 67878
daniel.ross@dovenest.co.uk
martin.saunders@dovenest.co.uk
www.dovenest.co.uk

2. DNG Newsletter March 2010
Case Study
Thames Water: Leadership Development
Project Brief
As part of its cultural transformation programme
“Transforming Thames”, Thames Water required all
levels of line manager to move from a task focused style
of management to one where they actively used
leadership behaviours to engage and lead their people.
In conjunction with this move towards new behaviours,
Thames Water were starting to look to the future and
needed to identify and start to develop their Talent
population to give them the opportunity of validating their
qualifications through the Institute of Leadership and
Management (ILM).
Challenges
• To develop over 500 managers at three levels of Solution
the organisation over a two-year time frame
DNG worked in partnership with Thames Water to
• To instil new behaviours and attitudes in a develop a multi-tiered development intervention that
sustainable manner engaged all levels of leadership from the Board through
to first line managers. The main content of the
• To recognise and build upon the legacy of the
intervention comprises of two development programmes
previous organisational culture, management style
(each lasting 32 weeks) for middle and first line
and all previous training
managers. Both start with Development Centres,
• To ensure the solution provided rigorous specifically designed around Thames Water’s
benchmarking whilst creating a sustainable change Leadership Success Factors, from which are generated
detailed development reports which participants use with
their line managers to develop detailed PDPs.
The programmes comprise of a number of modules and
workshops designed to enable participants to practise
the required behaviours, and gain valuable feedback,
within safe environments. Participants also work on
Business Challenges to actively show how they are
transferring their learning immediately back into the
workplace.
All participants undertake a mid-way evaluation of their
development, some being granted a “Licence to Lead” at
that stage whist others progress with more focused
PDPs.
Results
The Pilot phase of both programmes proved so Thames and creating a culture of performance and
successful that the Thames Water executive gave engagement.
approval for the rollout of the wider programme two
We have had great feedback on the programmes and
months early.
how they are enabling managers to develop their
Robust measurement from the Development Centres (at leadership mindset, confidence and capability.”
both the start and mid-way points) shows that the
Comments from participants include:
programme has improved participant’s performance by
20 – 25%. “I had for the first time in my career a good honest chat
about me and my development with my line manager.”
The Business Challenges have provided an immediate
payback to the business in relation to their “Transforming “This is so much more than a leadership programme –
Thames” initiative. we are seeing cultural change.”
Head of Talent Management at Thames Water Joolz “I have to say that you have done an excellent job and
Summers says “It’s about setting clear expectations of have delivered a programme that ticks all the boxes we
leadership, benchmarking our managers and maximising required.”
their development to underpin the transformation of