Archives: Changepartners Stories

Client Need

SA Innove is a competence center for general and vocational education and educational support services and an intermediary of European Union subsidies. The foundation was established in 2003 in the administrative field of the Ministry of Education and Research. Innove supports students in coping with life and contributes to the functioning of a flexible and balanced educational system.

Between 2016 to 2018 we conducted two school leader development programs  – “Change management” and “Value-based and learner-centered leadership”. Today’s schools need leaders who are learners themselves and who create a culture open to learning and change.

Our Solution

Over three years more than 500 managers of general education, vocational schools and kindergartens completed this development program. It was practical tool-based training, in which the executives worked on one of their real projects and received support for its implementation. The training programs consisted of 4 training days, in addition to individual and group coaching sessions.

Participants received support for a variety of change projects:

• the merger of two organizations
• implementation of learner-centered curriculum
• changing teaching habits
• innovation in teaching methods, etc.

Results

• A noticeable change in the systematic implementation of  new skills and knowledge
• Every participant in the course planned and implemented a real change project during the program, which gave rise to the value of Estonian schools
• Managers plan to use the received tools on a daily basis

Feedback

“A very practical training for a school principal which gave support and confidence in our work. After each training day, I had a lot of ideas about what I wanted to change and do. Inspiring, engaging!”

“Inspirational training which helped to understand the importance of the ability to change in an ever-changing world.”

“I’ve gained new ideas on how to innovate and how to understand values.”

Client Need

Established in 2000, Enterprise Estonia (EAS) promotes business and regional policy in Estonia and is one of the largest institutions within the national support system for entrepreneurship by providing financial assistance, counseling, cooperation opportunities and training for entrepreneurs, research institutions, the public and non-profit sectors. The goal was to support the success of administrative reform by training the leaders of Estonian municipalities in the context of mergers and providing them with the necessary support from top educators and mentors.

Our Solution

Between 2015 to 2018 we conducted three development programs for municipal leaders. The aim was to increase the management and cooperation capacity of local municipalities before and after the administrative reform, and to support the leaders in implementing the changes that they are facing.

In total 75 municipal leaders participated in the programs: mayors, deputy mayors, municipality governors and the chairmen of the councils.
The program supported leaders in making key choices for the region, planning comprehensive developments, and designing and implementing changes.

The program involved two study trips to Denmark where local leaders visited the success stories and well-functioning solutions of Denmark municipalities. Additionally, we offered mentoring services, where every municipal leader received mentor’s support to implement the development goals of their municipality.

Results

• Leaders became more aware of their role as head of change and have acquired a systematic approach for making changes in the local communities
• Significant increase in participants’ leadership competencies and confidence
• Finding innovative and thinking out-of-the-box solutions in providing public services and organizing local government activities

Feedback

“A clearer awareness of the role of the manager, thinking about key activities and gaining courage and confidence to make the necessary changes.”

“Innovative, thinking out-of-the-box solutions for development services (Danish examples).”

“The emerging learning network and social capital for further cooperation between local governments.”

Client Need

Ericsson is one of the leading providers of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to service providers, with about 40% of the world’s mobile traffic carried through their networks. The client needed to raise awareness among the managers about the importance of their role in securing a safety culture.

Our Solution

We involved more than 120 Ericsson first and middle management leaders in safety discussions in order to increase leadership responsibility and their dedication to the topic. In cooperation with the client, we designed a Safety Dialogue Map for managers, and we conducted discussions in Estonian and Russian which were focused on the following questions:

• What are the success factors of effective leadership in the field of safety?
• What is your organization’s safety culture today and how can it be developed further?
• How to prevent future work accidents?

Results

• The leaders became aware of how much really depends on their example and practice. Managers found that there is a huge difference between the ways in which to communicate safety issues with their employees and how to get people involved and ready to give feedback. Through analyzing previous accident cases, they also recognized the importance of paying attention to incidents, how a small thing can become a serious accident if not addressed at the right time.
• The participants formulated several dozen upgrading proposals to ensure a safe working environment and safe behaviors. The projects are jointly funded by plant managers.

Feedback

“The format of the dialogue card is a good alternative to lecture training. It often creates a debate and the participants create personal relationships that help to strengthen the company’s safety culture.”

– Evely Gorobinski, Work Relations and Competence manager, Ericsson Eesti AS

Client Need

Occupational safety is a high priority in UPM factories. In 2012, the management of Otepää factory set the goal to reduce accidents at work and risk behavior through the development of a safety culture.

Our Solution

• We started the project by analyzing UPM’s safety culture.
• With focus group interviews and management seminars we mapped the main development areas and prepared an action plan with tools to help achieve the desired occupational safety culture.
• Over three consecutive years, we conducted different dialogue seminars for 200 employees of the UPM factory, using specifically designed occupational safety dialogue maps.
• In addition, we trained UPM’s managers to understand the importance of their role in ensuring occupational safety and helped them to plan safety-related dialogues with their employees.

Results

• The apparent change in the attitudes of employees and the formation of the “Safety begins with me“ attitude.
• People talk about occupational safety and take better care of their workplace.
• Complying with safety rules and collective responsibility has improved.
• Dialogue about safety is highly valued by the management and the employees.
• Improvement of several key indicators and the longest accident-free period (110 days) following the project.
• Increase of employee initiative – several dozens of ideas for improvement on how to make the workplace safer.

Feedback

“Broadening perspectives – safety is not just personal protective equipment, it is so much more. We ourselves must be more careful and draw attention to the disregard of safety rules. Many things become clearer through discussions.”