Transforming organisations

Investors in People in the Board Room

I was doing some work with Investors in People UK in Central London yesterday. As part of our discussions I said that I believed the Standard to be more powerful and more apposite today than at any time in its fifteen-year lifetime.

As I was sitting on the train back to Hereford I wondered what was behind that comment? And more importantly, is it true?

Why should it be that a National Standard that has been in post over a period that has seen the explosion of the Internet and the knowledge economy be even more relevant than ever?

In the group we were wondering aloud when Investors in People Director of Client Relations, Gary Mathews suggested that in a world of incessant change maybe the Standard is the only constant. Maybe it is a safety net, a framework or a stability that allows for creativity and innovation?

After all you can use the Standard in any Board Room of any organisation, anywhere in the world to:
À Clarify Direction
À Develop Trust
À Enhance Performance

These are the three steps that all organisations need to take in order to develop and sustain competitive advantage. I was discussing this concept with Paul Thandi, newly appointed CEO of NEC Group in Birmingham, England only last week. He suggested that if you think about a committed relationship between two people, these three steps would work for them too.

So perhaps that is the answer. The Standard is actually based upon enduring human values. You can draw some similarities between what works for two people that are committed to developing a relationship and what works for a group of people that are committed to developing an organisation.

That is why the Investors in People Standard is still the most powerful business development tool for any organisation.

posted by Tim @ 3:01 AM