1. Morag Easton
Depute Director of Human Resources and Development
Edinburgh Napier University
Strategy 2020 – Research Restructure
within HE

2. Welcome
• Domestics
• Fire alarm: not due
• Phones/ iPads/ Blackberries (silent or off)
• Timings

3. Workshop Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to…
•Identify the steps to undertake an organisational restructure in the
context of the Strategy and external climate.
•Understand the importance of effectively engaging with staff and key
stakeholders, highlighting the benefits of doing so.
•Review our and other’s experiences of restructuring, through:
- What has worked well
- What would have been better if?
- Next steps

4. • This session will reflect on how and why a review of the research
support structures was undertaken at Edinburgh Napier University,
and identify key steps taken including:
• why the review process was kicked off
• how staff were helped along the journey
• process at each stage with Principals & other Senior staff
• introduction of discussion boards /text walls during meetings
• regular website updates and ability for staff to add own thoughts
• process workshops, staff included across the board at all levels
• formal consultation processes
• final outcomes
Content

5. Reflection: Action Grid
Things to start doing… Things to continue and
improve…
Things to stop… Things to consider…

6. Who are we?
Take 5 minutes to discuss
•Name and role
•Previous experience of organisational change
•Any current organisational projects in your organisation

7. Edinburgh Napier
University - Facts &
FiguresEstablished 1964
Over 18,400 students from 120 countries.
95.4% of our 2012/13 undergraduates and 92% of
postgraduates were in work or further study six
months after graduating.
Top 20 in the UK for Graduate Employability at
undergraduate level
35% overseas students.

8. Facts & Figures
• 1512 staff
• Currently three faculties and eight schools, however from August 2015
we will move to six Schools.
• Three main campuses in Edinburgh
– Sighthill campus - School of Life, Sports & Social Sciences and School of Nursing,
Midwifery & Social Care
– Merchiston campus – Schools of Engineering & the Built Environment, Arts &
Creative Industries and Computing
– Craiglockhart campus – The Business School

9. Strategy 2020
Strategy 2020:Building Success was developed between October 2013
and March 2014 and approved by the University Court in March 2014.
Our vision
‘An enterprising and innovative community renowned internationally,
with an unrivalled student learning experience’
Our purpose
Our purpose is to deliver high quality education and research to add value to the social,
cultural, economic capital of the communities we serve.

10. Strategy 2020
Our values
Professional Ambitious Innovative Inclusive
Strategic Objectives
– Grow our academic reputation
– Deliver an excellent personalised student experience
– Build innovation, enterprise and citizenship
– Internationalise our work

11. To grow our academic reputation, we will
• Operate at the leading edge of our academic disciplines, through
research, professional practice, knowledge exchange and pedagogy.
• Establish a reputation for outstanding teaching in every area of our
portfolio.
• Integrate the taught portfolio with research and professional practice.
• Grow our research profile in areas of academic strength and
potential
• Establish a thematic interdisciplinary academic focus.
• Build our reputation as a leader in research, teaching and
innovation in education.
• Grow our community of postgraduate students.

12. 'Scotland in a post-referendum
environment'
• Research income is vital to the financial sustainability of an HEI
• Greater importance on non-exchequer income generation
• Strengthening high-esteem research and innovation activity and
outputs is required
• Integration of research and the taught portfolio enhances the student
experience and academic reputation of the University

13. Research ambitions
Over half, 53% of research we submitted to the Research Excellence
Framework (REF) 2014 was rated as “world leading” or “internationally
excellent”
The following table indicates the scale of our ambition in relation to
Research.
2014 2020
Research staff (REF 2.5) Ca. 100 Ca. 200
Staff holding research grant Ca. 10% Ca. 40%
Staff engagement 73% > 80%

14. Question?
• What have been some of the strategic drivers for restructures in your
organisation?

15. Research Infrastructure Review
In response to the University’s strategic ambition to grow the volume,
value and quality of research, knowledge exchange and commercial
activity, a University working group was established in early March 2014
to review and report on the existing infrastructure that supports research,
knowledge exchange and innovation.
Review group led by Dean of Faculty of Health, Life & Social Science

16. Consultation
The Infrastructure Review Working Group (IRWG) actively sought the
opinions of a large number of relevant, internal stakeholders through
•Open meetings on each of the three campuses, with attendance
exceeding an average of 25 members of staff at each session, and with a
broad and representative range of both academic staff and professional
services staff attending.
•A series of meetings were also held with academic, professional
services and management representatives who it was felt may have
particular insights.

17. Consultation
• Staff members were also invited to contribute to the dialogue via email
and through the intranet discussion forum.
• The Principal & Vice-Chancellor communicated the review at three
Campus Roadshows for all staff in Spring 2014

18. Communications – What works?
Spend 5 minutes considering organisational changes you have been
through. Identify three things:
•What worked well?
•What could have been done differently?

19. Communication methods
• The Review was communicated in a regular series of News emails on
the Staff Intranet.
• A generic email address was provided
• A discussion board was established
• Text walls were used at campus conversations
• Faculty and School meetings

20. Review Outcomes
• A report was produced by the Group which was then taken to the
University Leadership team for approval.
• The recommendations were approved in May 2014

21. Review Outcomes - Key desirables
The review identified key desirables by which to base any
recommendations for change:
•A need for accessible, efficient and coherent service for the researcher
•A need for relevant, targeted, proactive engagement with researchers
•A need to build resilience in capacity and capability
•A need for transparency and traceability
•An appropriate alignment of the academic and support resources, and
research targets

22. Review Outcomes - Recommendations
• Establish a new academic leadership role of Director of Research and
Innovation
• Establish a single Research and Innovation Office; with a local
presence on each campus.
• Create a Research ‘College’
• That a second phase of review be undertaken to map key processes
within the proposed structure, establish the role profiles for key roles.

23. Previous Research infrastructure
Research support activity sat within several areas within the University:
•Office of the Vice Principal (OVP)
•Finance & Commercial
•Service Student & Academic Services (SAS)
•Human Resources & Development (HR&D

24. Proposed Directorate of Research &
Innovation
Directorate of Research
and Innovation
Research &
Innovations
Office
Research
College
Local access
Craiglockhart
Local access
Merchiston
Local access
Sighthill
Academic and Research Staff

25. Formal consultation
• The University Managing Organisational Change process commenced
with the recognised Trade Unions – EIS and Unison, in line with
University policy
• Individual Consultation meetings held
• Individuals with changes to line management invited to a team
meeting, with further individual meetings if required.
• Director and Head roles appointed

26. Team development
• A Team away day took place in January 2015
• Session run in partnership between Director of RIO and Learning &
Development
• Aims -
– To get to know members of the team
– To appreciate where we’ve come from and where we’re going.
– To share our views of what the RIO should look like and to review the structure of
RIO
– To touch on how we will work together (values, behaviours, ways of working)
– To identify our strengths and learn from things which are going well
– To consider the wide range of activities that the RIO is responsible for and how the
work can be shared across the team.
– To plan and prioritise our immediate tasks
– To start the team building and development process

27. What next?
• Embedding the new teams
• Agree how to work with new School structure
• A review of key processes

28. What worked well?
• Wide consultation
• Regular updates on progress
• Senior academic leadership of the review
• Demonstration of values & behaviours – Professional, Inclusive,
Ambitious and Innovative

29. AUA Professional Behaviours
– Managing self and personal skills
Willing and able to assess and apply own skills, abilities and experience. Being
aware of own behaviour and how it impacts on others.
– Delivering excellent service
Providing the best quality service to external and internal clients. Building genuine
and open long-term relationships in order to drive up service standards.
– Finding innovative solutions
Taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically and with creativity to analyse
problems and develop innovative and workable solutions. Identifying opportunities
for innovation.
– Embracing change
Adjusting to unfamiliar situations, demands and changing roles. Seeing change as
an opportunity and being receptive to new ideas.

30. AUA Professional Behaviours
– Using resources
Making effective use of available resources including people, information, networks
and budgets. Being aware of the financial and commercial aspects of the
organisation.
– Providing direction
Seeing the work you do in the context of the bigger picture and taking a long-term
view. Communicating vision clearly and enthusiastically to inspire and motivate
others.
– Developing self and others
Showing commitment to own development and supporting and encouraging others
to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full
potential for the wider benefit of the organisation.
– Working with people
Working co-operatively with others in order to achieve objectives. Demonstrating a
commitment to diversity and applying a wide range of interpersonal skills.
– Achieving results
Planning and organising workloads to ensure that deadlines are met within
resource constraints. Consistently meeting objectives and success criteria.

31. Summary -Timeline
The timeline for the review and subsequent actions was as follows:
March 2014 – launch of Review
May 2014 – results of Review communicated
August – September 2014 – Formal consultation
October 2014 - Recruitment underway for Director and
Head of Research and Innovation
November 2014 – Appointments completed
December 2014 – Research Excellence (REF) results
announced
January 2015 – New department (Research &
Innovation Office) launched
January 2015 – RIO away day

32. What next for you?
•Action grid and reflect
•Share with your colleagues
•Review and reflect on today’s information

33. Thank you
Contact details: Morag Easton
m.easton@napier.ac.uk
0131 455 3411