Pecan news – Spring 2022
Welcome to our spring newsletter, bringing you news and insights into some of our most recent client work and the latest trends in culture, change and performance.
Helping USS become their best selves
We’ve recently been running a bespoke programme for USS, the Universities Superannuation Scheme.
USS is one of the largest pensions schemes in the UK, with over 400,000 members. Based on Pecan’s ‘Finding your Change Mojo’ programme, we’ve designed and delivered a high-quality development programme for USS’s people, structured around real business challenges and embedding hybrid working within the organisation.
The programme supports participants to be the best they can be, to achieve their personal objectives, maximise their contribution and satisfaction for the benefit of themselves, friends and family and USS as a business.
As a result, it has enabled deeper engagement, relationships and collaboration. Individuals have developed greater personal balance and well-being. It’s helping the organisation to reinvigorate itself, drive greater ownership of change, and generate additional energy and excitement for the future.
Creating cultures that support transformation
Over the last few months, we have been supporting a global business transformation company with our Culture Diagnostic expertise. The organisation had recently implemented a new operating model, involving changes to structures, reporting lines and ways of working. They know that the culture will need to evolve for them to be successful and wanted an external, objective perspective.
We interviewed clients and senior leaders and ran focus groups around the world, creating insight into how things are done around here, the causes and the impacts. Whilst there were some geographical and functional differences, there were several important, common themes.
We helped the team acknowledge and celebrate the aspects of culture that are already serving them well: for example, their people’s sense of dedication and responsibility to the organisation and their clients and pockets of great practice in terms of innovation and compassion for colleagues.
We also helped them identify the areas that are holding them – and their new operating model – back. Together, we co-created and prioritised several ‘cultural shifts’, each with an action plan of quick wins and other improvements involving colleagues from across the organisation. The programme team is already starting to implement these plans and we can’t wait to see the outcomes.
Cracking Culture Change podcast
We’ve recently concluded the first series of our Cracking Culture Change podcast, bringing you real-world stories and insights to help you “crack” your organisational culture. We’d like to say a huge thank you to all our guests and listeners. Together we covered topics as diverse as balancing well-being and performance, building trust and resilience, being a female leader in a male-dominated industry, the value of faith at work and the role of Boards in culture assurance. Don’t worry if you missed an episode: they’re all available on our website, as well as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
We can’t wait to bring you the next series later this year. We’ve already got some great episode ideas, but it’s not too late to help shape who we speak to and what topics we cover. In fact, for every idea we receive before 16 May – we’ll plant a tree through (more:trees). You could suggest a guest, an organisation, a topic or a question: anything related to culture that you’d love to hear about.
Meaningful work
Pecan associate, Jess Annison, is conducting some MSc research into experiences of meaningful work over the coming months. She is looking to interview people who find their work deeply meaningful and also experience work-related stress. If this sounds like you, and you’d be happy to participate in a confidential interview, please do get in touch with Jess.
You can also read her recent guest blog about meaningful work, and why it matters.
Recent insights
Read some of Pecan’s other recent insights here:
- Great resignation and the missing million: what’s culture got to do with it?
- The four-day week: passing trend or the way forward?
- Why too many of us are experiencing ‘meeting overload’
What would you like us to write about next? Let us know by getting in touch.
More inspiration
- What we’re listening to: How to Fail with Elizabeth Day
- What we’re watching: Wendy Suzuki’s TED talk on the brain-changing benefits of exercise
- What we’re reading: Deborah Bulcock’s Have It All Without Burning Out
A final word
We hope you’ve found this newsletter interesting and enjoyable. If there are topics you’d like us to cover in future editions, please do let us know. Also, please share it with anyone who might find it useful. If you’ve received a forwarded version you can sign up for further updates here.