CASE STUDY
INNOVATION IN BOTH TECHNOLOGY AND THE WAY WE GO ABOUT TACKLING THE WORK HAVE ALLOWED US TO LARGELY KEEP PACE WITH EXPECTATION .
powered by Percipio from Skillsoft ) and we encourage our experts to work with our novices to help them apply what they have learned in abstract to solve real challenges in their day-to-day work .
We encourage all our people to plan in 10 – 20 % of their time for experimentation , innovation and upskilling and we encourage lateral movement through and across our teams to provide more opportunities to learn and to apply learning .
What challenge is presented by the increased expectations relating to what is achievable through technology ?
I think the challenges tend to be about how quickly solutions can be created and the quality of the user experience . We all want intuitive and easy to use solutions and we are increasingly expected to provide complex solutions in shorter timeframes .
This reflects the experience and expectations we form as consumers in our personal lives influencing us at work . Luckily , innovation in both technology and the way we go about tackling the work have allowed us to largely keep pace with expectation .
What is the danger in thinking of technology roles in a rigid fashion ?
It inevitably leads to siloed thinking and discourages innovation and collaboration across domains . It discourages the democratisation and dissemination of knowledge and know-how and ultimately reduces an organization ’ s ability to respond quickly and effectively .
What was the importance of drawing up a competency framework and how did you achieve this ?
Using a competency framework makes it simple to set and agree expectations in a role using clear and objective language . It removes most of the ambiguity and provides a clear and explicit standard to aspire to or demonstrate . We were lucky in having SFIA available to us as an ICT function , so we had a very firm set of foundations on which to then build our approach to skills agility .
How does the IT department help the university ensure its reputation as a world-class educational establishment ?
Digital and technology is now an integral part of all aspects of the University of
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