Implementing Investors in People: a case study from the NHS

Abstract

The National Health Service (NHS) is the largest employer in the UK and has a diverse workforce with many different professional groups. This can make introducing a planned programme of change a complex and difficult task. Examines the process in the shape of Investors in People (IIP) within a public sector context. The findings come from a case study of a successful IIP project in a combined acute and community trust hospital. Drawing largely on direct experience of managing an IIP project, interview, survey and documentary evidence, the paper concludes by exploring the question of whether the IIP standard can be used as a tool for managing change and if it is sophisticated enough to reach a diverse workforce.

Signs and wonders

“…This conclusion holds firm despite the initial unanticipated benefits related to the catering department's achievement of IiP accreditation where the entire trust had failed. This is a double blow for IiP -UKCES when considering that the direct impact of IiP on training and development practices and job satisfaction has also already been scrutinized and questioned within the same dataset (Smith et al, 2014) and further literature (Smith, 2000;Grugulis and Bevitt, 2002;Smith et al, 2002;Hoque, 2003;Robson et al, 2005;Higgins and Cohen, 2006). It would seem that IiP is, in reality, still very much 'in the wilderness' in terms of the reality of the effects it is achieving.…”

“…The role of fashion in relation to IiP, as underlined by Quayle and Murphy (1999), points to the tenuous evidence of 'hard' sustained benefits with IiP and again underlines clashes between differing views and philosophical stances (noted by inter alia Ram, 2000;Smith, 2000;Smith and Taylor, 2000;Smith et al, 2002;Collins and Smith, 2004;and Robson et al, 2005). While the organizational enthusiasm for IiP may diminish, it is nevertheless plausible that, on the whole, an organization may benefit from ongoing reputational effects with, for instance, suppliers, customers and prospective employees in the wider labour market.…”

“…For instance, Smith et al (2014) have disputed claims of a causal link between IiP and improvements in training and development. Furthermore, Grugulis and Bevitt (2002) and Smith (2000) argue that evaluating the success of the Standard is notoriously difficult due to the intangible nature of the purported benefits.…”

67 Investors in People and Business Excellence in the United Arab Emirates Part 2: From BE to IIP — a Case Study

“…Berry and Grieves (2003) noted that support from senior management and the creation of a dedicated project team or at least an in-house IIP champion are important to successful implementation. Further, Smith (2000) commented that a cornerstone in the change of corporate culture was workforce involvement and engagement whereby employees become responsible and are more in control of their own learning and development -along with receiving management support. Similarly, the sorts of difficulties the hotel encountered are also reported in previous studies.…”

Exploring the impact of Investors in People

“…Indeed, Cosh et al (1998), Higgins and Cohen (2006), Robson et al (2005), and Westhead and Storey (1997) all question the assumption that there is a connection with IiP and financial gain. This issue is perpetuated by related arguments, whereby Grugulis and Bevitt (2002), Smith (2000), and Smith et al (2002) all make suggestions that evaluating and measuring the success of IiP is notoriously difficult due to the intangible nature of nearly all its purported benefits.…”