Review of the International Office: Managing Change - Research Paper Example

 Statement of Authenticity I have read the University’s regulations relating to plagiarism and certify that this assignment is all my own work and do not contain any unacknowledged work from any other sources. Table of Contents Page 1. Introduction and Overview 4 2. The Review Methodology 5 3 Membership 6 4 Process 6 5. Issues 8 6. Teaching notes 9 7. Uncertainty, Substantiality, Centrality 11 8. Conclusion 12 References 13 Appendices 14 A1 International Student Numbers 14 A2 Structure of the International Office 15 A3 Questionnaire Sent to Deans and Directors 16 A4 My statement outlining what I do including my pie chart 17 1. Introduction and Overview The University of Bradford is a traditional British University established by Royal charter in 1966. There are around 12,000 students studying at the Bradford campus in the UK and another 6,000 studying the University of Bradford degrees around the world. The University’s academic strengths are in the fields of computing, engineering, health studies and life sciences, management and social and international studies. Recently, the International Office at University of Bradford opened its first Regional Office in Dubai Knowledge Village to offer admission support to students who would like to study for a Bradford degree in the UK and assist in delivering it’s prestigious and worldwide recognised MBA programme in Dubai as well.  In 2001, the International Office was reorganised to become part of Marketing and Corporate Communications. By mid 2001, the International Office had a cohort of six staff. Over the following five years, the International Office continued to evolve. As international student numbers grew and the university diversified into new markets, an additional eight staff were appointed. Appendix one provides information on International Student numbers. The major reorganisation was in 2007 when the university recognised the amount of services the university has to offer to students and created the Hub (an area where all student services converged) which formed part of the new Directorate of Academic Administration. The Hub had the specific remit of establishing a one-stop shop for student administrative transactions. This was a deliberate move away from small single focus teams into one large multi-purpose team in which activities could be shared and developed. The International Office is one of the areas based within the HUB along with the following services: 1. Accommodation 2. Admissions 3. Bursaries and Financial Support 4. Education Liaison 5. Enquiries 6. Finance and Credit Control Group 7. Front of House 8. Pay zone 9. Student Administration and Support The International Office has developed considerably under its current management and has played a significant role in helping the University to achieve its current high proportion of international students from over a 110 different countries with a total population of 2000 International students which represent approximately 20% of the University of Bradford total population. Today the International Office has a total of 14 staff. Please refer to Appendix Two for the International Office chart. 2. The review methodology It was usual, at appropriate intervals, for the University to review areas of its activity; not only to reflect on its operation but to ensure that the role, purpose and function of that area of activity still meets the needs of the organisation and the market. International activities are of increasing importance to the University and currently represent approximately 20% of the University’s turnover. Change management and successful implementation of change in any organization is crucial for the expansion and success of the organization (Balogun and Hope Hailey 2004). Therefore, the university shows interest in bringing in positive change for the betterment of the institution. Given the changes within the HE Sector, the economic situation, volatility in overseas markets and perceived increasing competition from other Universities, it is important that the University review its activities to ensure it’s sustainability and respond to the changing needs of its stakeholders and to optimize its recruitment potential. However, the recent stats for the academic years of 2009 and 2010 have shown a decline in the number of international students studying at the University of Bradford in favour of other Universities such as Brunel, Hull and Leeds Metropolitan. The decline in the number of International students was due to a number of reasons that has affected the whole University. Despite the senior management’s being aware of these issues, it was not addressed and they undermine the International office team and the services we do. Some of the reasons are as follow: 1. Financial crisis and the tight budgets for sponsors overseas and individually funded students as well. 2. The declining number of Middle Eastern, African and Chinese students that complete their courses in the UoB which has a massive impact on the UoB reputation in the ME, Africa, China and some of the sponsors believe that this happened due to a lack of quality education. 3. Decline in the UoB overall ranking, course ranking and latest RAE 2008 rankings. Please note that many countries around the world are ranking conscious. 4. Since March 2008, the International Office has been going through a couple of reviews including the UNIAC (Internal Auditing Institution) and the Dubai office reviews which have effected staff performance due to the work load the staff have including attending fairs overseas, providing reports and stats for the events they’ve attended and for the reviews as well. It was found that these have diverted the focus from the delivering its core responsibilities which is recruiting students. 5. The University has been suspended by two governments from sending sponsored students to the UoB including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and there has been some restrictions from Kuwait, Brunei and UAE MoHE for certain courses in the UoB. They have placed a cap on student numbers at any UK university (not exceeding 50 students per university). 6. The enormous time that it takes for an application form to be processed and the complicated procedures to come to a decision and issue an offer letter. Also, the procedure for issuing the CAS number. 7. The new government immigration system (Point Base System). Therefore a panel was established to review the current activities undertaken by the International Office with the objective to propose recommendations to design the best possible structure to support International provision for the University from 2010 onwards. 3. Membership The membership of the panel consisted of the members listed below: Professor Geoff Layer, DVC (Chair) Alison Darnbrough, Director of Academic Administration Two Deans (which were nominated by the Deans to participate in this process): Professor Arthur Frances (School of Management) Professor Nana Poku (School of Social and International Studies) Two members of academic staff (either members of Senate or participants from one of the University’s Leadership courses): Mr Peter Lassey (SLED) Dr Nazira Karodia (School of Life Sciences) Representative from the Students Union/UBU: Mr Mateusz Wysocki (Academic Affairs Officer) The panel has suggested consulting external contacts, for example the British Council and UUK. International Office welcomes a consultation with external parties and has suggested a few professionals in the sector. However, this has not materialised and it was felt that decisions were already made and the review process was only conducted as a formality or cover up. 4. Process It was agreed that the review would be as open and transparent as possible and that all staff within the International Office would be invited to participate in the process. A Blackboard site was established which ensured that all International Office staff would be able to access information relating to the review from anywhere in the world (an important element given the nature of the roles within the International Office). Involvement of staff members is essential when the organization wishes to implement a change within the organization (Senior 2002). Therefore, staff members were involved in the process. Staff were told that the importance of gathering the views from not only the staff in the International Office but other key stakeholders (e.g. Deans of Schools) was stressed and it was noted that questionnaires have been sent to Deans and Directors asking them for their views on the functions of the International Office. The results of which were collected. The summarized results from the Deans and Directors questionnaires were made available via Blackboard and staff was encouraged to comment on the issues raised. According to Paton and McCalman (2000), staff members should be involved in every kind of decision making and change management is such an issue that cannot take place successfully without staff approval, however, the final decision remains in the hands of management (78). After some deliberation it was agreed that given the personal nature of the views outlined in the International Office staff questionnaires would remain confidential to the panel members only. Regular meetings also took place between representatives from the panel and International Office staff. This step has led to a conflict between schools at the University of Bradford and the international office team since some negative comments were posted on the blackboard by some of the schools due to the smaller numbers of international students at that school compared to other schools at the University of Bradford. In this case, the International Office team was defending itself, and giving facts and figures based on each market. Therefore, the team has felt that the review took longer than expected. Carnall (2003) reports that there are many factors that prove as a hindrance for success change implementation in an organization, which are internal politics, uncertainty about jobs and future concerns of employees (45). Internal politics is blocking the team from defending itself, the International Office positive atmosphere has disappeared. Staff became more stressed and under pressure due to uncertainties about their jobs. Klein (1996) informs, “Many organizational participants are only vaguely aware that changes are taking place and the ambiguity surrounding these changes provides a fertile ground for rumours, anxiety and ultimately resistance” (1). Please refer to Appendix three that provides the questionnaire the deans and the directors at the UoB received. It was also, suggested that the responses received will also be made available via the Blackboard. International Office staff has had the opportunity to input into all stages of the review and was asked to provide information for the panel. According to Paton and McCalman (2000), to make the staff members to express their feelings about newness in institutions is essential as their mentioned issues can be dealt by proper consultation (63). Therefore, staff in the International Office was asked to complete a questionnaire and provide a short statement outlining what they do. Although the panel could appraise job descriptions, it was felt that it would be more constructive for staff to explain in their own words what they are responsible for and what they do on a day to day basis. The International office team were also asked to draw a pie chart outlining the four key activities and show the distribution of the work via this chart. It was noted that this information should be available as this is gathered as part of the annual Performance Review process. Staff was also asked to put forward suggestions that can be put to the panel for consideration. Please refer to Appendix four for my statement outlining what I do including my pie chart. It is essential for the management to take the staff members into confidence before any kind of decision making (Burnes 2004). Considering this factor, staff was reassured that no recommendations have been pre-defined and the review process will remain open and transparent throughout. It was stressed that the intent of the review is to design the best possible International provision for the University from 2010 onwards and that the process will be open, perspectives from other areas will be aired and it was stressed that staff should not worry about any information that is circulated as each area is entitled to their opinion and viewpoint. Senior management have also made it clear that the International office team will have the opportunity to comment and correct information throughout the process. It is clear from the consultation that has taken place within the University there is a general understanding, knowledge and value of the International Office’s role in direct recruitment. The evaluation and review of how other universities structure their International operations demonstrates the diversity of approach in the sector. The organizations should be able to evaluate their position in the market and should decide by analyzing the progress and policies of their competitors (Rieley and Clarkson 2001). The generally acknowledged characteristics of the activities of an International Office can include the following: Direct Recruitment Exchanges Collaborative Provision Transnational Education Internationalising the curriculum Research and Knowledge Transfer International Student Welfare Some universities seek to place all International activity within one holistic office; others divide functions up between specialist areas and Schools. Bradford leans towards the model of a full service International Office working in partnership with Schools but it does not address all Internationalisation issues/activities nor is it necessarily resourced to fulfil its current wide range of activities. A Senior Manager at the University said “It is impossible to determine whether Bradford’s international success is due to its brand, its courses, the work of the International Office, Schools etc. It is more likely to be the case that is a combination of all of these factors”. Staff has felt de-motivated at the senior manager’s undermining statement of the International office role. Staff also found that the whole process of the review was considerably demoralising and badly communicated without any form of thanks for the hard work that staff continue to do. It has not been communicated to the staff as being ‘open and transparent’ as staff were led to believe that it would be. Therefore, the majority were looking for other jobs internally and externally, and we’ve seen a few jobs lost in the International office including voluntary early retirement for the deputy head of the International office, Marketing officer, International Admission officer and International officer for South East Asia. Therefore, the senior management has worked on an impact assessment after losing these talents at the International office and how that could affect recruiting international students or the services the University of Bradford offer to its current international students. 5. Issues The panel were firmly of the view that Internationalisation is crucial to the success and sustainability of the University. The Panel was also supportive of the high level of commitment and enthusiasm demonstrated by the staff in the International Office. The Panel was clearly of the view that University would be best served over the next few challenging years with a re-focused International Office and with some activities being embedded in other service provision, to both strengthen the services offered but also to minimize risk associated with single members of staff undertaking activity. However, after the senior management have realised the importance of the international office and the experience the International office team have including the loss of some of these talents, they have decided to step back a little and reflect on the decisions they made, and decided to coordinate the International office performance on a yearly basis and have let the International office team doing it’s normal function but with more focus on recruiting students back to the University of Bradford campuses instead of establishing collaborations overseas. 6. Teaching note Questions raised by the International Office team and the senior management answers What are the biggest challenges/ issues/ concerns for the senior management in leading the International office team through the change? 1. Dealing with anger of the International office team 2. Keep staff together 3. Resistance of the international office team 4. Persuading (Convincing) 5. Time availability 6. Bureaucracy 7. Fully understand different cultures and backgrounds of the international office team 8. Being open and transparent 9. Achieving maximum flexibility Query regarding why the International Office has been singled out for a review rather than the whole of Corporate Services. What is the reason behind this? It was felt that this change is an enforced and unpredictable change and the international office team does not have the power to change, amend or even suggest how the review should be carried out. Senior management answer to this question was, it is usual for the University to review specific functions at a time rather than a whole planning unit, for example reviewing HR, Modern Languages and the Institute of Cancer Therapies. This is due to the scale of the review and it would be too vast to review an entire planning unit. Given the income that is brought into the University via international business, the University is exposed to a significant risk if this area were to falter. By focusing on just one area of activity, the review can be focused and ensure that it was completed in a timely manner. Why are there no external parties on the panel? It was decided, given the tight timescale for this review, that the panel would seek the views of several external representatives to ensure there is the widest consultation possible in the fastest possible time (as having an external as part of the panel limits when the meetings can take place). It was agreed that, where possible, external parties would be given access to the Blackboard site so they can see all the information being presented. Can International Offices from other Universities be consulted as part of this process? Staff was encouraged to send details of any external parties to the panel if they felt they would be useful to the review process. However, this was never the case and staff felt the lack of communication between the panel and the whole team. In fact, even the Director of the International Office was not convinced of the change and they have not involved him in most of the panel’s communications. What opportunities and threats dose these changes bring to the University of Bradford? Opportunities Threats 1. Expansion 1. Service Available 2. Unexpected gains 2. Good staff leave 3. Value for money 3. Lack of clarity 4. Owning and leading the change 4. Lack of control 5. New projects 5. Students’ expectations There are large scale funding reviews planned for the sector as a whole and it is widely accepted that financial cuts will be coming, is this review going to be looking at downsizing the International Office and are people’s jobs at risk? Although there are uncertainties surrounding several areas of public sector funding at present and uncertainties surrounding a possible change of government, this review is not seeking to focus on this element. Although funding will be discussed, reducing expenditure is not the driving force behind the review. It was highlighted that if public funding is reduced, there will be increased importance on securing funding from other non-public sources, a significant aspect of which is via international activities and therefore it is essential that the role, purpose and function of these areas are reviewed to maximise opportunities for the future of the University. Financial information will be assessed by the panel and budgets will be discussed and although expenditure will be reviewed as part of the process, the aim of this review is to focus on the role, purpose and function of the International Office and to ensure best possible International provision for the University. Information will also be sought from School to assess how much expenditure is done via their budgets for International recruitment in order to establish a holistic picture of provision across the institution. What are the short, medium and long term objectives for the review? It was noted that the panel has not met and therefore these are not available at the moment. Staff have not been gradually informed of the change and it was a shocking news at the beginning that we are going through a change which even the people development department was not involved in order for them to offer a training session for the international office team on how to deal with the change and how to support each other and reduce stress. However, the training was offered at the end of the change which was too late and staff has not benefitted from it. I’ve not worked in the International Office very long and I’m here on a temporary basis, should I still complete the questionnaire and will the person I’m covering for have the opportunity to participate? Staff felt that there were a lack of clarity and control. However, it was confirmed that all staff should complete the questionnaire regardless of the length of time they have worked at the University. Consideration will be given to contacting the absent staff member to try to incorporate their views as well. 7. Uncertainty, Substantiality, Centrality Uncertainty Looking at the international office review, staff was uncertain about job roles, descriptions and the services was accessible to them from outside the international office. There was also, uncertainty about International student growth including the following points: 1. Identify and sustaining the growth market 2. Managing the Internal processes effectively and efficiently across the university which the international office has little input than it used to Staff also has uncertainty about the internal communication and relation with the senior management which we don’t have any power over. Substitutability International office team has unique skills and knowledge due to their understanding of their regions - geographically qualifications, cultures, backgrounds and the development of their close working relationships with key sponsors, government officials and stakeholders for that particular region. Therefore, it is a hassle to substitute the international office team because of their expertise in different markets around the world which is quite difficult to find these days or it might cost the university to lose all the links and work that international officer has built over the time while working for the University. Centrality International office contributes about 20% of the University of Bradford total turnover and loosing the International office doesn’t just mean losing the fund but also losing its profile internationally. Also, the university will not represent a cosmopolitan environment and achieve one of its objectives which is diversification. Conclusion Change is a delicate process that must be managed well or the organisation risk losing its talents and target markets. The entire process should have begun with training in change management to prepare staff members and better equip them to handle situations which may appear to place them under a microscope. The review process also had to have a clearly defined purpose and objective, and substantiated risk to the organisation in order for it to be conducted. This should be openly communicated and all process to be transparent. The involvement of the external parties was imperative to ensure that views of experts in an area where the university may not be fully competent to address, such as a specialised field as international recruitment, are taken into account and issues arising are weighted and evaluated accurately. Although the review process may be deemed necessary for the survival of the organisation to ensure each business unit are competently delivering its objectives, it needs to ensure that it does not affect the morale of the staff. In this case, staff morale was so low that the university lost a tremendous amount of talent and knowledge as well as the market, indirectly. Change is inevitable and an organisation must change constantly to keep up with a dynamic marketplace. This factor cannot be denied that change needs management and staff’s involvement and is essential for an organizational growth (Luecke 2003). Education is far from being immune to this dynamism. Hence, it is important for the organisation to manage change effectively by being transparent in all its views and objectives. References Balogun, J. and Hope Hailey, V 2004, Exploring Strategic Change, 2nd ed, Prentice Hall, London. Burnes, B 2004, Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organisational Dynamics, 4th ed, Prentice Hall, Harrow. Carnall, C.A 2003, Managing Change in Organizations, 4th ed, Prentice Hall, Harrow. Klein, Stuart M 1996, A management communication strategy for change, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Retrieved on 22nd February 2011 from http://213.194.86.162/Webtools/basvurular/tribecaweb/doc/SI-A-management-communication-strategy-for-change.doc Luecke, R 2003, Managing Change and Transition, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA. Paton, R. A. and McCalman, J 2000, Change Management: A Guide to Effective Implementation, 2nd ed, SAGE Publications, London. Rieley, J. B. and Clarkson, I 2001, The impact of change on performance, Journal of Change Management, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 160–172. Senior, B 2002, Organisational Change, 2nd ed, Prentice Hall, London. APPENDIX ONE Figure 1: International Student Numbers APPENDIX TWO Figure 2: Structure of the International Office APPENDIX THREE Questionnaire Sent to Deans and Directors 1. What do you see as being the role of the International office? 2. Should it be different and if so how? 3. Is the role different to that in other universities, if so how? 4. Without looking information up how many staff do you think are in the International Office, what is its budget, what percentage of the Corporative Services budget is it, what percentage of overseas fee income does the budget represent, is it bigger or larger than other universities? Including your overall opinion on the International office activities? 5. What activities/services does your school provide to support international activities? 6. What activities/services does your team provide to support international activities? 7. Details of any staffing financial allowances made for international activities 8. Details of any non-core budgets for International activities. APPENDIX FOUR International Office Review Please could each member of International Office staff complete the questionnaire below and return to Mari Taalmann (D25) by Thursday 17th December 2009. Name: Ismat Abu Shihab........................................................... Job Title: Head of Middle East Regional Office, Dubai................ 1. What do you see as being the role of the International Office? I see the International Office function as below : 1. To raise international visibility of University of Bradford across the world 2. To promote international collaboration & exchanges 3. Increase dual degree programs with internationally renowned universities 4. Work and Liaise closely with the Middle East Regional Office in Dubai 5. Recruitment of international students to the UoB UG, PGT and PGR programmes 6. To promote globalization activities 7. Organize various cultural activities for international students, faculty, researchers, and their family members 8. Provide convenient facilities for international students especially when they first arrive to UK 9. 9. The International Office is responsible for the marketing and public relations of the University of Bradford among non-resident communities 10. The International Office offer advice, counselling and support to students and partners 11. The International office oversee entry requirements for students from all over the world and work closely with the admission office in giving the right offer to interested international students 12. Processing Pre UCAS, PGT and PGR application forms 13. Monitor and manage £2.4 million operational budget 14. Monitor and manage contracts including agents’ contract and articulation agreements with sponsors, companies, universities etc... 2. Should it be different and if so how? No 3. Is the role different to that of other Universities, if so how? No but from other angles, I would say yes particularly in terms of the structure. Attached please find an ideal International Office structure at other UK universities taken from both new and veteran universities such as Manchester, Leeds, Southampton and Middlesex. From this structure analysis, I realised that UoB needs to restructure its IO to make us more proactive and effective. The IO generates £20 million a year and this is alone is prove of our proactiveness. However, there are some areas that needs to be improved, particularly: The office needs a full time staff to be in charge of dealing with our stakeholders, embassies, managing agents’ contract, processing commission payments, design and monitor evaluations from students and sponsors. Another area would also be the need to have Planning Dept’s support the IO operation in terms of providing stats for our competitors’ total cohort intake, their target markets, ranking comparisons and suggest ways to improve, and any other information that could help us improve our performance in an open and transparent way. 4. What functions, if any, of the International Office are duplicated in other areas of the University? Processing application forms - applications go through various stages of approval however, a central admission will help speed up processing applications and issue offer letters in a reliable time which is also imperative for successful admission. I am most appreciative of the involvement from academics, marketers and recruiters from UoB depts. to the Middle East but in order to minimise duplication, it would be better to inform the Middle East Regional Office of visits to this region. It would also help us support the depts. better. 5. Please could you briefly describe the nature of your role (no more than one side of A4) Since taking on the role of Head of Middle East Regional Office in March 2008, my duties and responsibilities have increased dramatically beyond the four elements mentioned. However, the following describes the nature of my role based on these four key elements. Set Up and Implement the Middle East Strategy: -As a team leader and an experienced manager, I led development, implementation, managing, monitoring and evaluating UoB work plan in the Middle East, including assigned programmes/projects in the region; direct colleagues in his/her team in programme/project development, implementation, monitoring and assessment; direct review of relevant documents and reports; identifies priorities, problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and initiates follow-up actions. -Represent the UoB and raise its profile across the Middle East as well as establish collaboration and partnerships with key officials at all levels inside and outside the organisations. Students’ recruitment from the Middle East has increased from 55 students in year 2005/6 to 475 students in year 2008/9. -Manage and develop the activities of the University agents across the region, monitor their effectiveness, keep their contracts up to date and being involved in processing their commission payments. This is a major issue for me personally which takes a lot of my time. We need a full time job for another person to deal with it especially processing commission payments and monitor agents’ contracts. - Maintain high-level contacts internally in the UoB with colleagues from different departments and externally with universities, colleges, ministries, sponsor bodies, agents and embassies in London in the Middle East. Also, maintain and provide objectives and business plans for new emerging markets such as Iran, Kazakhstan, Syria and Egypt for collaborations (in consultation with the Director of the International Office). - Undertakes survey initiatives; reviews, analyzes and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues for all the issues we are facing with embassies in London including progression reports, processing applications, the percentage of their students in our campus and seeking discounts. Set Up and Implementation of the Dubai MERO Strategy: -Work closely with IO on all aspects of direct recruitment from the Middle East. Close liaison with the university in providing marketing intelligence on developments in the region. Provide admin support for exciting in-country programmes and to assist schools in promotion of these. Work closely with schools to identify opportunities to expand in-country delivery. - Manage MERO and the budget to ensure that expenditure relating to the office is conducted according to the University guidelines. Regular reports covering office expenditure generated on a monthly basis and a copy of it sent to the finance department and to the Director of the International Office. -My team and I from MERO provide support for our current activities in Dubai and in particular our EMBA programme. The office already proved its impact on delivering the EMBA in Dubai through various services. In fact, we have received feedback from colleagues from SoM, EMB students (Cohort 10) from last year who are still in the course and the current students (Cohort 11) and a marketing research report will be sent by the first week of January about our EMBA in Dubai and how to market the program, including other facts about our competitors with a short, medium and long term objectives which needs to be followed to have a consistent productive program for the upcoming years. Our SoM colleagues with the support from the Dubai MERO have recruited 32 students for the EMBA program for the first time this year and looking on delivering two cohorts a year namely January and October. -Maintain and develop the Dubai MERO website for the Middle Eastern countries in collaboration with my office manager and the Web officer in corporate communications. Also, provide ideas for a suitable publicity material to be suitable for the ME markets. Perform other duties as required and requested by the UoB Director of the IO and senior management. Dealing with Day to Day Enquiries and Managing the Dubai Office staff: -Ensures effective utilization, supervision and development of staff; guide, evaluate and mentor staff, in particular the team building requirements for the effective performance of the Dubai MERO team including the office manager and the assistance office manager -Deal with day to day enquiries including answering my emails, dealing with Dubai government authority KHDA and TECOM enquiries, embassies’ short notice requests, agents’ enquiries on speeding processing of their applications and follow ups after attending an exhibition, private visits or conducting a counselling session. Personal Development: - I have attended a couple of training courses in the university this year including: Responding to difficult situation, Recruitment and Selection, Performance review for employees, Performance review for managers, Assertiveness in dealing with difficult people. I also, do my MBA with the university of Bradford under the executive program. 6. Please set out in a pie chart the amount of time you spend on your four major activities. Thank you! Read More