Whilst 2009 has been a less than impressive start for many organisations across all types of industries, one organisation in particular, Berneslai Homes is flying high. One of their most recent successes is being awarded 3 stars (excellent) with excellent prospects for improvement by the Audit Commission, and consequently winning an excellence award. Only 4 per cent of housing inspections since 2000 have achieved this score.

Berneslai Homes is an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) responsible for managing just under 20,000 homes on behalf of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. Since they were established in December 2002 they have constantly aimed to fulfil their vision, whilst staying true to their values and organisational beliefs.  

One prominent value that the whole of the Berneslai team takes seriously is learning and development; the management team have long since realised that in order to be successful and for Berneslai Homes' full potential to be reached, investing in sound training is a must. It is this approach and stance that has developed an award winning team. Sue Lindsay, Berneslai Homes's, Learning and Development Manager said, "I am very proud of the role that learning and development has played in achieving our success, and I consider myself fortunate to work for a senior management team who consider that we 'thrive on learning'."

Back in 2008 Berneslai Homes decided to invest in a leadership development programme for 55 of their employees. Righttrack Consultancy won the tender and over the past 10 months have researched, designed and delivered a modular leadership programme that embedded Berneslai Homes' leadership competencies, whilst providing all managers with a strategic skill set.

The programme consisted of taking delegates through a logical sequence; starting with self-awareness, then moving on to how people perceive and react to different behaviours, then looking at how to create strong teams, and introducing and embracing the concepts of change. The final module looked at raising understanding around general business acumen, to complete the learning programme. Between modules, participants undertook tasks, which were aligned to the organisational Delivery Plan so that real outcomes could be achieved.

As always the programme was embraced by employees because they acknowledged that learning and development is the bread and butter stuff that binds Berneslai Homes together. The Company deliver a comprehensive and varied Housing service, and the programme gave managers the opportunity to increase their organisational knowledge by working on very practical projects with peers that they might not routinely engage with. The programme has been a huge success, with almost 100% attendance throughout the entire course and with some employees going so far as to rearrange their holiday in order not to miss any of the modules.

The full impact that the leadership programme has had on Berneslai Homes' managers and the organisation itself is still too early to say and Righttrack are committed to working with Berneslai Homes to quantify outcomes and to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme. However one thing is sure, the power of learning and development will continue to be used in Berneslai Homes' constant journey in striving for excellence.

About Righttrack Consultancy
Right Track Consultancy Ltd was formed in 1988, and has its head office in Worcestershire. Righttrack is the leading learning and development consultancy that design and deliver innovative and engaging training solutions to organisations all over the world. The range of services that Righttrack provide covers a broad spectrum and includes bespoke and ready-to-run training, sales solutions, ILM qualifications and development programmes, ICAEW programmes, organisational development and coaching.

Righttrack work with clients of all sizes across all industry sectors, including Mercedes Benz, Gucci, BAE Systems, The Forestry Commission and The North East Ambulance Service. More information can be found on  www.righttrackconsultancy.co.uk