Policy without (much) pain - University of Ballarat

Policy without (much) pain6. Senior management and policyPolicy is a major medium of communication for a tertiary institution. Done well, it provides a clear,consistent basis for all aspects of the institution’s activities. Where staff have confidence in policy,it contributes significantly to a healthy organisational culture and a positive staff experience, aswell as ensuring consistent delivery of service to students.Senior managers have considerable influence on whether policy provides these outcomes. Theycan support policy in the institution by: taking an interest in policy and its effectiveness – modelling respect for policy to other staff providing adequate resources for policy development and policy managementrequiring that policy be developed with appropriate consultation, to ensure that it meets theneeds of operational staff and is not unnecessarily resource-intensivesupporting a consistent institution-wide approach to the management and publication ofpolicyfollowing up to ensure that policies under their portfolio are reviewed in accordance with theinstitutional time-frame for review.Depending on the approval paths for policy in an institution, senior managers may be responsiblefor approving some types of policy (individually or as part of the executive); they may also givethe go-ahead for policies to be developed. InOne of the peculiarities oftertiary institution policy isthat staff do not necessarilycomply with it if they don’tagree with it.this case, it is even more important that theytake an interest in the institution’s policyframework as a whole.Senior managers can model respect for policyis by ensuring that policies for which theresponsibility lies under their portfolio arereviewed in the required time-frame. As thereview-by dates for these policies approach, the senior manager should ensure that thesereviews are included in the work plans of the relevant managers.~ 12 ~