The Value of Management and Leadership Qualifications

Appendix 4: Case Study 4: Synergy Health plcSynergy Health delivers a range of specialist outsourced services to healthcare providersand other clients concerned with health management. Their headquarters are in Swindon,but they have a global presence and employ over 4,000 people across the UK and Ireland,Europe and the Middle East, Asia and Africa, and the Americas.About thequalificationSynergy’s graduates and junior managers generally come from a science background andit was recognised by the organisation that there was a need to equip this group of managerswith the management and leadership skills necessary to become business people. They havebeen running CMI’s Certificate in Management and Leadership for the last four years andhave put approximately 40 people through the programme. The course is part of Synergy’sGraduate Development Programme and is also offered to junior to middle managers if ithas been identified as part of their personal development plan.Impact:organisationalperspectiveSynergy reports a positive impact from their qualifications programme. One of theparticular benefits has been the development of work-based projects as part of thecourse. Lisa Fischer, Group Talent Manager, explained that the HR function has beeninvolved in establishing these projects:“We have been working with CMI to say that we want to be part of decision-making interms of what projects are agreed with their line manager. We have to know that it willcome back to the business and we want our employees to present their project tomanagers in the business. That’s the one thing that helps us and the business and alsoshows the commitment from the management team.”Lisa is a strong supporter of accredited learning which she believes ensures learning in theclassroom is embedded and transferred to the workplace. In order to maximise the benefitsthe programme delivers, Synergy are developing best practice processes that include:••Reviewing the selection criteria for the course to ensure that the programme participantshave a suitable role and will be able to transfer what they are learning into the workplace;••Ensuring line manager support for participants, in order to promote a greater synthesisbetween the classroom and the workplace;••Ensuring that coursework is based on business issues in the workplace.Impact: individualmanagers’perspectivesManagers from Synergy felt the qualification has had a very positive impact on theirmanagement and leadership ability, providing them with the confidence and a “toolkit”to be better managers:“The course helped me to be a better manager and to have a better understanding of thebusiness – the bigger picture – understanding all about the business, not just me and my unit”.Learners at Synergy spoke of a particularly important impact on people management skills.Some were now able to manage staff in a way which “empowered” and “motivated”, whilstothers now had the confidence to manage confrontational situations without “being scared”.Managers also valued having the opportunity to learn and appreciated the investment intheir development. One participant said:“I felt quite special when my line manager decided to send me on the course. It wasn’tcheap and I felt that they wanted me to progress in the company. I’m happy about that”.Survey metricsThere was insufficient survey data to produce survey metrics for Synergy Health.43