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How to institutionalize accountability & transparency?

Workplace Initiatives

​By Mansour Baker, SHRM-CP

Posted  15 March 2020

Develop and convene collaborative forums to discuss and draft recommended new policies and processes within critical cross-functional areas.

Near Term (1-6 months) Initiatives

• Identify company cross-functional activities that benefit from review and discussion in collaborative forums
• Develop operating guidelines, including forum rules, procedures, membership, meeting frequency, etc.  
• Pilot delegation of authority forum 
• Roll out other forums (e.g. policies and procedures, budget processes, risk management) 
• Undertake program evaluation assessment for forum effectiveness  

Medium Term (6-12 months) Initiatives

• Train company staff on modified or new processes (e.g. new delegations of authority, budget formulation, etc.)

Exhibit 1

Organization-wide collaboration informs strategic decisions and mitigates risks

Objectives

• To inform strategic decision making through the development of new or streamlined policies and processes in key areas 
• To enhance collaboration and information sharing across the organization

Key Activities

• Convene working group to identify cross-functional activities that require dedicated forums for discussion and development of new recommended procedures and processes
• Develop operating guidelines for all company forums, including forum rules and procedures, membership requirements, meeting frequencies, etc.
• Identify membership and forum scope of activities for pilot delegation of authority forum 
• Convene delegation of authority forum 
• Facilitate forum’s development of recommended redraft of company delegation of authority matrix
• Roll out other company forums as appropriate 
• Undertake program evaluation to assess forum effectiveness and mechanisms for improving their performance

Key Deliverables

1. Workshop to identify forums 
2. List of company forums 
3. Operating guidelines for forums
4. Set up of delegation of authority forum
5. Revised delegation of authority matrix
6. Roll out of other forums 
7. Program evaluation assessment

1. Workshop to identify forums

• Advance preparation and conducting of working groups to identify desired company forums 
• Summary report of working group recommendations

2. List of company (chosen) forums 

• List of issues requiring dedicated forums within next year

3. Operating guidelines for forums

• Operating guidelines for all company forums, including forum rules and procedures, membership requirements, meeting frequencies, etc.

​4. Set up of delegation of authority forum

• Identification of forum members
• Preparation of forum guidelines and scope of activities
• Convening of delegation of authority forum

5. Revised delegation of authority matrix

• Forum review of revised delegation of authority matrix
• Draft revisions to matrix
• Finalized delegation of authority matrix

​6. Roll out of other forums 

• Identification of forum members
• Preparation of forum guidelines and scope of activities
• Initial convening of forums

7. Program evaluation assessment

• Interviews with forum members
• Assessment of forum format and outcomes
• Summary report with identified improvement opportunities

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