Every Aspire Cohort culminates in the presentation of a series of project reports which are available to download as a pdf. These reports are the result of significant commitment, time and effort of the cohort delegates working in groups, but they also offer a valuable research resource, with a current and practical focus.

The projects cover a range of issues and we invite you to read and reflect on these reports and consider how they could be used to inform change within your own organisations. Aspire alumni will be happy to talk to you about the thinking and findings of their projects, so each report includes contact details if you want to find out more.

Order below: Most Recent at the Top

Cohort 10 (South West)

In this cohort an existing Head of HR & OD highlighted a key challenge for their organisation as the focus for a project and then undertook a project sponsor and mentor role.

Report Topics

  The role of the HR Business Partner in enabling Digital Transformation
  #Employer Branding – Why should it matter to the Fire Rescue Service
 Because you have to be able to sleep at Night – Purposeful Public Sector Leadership in a Digital Age  

Cohort 9 (Wales)

In this cohort an existing Head of HR & OD highlighted a key challenge for their organisation as the focus for a project and then undertook a project sponsor and mentor role.

Report Topics

What ingredients are required to retain employees discretionary effort
 How can Local Authorities attract, recruit and engage 16-24 year olds
 A Guide to Income Generation for Local Authority HR Services
 How can we use technology to configure HR Services differently in future – Presentation  

Cohort 8 (North)

In this cohort an existing Head of HR & OD highlighted a key challenge for their organisation as the focus for a project and then undertook a project sponsor and mentor role.

Report Topics

20 years on is the HRBP model still relevant
 Recruiting the 21st Century Local Government Manager
 Research shows the culture in public sector is shifting 

Cohort 7 (North)

In this cohort an existing Head of HR & OD highlighted a key challenge for their organisation as the focus for a project and then undertook a project sponsor and mentor role.

Report Topics

Brokering the Deal – A New Psychological Contract
 Commercial HR Brand
 Is Having an Ageing Workforce a Problem or an Opportunity 

Cohort 6 (North)

In this cohort an existing Head of HR & OD highlighted a key challenge for their organisation as the focus for a project and then undertook a project sponsor and mentor role.

Report Topics

Key Considerations for Successful Integration

Appendix-1-Infographic

HR Parenting – Enabling or Disabling Managers?

Appendix B -Survey Results
Appendix C – HR Open Questions
Appendix D – Manage Open Questions

Temporary Talent Transfer – How do we ensure our employees develop the necessary skills to meet changing public sector requirements?

Cohort 5 (West Midlands)

In this cohort an existing Head of HR & OD highlighted a key challenge for their organisation as the focus for a project and then undertook a project sponsor and mentor role.

Report Topics

How do you engage with the workforce to be change ready for digital transformation?

A Practitioner audit of a 21st Century Public Sector Manager

Who wants to be an Executive Officer? A review of the factors affecting recruitment and retention into the ‘top jobs’ 

Cohort 4 (West Midlands)

In this cohort an existing Head of HR & OD highlighted a key challenge for their organisation as the focus for a project and then undertook a project sponsor and mentor role.

Report Topics

Commissioning and Reward – Outline a model approach to reward and recognition that facilitates an effective commissioning local authority.

Death of the Appraisal – “Accepting the ‘death of the appraisal’, what next for local government to sustain a performance culture?”

 Role Profiles – “Ripping up job descriptions and replacing with generic role profiles – how far can we go and what can be achieved in Local Government?”

Commercially Thinking Managers – What interventions and support are necessary to enable Public Sector managers become commercial thinkers?

Cohort 2 (West Midlands)

In this cohort delegates selected a key challenge from a shortlist as the focus for their project and then used their own organisations to reflect on the issue.

Report Topics

Effective Strategic Business Partnering in a Fire and Rescue Service Context

Securing a Sustainable Community Care Workforce with Staffordshire and Stoke

Business Partnering in a Commercial Local Government Environment

Cohort 3 (London)

In this cohort an existing Head of HR & OD highlighted a key challenge for their organisation as the focus for a project and then undertook a project sponsor and mentor role.

Report Topics

Digital Strategies will become vital for both residents and employee interface not only for channel shift but doing as much as possible on line. What has been effect on those councils that have a digital strategy in place? What could we learn and improve on? Will a digital strategy create the opportunities to further configure services differently?

  With devolution being the current buzz word, how would local government integrate with strategic partners both public and private? Is the time now ripe for “super councils”?

How do we encourage and develop more commercially based skills within our workforce with a focus on unfamiliar territories such as income generation and traded services?

Focusing on such research as the ’21st Century Public Servant’, what will future public servants be made of? How can we encourage the culture and behavioural changes required and the development of associated skills?

Appendix 1 – Stakeholder Analysis

Appendix 2 – Graduate Report

Appendix 3 – Survey

Appendix 4 – Survey Findings

Cohort 1 (West Midlands)

In this cohort an existing Head of HR & OD highlighted a key challenge for their organisation as the focus for a project and then undertook a project sponsor and mentor role.

Report Topics

In austerity, what is it about organisational culture that supports meaningful community engagement?

What are the characteristics of customer focused leadership and how can this be achieved in a climate where demand inevitably outstrips resource?

What is the roadmap for HR & OD to enable the organisation to motivate and empower its workforce through engagement in order to maximise individual potential and to manage and measure by deliverable outcomes?

A paper on the most powerful HR tools and interventions that will enable councils to better understand the skills and capability requirements of a commissioning organisation

Appendix A – Sustainable Organisational Performance – survey questionnaire

Appendix B – Sustainable Organisational Performance – survey findings