University of Derby uses powerful tools to achieve a high-performance culture

Insights empowered Derby to embark on a cultural transformation

We collaborated closely with Derby staff to discover staff attitudes about Derby's current culture and identify an ideal future culture. We:

1. ran workshops with staff and students and used the Barrett Cultural Values Assessment, a survey tool, to gain a deeper quantitative understanding of the whole university and specific departments and staff types
2. worked with Derby to develop a future culture blueprint, which included outcomes linked to Derby’s organisational values and strategic framework
3. ran a half-day workshop bringing staff together to prioritise reforms, achieve buy-in for the cultural transformation and ensured the recommended changes were realistic, grounded in staff’s everyday experience and readily implementable.

Derby’s culture experienced a step change

Nous' work set Derby on the path to transform its organisational culture, as the university implemented its new strategy. Staff at the university saw mindsets begin to change. This will be embedded as Derby embarks on a staged reform.