HEAR FROM KATE
Before joining Newton, Kate Haddon worked for over ten years in Communication, becoming Head of Communication at both Orange and Vodafone. She then went on to become a Strategic Communications and Engagement Consultant before joining Newton in the People and Change (P&C) team.
The P&C team at Newton is ever-growing and developing, offering new opportunities, and driving innovative ways to support the heart of any company: its people.
KATE HADDON
Kate Haddon has been in the P&C team for just over a year, working across Newton’s Defence and Infrastructure sector. The sector aims to help major UK private and public sector organisations overcome their most complex challenges, and it is Kate’s job to evolve employee process and workings in order to help achieve this.
When solving such challenges, Newton has numerous teams focusing on different
areas. They consist of the Operations, Digital and P&C teams. An important part of
this overall project work is managing organisational change. For the wider Digital
team, this could be digital-led transformation, considering and implementing a plan
for how an organisation can stay up to date with advancing technology. For
Operations consultants, it often focuses on operational-led transformation which
reimagines the way an organisation runs and helps them to maintain cost-efficiency
and stay competitive within a market.
The role of the P&C team within this is to manage the impact that organisational
change has on a company’s people. Kate is responsible for representing the
interests of a client’s employees and giving them a voice during a period of
substantial change. Whilst her focus is the people, Kate must also collaborate with
the wider Newton team to bring together their knowledge and expertise to efficiently
solve the client’s problem.
“I make sure people have a voice within the organisation, I become the voice of the employees and a critical friend to the leadership team”
As no two problems are ever the same, Kate divides her approach into strategic
thinking and tactical-led work, adjusting as necessary according to each individual
project. This allows her and the client the opportunity to plan for the future whilst
simultaneously meeting short-term goals. Kate’s divided approach sets the
foundations for effective and successful change going forward.
A more specific example of the work P&C consultants do is one of Kate’s recent
projects. This was a cultural change programme, with the aim of creating a
workplace culture that allowed each individual to perform at their best. To make such
a large-scale cultural change, it is crucial to have the investment of every employee
at each level of the business. The leadership team must demonstrate their
commitment to change as much as employees must feel their opinions matter and
are being reflected.
When beginning this project, Kate first decided to host a number of workshops with
the leadership team to better understand what they wanted to achieve for the future
of their organisation. Next, the team went onto centre their research around the
employees, holding focus groups, week in the life studies, doing interviews and
observation work, and concluding all of this with a companywide survey which saw
an 85% response rate, showing the support for change. As a result, the team was
able to achieve a concise view of the organisation’s cultural strengths and
weaknesses.
This process of qualitative and quantitative research resulted in 30,000 data points
which the team could then use to create a four-tiered approach to forming a
successful change programme. From this, they were able to introduce a plan for
continued and sustainable change which satisfied the client.
“My background helps me see a problem in the context of the entire organisation, with an appreciation of my client’s world and how best to integrate the solution for lasting impact. I see everything from the client’s perspective, and they really appreciate this”
The P&C team in Newton is small but growing, meaning that they can’t be involved
with every client project the company works on. However, Kate recognises the
importance of people-first thinking for all Newton consultants so has played a key
role in shaping Newton’s P&C business offering. This is a new methodology within
the company that aims to teach all Newton employees to work with an organisation’s
people to successfully bring solutions. This framework helps consultants to step into
the client’s shoes and see the problem from their perspective.
The impact that Kate’s work has is not only limited to the client; she also has an
instrumental role on Newton’s People Board, working with our People Director and
wider leadership team to create an environment in which all Newton employees can
thrive. Part of Kate’s role on the board is to help dismantle systemic barriers to
ensure everyone at Newton has fair access to opportunity and career growth.
For Kate, being part of the P&C team offers her a huge amount of variety, challenge,
and reward. From the work she does with clients, to the wider Newton team, she
makes a fundamental change in the welfare and success of company cultures.
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