Investing in our people
ITS was the first academic department of the University of Leeds to achieve Investors in People (IiP) status, in 2004.
IiP recognition was re-confirmed in 2007 and following the most recent assessment in April 2010, the report concluded “…it is clear that ITS has created a strong ethos of teamwork and commitment to excellence in the work they do. People are proud of the reputation of the Institute and feel privileged to be working in a place with such a high standing and regard.”
In what is unquestionably a challenging and uncertain time for higher education and public spending, this outcome confirms that the collective ethos of ITS continues to provide the bedrock for academic success. IiP is a nationally and internationally recognised standard, and the achievement reflects the Institute’s status as a model of good practice for developing staff and managing change. IiP provides external recognition that ITS has a long-standing culture of valuing people and their contribution to the continued success of the entire organisation.
The IiP process involves the detailed assessment of a number of key elements, including strategy, leadership, communication, learning, development and change management. Staff feedback is an integral part of the process and here are just a few comments from members of ITS across all levels:
"All staff are encouraged to take part in active discussions and departmental meetings are an open forum."
"I meet my manager regularly and can discuss anything on a personal and professional level.”
"Staff reviews are a great sounding-board; personally I've always felt very supported."
"Away-days are a really good way of getting people engaged in discussion."
"Decisions are not made top down."
"Recognition of what I do is very immediate; I do feel I'm recognised and valued."
"Everybody here realises the Institute is a success because of the contributions which they make and that it's not just down to a limited group of people."
ITS can genuinely lay claim to be a pioneering department of the University when it comes to staff development, review and management - the ITS model was specifically commended in a House of Commons Select Committee report in 2002.
Maintaining IiP status involves a long-term commitment to continuous evaluation and improvement. With this in mind ITS plans to build on existing strengths by benchmarking against the ten IiP profile standards. The University as a whole has itself now identified an IiP-based framework as an organisational priority.
Vision, mission and values
Underpinning the Institute's commitment to being an effective organisation is having and communicating a clear vision, mission and set of values.
Vision statement - the Institute's vision is "to be recognised as the world leader in transport-related teaching and research."
Mission statement - the Institute's mission is "to advance the understanding of transport activity, operations and use and to develop skills and best practice among transport professionals and decision-makers."
Values statement - the Institute believes that its values are core to the continuation of its success and that being a member of ITS means we should:
- encourage innovation and creativity;
- strive to achieve excellence in all our activities;
- respect and support each other, be responsive to individual needs and aspirations;
- be willing to share knowledge and learn from each other;
- expect to be treated fairly and conduct all activity with integrity;
- have a collective responsibility for ITS' future success;
- be transparent in our decision making, consulting widely as appropriate and encouraging staff involvement at all levels.
