Messages of support – OD Academy Ambassadors
I am thrilled to have been invited to become an OD Academy Ambassador; as I am pleased to be able to promote the practice of OD in the workplace, particularly valuing just how many of the theories can benefit people personally.
I work as the HR Deputy Director at Loughborough University and over the last couple of years have been embedding these practices across the department to support the growth, development and transformation of our people approaches.
I was introduced to OD in 2010 and since then, have proactively applied this art, science, and philosophy to workplace environments. I see this as an enriching way in which to coach and support people enabling everyone to look at what they consider as data, as an insight and how they interact with this.
This style of intervention is also great for bringing together diversity of thought and ways in which people can make long term commitments to their working practices. Following an OD approach supports us all to be curious; enquiring and learning to respect others views as we co-design and collaborate to reframe and rebuild our work place practices.
The OD Academy community provides a space in which we can continue to grow, collaborating with people who have different backgrounds and experiences. This is also a way for us to share our passion about making a difference and adding value to the other communities we are all part of.
ALEX STACEY-MIDGLEY, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, HR,
LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
I’m delighted to accept the invitation to be an Ambassador for the OD Academy. The OD community is rich in knowledge and experience and I have benefitted in my OD practice from the generosity of others sharing this through the OD Academy.
It’s great to have a place where our community can come together, share, learn and invite in, those taking their first tentative steps into OD, curious to find out more.
I often describe OD as working in the glue of an organisation or system – working on the stuff we can’t always see in structures, projects or across functions that gets in the way. The work is so varied and draws on lots of different skills and that makes OD a profession people can come to from lots of different routes and backgrounds, which makes it incredibly enriching as a profession – I love learning!
My OD career has largely been in national NHS organisations, most recently within the health research sector. I also have my own consultancy practice which is mostly focussed on coaching.
I’m passionate about the real difference OD as a profession can make to helping our organisations achieve their purpose effectively. As someone who has dedicated my career the public sector, this feels all the more important given the needs that our public sector addresses and the many people it serves. I look forward to working as part of this community to see the difference we can make in the world.
KATHERINE GUERIN, MODA, DIRECTOR,
STONEYCROFT CONSULTING LTD
I am delighted to be joining the OD Academy and to have been invited to take up an Ambassadorial role. OD is very much a team game and it’s through institutions like this academy that we will be able to improve all our working practices and to be able to bring more people on to the OD train.
I spent twenty years in the military, seventeen of those in leadership positions. Throughout my time in the Service we constantly sought ways to improve. To improve our ways of working, our people’s lived experience and our effectiveness in delivering operations. The nuances required in OD are never as stark as when you switch from the training environment to the operational, when you go from practicing in a benign environment to delivering in a hostile one. OD never stops though, lessons learned in both environments are equally as valid.
Having retired four years ago I have taken my military OD experience into the civilian market having worked as an Operations Manager for Amazon through the pandemic and a Senior Manager in the consulting arm of KPMG. In both those roles OD was key, either in ensuring the smooth running of a Delivery Station or delivering change to clients. The ability to bring OD to the party is never a bad thing!
I now work as a Senior Consultant with Pace where we enable human autonomy through the delivery of Organisational Development. There is never a slow day when delivering at Pace!
Finally, I truly believe in the importance of mentoring. There is no doubt in my mind that both mentor and mentee learn just as much from every interaction they have. I look forward to helping the academy and all it’s members through our OD journeys.
Will HairsinE, MODA,
Senior Consultant, PACE
Early Years
I am Dennis Murray, an Anglo Indian male whose family came to the UK in the early 1960’s from India. At 13 my father died and I was a free school meal’s child who came from a very poor background. My brother was aged 7 when he had a nervous breakdown and was found hiding under the stairs, painting himself white because of racial bullying. At that time in the 1970s, the police response was that this was not a police matter. The Murray family trust in policing was low.
I came from a Council estate where drugs and criminality was commonplace. I left school with no academic qualifications and initially worked in various roles in the building industry.
Policing Career
Motivated to make a difference, I joined Northamptonshire Police in 1991 as a Special Constable, becoming a regular officer in 1992 and my mother threatened to disown me because of her lived experience of policing.
Upon joining the police, I began to thrive and following a 2-year probation period, I was awarded the Roger Flawn Memorial Cup for best student officer. I joined the CID with 4 years’ service and moved to the National Crime Squad in 1999, returning to the Force to take up a role in Intelligence as an FIO.
In 2004 I became a Hate Crimes Officer, winning the David Ryan memorial Cup for work with Muslim Communities. I was presented with the Pride in Northamptonshire Award for hard work and determination in relation to community engagement work.
In 2008 with 16 years’ service I successfully applied for the High Potential Development Scheme, achieving a Master’s degree in Police Management and Leadership.
In 2012 I was awarded the Brigadier Lomond Award for designing effective and efficient Immersive Training which has been recognised as good practice, receiving international interest.
I was previously seconded to the Force Transformation team and tasked to deliver £23m worth of savings whilst delivering a new Target Operating Model which integrated Police and Fire services.
I am a Strategic Public Order and Firearms Commander having managed major events such as Silverstone Formula 1 and Moto GP.
I left Northamptonshire Police as a BCU Superintendent in charge of half of the County, introducing a new operating model as well as technical advancements such as interceptors, drones, thermal imaging devices and fingerprint scanners.
As the Use of Powers lead, I reduced black disproportionality in stop and search from 10 x disproportionate to 2.1 within a 12-month period.
In 2020 I joined the British Transport Police as Chief Superintendent, Lead for Legitimacy, Trust and Community Policing. I have supported several forces in reforming their use of powers and diversity approaches.
I was awarded the Queens Police Medal in the Queen’s Birthday honours, June 2021, for an exemplary career, improving diversity in policing and developing new scrutiny approaches to the use of powers such as Stop and Search.
I was the highest-ranking Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority Officer in Northamptonshire, British Transport Police and now Thames Valley Police.
I hold a CMI Level 6 qualification in leading Diversity, Inclusion and Cultural change.
I attended the Strategic Command Course, taking up the role of Assistant Chief Constable, Crime and Criminal Justice, Thames Valley Police in March 2022 (the 5th largest force in the country).
In March 2023 I took up the role for ACC Legitimacy and Public Value.
I lead the Thames Valley Police VAWG and Race Action Plan. I have set up and Chair the National Policing DEI Consortium and am a member of the NPCC Race Religion and Belief portfolio where I also took on the role of NPCC lead for Women of Colour in Policing.
I am currently leading the £550m force review and restructure of Thames Valley Police, and have a passion for an interest in OD, as an art, science and practice. I am delighted to be invited to be an Ambassador for the OD Academy.
Dennis Murray, QPM, MODA,
Assistant Chief Constable,
Thames Valley Police.
“I work as Head of People Operations at Staffordshire County Council.
“I was really pleased to accept the invite to be an Ambassador for the OD Academy as it gives me the opportunity to not only encourage and learn from others in our daily practice, but also to promote OD as an approach that can greatly benefit organisations and people.
“Having previously been in OD specific roles, I have now moved back into a more generalist HR/people focused role. Continuing to take an OD practitioner approach to my latest role will help me to see the bigger picture, make connections and will result in better and more sustainable outcomes.
“The OD Academy will provide the community and environment an opportunity to continue to learn and grow in my practice and to support others to grow too.
I look forward to continuing to deepen my understanding of OD, its application and practice.”
Debbie Haines, MODA, Head of People Operations, Staffordshire County Council & OD Academy Ambassador
“I’m really excited to have joined the OD Academy and equally thrilled to have been invited to be an Ambassador. Having spent most of my working life in the NHS, Civil Service, Local Authority, a spell at Cancer Research UK, and now in Higher Education, I have developed a deep, passionate, and lifelong love of public sector ethos; I absolutely understand how important our public sector is to the people that work in it, the people that use it, and the people that need it throughout all stages of their lives. It’s hugely complex and hugely big! And in order for it to continue to provide us all with the services that we need to live brilliant lives, where everybody has the opportunity to thrive regardless of their background and ability, it must continue to move with the times – something it generally does very well and is often not widely recognised (think cutting edge advances in medicines and treatments, and hats off to numerous public sector managers and leaders who deal with a constantly changing political environment as well as restructures, renaming, financial changes, bad press while AT THE SAME TIME managing to deliver services.)
“A teacher by background, I fell into a range of different roles around leadership and management development across different public and third sector organisations, and it wasn’t until OD became an actual acknowledged thing that I realised almost everything I’d been doing all this time was, in fact, OD. Traditionally all things ‘people’ were managed via HR (when did human beings become a human resource? I mean I ask you?!) and sadly many really excellent OD professionals took a different path (myself included for a while) having experienced the pain of reporting into a profession that’s largely been about protecting the organisation rather than really understanding that to do that really well requires empowered people with enabling technologies and behaviours, and an inclusive culture that has the wellbeing of people at its heart.
“So here I am with so much still to learn (isn’t there always in OD?!) I have been truly blessed to have worked with some utterly inspirational and brilliant people in my life, and so kind of made it my mission to dig out the bits that aren’t working so well and do my very best to make sure everybody gets to work with truly brilliant people in truly brilliant organisations – not sure how successful I’ve been, but I’m nothing if not determined. I’m very much looking forward to being part of an organisation that supports just that!”
Tracy Dawson, MODA, Freelance Consultant, Head of OD, Anglia Ruskin University & OD Academy Ambassador
“You don’t need to go too far to see the levels of employee disengagement in organisations. The gap between employees’ expectations and the organisations’ people practices is glaring, to say the least. Deep down I believe most organisations and leaders have the answers to the massive people challenges they face. Perhaps they aren’t asking the right questions or connecting the dots to see the bigger picture.
“For me, having the space to ask those difficult but courageous questions and listening without judgement is important. It resonates with who I am and how I work with my clients.
“In my view, the OD Academy consciously creates that space. It represents a place where professionals who are passionate about making organisations more effective come together and learn from each other. It represents an opportunity to proactively address organisational challenges in a holistic and authentic way.
“As OD professionals, we are often the instruments of change. As an ambassador of the Academy, I hope to be a compassionate disruptor in the world of work. I am looking forward to connecting with professionals from the fields of HR, OD, Talent, and Learning & Development to create a positive change in organisations; for the change has been long due.”
Sonam Taneja, MODA, Founder, MirrorSpeak Consulting & OD Academy Ambassador
“Organisations are houses full of people. The input of those people delivers the outcomes for the business. – this includes profit, growth, innovation, evolution. All too often businesses forget that and wonder why the results are not where they would like them to be.
“If organisations set the environment (culture, systems, processes, tools) for their people to be at their best, kept them connected to the purpose and enabled them to feel they add value, are valued and are gaining value, then their business would thrive. That is what OD means to me, unlocking the value of people and realising commercial success. As an ambassador I hope to be able to support others by sharing stories, providing mentoring and helping people to walk their own path”
Michelle Reid, People & Operations Director, Chartered MCIPD MODA & OD Academy Ambassador
“I believe developing OD skills enables people practitioners to work holistically focussing on the diagnostic and developmental plans to improve the culture and leadership capability within organisations.
“I am dedicated to ensuring our people practices and our transformational plans always value colleagues contributions and continuously improve the health and care experience of our communities which is why I was thrilled to become an Ambassador for the OD Academy.“
Kerry Eldridge, Chief People Officer, FCIPD MODA & OD Academy Ambassador
“I’ve been into OD (like many of us a while before I knew what it was) since the early 1990s – when I was a Project Manager on a centralised work initiative in the Civil Service department I worked in. When I knew what it was – as I moved into an HR/L&D role, that was it. Since then I’ve been obsessed with OD. The answer to many of the woes of work (and when poorly executed the reason for many of the woes of work), I’ve studied. applied and pushed myself to know more about OD and do more of the “right” kind of OD. Many heroes I could mention but one in particular for me – Systems Thinker Russell Ackoff – stands out as being ahead of his time and thoughtful and inspiring of words and frames.
“I stand very much in the space of the “next stage evolution” of organisations and work, and I am a practitioner – and most importantly believer – in non-hierarchical, agile and responsive systems: Particularly those that operate with self-management at the core.
“So I’ve very willingly become an Ambassador of the OD Academy because that next stage won’t come without a hive mind, without the agitation and wisdom needed plus the evidence behind our move from industrial models, to fully into a more humanist, knowledge-based era. A new frontier of discovery is upon us and the OD Academy is a place we can enlighten, enthuse and enable that shift.
Another of my heroes is design legend Bucky Fuller, and this is one of my “quotes to live/practice by”: You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
“Let’s make a new reality with the collective power of the OD Academy.”
Perry Timms, MODA, Chief Energy Officer, People & Transformational HR Ltd & OD Academy Ambassador