Emma, tell us a bit about the conference and why it was such an important event for HE leaders.
AHUA is an important partner in the sector who represent the most senior professional services leaders. Their collective voice carries weight in shaping sector policy, governance, and institutional strategy, which is obviously critical as we develop our Organisational Efficiency Maturity Model.
The conference was a useful opportunity to bring those leaders together to ask critical and challenging questions needed in the sector, and to find aligned solutions to those problems. It was a privilege to be invited by AHUA to speak and have an opportunity to be part of these discussions.
You were a guest speaker representing SUMS Consulting – what did you speak about?
Our session was on the development of the Organisational Efficiency Maturity Assessment; the free open access tool developed alongside AHUA and considering the UUK Taskforce on Efficiencies and Effectiveness.
As outlined in advance of the session this tool provides quantitative, data-driven insights into operational efficiency and effectiveness, which is evidence leaders can trust. Beyond benchmarking, the tool highlights capability gaps and organisational risks that can inform universities to move beyond reactive change to transformation.
What was the response to your session?
At this early stage, the tool was positively received by AHUA members. Supported by endorsement from members of the reference group (our thanks to Lorna Walker from UHI, Khadir Meer from SOAS and Vikki Goddard from the University of York), it was felt that there was real understanding of the value and purpose of this tool.
We recognise that the sector is likely to approach the tool with a sense of curiosity, particularly once they get a chance to use it. At a time when universities are under pressure to evidence value for money, optimise resources, and remain agile in a changing environment, the tool offers something practical, data-driven, and immediately useful. Colleagues have already shown a strong appetite for engaging with new approaches that help them benchmark performance, test scenarios, and inform decision-making. We saw real willingness across institutions to explore how the tool can provide insights that go beyond intuition and support confident leadership conversations.
It is important to emphasise that this is a beta model and institutions need to ‘play with it’ and offer feedback to enable us to refine and improve it over the next year. That said, the initial response was encouraging, with many recognising the potential for this tool to become a valuable part of the HE leadership toolkit.
Interested in free access to the beta Organisational Efficiency Maturity Assessment model?
Be among the first higher education institutions to benefit from this valuable tool. Register your interest here to be notified when the model launches this Autumn.
