Next step towards coordinated support services
Following the President’s Decision last week that we should have coordinated and common support services, work is now in full flow to take stock of what our support services look like today.
“The work has started and as a first step, we are surveying each support area and performing SWOT analyses to see where the strengths and weaknesses are in our support areas,” says University Director Kerstin Jacobsson, who is leading this work.
This spring, each support area will be analysed based on factors such as needs and user experiences, and this should lead to a general plan in early June, a programme directive, that the President will then resolve on.
“Duplicate work and things that fall between two stools are the kinds of things we aim to eliminate by being better organised,” says Jacobsson.
Practical solutions
Once a decision has been made on the next steps, this continuing work will be turned into more specific and practical solutions will come to the fore.
“The next step will then be to further refine the general plan. We are going to make assessments and prioritisations based on facts, not feelings about how the support services work.”
Around one fifth of KTH employees work in support services. Merging these services and establishing a new organisation will be a big job. How do you feel about leading this?
“It could feel far too big a job, but we already have a very positive sense of collegiality today, and as the saying goes, many hands make light work. I am really looking forward to completing this work via an open and constructive dialogue with the Heads of School and Heads of Department, and with our organisation in all. There seems to be big support in general for this change work, which is pleasing.”
Everyday work will carry on as normal at the same time, will there be enough hours in the day?
“Merging and developing our support services will be a major initiative for KTH as a whole and this naturally means investments. We have the resources to invest in work tools, skills development, scope to dedicate time or whatever that may now be required.”
Will benefit everyone
You are now also head of all support services at KTH. What do you feel is the key to efficient support services?
“Smart and smooth processes that make life simpler for everyone, whether you need support or you provide it .”
Can you give an example?
“IT systems that do not work together and make administration far too bureaucratic makes life harder for everyone and risks taking up too much time and space. By creating smoother flows, this also enhances the working environment at KTH and by extension, will make KTH an even more attractive place to work.”
The new organisation is scheduled to be launched on 1 January 2023. However, more coordinated support services are already working together when it comes to recruitment and skills development.
On 22 March, the President took the decision (in W3D3 with the registration number V-2022-0218 1.1) about the new organisation for KTH support services .
Jill Klackenberg