Sponsorship Programme Information PackFor inclusive talent management - in the NHS from under-represented groups

Objectives of this pack

To outline the Sponsorship Programme, its purpose and objectives

Define the benefits for the organisation, the Sponsee and the Sponsor

What does the Programme involve?

To define the role of a Sponsor and a Sponsee

To outline the steps for Sponsee to get the most out of the Programme

To outline the role of the Sponsorship Guardian

To set expectations on who should be sponsored and how Sponsees should be selected

Contents...What is Sponsorship?

The difference between sponsorship and mentoring

What are we trying to acheive?

The impact of sponsorship

Who should be sponsored?

The sponsor relationship

the role of the sponsee

The role of the sponsor

The role of the sponsorship guardian

The benefits for sponsors

Why we need a sponsorship programme

I need a Sponsor - what do I do next?

I want to be a sponsor - what do I do next?

Where to go for further information about sponsorship

The difference between sponsorship and mentoring

The difference between a MENTOR and a SPONSOR is that a Sponsor intervenes and puts their own reputation on the line.

A mentor is in the room with you, while a Sponsor is in the room when you are not there.

Passive and supportive

May be in the same organisation or may be external

Provides guidance and advice on specific situations or learning opportunities at work

May coach the mentee through problems or concerns

Gives insight into how to navigate the organisation and build relationships

Mentoring Sponsorship

Proactively intervenes

Is in the same organisation and has some influence over the Sponsee’s work and career

Advocates for them to be given career enhancing opportunities

Provide opportunities for the Sponsee to connect with influential others

Advises on career choices

Gives specific feedback and guidance on executive presence

Is in the same organisation, or the same ICS/STP footprint, and has some influence over the Sponsee’s work and career

The sponsor may also perform some of the same functions as a mentor but the sponsorship role extends beyond the limits of the mentor role.

What is Sponsorship?

“Genuine sponsorship” means an existing leader “grabbing the wrist

of a person you know you can stake your reputation on,

pushing the door open, bringing them in, sitting them round the

table, and saying “based on what you know of me and your

understanding of my reputation, give this person an opportunity.”

- Deborah HarrisNon-Executive Director

Whittington Health Trust

What are we trying to achieve?

Through the sponsorship programme, we are committed to

Identify Diverse TalentIdentify high performing and high potential individuals from underrepresented groups and encourage their application for suitable promotions. Underrepresented groups include:

Females, BAME members of staff, Colleagues with disabilities, Colleagues from the LGBTQ community.

Retain diverse talent within nhs Finance Into Leadership

Provide targeted support, feedback, coaching and advocacy for individuals to progress and to stay within NHS Finance.

Remove and / or avoid barriers to progression

Understand the specific barriers faced by individuals and help them to navigate these or help to remove them altogether.

Develop both sponsored employees and their sponsors

Build the skills and personal brand of sponsored employees as well as the skills and insight of leaders within NHS Finance.

Initial roll out of the programme was aimed at female and/or BAME members who are alreadyworking at Band 8a or above. This programme is now expanded to all underrepresented groups.

What does the programme involve?

Sponsorship Meetings The core activity of the programme - regular meetings between sponsor and sponsee. Driven by the sponsee.

Check-in points Six-monthly conversations with sponsorship guardian to ensure the programme is on track for participants.

Remove and / or avoid barriers to progression

Understand the specific barriers faced by individuals and help them to navigate these or help to remove them altogether.

Other learning opportunities FFF sponsorship and access to peer group support.

The impact of sponsorship

External guidance on increasnig representation in leadership from under-represented groups cites sponsorship as a key factor in progressing to senior roles 1 2

1. Parker (2016). Beyond One by ’21: A report into the ethnic diversity of UK boards

2. Gadhia (2016). Empowering productivity: Harnessing the talents of women in financial services

3. Hewlett, Peraino, Sherbi & Sumberg (2010). The Sponsor Effect: Breaking Through the Last Glass Ceiling

4. Foust-Cummings, Dinolfo & Kohler (2011). Sponsoring women to success

Research demonstrates that having a sponsor behind them develops employees’ confidence to ask for career options and personal benefits - for example increasing the likelihood that they will ask for a stretching assignment³.

Sponsorship not only has a positive impact on an individual’s career progression, but also on the wider organisation and on those who act as sponsors⁴. Sponsorship relationships can increase retention, performance and give insight into existing organisational or team issues. They can also help sponsors to develop a loyal cadre of talented employees that have the skills to take on future leadership roles.

In 2014, EY’s award winning Career Watch employee sponsorship programme, which is targeted at high performing female and BAME talent, was recognised for its contribution to building a diverse leadership pipeline. EY showed that compared to individuals not taking part in the programme:

80%

41%

90%

Improved or maintained their performance rating compared to (39%)

Were promoted (compared to 22%)

Were retained by the firm compared to (70%)

The sponsorship relationship

What aSponsor

Does

What aSponsee

DoesGoes out on a limb on their sponsee’s behalf

Advovates for next promotion

Provides air cover

Delivers in exceptional ways

Is trustworthy/loyal and can be counted on

Brings a distinct personal brand and grows scope and span

Who should be sponsored?

Employees are eligible to apply for the programme if they:

Are from an under-represented groupOur data tells us that employees displaying protected characteristics are underrepresented in senior finance roles, and we know that band 8 is often where retention and the pace of progression drops. Have at least three years of

experience working in NHS Finance

Sponsorship is a privilege that has to be earned.Organisations taking part in the sponsorship programme should ensure that they have a fair, equal and open process in place to identify the right employees to be sponsored.

The programme is aimed at employees who aspireto progress from this level to become senior leaders,and while we recognise this will not be the case forall individuals, we encourage those who are eligible

Aspire to a senior role within NHS Finance

Could be eligible for promotion within the next 2-3 years. This should be discussed as part of your appraisal process.

The role of the sponsor

The sponsor is a leader working at a higher level than the sponsee who:

Is ‘light touch’ but ‘high impact’

Has faith in their sponsee’s ability and tells other influential colleagues about this when the sponsee is not in the room

Connects their sponsee to other senior leaders

Provides their sponsee with access to stretch opportunities and the resources they need to succeed

Protects and supports their sponsee by providing ‘air cover’

Advocates for their sponsee’s next promotion

Gives their sponsee frank, open feedback on their performance and their presence

Builds trust and creates time to regularly meet with their sponsee

Understands the benefits of the sponsorship relationship, both for the sponsee and the sponsor

Builds a pipeline of diverse talent across the patch

The role of the sponsee

The Sponsee is:

A high potential employee with at least three years of experience working in nhs finance

Likely to be eligible for promotion in the next 2-3 years (ideally determined by your organisational appraisal/talent process)

From an underrepresented group

Someone who demonstrates strong commitment to their role and their sponsor

Is open and honest in discussing their career aspirations, performance and development with their sponsor

Someone who takes the initiative to build the sponsor relationship

Someone who proactively seeks feedback from their sponsor and others

A listener who practices reflection

Open to stretch opportunities and approaches them with enthusiasm

Trustworthy and acts with integrity

A promoter of their sponsor’s values and grows their sponsor’s legacy

Has the ambition to work in a senior leadership role in the future

The role of the sponsorship guardian Optional

When you start your sponsorship relationship we recommend (however is optional) that both parties jointly identify a ‘sponsorship guardian’. In most sponsorship relationships everything runs smoothly, however, unanticipated circumstances can arise and it’s wise to put in place a means to ensure that the sponsorship continues positively in this situations.

Be of an equivalent seniority in the organisation or ics/stp footprint to the sponsor and be willing to review the sponsor guide so they understand the role of the sponsor.

In the event that the sponsor leaves the organisation or ICS / STP footprint before the two year programme has concluded, the guardian will act as the interim sponsor and ensure that the new, incoming sponsor (who fills the vacancy) is brought up to speed.

Conduct a periodic “check-in” with the sponsor and sponsee to understand whether the relationship is on track, and help to resolve any issues if they arise.

A sponsorship guardian can help with this and should:

The benefits for sponsors

Sponsors can also get significant value from the process, as sponsoring employees can:

Give sponsors new insights and keep them up to date

Develop loyal individuals who promote a sponsor's legacy and values

Allow sponsors to build and develop the pipeline for future leadership positions

I have gained so much valuable feedback on how our organisation works and some

of the hidden barriers for underrepresented groups. And I have a group of loyal protégés

who I knowhave my back.

SponsorEY Sponsorship Programme

Why do we need a sponsorship programme?

Data suggests that diverse talent is less likely to progress a career in NHS Finance and take on more senior roles. In 2017, the SDN / HFMA staff census showed that while 61% of the workforce was female, only 28% of Director level positions were held by women. Similarly, while BAME employees made up 18% of the workforce, only 4% of Directors were BAME.

When looking at the breakdown by band, the data showsthat the proportion of female and BAME employees dropsbelow the average for the whole workforce at managerlevel (band 7 for women and band 8b for BAME).

*SDN / HFMA census data 2017

Why do we need a sponsorship programme?

Future Focused Finance aims to address this imbalance at leadership level through a range of mechanisms, and the proposed sponsorship programme is one of these.

Sponsorship is a natural part of how organisations operate and sponsorship relationships develop informally. Research suggests that individuals from underrepresented groups may be less likely to be able to access this informal support, which can impact their career progression. Therefore the introduction of targeted sponsorship is not positive discrimination, it is about levelling the playing field. Sponsorship is different from mentoring (see page 4 for more detail).

I would like to have a sponsor What do I do next?

I think I would like to have a sponsor - what do I do next?

It’s a really positive step to decide that you would like to have a sponsor and we will do all we can to support you.

1

2

3

The next step is to review the Sponsee Self-Assessment and Guide which will help you to determine whether a sponsor is the right next step for you and also help you to identify your potential sponsor and how to approach them.

Once you have completed the self-assessment and have reviewed the guide you’ll have the tools you need to start your sponsorship relationship. However, if you need a little more help then these are available and the last page of the guide provides details of the options and resources so you can choose the ones that best suit you.

If, after the self-assessment, you find that sponsorship is not the right next step then there are other options that you can use for development. These include coaching and mentoring but also many others. Speak to your local SDN Lead about what you want to achieve and find out what is available in your regions and how they can support you!

I would like to Be a sponsor What do I do next?

I think I would like to be a sponsor - what do I do next?

It is great that you want to be a sponsor and thank you!

1

2

3

The next step is to self-assess whether you can offer a sponsee what they will need. To help you do this we have developed the Sponsor Self Assessment and Guide.

Review the guide and assessment and if you still feel that you are able to provide a sponsee with opportunities and support as their sponsor then follow the steps in the guide to sign up to the programme and encourage potential sponsees to approach you and ask you to sponsor them.

If it turns out that being a sponsor isn’t the right role for you then there are still things that you can do to support diversity through mentorship or coaching and we’d encourage you to talk to your local workforce develop-ment team about how you can promote diversity in your own organisation.

Where to go for further information about sponsorship

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE NATURE AND IMPACT OF SPONSORSHIPYOU CAN READ THE FOLLOWING PAPERS:

Sponsoring Women to SuccessHeather Foust-Cummings, Sarah Dinolfo & Jennifer Kohler 2011https://www.catalyst.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/sponsoring_women_to_success.pdf

WHAT ARE MENTORING AND SPONSORING AND HOW DO THEY IMPACT ORGANIZATIONS?Cao, J. & Yang, Y. (2013). Retrieved May 2017 from Cornell University, ILR School site:https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/student/30/

THE SPONSOR EFFECT: BREAKING THROUGH THE LAST GLASS CEILINGSylvia Ann Hewlett, with Kerrie Peraino, Laura Sherbin, and Karen Sumberg,Center for Work-Life Policy, 2010 -https://wearethecity.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/The-Sponsor-Effect.pdf

If you have specific queries or would like any additional information on

the programme, please contact the Future Focused Finance team at: futurefocusedfinance@nhs.net