When Stacey Killon became head of scientific learning and talent management at the UKHSA, her first priority was to help create a new sense of shared purpose within her team.
Her two direct reports had been working without a line manager for the three months before her arrival.
So she was keen to celebrate with them all they had achieved and give them the support they need to flourish in the future.
Using the Line Management Standards
“The Line Management Standards are embedded in the approach to management we promote across the UKHSA,” said Stacey.
“They provide a valuable framework which I could look to when I took on my team as creating a shared purpose is such a central part.”
Stacey’s team is responsible for supporting scientific professionals within the Agency, which represents over 60 per cent of all staff, by promoting learning opportunities, talent management initiatives and well-being programmes.
Establishing regular team meetings
As she took on her team at a time of major organisational change, Stacey’s first move was to set up weekly meetings to review outputs, set priorities and link the team’s work within the context of the UKHSA’s wider objectives.
“Running regular team meetings sounds like a small step, but it was instrumental to creating a true sense of shared purpose within our team,” said Stacey.
Navigating organisational change
“I took up the post at a time when there was major change taking place across the senior leadership team, as well as across the Arms-Length Body landscape,” she said.
“So a major role of our weekly sessions is to decompress, celebrate our achievements and gain a common understanding of how we need to move forward both individually and as a team.”
Creating shared purpose and meaning
The Line Management Standards emphasise the importance of creating shared purpose and meaning in work.
Stacey says she works to support each member of her team to understand not just what they are doing, but why their work matters.
“It’s about establishing a strong sense of connecting purpose not only to the wider government priorities but also within the team’s own collaborative effort,” she said.
The Standards’ focus on developing people and building effective relationships enabled Stacey to transform uncertainty into shared ownership. Team members moved from simply completing assigned tasks to understanding their role as contributors to meaningful public service outcomes.
Find out more about the Civil Service Line Management Standards.
