This division audit was initiated by University Director Caroline Sjöberg.

“The purpose was to enable us to systematically develop our activities within the University Administration. My hope is that the audit will open up possibilities for self-reflection and discussion within the divisions. And that after the audit we will be even better at using our resources as efficiently and wisely as possible,” she says.

When feedback from the audit is later given to the division, it will be discussed by administration management, and actions will be followed up on after six months. Some activities will probably be included in regular operational planning work.

Maria Björnermark and Karolina Eldelind of University Administration are responsible for the overall planning and coordination.

“When it comes to the model, there are several similarities with the programme and research evaluations performed at the University – self-evaluation, an audit group made up of colleagues and external participants, site visits with interviews, a report, and follow-up of implemented measures,” explains Maria Björnermark.

“But there are also differences,” adds Karolina Eldelind. “For example, a division audit within the University Administration focuses on the division’s quality work, and the members of the audit group are not experts (with a few exceptions) on the division's activities.”
 

Perform self-evaluation
 

The divisions must perform a self-evaluation with broad participation from managers and employees. In the model, there are theme areas such as anchoring in the core operation, the division's working methods, and the skill sets and involvement of the employees. The appointed audit group consists of a head of division, an administrative director, a head of department, and an external member. The group members then visit the division and ask questions.

After this, the group provides an account of their observations in a report that summarises the division's strengths, areas of development, and recommendations. The report will be used as a basis for improvement work at the division.


HR division – a pilot
 

A pilot round with the HR division has just been completed.

“We are just at the beginning of the phase where we become acquainted with and focus on what was determined. We have really worked ‘bottom up’; everyone has been given the opportunity to participate, and most have done so. It has been useful, fun and positive – and it has also taken quite a bit of time,” says HR Director Eliane Forsse.

“There have been good dialogues within the division across unit and function boundaries, and they have been positive with a focus on quality.  I also appreciate that the model has an external assessment group, which provides new perspectives and has also strengthened our conviction that we are on the right path.”
 

Is there any strength you want to highlight?

“The division's strengths include having many and close contacts with the operations each day, the good cooperation within the various functions of the division, the fact that employees both within and outside of the division are given the opportunity to take part in the development work, and that there are different forms of collegial learning.”
 

Is there anything that needs development?

Eliane Forsse addresses a number of things that they want to develop:

  • A closer dialogue with management in relation to HR issues for strategic reasons: an operational perspective on HR issues and an HR perspective on operational issues.
  • Strengthen support in complex personal matters.
  • Continued work to investigate the conditions for HR support at the departments/equivalent.
  • Introduce an issue tracking system for HR issues (step 1) as part of the work to clarify contact routes.

As a next step, a division audit will be conducted in the Buildings Division, the Development Office and the Division for Internationalisation in 2021.