Lauren Nahme, Vice President of Strategy and Innovation

Vice President of Strategy and Innovation Lauren Nahme announced changes to her group in late June. The following is a recap of what was shared.

WHAT is being reorganized? 

The Strategy and Innovation group is one of several groups being reorganized as Kamehameha Schools begins the new fiscal year. The Strategy and Innovation group was formally known as Strategic Planning and Implementation (SPI). Previous units that make up this group include Strategic Planning and Reporting, Research and Evaluation, and Enterprise Management Services.

WHY reorganize?

The purpose of this organizational change is to structure the Strategy and Innovation group with key functions necessary to support ongoing enterprise planning, SP2020 alignment, implementation, and performance. Accordingly, the new structure is designed to provide clear management, coordination, and cross-functional interaction among staff.  The products and services provided by the Strategy and Innovation group are aligned with the enterprise cycle of Plan, Do, Study, and Act.

HOW and WHEN will the reorganization happen?

In designing the new structure and related transition, the fundamental assumption is that the Strategy and Innovation group has a committed staff with deep skillsets and experiences that can be better utilized going forward. The group’s work to support SP2020 has provided opportunities to demonstrate existing capabilities and also to shore up areas that need further development. Additionally, all staff met individually with the vice president to discuss prior experiences, underutilized skills, networks, and aspirations to be considered in the new structure and future project team assignments. Many stepped up to opportunities to work on new projects, including the SP2020-related projects, as the group facilitated the enterprise through planning and implementation.

The reorganization of the Strategy and Innovation group will occur in two phases. Phase 1 includes posting five manager positions that will provide guidance and coordination for projects and operations included within the function (see org chart). These positions, once filled, will constitute the leadership team of the Strategy and Innovation group. The leadership team will then design and implement Phase 2 of the reorganization. While it is difficult to anticipate how long each phase will take, it is hoped that the entire reorganization will be completed in the first quarter of FY15-16.  

WHO will be affected?

All members of the Strategy and Innovation group will be affected by the reorganization in some way. New job families and descriptions for the entire group have been redesigned and calibrated to the external job market over the last several months with the support of HR. Currently, the resource needs to fulfill enterprise SP2020 support functions — as well as the Strategy and Innovation group’s existing project load — exceed the group’s funded positions. The TAP count for Strategy and Innovation has not been reduced.

The range of requirements for new staff positions and job families for the Strategy and Innovation group is similar to existing job descriptions, levels and skill requirements. This means that staff have the opportunity to slot into new job families and job descriptions without material change to levels and/or salaries. Once organizational demands are better articulated and planned during Phase 2, individual situations to address gaps/opportunities between enterprise requirements (demand) and staff competencies (supply) will be handled on a case-by-case basis. 

Strategy and Innovation Group org chart