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Orbit Group – Simplifying performance

Services: Design and digital/Employee engagement/People and team development/Strategic communications
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Enabling high performance

Orbit is a leading housebuilder and housing service provider, with more than 45,000 homes across the Midlands and southern England. Building on our work to refresh its values, employer brand and colleague behaviours, the group asked us to help rejuvenate its approach to achieving high levels of performance.

The project was rooted in Orbit’s five-year strategic plan for 2025-2030 and its ambition to build at least 1,500 new homes each year, plus updated Customer and Colleague Commitments. With more than 1,200 staff spread over a wide geographical area, the organisation was looking for fresh ideas on how best to motivate colleagues and make the most of their talents and dedication.

From managing to enabling performance

We began by researching different approaches to driving performance, including the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) playbook used by Google. Based on our report and recommendations, the executive team asked us to develop a process and tools for Orbit to apply this to their goal-setting and review at organisational, team and individual levels, all aligned to the group’s culture and Employer Promise.

Colleagues said that they wanted greater clarity about how their individual roles and priorities fitted into the bigger picture. The OKR approach also emphasised the need for frequent opportunities to measure progress, identify successes and adjust targets as necessary.

One director said that they judged success by being able to walk into a workplace and hear people “talking about the right things.” This new approach sought to capture this idea, foster a distinctive Orbit way of thinking and doing, and help the group move from managing performance to enabling it.

Having completed the Colleague Commitments and employer brand projects with us, Creative Bridge was the natural choice to support us with developing our high performance culture approach. They supported us to research, adapt and create communications to launch best practice methodology across the organisation. The approach enables colleagues to see how their work contributes to our strategic goals and managers have a toolkit they can use to roll this out easily and effectively. We’re delighted with the creativity, thought and impact of the work.
John Wrighthouse, Group Director of People and Reputation, Orbit Group

Positive cascade

The framework, toolkit, presentations and training materials we produced brought everything together into an easy-to-understand, visual format, showing how the top-level aims in the strategic plan cascade to clear, measurable objectives and key results for the organisation, teams and individuals.

To help leaders roll out the new approach, we prepared ‘how to’ guides for staff briefings, interactive exercises to build understanding and discussion tools to make performance a constant point of focus. Every goal that’s set is referenced to three key questions about how it supports customers, encourages collaboration and aligns with the Colleague Commitments. The new approach has been well-received by Orbit’s teams. In a fast-moving and highly regulated business sector, people were ready for change. We’re proud of our work to help make this happen.