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Why the sector should collaborate more – even without a crisis

If there’s one lesson the sector must take from the coronavirus crisis, it’s that the collaborative approach needs to continue beyond the duration of the pandemic, says Mark Henderson 

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Why the sector should collaborate more – even without a crisis #ukhousing

“We work well together, but only when needs must it seems. Surely this needs to change,” says @MarkGHenderson #ukhousing

“If we agreed on a common service standard customer contract we could have specialists for each community, which means the job gets done right,” says @MarkGHenderson #ukhousing

Over recent weeks, we’ve seen a nation rise to the challenge put in front of it by the coronavirus. As well as the usual first-in-line NHS staff and emergency service responders, we’ve seen more than 750,000 (and counting) volunteers join that line.

Many British businesses have joined it too, from big brands like Dyson and Formula 1 racing outfits McLaren and Mercedes which are working flat-out to produce ventilators, through to small and medium-sized enterprises offering whatever help they can.

Globally, the same picture is developing. We’ve seen automotive giants like Fiat, Ford and Nissan join the line to make ventilators, along with major fashion houses making face masks. The world’s two richest men, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, have also stepped up.

We’ve had people across the country on their doorsteps applauding our wonderful NHS staff. We’ve had Italians singing to each from their balconies. In our sector there are countless stories of people supporting one another.

What’s become apparent is we’ve got each other’s backs.

We in the housing sector were very quick to join the line, and it is truly uplifting to see how fast we have all acted in order to prepare for and manage this growing crisis.


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I imagine chief executives, like myself, have been blown away by the extraordinary lengths colleagues have gone to support each other, and particularly our customers, despite the incredibly challenging time that they find themselves in as individuals.

They have put aside their concerns to ensure our customers and their communities have the support they need.

I have witnessed amazing examples of commitment that gives me supreme confidence we’ll get ourselves and our customers through this crisis in good shape.

I have also seen some excellent inter-organisational collaboration and support going on within the sector – including HR and maintenance teams, facilities managers and chief executives, to name but a few – each openly sharing information, ideas and best practice.

It’s proof of what I’ve always said – that we work well together, but only when needs must it seems. Surely this needs to change.

When we come together our customers and our communities benefit greatly, be it directly or indirectly, which reinforces my long-held belief that we have a duty to collaborate out with a crisis or because of political pressure.

“We work well together, but only when needs must it seems. Surely this needs to change”

It’s true that we are working together more than we ever have – opening up to each other via things like the Sector Scorecard and supporting our customers through the Together with Tenants framework.

However, in many ways this is the tip of the iceberg. Our customers could get so much more from a greater and more sustained collaborative approach.

I’m not suggesting we create some new ground-breaking plan. It’s the relatively simple things that we can change which will have a significant impact on our customers.

Let’s just say we had a process for sharing information on customer pathways, for example. That would mean the customer wouldn’t have to go through the labour intensive, sometimes challenging process every time they moved. That’s simple but impactful.

I’ve said many times about how we should be collaborating on maintenance and repairs.

We operate in areas where there are many other associations working in the same space. If we could agree on window styles, kitchen types and heating systems for that street, it would have a significant impact on our bottom line, as well as give us more procurement muscle. More importantly, it would have a tremendous impact on our customers.

“If we agreed on a common service standard customer contract we could have specialists for each community, which means the job gets done right”

We could do away with what happens now, which is to have three vans from three different housing associations going to do essentially the same job in the same space.

If we agreed on a common service standard customer contract we could have specialists for each community, which means the job gets done right. These specialists also become ‘regular faces’ and can build relationships with our customers, moving the process from transactional to personal.

Moving from transactional to personal could underpin a collaborative approach to our development programmes – building better and more effectively for our communities.

I’m talking about us being open and honest about our plans for the future and working collaboratively to bring the communities we build together.

If we were, it would make it much easier for us to build the right homes in the right places for the right communities, at the right prices.

Our aims are not to build profit, but build communities. If we can do that more easily in collaboration, which I’m sure we can, then let’s get round the table and talk.

Across our sector we have shown during this crisis that our business ethics, values, moral compasses and our people are exemplary.

We have shared with each other willingly, knowing our interests are the same. That willingness needs to be embraced outside of a crisis – the benefits are too great for us not to.

Mark Henderson, chief executive, Home Group

 

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