Cardiff Metropolitan University: Changing the Culture
Welcoming students all around the world through their doors and with a desire for students to thrive both on and off the field, Cardiff Metropolitan University set out to address challenges and change the culture within their student sports clubs.
Following a bespoke culture diagnostic, RightTrack Learning used the insights to design a targeted and bespoke training programme aimed to guide students and sport club representatives to build a more inclusive club and team culture, no matter where they were on their ED&I journey. The solution consisted of:
- Full day workshop with professional actors
- Professionally recorded scenarios featuring student actors
- Tailored toolkits to embed the learning
The Story
Cardiff Metropolitan University, known for its dedication to academic and athletic excellence, recognised the importance of creating and maintaining an inclusive environment within its student sports clubs.
Through research conducted by Cardiff Metropolitan’s Student Union, the university identified several areas within the 1,600 student-athlete community that required attention, including drinking culture, unconscious bias, mental health, active bystander and diversity.
Recognising the need for change and growth, Club & Workforce Development Officer, Keira Davies said, “For us, we really wanted to make a difference. We want to benefit the students whilst they’re here. We want to benefit their career prospects, benefit their confidence, their skills, their qualities, and we just want our clubs to be the best they can be.”
To kick-start the project, RightTrack Learning provided the university with a bespoke Culture Diagnostic to understand varying perceptions of culture. The thought-provoking insights were then used to inform the content of the training and to be a basis for ongoing evaluation.
The Culture Diagnostic survey analysed the complex dynamics of the university’s sports club culture, aiming to deepen understanding of what influences culture perception and experience gaps. The report highlighted a mix of positive and negative experiences and by identifying and bringing understanding to these subtleties, RightTrack Learning supported the university to implement evidence-based measures to encourage a more cohesive and inclusive environment. Some of the insights that were revealed in the analysis were:
- Inclusivity is highly valued but sometimes inconsistent
- Strong sense of community and support
- Fun and engaging culture
- Desire for more learning and development opportunities
- Instances of disrespect
The Programme
RightTrack Learning worked closely with Cardiff Metropolitan University to design a bespoke training programme, built around the university’s specific needs uncovered in their research and the insights from the Culture Diagnostic.
The training was delivered as a full-day course, and included four bespoke scenarios, which were bought to life by professional actors. Student actors were also involved in recorded scenarios for future in-house use, providing them valuable work experience. This approach helped students connect with the material on a deeper level, reflecting on familiar situations and providing them with practical steps to navigate real-world situations. Designed to not only educate but to also empower students to take an active role in creating positive culture change within their clubs, the session focused on:
- Understand the lines between discrimination, harassment, bullying, and banter, developing the awareness to separate intent and impact.
- Recognise the impact of micro-behaviours on people and university culture.
- Learn strategies to have courageous conversations.
- Identify how to shift from being passive bystanders to active allies.
- Understand the importance of setting and respecting boundaries.
- Learn how to ensure the continuity of positive progress through the support of rolling committees.
- Have personalised action plans with steps to promote conscious inclusion every day.
Working with Cardiff Metropolitan we implemented a range of initiatives to ensure long-term impact. Each sports club representative was given a personalised action plan, ensuring that the lessons learned would be passed down to future committee members. All delegates were also provided with toolkits on topics such as Allyship, Courageous Conversations, Micro-behaviours, and Positive Workplace Culture to support the learning into action transfer across Cardiff Metropolitan’s 1,600 student-athletes.
The Impact...
The feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive, with 90% of participants stating they enjoyed the course, and 100% agreeing that the training covered everything they needed to know about the learning objectives. Students were actively engaged in the sessions, with many highlighting how the programme helped them rethink their actions and how they impact others.
Keira Davies, Club & Workforce Development Officer at Cardiff Met, reflected on the programme’s success:
“Their future selves dealing with the problems are going to be so much better as a result of today.”
The programme’s focus on long-sustainability, with personalised action plans and the continuity of learning resources, has laid the foundation for a lasting cultural transformation within Cardiff Metropolitan’s student sports clubs.
Cardiff Metropolitan University’s commitment to cultural change is leading the way and is a shining example of how targeted, inclusive training can make a lasting impact. Through its collaboration with RightTrack Learning, the university has equipped its student-athletes with the knowledge and skills to be inclusive and supportive within it’s sporting community.