Tate's achievements depend on the professionalism, hard work, commitment and creative energy of everyone working for the organisation – many of whom are recognised as exceptional in their field – and on the help of many advisors supporting the Tate staff. As indicated above, Tate has continued to develop, but has done so in a context of constrained resource, a consequence of which has often been increasing pressure on staff. Two imperatives have therefore dominated these two years: the continuing development of staff and the need to identify areas in which Tate can save money or work more effectively.
Work began on a comprehensive Human Resources strategy for Tate, including a plan for the development of management and leadership capability for the future and for contributing to the implementation of Tate's Diversity Strategy. New Performance and Development Planning documentation was implemented and preparation was made for a major staff survey. Significant progress was made in the continuing development of Tate's systems and processes. Enhancements were made to The Museum System, the database supporting the Collection, Tate Online and Tate's diary management system. The implementation of two new systems commenced: a major relationship management system, and a new People and Payroll system.
A project to review the effectiveness of Tate's business processes and to explore ways in which resources could be released and further income generated was initiated and concluded. This was a response to the climate of constrained grant and rising cost pressure and also responded directly to the government's Efficiency Agenda. A significant net reduction in the ongoing costs of Tate's operation was achieved and changes are being made to organisational working practices that should limit cost escalation for the future. These measures will ensure that the level of public programme can be maintained.
A review of Tate's corporate governance structure and processes was initiated and concluded over the summer and autumn of 2004 resulting in a number of improvements. Two new Trustees were recruited to the Board of Trustees: Professor Dawn Ades retired on 12 April 2005 and was replaced by Patricia Lankester, while Chris Ofili retired on 21 November 2005 and was replaced by Anish Kapoor.
