Leadership Development

Report: 5
Date: 30 April 2009
By: Director of Human Resources on behalf of The Commissioner

Summary

The purpose of this paper is to provide sub committee members with background and benchmarking information concerning the development of the MPS Leadership Academy, including its fit within the Policing London Business Plan 2009/12, together with a description of the four work streams that are building MPS leadership capability and capacity

A. Recommendations

That Members note the contents of this paper.

B. Supporting information

Introduction

1. The last report provided to the MPA on this subject was in December 2007 and subsequently there have been many changes in both membership and committee arrangements. Therefore, this briefing to the sub committee provides information on;
   • Background
   • Benchmarking and
   • Building leadership capability through four work streams
2. Through the Morris Inquiry of 2004, the Talent Management scrutiny of 2007 and the current Race and Faith Inquiry, and, indeed, their own experiences of organisations, Authority members will be aware of the vital need to inculcate and sustain a positive, fair and supportive internal culture that meets the differential needs of its most expensive asset, its staff (78% of cost). Moreover, the most successful organisations accept that the greatest determinate of the quality of public service provision is how staff are valued and treated and that, in turn, is predicated on the quality and integrity of its leadership.

Investing in, and setting the standard for, a culture of ‘Values Based Leadership’

3. The main implication from MPA Morris Inquiry published in late 2004 concerned the cultural ‘health and well-being’ of the MPS as an organisation. While much evidence arose from hearing about individual grievance and tribunal cases, there was also a broader picture identified from a wide-ranging staff survey.
4. This held that, while there was general appreciation of immediate line managers, there was a poor view of the overall quality of leadership and how staff perceived managers treated them. There was a clear shortfall in the demonstrative exercise of ‘people skills’, particularly when faced with aspects of difference in staff such as gender, sexual orientation or race. There was a tendency to escalate issues in the hierarchy of command rather than deal with relatively straightforward behavioural problems at the most appropriate level.
5. It appeared that many leaders lacked the competence, the confidence and the courage to lead effectively.
6. On the appointment of Sir Ian Blair as Commissioner in 2005, he announced the formation of a Leadership Academy (LA) specifically to develop the capacity and capability of MPS leaders and a directorate was formed under the Director of Human Resources.
7. It was accepted by all consulted (including all staff associations and the MPA) that, despite a clear ‘Mission, Vision and Values’ statement extant, the MPS did not exhibit behaviour consistent with those values and they were not embedded in the organisation’s culture.
8. Using an operational de-briefing tool within the Hydra system known as ‘10kv’, about 20 different groups, comprising senior staff, junior staff, business groups, staff associations, independent advisers and, indeed, MPA members and officials, some 500 in all, were asked to describe the kind of behaviour they would expect and would want to see and experience from MPS staff.
9. Following in depth analysis and further consultation via the MPS Intranet involving a further 5000 staff, the MPS Values and Behaviours were published in February 2006. While applicable to all MPS staff, it is obvious that there is a particular leadership responsibility to be an exemplar of the MPS behaviours.
10. The underpinning rationale for specifying behaviours is that behavioural change will, in time, lead to attitudinal change. For example, as noted with the attitude of the British public to seat belt legislation that has become almost completely self-enforced because of a matured belief in its appropriateness. The specific MPS behaviours, strongly rooted in the consultation exercise, describe the aspiration of how we should be both individually and collectively.
11. By behaving consistently with the MPS Values, leaders are nonetheless free to apply different aspects of leadership behaviour commensurate with the operational, organisational or people challenges they face and, indeed, within an approach that is quite properly individual to them. All that is required is that the actual behaviour experienced or witnessed by the partner or colleague is as consistent as it can be in the circumstances with the published MPS behaviours.
12. The expression ‘Values Based Leadership’ could therefore describe the preferred style of leadership for the MPS.
13. The appointment of Sir Paul Stephenson as Commissioner in 2009 with an unambiguous message regarding his priorities for the MPS of building safety and confidence together with his requirement for presence, performance, productivity, professionalism and pride does not detract from the work on values based leadership to date.
14. In fact, the Policing London Business Plan 2009/12 is clear that the MPS Values describe how our objectives will be achieved and, under the continuous improvement objective, the key activity continues: ‘To develop effective leadership and people skills’. Furthermore, the Director of HR has been appointed to lead the work on ‘Professionalism’ reporting to the Confidence Board chaired by the Deputy Commissioner.
15. Many of the specific MPS behaviours are also helpful in supporting the intent of the Taylor Reforms and a culture shift from ‘defend and blame’ to ‘learn and develop’.

Benchmarking and monitoring progress

16. Due to the extensive engagement and consultation process, comparative analysis with the findings of the Morris Inquiry (that had embraced several internal reviews), the Home Office ‘Dobie Report’ on police leadership (20/04), the Alimo-Metcalfe research database on transformational leadership at Leeds University and the Integrated Competency Framework (ICF), there is a high degree of confidence that the MPS Values and Behaviours provide a standard or description to which a transforming organisation could aspire as well as a means of benchmarking and monitoring progress over time.
17. At the time of publication, colleagues in the Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate (DCFD) ‘mapped’ the MPS Behaviours across various initiatives and requirements, including Citizen Focus, the Equalities Scheme and Diversity. It follows that concentration or emphasis on relevant behaviours should lead to improvement in the experience of policing felt by citizens, partners and colleagues.
18. In addition, the LA also set up consultation links internally with DCFD, Training Managers and the SAMURAI staff associations group chaired by the Director of HR where LA updates are regularly provided.
19. The Leadership Academy set out in its benefit realisation plan (appendix 1) for the growth funding (£1.5m approved by Investment Board in March 2006) a series of targets, benchmarked where possible against the Morris Inquiry conclusions and also contrasted with the Ipsos/MORI Public Sector normative data under:
    • Improved people and leadership capability
    • Maximising staff potential
    • Less silo working, and
    • Improved organisational learning and information sharing
20. The main benchmark and measure for benefit realisation derives from the anonymous MPS Staff Survey ‘Your Views Count’ (YVC) comprising five groups of statements and 23 questions in all. Data is continuously collected and published quarterly and will be used to track progress on Values Based Leadership much as the Public Confidence Survey provides a contemporary perspective on the citizen experience of local policing.
21. Table 1 is illustrative of some of the key Morris Survey findings compared with the latest YVC survey (December 2008) and the targets set by the Leadership Academy to be achieved by April 2010.

Table 1 – Morris Survey compared with latest YVC Survey and Targets

22. The YVC survey also has free text retrieval that invites statements as to:
    • The best thing about my job, and
    • The one thing that would improve my job,
      
    thus allowing for organisational tracking of, say, the need to improve training. It is perhaps worthy of note that ‘Better management’ no longer features overall in the top three suggestions that would improve the job but seems to remain an issue in some (B)OCUs, thereby providing an ‘intelligence lead’ to the tasking of work by LA Operational Services (see below).
23. The data collected is of sufficient number to be analysed by Business Group and OCU (one of the few MPS performance measures available and comparable between all business units) and can also be further analysed by gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, race and faith as well as by rank, pay grade and role. While great care must be taken with conclusions drawn from small numbers and percentages, there is significant scope to identify trends and areas of concern and also to track progress following intervention work.
24. It is also acknowledged that, for the benefit of a short questionnaire that is, therefore, more attractive to the compiler, it is quite broad and high level. An additional facility has been developed within the Leadership Academy Operational Services domain, again with the aid of Hydra tools of an on-line more in-depth survey comprised of 30 questions that relate specifically to the MPS Values and Behaviours and provides staff perspectives on processes, communication and leadership.
25. These results are also capable of intra- and external- benchmarking. When appropriate, a staff consultation group is formed to examine the results of the survey and make recommendations to the senior team for improvements in the short, medium and long term. This engagement and involvement with staff has been show to significantly improve communication within the (B)OCU concerned.
26. Mainly, though, the survey has helped the senior leadership team in the (B)OCU to work on their own behaviour and team relationships and the impact of their individual and/or collective behaviour on the staff. Appropriate profiling tools, including 360-degree feedback based on the MPS behaviours, EQ scores and MBTI, support such analysis.
27. In addition, the LA seeks to benchmark its work by fostering relationships with other comparable agencies and academic institutions.
28. The NPIA has published a leadership strategy that has been accepted by ACPO for implementation by March 2010. The Director of HR is on the NPIA Board and the LA was influential in the strategy development. While there are some differences in terminology, for example in the NPIA describing ‘people skills’ as ‘executive skills’, the MPS is well placed to adopt whatever the NPIA can offer by way of improvement and also to be highly influential in the product design to at least meet the standards already achieved in the MPS.
29. In 2008, the LA won the Queens Award for: ‘Innovation in Police Training and Development’ for the design of the Portfolio Leaders Programme and a new method of narrative based evaluation that is to become a nationally available product via the NPIA.
30. The LA has fostered academic links with:
    • Birkbeck College, University of London (work-based Masters Diplomas and Degrees)
    • University of Hertfordshire (MSc in Public Services Leadership and Management)
    • University of Surrey (coaching, mentoring and action learning interventions)
    • The MPS Career Management Unit NVQ in Management
    • Liverpool University – Research Chair, Professor Jonathan Crego MBE
31. In addition, the Director of HR and members of the LA have in the past year presented on leadership development issues from the MPS experience to:
    • The CIPD National Conference 2008
    • The Public Sector Skills Conference 2008

Building leadership capability through the programmes of the MPS Leadership Academy

32. The LA was opened at the refurbished Imbert House, Peel Centre, in June 2006 and hosted the first programme for Team Leaders (1st & 2nd line supervisors) approved by Training Management Board. Based on a full Performance Needs Analysis (PNA) that has recently been evaluated and refreshed, this is a mandatory pre-promotion programme that comprises modules on:
    1. Values Based Leadership from the individual, team and organisational perspectives
    2. ‘Leading Our People Skills’, viz:
       1. Performance Development (eg PDRs, objective setting and monitoring)
       2. Attendance Management and Welfare
       3. Fairness and Professional Standards (key issues from the Morris Inquiry)
       4. Supervising Safely (Safety and Health)
    3. Role Based Professional Skills (eg in the case of new sergeants, ‘street skills’ such as critical incidents, missing persons, counter terrorism and supervising PCSOs; in the case of a new band D resources manager, ‘office skills’ such as accruals accounting)
33. The LA is capable of providing two programmes per month to a maximum 50 delegates comprising newly promoted sergeants, inspectors and equivalent police staff subject to turnover and demand. Since June 2006, the LA has held 48 Team Leader programmes involving 2044 delegates (25% of the 8,100 base of team leaders in the MPS).
34. This approach has been replicated in full or in part at each of the ‘key impact levels’ that we believe will ‘make the difference’ to the capability of MPS leadership, viz:
    • Portfolio Leaders (those colleagues that support (B)OCU Commanders with a portfolio of responsibility that relates to the proper functioning of the Team Leader level of leadership and supervision – typically chief inspector/superintendent and band C/B – about 2300 in all)
    • Command Leaders (those that run business units in the MPS – typically chief superintendent and band A – with responsibility for budget, people and performance – about 180))
    • Programme Leaders (ACPO officers and Directors – about 90)
    • Business Leaders (Management Board – 10)
35. The Portfolio Leaders programme is provided at the rate of 10 programmes per annum, thus embracing some 350 at this level each year. A large number from this middle management group had attended the former CLP run in partnership with the Work Foundation. Since the needs based in-house programme has been offered (April 2008) 179 delegates have attended.
36. Command Leaders (183 delegates) have all attended a VBL module in the past 18 months, which will continue to run at twice a year for new entrants to this level (estimated 50 - 70 per annum).
37. It is felt that, while Programme and Business Leaders have all attended a VBL module in the past 18 months (81 out of 90), there will be benefit in a further programme tailored for this group, perhaps working also with the Command Leader level, in the coming year once the new MB have been fully established and would include the leadership challenges arising from the findings of the MPA Race and Faith Inquiry.
38. Open programmes comprising one-day modules are offered at the rate of 16 per month in the following people skill areas to colleagues at all levels upon line manager recommendation (432 delegates between January and March 2009):
    • Performance development
    • Attendance management and welfare
    • Fairness and professional standards
    • Coaching skills
    • Advanced presentation skills
    • Managing workloads
39. The LA have also supported the THR project to design and deliver a one-day refresher workshop on people skills based on 2 (a –c) in para 31 above that, between September 2007 and March 2009, has been provided to more than 90% of the target audience of 8,100 1st and 2nd line supervisors.
40. Leadership Seminars for alumni of the programmes have been offered bi-monthly since April 2008 on a variety of new thinking in leadership development and change management in order to stimulate continuous professional development (692 delegates attended).
41. In collaboration with a Territorial Policing initiative, a Borough Commanders development programme has been specifically designed for a cohort of 20 officers that have been selected for chief superintendent and wish to be considered for appointment to Borough command.
42. Delegates complete a mandatory programme of profiling (EQ score and 360 values based feedback*) and coaching with discretionary modules agreed with their link Commander from the following:
    • MPS Corporate context
    • Policing Pledge
    • Advanced presentation skills*
    • Borough Commanders experiences
    • Strategic operational planning and ethical performance management
    • Partnership working – MPS and community safety perspective
    • Partnership working – Local Authority and Strategic Partnership perspective
    • Critical events management (Hydra exercise)*
    • Crime – victim perspectives
    • Crime - offender perspectives
    • Running your business (finance and resources)
    • HR for Borough commanders
    • Networking*
    • Media awareness
    • Advanced presentation skills*
    • Managing change
    • Managing complex workloads*
    • Coaching skills*
    • Personal impact and influence
    • Leading a senior management team*
    • Series of leadership ‘master-classes’ by external speakers*

* - provided by the Leadership Academy

Building Capability through Operational Services from the MPS Leadership Academy

43. Following a lengthy ‘pathfinder project’ within four MPS Boroughs (and currently within the three CCC sites) known as ‘LA Local’, a ‘development toolbox’ of modules, services, profiling tools and design components has been assembled to provide a complete range of operational support interventions in a more tailored than ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. A framework agreement has been procured to better manage the available corporate funding for external support, such as coaching, facilitation or training.
44. The LA has adopted a ‘Triage’ tasking system with a SPOC (Single Point of Contact) for each Business Group. Thereby, the LA Operational Services team have become more flexible, scaleable and responsive to requests for leadership development support in the field of operations.
45. Examples of operational support interventions currently running include:
    • Provision of internal (EMCC accredited) and external performance coaches for individuals or teams
    • Provision of trained mentors
    • Provision of business consultancy
    • Action learning facilitation
    • Team building
    • Productivity coaching
    • Profiling tools such as 360 degree ‘Values Based Feedback’, EQ and MBTI
    • Senior leadership team challenge exercises
    • Change management
    • Training Needs Analysis and training delivery for team leaders in specialist roles
46. Following a review of the inspection and performance process within TP, including some testing of the Cabinet Office Capability Review process in the Borough context, a revised approach to performance review has been implemented from March 2009 that involves the Leadership Academy in:
    • Provision of an on-line in-depth staff survey with respect to leadership of the Borough OCU
    • Analysis of the data with conclusions and recommendations
    • Design and delivery of support plan with timescales (if required) in consultation with Link and Borough Commanders
    • Report on outcomes of programme
47. While it is too early to assume that this more dynamic, yet supportive, approach to performance review is the right model (see provisional detail in Appendix 2), it has been forged from experience. It is intended that this process will be offered for consideration to other Business Groups.

Building Capability through Hydra Operations from the MPS Leadership Academy

48. The ‘footprint’ of the Hydra Operations Team is much wider than leadership development but it was strongly felt that the last 7 (in 2006 – now 10) years experience of delivery of Critical Incident Exercises, operational debriefs and academic research (Professor Crego’s chair at Liverpool University), plus the connection both nationally and internationally through 40+ Hydra simulation suites (all emergency or law enforcement services) would be wholly appropriate to be joined with the Leadership Academy. It was also possible to provision a modern Hydra exercise suite and debriefing centre within the modest costs of refurbishment at Imbert House.
49. The main driver for Critical Incident training was the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and the first Strategic Management of Critical Incident Training (SMoCIT) was undertaken in January 1999. After six years of MPS and national delivery, a second version was developed that, upon formation of the Leadership Academy in 2006 was adapted for provision to Borough Senior Leadership Teams. By March 2009, all Borough Command Teams had undertaken a SMoCIT exercise, the last phase of which develops a tailored action plan.
50. Version 2 of SMoCIT contains all the diversity challenges from version one, including a family role-play, public accountability, media scrutiny, the proper recording of key decisions and the attendance and involvement of Independent Advisers. What has been added are some internal critical issues around diversity that invite consideration of the efficacy of internal culture and fairness within the context of external scrutiny. Internal DCFD advisers have also attended the exercise.
51. Given the advance in experience and capability at this level, the exercise is now under a training needs review for a third iteration that will take account of the findings and recommendations of the MPA Race and Faith Inquiry.
52. The opportunity for an operational simulation environment is replicated at all leadership levels, for example:
    • Team Leaders have a Hydra day in their role-based module
    • Portfolio Leaders have a Hydra day in their leadership module in order to emphasis the operational context of VBL
    • Programme and Business Leaders used a Hydra exercise to explore strategic leadership challenges in their leadership module
53. Hydra suites are now available for student constables at seven sites for three one-week modules during their development training, for all training provided by the Crime Academy (including MACIE the child protection multi-agency exercise designed post the Victoria Climbie Inquiry and now refreshed post the ‘Baby P’ case and being delivered to Borough partnership groups), for Gold and Silver Firearms training at Gravesend and for ACPO officers dealing with suspected suicide bombers.
54. Dozens of operational debriefs have been conducted, analysed and included in the research database. The latest of these was in respect of the learning from the Beijing Olympics that will help develop the training needs for the MPS and nationally in this respect.

Building capability through talent management

55. A decision has been taken by the Director of HR to amalgamate the work of the Leadership Academy with the various components of talent management from April 2009. The following schemes have been subsumed within the Leadership Academy structure while retaining their purpose, identity and current expertise:

• High Potential Development Scheme (HPDS) - officers

• Intensive Development Programme (IDP) - staff

• National Careers Advisory Service (NSCAS) – officers and staff

• Equip to Achieve (ETA) – BME officers development toward HPDS

• Promoting Difference – range of development opportunities for all minority groups

56. This combination will provide significant synergy, not only for the 116 staff selected for specific development schemes, but also for the Academy to explore with the wider base of potential candidates what opportunities can be seized to improve both processes and development support towards more a more appropriate progression landscape for BME and other minority staff.

Conclusions

57. The investment thus far in a values and behaviours approach to cultural change, which has been thoroughly researched, validated and benchmarked, can and should remain the underpinning or the platform for everything else the MPS and MPA would seek to build in terms of leadership capability and capacity, including through Sir Paul Stephenson’s professionalism agenda as well as recommendations arising from the MPA Race and Faith Inquiry.
58. The strong connection and relationship with operational reality through Hydra Operations and the provision of LA Operational Services ‘in the field’ must also be at least sustained, if not extended, in order for any desired changes to maintain credibility.

C. Race and equality impact

1. The formation of the Leadership Academy arose from the findings of the MPA Morris Inquiry and all leadership programmes and people skills modules have been designed through a full performance needs analysis and then evaluated by the training evaluation unit to ensure compliance with MPS training standards. The values and behaviours development exercise engaged with all internal communities and was verified against the equalities scheme by DCFD.
2. All Hydra exercises contain challenging community concern components, including many with internal race and faith issues and delegates are held to account for their decision-making.
3. The amalgamation of the Talent Management and Promoting Difference functions with the Leadership Academy provides opportunities to review both processes and support mechanisms in order to enhance progression of BME colleagues.

D. Financial implications

In March 2006, the MPS Investment Board approved a business case to supplement existing leadership development resources and a budget was set at £5.94 million. The LA has made various efficiency savings as required in the following years without loss of service provision and the budget now stands at £5.28 million.

E. Background papers

• None

F. Contact details

Report author: Bill Griffiths, Director of Leadership Development, MPS

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18 

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