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Delivering effective change |
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Alexander’s recent Managing Strategic Performance event offered a way to discuss changes within the FRS in a broader management context
THE RECENT ALEXANDER MANAGING Strategic Performance conference focussed on how to deliver effective change. The conference featured speakers from fire and rescue services and other industries that have been tackling organisational change. Key themes throughout the day were leadership, the role of the individual in change, the need to do more with less, and how the Fire and Rescue Service can use marketing effectively for their communities and to raise their own profile.
Many of the delegates and speakers agreed that strong, inspiring leadership is needed to manage staff through change. As Ian Smart, Director, Alexander, said: “The Fire Service still has a lot of change ahead of it. We wanted this conference to bring together Fire Service leaders, at all levels, so that they can share best practice, stimulate ideas, and be inspired to carry on with what can be difficult decisions.” David Singleton, former MD of LloydsTSB Business Banking, energetically opened the conference with how to drive change positively. His main messages for leaders were that you need to have a clear vision of where you are going and you need to share that vision constantly with your staff. This will keep them going through tough times, because they know they are moving towards something better. He also emphasised the need for engaging staff at the front-line, as they are the deliverers of change. As he said: “Instead of having a big arrow with everything pointing to these staff members, we need to surround them so they feel supported and can go out there and make it happen.”
Jerry O’Brien, Avon Fire and Rescue Service, was equally thought-provoking. He looked at how Avon is delivering its community safety goals using social marketing (see pg 32 for more). Social marketing uses marketing concepts and techniques to change behaviours and improve health and reduce inequalities. Some of Avon’s successes in this area include re-branding to a modern image, delivering a community television network which has changed community behaviour and the development of a ‘bouncy castle’-style safety home. He also hinted at more to come, as Avon Fire and Rescue Service looks at how to use convergent technologies to their best advantage.
Richard Hewitt, a retired Army officer, emphasised the moral component of being a leader. He brought his experience of building teams to his new role at Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service. He clearly stated that leaders have to live and embody their values. He believes that your individual ethos creates certain levels of behaviour, which lead to certain levels of results. A key result he looks for is empowerment. As he said: “You shouldn’t tell people how to do it, but create the atmosphere in which they can do it.” His own techniques for creating this atmosphere include meeting new recruits regularly in their first two years and giving them mentors so that when they go on to station, they still retain their enthusiasm and ways of thinking.
Towards Excellence
Director General of the Ordnance Survey, Vanessa Lawrence, passionately explained how she developed an effective business culture. She has created an organisation that is geared around its customers’ needs. Again, staff involvement and engagement were key. They often have the answers to the organisation’s problems. Ordnance Survey is now a successful, revenue generating organisation, meeting the very modern needs of its customers. And her staff helped build this. Her key question to all her staff was: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid…?” Peter Dartford, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, shared with us how they are moving towards excellence. His presentation highlighted the key things that are needed to achieve this: staff engagement, excellent leadership, building capacity, partnership working and having mentors for front line managers. Staffordshire also went outside the Fire and Rescue Service and looked to Toyota for best practice. As an organisation they hope that their improvements and steps towards excellence will be reflected in the next CPA results.
Tony Travers, London School of Economics, provoked great debate and discussion. He explored what is coming next and how the Fire Service is being taken for granted and has become an ‘invisible service’. Although well thought of, they are not using marketing effectively to promote their achievements, he suggested. And they never fail. The result is that they will continue to be faced with delivering more for less. He challenged Fire and Rescue Service leaders to make their voices heard in the halls of power and to use marketing as a way of doing this. Martin Clarke, West Midlands, inspired the audience again with how the West Midlands team has become an organisation that is risk-based and organised around customer need. This has involved some brave and unpopular decisions, such as changing the shift patterns. Martin honestly told us the impact it has had and highlighted some problems along the way, and how the team is dealing with them. He also focused on weighing up the risks involved in delivering change – leaders have to do this and be prepared for any consequences. As he said: “In all this, honesty and self awareness are really important. You need to know where you’re beginning from and where you currently are.
” This is vital to getting through the tough times. Ian Scarrott, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, finished the conference with a great presentation on their ambitions for improvement. He painted a clear and frank picture about the challenges his team are facing. Many heads in the audience were nodding in empathy, as there are similar difficulties across many fire and rescue services. He summed up many leaders’ feelings when he said: “It can be a lonely, tough job.” However, he inspired them to carry on by honestly sharing the progress Leicestershire is making and the steps they are currently taking to move forwards. As Mike Astbury, Director, Alexander, said: “The conference highlighted very clearly the problems facing senior managers and leaders in the Fire and Rescue Service. The speakers gave excellent advice and insights on how to overcome these. “Many services are in the middle of becoming more customer-focussed and risk-based. This needs continual strong leadership, a clear vision of the future, excellent staff engagement, brave decisions and great honesty. We’re really pleased that so many people came today and gained something from all of these inspiring speakers.”
As usual at these events, there was a lot of networking. Alexander also used the opportunity to show fire leaders the Managing For Success programme, which has been specifically developed to help fire middle managers embed performance management. The event was sponsored by Actuate, market leaders in performance management and reporting applications and FIRE magazine. Other exhibitors included Laing, Ordnance Survey and E2train.
About the Company:
Alexander was established in 1992 and is a privately owned, independent management consultancy. It works with a range of clients across the public and private sectors, and have built and maintained a substantial reputation for delivering change. For more information on services contact Nicky on 023 8022 5520 or visit the website: www.alexander-ecc.com . Alexander will be running another series of knowledge events in June entitled, Becoming a Strategy Focused Organisation. This event will concentrate on the use of the Balanced Scorecard to drive performance in the public sector. For more information about these events visit the website above or call Sam or Hannah on 023 8022 5520.
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