HM Prison Service Case Study
- Client:
- HM Prison Service (HMPS)
- Project:
- Cultural survey to inform LD programme design
Our sponsors were surprised at the degree of knowledge we were able to amass within a short time, and found our conclusions helpful in shedding light on old issues.
Result: Key findings included the following insights:
- Prison Governors are perceived by their staff as captains of ships in a fleet - sailing in the same direction, but separately;
- The nature of the organisation is such that crisis management overshadows big-picture thinking;
- Credibility and respect are very important to the organisation, and are based on experience, confidence, and consistency;
- There is a focus, generally, on the here and now, and a lack of sense of the future or the past.
Based on the comprehensive research carried out, we worked with the sponsors to set objectives for the project, and to establish key performance indicators. This formed the foundation of our design for the Prison Service leadership development programme.
Situation: When beginning our leadership development work with HM Prison Service, TSOC undertook a comprehensive assessment of the organisational culture, incorporating desk research (analysis of research papers, parliamentary proceedings, the Laming report, for example); structured interviews with a number of Prison Governors; and a series of visits to prisons.
Task: This work was undertaken in order that we could:
- Establish a true starting point for our work.
- Understand organisational and individual expectations of the programme.
- Experience the Prison Service Culture at first hand.
- Gain valuable insight into potential barriers to good leadership.
- Ensure the project built from the best possible foundation.
Action: The assessment, carried out by a team of our most senior consultants and our Head of Research, enabled us to identify key issues facing the service, and informed our ongoing work with senior governors and HQ staff alike. Our sponsors were surprised at the degree of knowledge we were able to amass within a short time, and found our conclusions helpful in shedding new light on old issues.
