Jump-starting a leadership team: dealing with change and rapid loss.

Law enforcement agencies often view change negatively as they struggle to stay ahead of the challenges they face in rapidly evolving communities. Today, sharp shifts in demographics, unexpected economic swings, or the impact of powerful crime trends, such as the rapid onset of methamphetamine use or gangs, can quickly render a law enforcement agency's management plan ineffective, although it may have worked well years ago. As the new millennium began, the McMinnville, Oregon, Police Department found itself in such a dilemma.

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Although McMinnville, a city with a population of nearly 30,000, is situated near Oregon's largest urban areas of Portland and Salem, residents also find themselves in a rural county nestled among world-renowned vineyards, surrounded by an eclectic mix of businesses and attractions, and embraced by a vibrant sense of community. McMinnville consistently draws accolades as one of the most livable municipalities in the nation. However, like all growing cities, it has experienced significant transformations in the past decade. Record growth, demographic changes, and the loss of a major employer has changed virtually every aspect of local government services.

In spite of many progressive achievements, such as becoming one of the first law enforcement agencies in Oregon to achieve accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), the McMinnville Police Department recognized it had to adapt to stay ahead of the challenges presented by its evolving community. In 2000, the entire agency participated in a group exercise to identify the most critical issues facing the organization. Despite an outdated radio system, an undersized and ill-equipped facility, and staffing levels well below statistical norms, members of the department identified their number one concern as how they were managed. They perceived a lack of employee accountability, felt confused about the decision-making process, and were frustrated that supervisors did not always work as a team. Additionally, after a decade of few turnovers and infrequent promotional opportunities, the McMinnville Police Department experienced a wave of retirements. With the baby boomer generation reaching retirement age, the agency found itself replacing two-thirds of its supervisory team within about 2 years.

In spite of a bright and enthusiastic group of potential supervisors, limited management experience existed in the agency. Building a skilled and cohesive team became an important challenge. Department leaders devised a plan that clarified supervisory roles, created a promotional process that inspired confidence, implemented a training strategy to shape the evolving group of managers, and reconsidered how the organization communicated as a leadership team and an organization.

Redesigning the Supervisory Structure

Despite the formidable challenge presented by such a significant loss of supervisory experience, the retirements created a unique opportunity for the department to design a supervisory structure that best fit its changing needs. To this end, the agency sought to develop one that encouraged an open, inclusive, and collaborative organizational culture.

Clarifying roles was a struggle in the beginning. At the first-line supervision level, no clear definition existed between the positions of corporal and sergeant. Although operational supervision, such as directing tactics on crimes in progress or managing serious investigations, generally was done well regardless of whether a corporal or a sergeant was involved, administrative tasks were inconsistently completed. Likewise, at the lieutenant and deputy chief positions, the lack of well-defined roles created inefficiencies and occasional confusion that frustrated personnel. It also caused morale problems among line personnel, made collaborative decision making difficult, and, occasionally, spawned conflict among supervisors. Consequently, the department experienced difficulty coordinating training and development opportunities for personnel, providing timely and instructive performance appraisals, and administering discipline effectively.

Department leaders began updating their current supervisory structure by clarifying the role of the sergeant because they realized that once they defined this position, they could design the other ranks to work around this critical first-line supervisor. The sergeant became the supervisor of the squad or operational unit with the responsibilities of setting the direction of the squad, evaluating personnel, and making discipline decisions. Once comfortable with this lynchpin position, agency leaders defined the corporal's job description as an assistant to the sergeant, carefully distinguishing the differences between the ranks. The corporal would provide operational direction in the field and act as squad leader in the sergeant's absence.

Next, leaders created a vision for lieutenants, the organization's administrators. They eliminated the deputy chief position, dividing administrative responsibilities among the lieutenants who, as commanders, coordinate the "big picture" elements, such as developing partnerships with other agencies and community organizations, creating and managing interagency agreements, and ensuring quality control and operational effectiveness of the department's public safety mission.

After completion of the job descriptions, leaders updated performance evaluations to ensure that they assessed the key performance areas. During this process, they also revised the format to better communicate performance problem areas in all personnel, which drew significant interest from everyone. The collective bargaining agreement establishes premium pay (e.g., compensation for advanced officer certification and college degrees), which may be withdrawn if an employee fails to meet performance standards. Formerly, the evaluation only indicated whether the person met standards, exceeded them, or needed improvement in specific areas. Now, it clearly identifies when an employee is not meeting standards, which may result in a pay loss.

Department leaders included as many people as possible in designing these critical tools (e.g., updating job descriptions and performance evaluations). They also used the management team process, available to all who wanted to attend and provide input, to confirm them as department standards.

Selecting the Right People

The McMinnville Police Department wanted to promote not only skilled, capable leaders but those who held the trust of the organization as well. The promotion process used to fill the first leadership opening, a lieutenant position, resulted in mixed reviews from personnel. The hiring procedures consisted of applicants submitting a resume and participating in oral interviews with a group of law enforcement administrators, community leaders, several sworn and civilian line staff, and the chief. Some employees were enthused with the selection of the successful candidate. However, others did not feel that the process was impartial nor a fair test of administrative or leadership potential.

Recognizing the reality of perception, leaders knew they had to improve their selection system. Therefore, the entire management team became involved in either creating, validating, or administering it. The assistance of nonsupervisory staff helped build credibility in the process and provided an opportunity for personnel development. To decrease candidate confusion, leaders began providing an orientation and explained, in advance, the components of the promotion process, qualification standards, and grading methods. Much of the orientation procedure was devoted to questions from potential candidates, frequently allowing leaders to identify and address oversights among the myriad of details. Clarifying concerns from candidates at the beginning helped avoid controversies and strengthened the processes.

To ensure that individuals promoted had the necessary qualifications, candidates had to pass each graded component of the process with a predesignated score, typically 70 percent, graded on a curve of the participant pool. Then, those qualified in all areas were placed on a promotion list with a predefined life, usually 6 months. The possibility of potential additional promotions encourages those who might have been hesitant about their decision to apply. This also eliminates the occasional need to conduct a second and costly process due to unexpected openings.

As each promotion process concluded and just prior to releasing the results, candidates were assembled and asked to critique the process and offer suggestions for improvements. Obtaining their thoughts about the process while it remained fresh in their minds provided useful, quick feedback and allowed candidates as a group to process the stressful ordeal they had just completed. It also eliminated the tendency for management to dismiss an important criticism as "sour grapes" from an unsuccessful applicant. Leaders documented these comments and incorporated the suggestions in the next promotion process.

Synchronizing the Plan

To focus organizational energy, leaders synchronized the department's strategic plan with the individual career development plans of supervisors and the evaluation process for all agency members. The management team (the supervisory team plus a police association executive board representative) reviews the strategic plan throughout the year and, annually, completely overhauls it in a department meeting attended by all employees. Recognizing that each supervisor has unique, personal, long-term goals, leaders knew that they could not create a cookie-cutter career development plan for supervisors because some look forward to maintaining their duties in patrol for the rest of their careers, whereas others strive for supervisory assignments, such as detectives, outside of patrol. And, some see their current supervisory positions as only a link to the next promotion. Consequently, the mission, objectives, and organizational strategies to achieve those goals laced into each supervisor's career development plan uniquely match their own charted paths to professional success.

Not only do supervisors evaluate employee achievement by performance standards but they also credit work that makes a significant contribution to an organizational goal or strategic plan procedure. For example, leadership shown in a community policing project or the development of a new public safety program merits special recognition in annual performance appraisals. Additionally, supervisors consider extra responsibilities, such as serving as instructors or chairing the safety committee, that many assume to gain experience.

Growing Great Leaders

Developing a training program seemed the most practical way to ensure that evolving team members shared the same leadership principles. The course began as a modest program of four 1-day training sessions offered over 4 consecutive months. It initially was met with skepticism by some on the supervisory team as most felt too busy to devote an entire day to train as a team. Members, few of whom had received any recent supervisory or leadership training, changed their minds at the end of the first day after an interactive session on situational leadership presented by a management consultant.

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The session allowed the group a unique opportunity to learn as a team, and, after jointly learning critical management principles, members discussed real leadership issues that all were experiencing in the workplace. Sharing and debating various techniques to inspire support for department programs, such as traffic enforcement, that used the leadership principles learned earlier in the day became the highlight of the training for several supervisors. Through these discussions, they realized that their peers often faced the same challenges. The discussion produced a dialogue at a level they had not previously shared; it was an experience they liked. The leadership training sessions continued to slowly build understanding among the group; this evolved into trust among supervisory team members as the meetings progressed. The training increased the knowledge of the individual supervisor while developing esprit de corps in the leadership team.

The four 1-day sessions grew to 8 days of training classes, spanning 8 months. With each new session, students discovered topics that generated interest in additional training. Three different members of the supervisory group planned and facilitated each meeting. Not only did this help spread the burden of putting the training together, it proved to be a great development tool and offered a practical opportunity to use many of the team-building techniques discussed in the sessions.

Facilitators defined goals, incorporated issues from the workplace into the agenda, and worked with the instructor to coordinate the day's training. The three-member team identified a homework assignment or reading to do prior to class. The sessions were held away from the police department in comfortable surroundings, usually in a large, converted house used for community meetings. Meals were catered to encourage relationship building among the supervisors and interaction with the instructor.

The first year's curriculum included such topics as situational leadership, organizational culture, performance management, tactical leadership (a 2-day session), facilitation of change, and strategic planning. In addition to the supervisors' training program, the city's human resource consultant offered a number of supervisory and leadership training opportunities for all city employees. One example is the leadership book review program held several times a year. The department purchases books on various topics related to leadership issues, recommended by the consultant, for any agency employee who intends to participate in the program. The consultant facilities a book review session a few months after the books are distributed. In spite of the great learning opportunity, so far, only a handful of employees have taken advantage of the free books. By using the principles described in these books in management team, morning staff, and other meetings, the department hopes enough interest in this reading material will increase participation by a wider group of aspiring leaders.

The follow-up training plan for the leadership team includes participation in the management training offered by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training and completion of the Portland State University's Hatfield School of Government Management and Executive Leadership programs. These programs meet 2 days per month over a 9-month period (October through May) and are instructed by university professors and subject-matter experts. Nearly all sergeants have completed the management program. A lieutenant is now attending the executive leadership program, whereas two civilian managers completed the management program.

Rethinking Communication

After redesigning the supervisory structure, selecting the right people, synchronizing plans, and training new leaders, management personnel recognized that they had one important puzzle piece to improve--communication. Their paramilitary organization relied too heavily on linear (chain-of-command) communication. Every layer of rank filtered and inadvertently altered, albeit ever so slightly, the message sent, whether it was an operational directive from administration or a plea for help from the line. The 24-hour operation inherent in nearly all police departments further challenged communication because a time and place when all of the leadership team was naturally scheduled together never occurred. In spite of the improvements in all other aspects of the leadership and management practices, communication became a problem in effectively coordinating as a leadership team.

Because department leaders wanted the management team as the centerpiece of their decision making, they designed the process to increase communication and understanding and to be conducive to participatory management principles. Nonsupervisory staff are invited to attend the monthly management team meetings mandated for supervisors. However, when few nonsupervisors accepted the invitation, managers asked the police association executive board to assign one of its members to attend the management team meeting. When an employee develops a proposal for the team, supervisors ask them to attend the meeting to personally present it. Agency leaders strive to have at least two nonsupervisors attend these meetings, frequently asking for their input on issues under discussion and encouraging them to participate.

Supervisors learned to carefully document decisions made in management team meetings to ensure effective follow-through and increase the credibility of the decision-making process. Management team minutes are intentionally brief to encourage people to read them, but they also are carefully structured to include a short explanation of each topic, the team's decision (identified by a capitalized and bolded "ACTION" so as not to be missed) and deadline for implementation, and the person assigned responsibility for ensuring compliance. Each management team meeting begins with a review of pending actions from previous sessions to ensure decisions are implemented.

In spite of the efforts made to document management team activity and advise all staff by e-mail, supervisors discovered that many employees did not read the notifications. Now, leaders gather their squads to discuss agenda items and get input prior to the meetings, as well as explain what occurred after them. Supervisors who consistently practice these pre- and postmeeting discussions receive positive feedback from their personnel for including them in the decision-making process. Employees report that this makes them feel valued, and they better understand decisions even if they may not agree with them. Project and committee leaders also document significant project milestones and committee work. These updates are distributed to all personnel via e-mail, and discussions supplement them at briefings and staff meetings.

Although management team meetings proved effective in addressing routine organizational decisions, supervisors wanted a forum where they could discuss sensitive personnel issues with their peers. The department chose to convene a supervisor-only meeting immediately after the management team concluded its session. The agenda usually consists of a roundtable discussion where each person can discuss a particular personnel issue. This practice allows the supervisory team to troubleshoot problems and learn how to deal with a variety of personnel challenges without having to experience them first. It also ensures that all supervisory staff are aware of issues their peers are addressing so that they can better support those efforts. Further, these meetings often go beyond mere discussion and debate approaches. For example, supervisors frequently practice techniques or strategies by role-playing with another team member who acts as the employee. One sergeant recently said that the role-playing improved his confidence in confronting a defiant staff member, and he felt far more effective in addressing the problem employee.

In spite of years of improving written and verbal communication among supervisors, the department continued to experience difficulty making effective decisions on acute organizational problems that could not wait for a monthly management team meeting. For example, if an officer working the night shift was injured and unable to work for several weeks, staff would need to be reassigned quickly, which can impact other department operations. For these urgent decisions, the agency designed the supervisory "huddle." Supervisors who need help can immediately pull together all available peers in a short, 5- to 10-minute huddle to troubleshoot the problem. Naming them huddles ensures that these gatherings do not turn into meetings. They occur several times a week and usually include both sworn and civilian supervisors. In addition to making a more informed decision, a larger group of supervisors knows how the decision was made and are better able to answer any questions that may arise.

Critical Components

Three critical components required for success in the development effort include support from the city manager, excellent human resource technical assistance, and people with the courage and willingness to try new ideas. McMinnville's city manager supported the budgetary commitment for the supervisors' training program and the follow-up management and executive leadership programs at Portland State University. Although the cost of an in-house training program alone reached nearly $8,500, the cost for each person per training day came to less than $100-a bargain measured by the learning that occurred. Spending a comparable amount on typical outside training opportunities for supervisors could not produce the benefits of delivering this tailored curriculum to the management team as a group. This approach resulted in leadership synergy not previously experienced by personnel.

The technical assistance that shaped a rough training concept into a comprehensive development experience came from the city's human resource consultant. For many years, she has inspired innovative training and progressive personnel practices, such as the leadership book review program and frequent updates of job descriptions, that have made the city and the police department better prepared to implement change. Employees, however, were the most critical element affecting the success of the jump-start effort. Eager to learn and become better leaders, they became the fuel that fed much of the expansion of the development efforts. Embracing change and building a new organizational culture took courage and commitment.

Conclusion

In spite of the cost, time commitment, and demands of many other responsibilities, the McMinnville Police Department's jump-start effort has paid off. Now, supervisors have a better understanding of what is expected of them, how to fulfill their responsibilities, and how to communicate and work with each other to accomplish the agency's mission.

As individuals and as a group, the supervisory team has discovered that leadership development efforts have gone beyond a group of personnel development projects started several years ago; it has evolved into a leadership-building process. The leadership team already has begun shaping a new vision for the organization.

For example, by recommitting to the mission of service, it is focusing much more of its energy in providing service to personnel through enhanced communication and better responses to employee needs. Team members are involving their personnel in problem-solving discussions, such as designing and testing a new mobile data computer system. They also are working with staff members individually to address performance concerns or create career development plans.

Further, these changes have altered the service that the department provides to the community as personnel strive to become more connected with citizens. In the past, community outreach was assigned to one or two people, but, now, the entire leadership team and even a number of first-line staff routinely reach out to residents, identifying root causes of crime and chronic nuisances and collaborating on long-term solutions. This has resulted in dramatic decreases in illegal and high-risk alcohol use on the college campus, complaints of nuisance crimes, hazardous behaviors by young adults who frequent the downtown area, and daytime crime by truant youth.

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With each new organizational process, the leadership team creates or improves, and, in each new system they manage, fresh, progressive fingerprints are left on the McMinnville Police Department. Perhaps, as important as managing today's organization, these new leaders are building a positive and collaborative model for future leaders to emulate.

The agency continues to refine its leadership development efforts as team needs constantly change. The evolving leadership team now identifies department needs and projects based on its new awareness of management principles. The guidance displayed by supervisors has energized the agency's line staff to demonstrate a greater commitment toward fulfilling the department's mission. With the organizations's rich talent pool, future management of the McMinnville Police Department is in good hands.

Many benefits have resulted from jump-starting the new leadership team. The development components introduced in the last few years have created synergy, and team members work with each other to create organizational momentum. The process is reminiscent of a perpetual motion machine--once set in motion, it creates its own energy and will continue to meet each of the requirements for maintaining all of the accolades that will ensure McMinnville remains one of the most livable cities in America.

RELATED ARTICLE: McMinnville's Leadership Book Review Program Suggested Readings

* Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, First, Break All the Rules (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1999)

* Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2002)

* Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Stephen R. Covey, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2002)

* Martin Linsky and Ronald A. Heifetz, Leadership on the Line (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2002)

Mr. McFarlin recently retired as the chief of the McMinnville, Oregon, Police Department.