NCJ Number
223908
Journal
CorrectionsToday Volume: 70 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 48-51
Date Published
August 2008
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses changing the culture of a correctional organization through better recruitment and stronger retention of employees.
Abstract
This article briefly introduces a culture change model to guide the process of change; subsequently, case studies are provided from two departments of correction, Florida and Pennsylvania, where similar approaches have worked and successful culture change has taken place. It is noted that taking the time to understand the elements of the agency’s culture and each facility’s culture through valid data and careful analysis was therefore paramount to success in managing a culture change process. When attempting to assess culture, the authors provide six key components associated with most successful organizational changes: “Agree” -- establishing the mission, method, goals, team and motivation of the change initiative; “Survey” -- developing a clear starting point as a baseline for measuring progress; “Plan” - -developing an architecture of key elements for achieving goals; “Implement” -- developing the solution and managing the transition on a detailed level with full communication; “Review” -- regularly monitoring the solution to ensure that business value is achieved; and “Evolve” -- using the new capabilities to respond more rapidly to continuously changing requirements. The article notes that successful culture change requires commitment, careful data collection and analysis, time, human and financial resources, planning, and proper execution. 1 table, 16 notes