NCJ Number
212770
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 67 Issue: 7 Dated: December 2005 Pages: 56-59-62
Date Published
December 2005
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article explores how the Maryland correctional system used training as a key component to create culture change throughout the department.
Abstract
Organizational change is never easy, but becomes especially difficult when the change involves the entire organizational culture. One strategy to attaining a vast cultural change in an organization climate is training, which was utilized by the Maryland correctional system as a key strategy toward their organizational cultural shift. The authors underscore the importance of a clear and compelling vision and philosophy to kick-start the movement toward culture change. Helping staff understand and embrace change is the key to a successful department-wide cultural reform effort. However, staff commitment to the change process is also one of the most challenging tasks in implementing a department-wide culture shift. In Maryland, training has become the key to facilitating staff commitment to culture change, so much so that a new department, the Professional Development and Training Division, was established to consolidate and integrate the training function of the department. The Communications Management Team Training approach is described and lauded for its effectiveness in securing staff commitment to culture change. Advanced team training and experience sharing is currently in planning as the next training phase of Maryland’s correctional system culture change. Endnotes