Capability Reviews: Progress and Next Steps - The Civil Service

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and the senior leadership team to invest in improvement and stick with this agendaover time. Boards are taking time to think strategically and act as corporateleadership teams, rather than as the loose collection of baronies previouslyobserved in some departments.This is beginning to feed into more positive outcomes against leadership instaff surveys.Where this is happening we are seeing:At three months after the review:• A redesigned and significantly smaller board taking active decisions; ahigh-performance leadership strategy being implemented; and the seniorleadership team running workshops for staff across the organisation to articulateand communicate a clear vision to all staff.Case study: Leadership development in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)‘The Capability Review’s clear steer to the CPS was to drive forward a newleadership and management development strategy. The department workedhard and fast, with support from the National School of Government, to clarifythis strategy’s aims and has, for the past three months, been implementing thefirst phases.The CPS strategy has all the expected, traditional elements, but a few aspects ofthe CPS strategy are particularly striking:• ‘It’s about the business’: the CPS has deliberately crafted a clear line betweenleadership and management development activity and business improvement;• ‘It’s personal’: the CPS has sought the personal engagement of existing CPSleaders in owning the strategy, aiming to make clear to them how much theircommitment and energy impact on the pace and scale of the change that the CPSmust achieve;• ‘It’s more than just a training course’: the CPS has shaken up recruitment,selection, performance management and business process criteria toreflect the new approach to leadership and management, not just its trainingportfolio; and• ‘It’s long-term’: the CPS has decided to wait to identify and inspire its futureleaders through a new approach to succession planning at the same time asengaging current top staff.26 COMMON CAPABILITY GAPS: PROGRESS AND NEXT STEPS
All of these aspects came together in the newly constructed CPS inductionprogramme for recently appointed Chief Crown Prosecutors (CCPs), led by twoexperienced CCPs and the new CPS Head of Leadership and Learning. Thethree-day, ‘up close and accountable’ induction took each of the four themes of theCPS leadership model (‘envision, inspire, engage and deliver’) and related these tothe critical actions, decisions and relationships that the CCPs have to attend to.This induction approach focused particularly on the CCPs as leaders of the wholeorganisation, not just their local area; as leaders of business outcomes; as leadersof people and in the community; and as leaders responsible for continuousimprovement. It also aimed to develop them quickly into a mutually supportiveleaders’ network. The CPS will bring together this ‘class of 2007’ for regular actionlearning meetings.In addition to this group event, the CPS has been working one-to-one with othernew leaders in the organisation, clarifying the department’s hopes andexpectations of them as leaders and managers, and the support it offers to helpthem meet the department’s high standards.The new, streamlined board will play a key role in modelling the new leadershipbehaviours and, with HR support, they are working to clarify how they will operateand behave. We are working with David Macleod, a Fellow of the National Schoolof Government, to help define and deliver a programme with and for the boardand its immediate reporting groups/committees. This will commence with a boardawayday, to take place by the end of 2007.’At six months after the review:• A board working together collaboratively, with clearer accountability, developedthrough such activities as a ‘board brainstorm’ on the department’s vision;key leadership appointments made to the board in delivery and change and infinance (Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)).• High levels of understanding of, and commitment to, the Capability Reviewchange programme throughout the SCS (DfID).At a year after the review:• Significant improvements in key leadership metrics; effective collaborationbetween board and ministers reflected in clear decisions on business prioritiesand outcomes (DCSF).CAPABILITY REVIEWS: PROGRESS AND NEXT STEPS27
Page 1 and 2: Capability Reviews:Progress and Nex
Page 3 and 4: This has been an excellent example
Page 5 and 6: 1. Tranche 1 departments: a year on
Page 7 and 8: Department for Children, Schools an
Page 9 and 10: This will act as an innovative and
Page 11 and 12: • ‘Managing for improvement’:
Page 13 and 14: Home OfficeStarting from a low base
Page 15 and 16: Department’s wider agenda. Develo
Page 17 and 18: Ministry of JusticeThe MoJ was crea
Page 19 and 20: A number of significant programmes
Page 21 and 22: 2. Common capability gaps: progress
Page 23 and 24: later tranches have not been able t
Page 25: or hinder it:‘lack of leadership
Page 29 and 30: Case study: Collective leadership i
Page 31 and 32: • Engaging the wider SCS. This is
Page 33 and 34: Participants’ comments included:
Page 35 and 36: Consequently, the areas of focus su
Page 37 and 38: Building up the supply and demand s
Page 39 and 40: Case study: Development work with d
Page 41 and 42: Case study: A skills strategy for g
Page 43 and 44: The recent CSR has emphasised the i
Page 45 and 46: At six months after the review:•
Page 47 and 48: Our challenge now is to ensure that
Page 49 and 50: • a more comprehensive approach t
Page 51 and 52: The Tranche 3 report identified the
Page 53 and 54: Case study: The Home Office Strateg
Page 55 and 56: The group is expanding to include l
Page 57 and 58: • The Sunningdale Institute facil
Page 59 and 60: Exhibit 3: Change trajectoriesCapab
Page 61 and 62: original reviews. The re-review wil
Page 63 and 64: Departments increasingly have to wo
Page 65 and 66: LeadershipKey questions that test c
Page 67 and 68: DeliveryKey questions that test cur
Page 69: Capability Reviews TeamCabinet Offi

Capability Reviews: Progress and Next Steps - The Civil Service

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