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Getting a head start

How do you prepare people for a significant promotion? In particular, how do you develop the skills, behaviours and attributes required to be an effective Head Teacher in today's inner city schools? This was the thorny issue facing the Glasgow City Council's Education Service in the spring of 1999. The recently introduced Scottish Qualification for Headship had provided a significant step forward, but participants complained of a lack of practical guidance and feedback on some aspects of the role, especially those related to managing people and handling sensitive situations - many of which are vital to success in the job.

Louise Clarkson of The Keil Centre worked closely with George Gardner, Glasgow's Depute Director of Education, and Paul McBride, Management Development Officer to design a Development Centre process which would provide the missing link. Development Centres are well established in industry and commerce and provide feedback and practice in managing the real challenges of the job. Their use in an education context required careful design and planning to ensure relevance and acceptability. Initial research clarified the key competencies which differentiate top performance as a Head Teacher - and provided valuable material around which a series of realistic work simulations were designed. In addition to these 'real life' situations, a personality questionnaire and 360° feedback method were used to provide a thorough framework for diagnosing development needs and indicating how they could be met. The Keil Centre trained experienced Head Teachers as observers.

Development Centre participants found the two full days of activities very challenging and rewarding. The atmosphere of trust and confidentiality built up between the participants and the observers during the Centre has been one of the keys to its success. Gerry Lyons, Deputy Head at Bellarmine Secondary was one of the first to go through the Development Centre. "It was extremely high quality and very valuable to me. It's not often you get real feedback on the things that matter. I have learned a lot about myself and how I handle situations. I have also used the 360° feedback process to make a number of improvements in the way we are doing things in the school."

The Education Service has benefited from the clear identification of development needs which permits the provision of timely and focussed support. They see the value of the Centre in preparing people in advance of promotion. Whereas they used to expect newly-appointed Heads to learn after taking up post, they are now using the SQH Programme and the Development Centre to prepare future Heads, supported by a comprehensive programme which continues their training through their first year in post.

Paul McBride: "It is Glasgow's intention to offer the Development Centre opportunity to all its SQH candidates to provide the diagnostic process and developmental feedback which will support the candidates as they prepare for headship."

Career Development Outdoors

In many modern organisations, a pro-active approach is now required to develop your career coupled with a willingness to use a wide range of opportunities to learn and develop. The Scottish Prison Service is no exception. At Glasgow's Barlinnie Prison, the Operations Group's one hundred strong staff are responsible for managing prisoner escorts and visits, prison security and manning the gate. Malcolm McLennan, Head of the Operations Group was aware that recent SPS restructuring had restricted the opportunities for his staff to develop their careers. Rather than allow apathy and de-motivation to prevail, Malcolm arranged a series of short career development events facilitated by The Keil Centre, which encouraged his staff to adopt a more entrepreneurial approach to career development. Following an update on SPS vision and strategy from Roger Houchin, Prison Governor, teams of course delegates tackled a series of outdoor development exercises designed to focus them on what is important in developing your career. This action-based approach to delivering hard-hitting lessons about career development proved very popular.

Each event was rounded off with an interactive session on taking charge of your own career development, which challenged delegate's existing beliefs about what is required for career success.

For further information contact Ronny Lardner, Chartered Occupational Psychologist.

Quote from Malcolm McLennan, Head of Operations, Barlinnie Prison: "I know that the course was a success because of the enthusiasm and interest staff have shown since their return. Some have already developed career plans and submitted these to their Line Managers for approval"

Safety Culture Maturity Model

Increasingly organisations are implementing behaviour modification programmes in an attempt to reach their target of zero accidents and injuries. However, experience with these programmes has been variable with some companies reporting good success whilst others using the same programmes have not been successful. To assist organisations in selecting an implementing these programmes, The Keil Centre carried out a applied research project for the Health and Safety Executive's Offshore Safety Division and the UK offshore industry's STEP Change in Safety committee. The results revealed that an organisation's level of safety culture maturity influences the appropriateness and likely success of different behavioural programmes. A Safety Culture Maturity Model (SCMM) was therefore designed to assist organisations in (a) establishing their current level of safety culture maturity and (b) identifying the actions required to improve their safety culture.
The SCMM is based on an extensive review of the safety culture and behaviour modification literature. The results of the project revealed that an organisation's safety culture maturity consists of ten elements. Example elements include perceived senior management commitment to safety, trust, communication and employee participation.

The SCMM presented below involves a number of iterative stages. Organisations progress sequentially through the five levels, by building on their strengths and removing the weaknesses of the previous level. It is therefore not advisable for an organisation to attempt to jump or skip a level.

The level of safety culture maturity influences the appropriateness and effectiveness of different safety improvement techniques. It is therefore a very useful model to assist organisations when developing effective safety improvement plans, selecting behaviour modification programmes and informing senior managers about cultural or behavioural issues.

The Keil Centre has developed a workshop based around the SCMM. This workshop facilitates objective discussion about an organisation's safety culture and identifies specific actions required to move the organisation to the next level of safety culture maturity. Future developments include an SCMM diagnostic tool.

Contact at The Keil Centre's Edinburgh Office

Figure 1: Safety culture maturity model

"We think that the safety culture maturity model will be important in developing senior managers thinking about the type of organisation they are managing and where they want it to go; there is an aspirational element to the model, which we hope will encourage managers to develop their own organisations safety maturity." Quote from Bob Miles Human Factors Research Manager Health and Safety Executive Offshore Safety Division

Executive Coaching

What is Executive Coaching? The definitions are rich and varied.

Frank Dick, top athletics coach and motivation expert, who coached Boris Becker, Gerhard Berger and Rob Andrews says 'Coaching is about helping people improve their performance by themselves, though not on their own.'

There is considerable empirical evidence that coaching significantly improves individual learning and leads to behaviour change.

At The Keil Centre we have formed the view after 10 years of providing Executive Coaching to a wide range of senior executives, that the best approach is to combine the rigour of assessment techniques with ongoing one-to-one challenge, support and monitoring of progress against agreed performance objectives.

Nevertheless, every coaching relationship is unique and would commence anew. Typically we would:

1. Agree the aims of the coaching process, success criteria and time scales.
2. Assess the key issues for the client using a variety of instruments and techniques, for example, interview, 360° assessment and psychometric questionnaires.
3. Agree a plan of action to progressively improve performance in workplace settings - providing challenge and support as necessary.
4. Review progress and plan the next phase to achieve the agreed objectives.

Coaching is designed to identify and concentrate upon individual needs. Goals are set and reviewed in the light of experience. Development focuses upon achieving change within the work setting.

Coaching is not counselling. It deals with the present and the future rather than focusing exclusively upon the past. It can take place in the individual's workplace or off site.

'Executive Coaching is certainly one of the most effective and efficient means of developing individuals'
Zoe Van Zwanenberg, Head of Development, Strategic Change Unit, NHS in Scotland.

Some traditionalists take the view that working with an executive coach conflicts with the executive stereotype of self-reliance and independence. However, such attitudes are changing quickly as the demands and stresses facing today's executives show no sign of diminishing.

For further information on Executive Coaching, contact Christine Hamilton or our Edinburgh Office.

New face at The Keil Centre

We are pleased to announce that Christine Hamilton recently joined The Keil Centre team. Christine is an occupational psychologist with considerable experience of executive coaching and other forms of management development. She gained her experience in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, working in the Department of Employment, Manpower Services Commission and latterly the National Health Service. Christine has specialised in certain aspects of occupational psychology for the past eight years, specifically leadership and management development for directors and senior professionals. She has also designed and implemented assessment and development centre for a wide range of posts from executive directors to graduate trainees. Christine has also trained and managed a team of assessors and test administrators.

Christine can be contacted via our Glasgow office.