Simcock, Tom

Following the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, there has been an impetus for transformational change in Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS). CFRS have undertaken a fundamental change with a strategic shift towards preventative work by implementing the Home Safety Assessments. The successful changes in this organisation challenge the understanding of how public sector organisations transform. The primary objective of this study was to explore the factors that have enabled the successful organisational changes. Methods: This research was conducted within a wider mixed-methods PhD study; the qualitative phase investigated the factors influencing the organisational changes. This research used semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 26 employees, with the data being analysed using a thematic analysis. Findings and conclusions: A number of factors that enabled organisational change in this organisation were identified. The development of a creative culture, where new ideas are valued and individuals are empowered to challenge the status quo, has helped to transform the community safety work being delivered. Yet, the continued evolution of this work has been interdependent on cultural change within the organisation and the metamorphosis of this preventive work has meant that members of this organisation are becoming specialists in working with vulnerable people in the community

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Public	  Service	  Transforma3on:	  Organisa3onal	  Change	  in	  a	  UK	  Fire	  and	  Rescue	  Service	  Thomas	  Simcock,	  Faculty	  of	  Educa5on	  and	  Children's	  Services,	  University	  of	  Chester	  Email:	  t.simcock@chester.ac.uk	   	  TwiAer:	  @tomjsimcock	  Discussion	  &	  Implica/ons	  §  Cultural	  change	  was	  found	  to	  be	  an	  on-­‐going	  key	  factor	  in	  suppor/ng	  and	  ensuring	  the	  success	  of	  the	  organisa/onal	  changes.	  The	  development	  of	  a	  crea/ve	  culture	  that	  valued	  new	  crea3ve	  ideas	  and	  ways	  of	  working	  to	  improve	  peoples	  lives	  was	  found	  to	  be	  an	  important	  factor	  in	  the	  success	  of	  these	  changes.	  These	  ﬁndings	  suggest	  a	  crea3ve	  culture	  is	  vital	  for	  an	  adaptable	  and	  successful	  public	  sector	  organisa3on.	  	  §  Eﬀec3ve	  leadership	  can	  help	  to	  reduce	  resistance	  to	  organisa3onal	  change	  by	  mo/va/ng	  and	  inspiring	  employees	  through	  a	  posi/ve	  vision	  for	  the	  future.	  In	  addi/on,	  the	  leadership	  style	  facilitated	  the	  transforma3on	  of	  the	  services	  delivered	  by	  Cheshire	  Fire	  and	  Rescue	  Service.	  These	  ﬁndings	  echo	  previous	  research	  into	  transforma/onal	  leadership	  and	  organisa/onal	  change	  (Bass	  &	  Avolio,	  1993;	  Jung,	  Chow,	  &,	  Wu,	  2003).	  §  Increased	  partnership	  working	  with	  other	  agencies	  can	  help	  to	  improve	  outcomes	  for	  vulnerable	  individuals	  and	  reduce	  the	  burden	  on	  the	  ‘public	  purse’,	  by	  improving	  eﬃciency	  of	  public	  sector	  organisa/ons	  and	  improve	  the	  quality	  of	  life	  for	  vulnerable	  people.	  	  §  These	  organisa/onal	  changes	  have	  had	  an	  unintended	  consequence	  of	  the	  Community	  Safety	  Advocates	  becoming	  a	  new	  “front	  line”	  in	  helping	  vulnerable	  individuals	  when	  other	  agencies	  (such	  as	  social	  services	  and	  the	  police)	  are	  unable	  to	  do	  so.	  The	  posi3ve	  impact	  of	  this	  work	  is	  enabled	  by	  the	  “humanising”	  approach	  taken	  by	  employees.	  	  	  References	  Andrews, R. (2010). The impact of modernisation on fire authority performance: an empirical evaluation. Policy & Politics, 38(4), 599-617. Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J., (1993) Transformational leadership and organizational culture. Public administration quarterly, 112-121. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101.Cunliffe, A. L. (2011). Crafting Qualitative Research Morgan and Smircich 30 Years On. Organizational Research Methods, 14(4), 647-673. Hunter, D. J., & Killoran, A. (2004). Tackling health inequalities: turning policy into practice: NHS Health Development Agency.Jung, D. I., Chow, C., & Wu, A. (2003). The role of transformational leadership in enhancing organisational innovation: Hypothesis and some preliminary findings. The Leadership Quarterly, 14(4), 525-544Parry, K., & Proctor-Thomson, S. (2002). Leadership, culture and performance: The case of the New Zealand public sector. Journal of Change Management, 3(4), 376-399. 	  Acknowledgements	  This	  study	  was	  conducted	  as	  a	  part	  of	  a	  Gladstone	  Fellowship	  PhD	  funded	  by	  University	  of	  Chester	  and	  Cheshire	  Fire	  and	  Rescue	  Service	  (CFRS).	  	  The	  Fire	  and	  Rescue	  Services	  Act	  2004	  has	  led	  to	  an	  impetus	  for	  change	  within	  the	  UK	  Fire	  and	  Rescue	  Services	  (UK	  FRS).	  Cheshire	  Fire	  and	  Rescue	  Service	  (CFRS)	  has	  transformed	  with	  a	  strategic	  shiJ	  in	  focus	  from	  response	  to	  preven3on.	  Andrews	  (2010)	  argues	  this	  reﬂects	  a	  cultural	  change	  in	  the	  UK	  FRS,	  to	  focus	  on	  the	  risks	  to	  human	  life	  rather	  than	  industrial	  property	  from	  ﬁre.	  As	  an	  organisa/on	  CFRS	  has	  changed	  fundamentally,	  with	  the	  delivery	  of	  a	  pioneering	  ﬁre	  safety	  interven/on	  called	  the	  Home	  Safety	  Assessment	  (HSA).	  This	  successful	  public	  service	  transforma/on	  challenges	  the	  current	  academic	  thinking	  of	  public	  sector	  organisa/onal	  change.	  Hunter	  and	  Killoran	  (2004;	  Parry	  &	  Proctor-­‐Thomson,	  2002)	  argue	  that	  public	  sector	  organisa/ons	  are	  well	  equipped	  to	  sustain	  the	  status	  quo,	  hence	  implemen/ng	  new	  changes	  and	  policies	  are	  diﬃcult	  to	  achieve.	  	  	  	  	  	  Introduc/on	   	   	   	  	  1.  What	  have	  been	  the	  factors	  that	  have	  inﬂuenced	  and	  supported	  these	  organisa/onal	  changes	  in	  this	  speciﬁc	  UK	  FRS?	  2.  What	  have	  been	  the	  outcomes	  of	  these	  transforma/onal	  changes	  in	  Cheshire	  Fire	  and	  Rescue	  Service?	  	  A	  sample	  of	  26	  par/cipants	  who	  were	  employees	  of	  Cheshire	  Fire	  and	  Rescue	  Service	  or	  external	  stakeholders	  took	  part	  in	  either	  semi-­‐structured	  interviews	  or	  focus	  groups.	  Discussions	  primarily	  focussed	  on	  the	  factors	  that	  have	  inﬂuenced	  the	  changes	  in	  the	  organisa/on,	  the	  factors	  that	  were	  inﬂuencing	  the	  implementa/on	  of	  the	  Home	  Safety	  Assessments,	  and	  the	  outcomes	  of	  these	  changes.	  15	  semi-­‐structured	  interviews	  were	  conducted	  with	  management	  and	  community	  safety	  employees.	  While,	  2	  focus	  groups	  were	  conducted	  with	  opera/onal	  ﬁre	  ﬁghters	  and	  1	  focus	  group	  with	  community	  safety	  advocates.	  The	  interview	  and	  focus	  group	  transcripts	  were	  analysed	  using	  an	  induc/ve	  and	  deduc/ve	  thema3c	  analysis	  (Braun	  &	  Clarke,	  2006).	  	  	  The	  analysis	  followed	  a	  realist	  stance,	  to	  develop	  “a	  theore/cal,	  cause-­‐eﬀect	  explana/on	  of	  the	  rela/onship	  between	  behaviours,	  theore/cal	  constructs	  and	  variables”	  (Cunliﬀe,	  2011,	  p.660).	  This	  study	  sort	  to	  understand	  and	  describe	  the	  psychological,	  social	  and	  organisa/onal	  processes	  involved	  in	  these	  changes.	  	  The	  analysis	  highlighted	  a	  number	  of	  themes	  and	  sub-­‐themes	  rela/ng	  to	  the	  factors	  inﬂuencing	  the	  changes	  and	  the	  outcomes	  of	  these	  changes.	  	  [This	  research	  was	  conducted	  as	  one	  phase	  of	  a	  mixed-­‐methods	  study	  into	  the	  changes	  at	  CFRS]	  	  	  	  	  Aims	  &	  Method 	   	   	  	   	  	  	  	  Analysis 	   	   	  	  	  	  	  Findings	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  Organisa3onal	  Culture	  §  Development	  of	  a	  Crea3ve	  Culture	  	  Par/cipants	  described	  the	  past	  culture	  of	  the	  organisa/on	  as	  a	  ‘Command’	  culture	  that	  inhibited	  new	  ways	  of	  working.	  Yet,	  the	  leadership	  and	  cultural	  changes	  in	  the	  organisa/on	  since	  2004	  were	  described	  as	  empowering	  employees	  to	  think	  of	  new	  ideas	  and	  promo3ng	  crea3vity.	  The	  development	  of	  a	  crea/ve	  culture	  was	  associated	  by	  par/cipants	  with	  helping	  to	  develop	  new	  ways	  to	  improve	  outcomes	  for	  vulnerable	  people	  in	  the	  community.	  	  	  §  Cultural	  Change	  Par/cipants	  discussed	  the	  importance	  of	  cultural	  change	  in	  this	  organisa/on	  to	  achieve	  the	  transforma/on	  required	  to	  implement	  the	  preven/on	  policy.	  Moreover,	  the	  cultural	  change	  and	  the	  organisa3onal	  changes	  were	  found	  to	  be	  interdependent,	  with	  par/cipants	  describing	  how	  historic	  prac/ces	  were	  removed	  to	  develop	  a	  culture	  that	  values	  working	  in	  the	  community.	  The	  cultural	  changes	  helped	  to	  develop	  an	  organisa/on	  that	  valued	  new	  ideas	  and	  par/cipants	  associated	  this	  with	  the	  transforma/on	  of	  the	  preven/on	  agenda	  from	  just	  a	  ﬁre	  approach	  to	  a	  holis/c	  health	  approach.	  	  	  	  Leadership	  §  The	  Impact	  of	  a	  Vision	  for	  the	  Future	  Par/cipants	  described	  how	  the	  leadership	  of	  the	  organisa/on	  determined	  the	  extent	  of	  the	  preven/on	  work	  being	  conducted.	  Par/cipants	  explained	  how	  the	  posi3ve	  vision	  of	  the	  future	  was	  associated	  with	  inspiring	  and	  mo3va3ng	  employees	  towards	  transforming	  the	  service	  they	  delivered.	  Moreover,	  senior	  managers	  communicated	  a	  vision	  where	  preven/on	  was	  not	  just	  for	  the	  organisa/on	  but	  was	  the	  right	  thing	  to	  do	  for	  the	  community,	  such	  as	  “I	  regard	  it	  as	  morally	  reprehensible	  that	  someone	  should	  stand	  back	  and	  wait	  for	  something	  bad	  to	  happen	  to	  prove	  how	  good	  they	  are	  at	  their	  job”.	  	  Management	  Prac3ces	  	  §  The	  Importance	  of	  Communica3ng	  the	  Reasons	  for	  Change	  Par/cipants	  explained	  how	  the	  organisa/on	  had	  evolved	  since	  2004,	  with	  new	  leadership	  styles,	  culture	  and	  management	  prac/ces.	  Many	  of	  the	  par/cipants	  described	  how	  the	  managers	  valued	  involving	  employees	  and	  communica3on.	  It	  was	  explained	  how	  managers	  provided	  the	  reasons	  and	  “agenda”	  for	  change	  and	  this	  was	  associated	  with	  a	  reduc3on	  in	  the	  resistance	  to	  change	  by	  employees.	  Futhermore,	  senior	  managers	  encouraged	  middle	  managers	  to	  communicate	  the	  reasons	  for	  change	  and	  to	  discuss	  the	  “journey”	  the	  organisa/on	  is	  on.	  	  	  Systems	  §  Partnership	  with	  AgeUK	  and	  the	  Contact	  Assessments	  Par/cipants	  reported	  how	  the	  partnership	  with	  AgeUK	  and	  the	  contact	  assessment	  aid	  the	  preven/on	  work	  in	  the	  referral	  of	  vulnerable	  elderly	  residents	  to	  other	  agencies	  on	  non-­‐ﬁre	  issues.	  Par/cipants	  associated	  this	  with	  helping	  to	  improve	  the	  lives	  of	  the	  over	  65’s;	  by	  helping	  to	  increase	  beneﬁts,	  reduce	  social	  isola3on,	  and	  ensure	  those	  who	  have	  demen/a	  have	  the	  required	  care	  and	  support.	  	  	  Mo3va3on,	  Individual	  Needs	  and	  Performance	  §  Responsibility	  to	  the	  Community	  Fire-­‐ﬁghters	  reported	  	  a	  sense	  of	  responsibility	  to	  the	  community	  and	  this	  was	  associated	  with	  the	  lack	  of	  resistance	  to	  the	  community	  safety	  work.	  Par/cipants	  discussed	  how	  they	  joined	  the	  Fire	  Service	  to	  help	  people	  rather	  than	  for	  ﬁnancial	  gain,	  and	  this	  was	  related	  to	  the	  desire	  to	  engage	  in	  the	  preven/on	  work.	  The	  preven/on	  work	  was	  further	  linked	  to	  an	  increase	  in	  job	  sa3sfac3on.	  	  	  	  Outcomes	  and	  Consequences	  	  §  Community	  Safety	  as	  a	  New	  Front	  Line	  Par/cipants	  described	  that	  as	  a	  consequence	  of	  the	  changes	  in	  this	  UK	  FRS,	  the	  community	  safety	  employees	  are	  a	  new	  front	  line	  for	  providing	  support	  to	  the	  vulnerable	  members	  of	  the	  community.	  Par/cipants	  further	  discussed	  how	  community	  safety	  advocates	  are	  emerging	  as	  “experts”	  at	  handling	  vulnerable	  cases	  when	  other	  agencies	  are	  unable	  to	  do	  so.	  This	  was	  associated	  with	  the	  “humanising”	  approach	  u/lised	  by	  the	  employees.	  This	  was	  further	  associated	  with	  improved	  outcomes	  for	  the	  individual.	  	  	  §  Reducing	  Risk	  in	  the	  Community	  	  Par/cipants	  described,	  how	  as	  an	  outcome	  of	  these	  changes,	  the	  risk	  from	  ﬁre	  and	  other	  vulnerabili3es	  was	  reducing	  in	  the	  community.	  Many	  par/cipants	  felt	  that	  these	  changes	  were	  helping	  to	  reduce	  the	  number	  of	  incidents	  the	  organisa3on	  was	  a\ending.	  Furthermore,	  par/cipants	  explained	  that	  the	  partnership	  working	  and	  the	  referral	  system	  was	  helping	  to	  reduce	  other	  risks	  and	  improve	  the	  quality	  of	  life	  for	  vulnerable	  people.	  	  	  §  Outcomes	  of	  the	  Partnership	  working	  and	  Community	  Safety	  for	  the	  Fire	  Service	  and	  the	  Community	  Par/cipants	  reported	  the	  organisa/onal	  changes,	  such	  as	  the	  increased	  partnership	  working,	  was	  having	  an	  outcome	  of	  “up-­‐skilling”	  employees	  in	  iden/fying	  and	  providing	  support	  to	  vulnerable	  people	  in	  the	  community.	  Yet,	  this	  was	  having	  an	  unintended	  consequence	  of	  other	  agencies	  becoming	  more	  aware	  of	  the	  risk	  from	  ﬁre.	  Par/cipants	  further	  described	  that	  these	  changes	  were	  helping	  to	  improve	  the	  eﬃciency	  of	  public	  services,	  through	  reducing	  duplicated	  eﬀorts	  and	  ensuring	  the	  right	  support	  and	  care	  was	  provided	  for	  vulnerable	  individuals.	  	  	  View publication stats

Public Service Transformation: Organisational Change in a UK Fire and Rescue Service.

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Public Service Transformation: Organisational Change in a UK Fire and Rescue Service.

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