February 2002 Volume 83 Number 2 "serving the protectors"
By Trevor Haskell PASA Vice President

Structures – help or hindrance

Structures often look theoretically excellent but might in practice fall short of the required mark, at either organizational or human-resource levels.

PASA

The Police Association is always looking to ensure its structure provides the best possible avenues of communication and support for its members. The roles of the association branches will be reviewed in 2002. The relevance and role of branch officials, and the links to the committee and staff, need to be considered, and member input will be sought to see if we can create improvements to member service.

Mark Carroll and Tom Scheffler will co-ordinate much of this task. I hope the 2002 annual conference will debate the issue. Please take the time to consider the structure and engage your local representatives, PASA staff or committee members.

LSA structure

A workplace structure needs to create a supportive network for workers as well as line and functional accountability for the organization it seeks to serve.

It might be worth examining the LSA system now that it has settled in. My concerns are not directly based on how well the structure is serving the organization (SAPOL) but how it is serving the human resources (you, the workers who keep it all going). If it is not serving you well, there is an indirect effect on the organization effectiveness through increased leave, accidents and poor morale.

It appears to me (someone not working in an LSA) that potential exists for some smaller sections to lose their “connectedness” to the whole. As the units feel less connected, the members within them might become isolated at an organizational, professional or personal level. As an outsider looking in, it is not always possible to make accurate judgements when one is only seeing bits of the process, but as I float my ideas, see if there might be some sense to my musings.

Consider some smaller work units with LSAs. For me, the standouts are Prosecution, Crime Scene and intelligence sections. Where do these three areas connect to the whole, in terms of organizational, professional and personal accountability? It seems to me that they are potentially structurally disadvantaged in the professional and personal areas.

The questions that arise for me are:

• Are the connections and supports sufficient?

• Do the members of these sections feel they have a place to go for their professional and personal needs?

I guess the LSA managers are very aware of the members relative to organizational needs generally. Nonetheless, I suspect evidence is emerging that some areas have specific needs that the structure might not cater for, regarding professional development and personal need. If this is the case, the members might feel isolated and/or voiceless. Issues of how they are covered when absent on leave or at courses. Does anyone take overall responsibility for their professional development as specialists? I am aware that the intelligence sections have service oversight at senior-sergeant level, but what of the other small sections? Is that which is provided sufficient? Who listens to these members views, ideas and needs? How are their shared needs with like sections identified?

Work is now being done in the prosecution area, but how long did it take to identify? How many individuals suffered before it was acknowledged there was something wrong? How well placed are LSA managers to deal with such issues? How effective is PASA’s branch and representative system to identify and deal with such issues?

We all tend to work more in isolation than ever before. Working in large groups can be – and often is – isolating for individuals or small groups within the large.

I feel there is a problem-solving mindset within some public-sector organizations that goes: “Problem? What problem? There was a problem, but our wonderful new system fixed the world” (the body count of workers rises).

“Problem? Oh, the problem of a few weak individuals within the wonderfully functioning whole? We’ll weed them out” (the dollar count rises).

“Problem? Oh, the problem of running out of people? We’ll recruit some more.”

“Problem? Oh the pollies are getting nasty. Damn! We had better do something. We’ll form a working party.”

And so it goes. And six months down the track, the illusion of resolution is created.

My worry is that PASA exists as a part of SAPOL. Are both organizations tarred with the same brush? Is either of our systems responsive enough? How does the information get through to the top end? What blocks and filters exist? What works, and why?

The review of the branch system will provide an opportunity for feedback from the members. If there is no response, it may be taken that all is working wonderfully. Let us know what you think. Contact your branch officials or any of the committee or staff. Let’s make sure that our system is working.

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