Final Report of the Morris Inquiry: The Case for Change

THE CAPACITY TO DELIVER
Figure 13
Actual and Preferred Sources of Information
20
15
MPS Notices
Email
The intranet
Actual
10
The Job
The Media
Face to face
with your line
manager
Team/group/
departmental
meetings
5
Noticeboards
Databases
0
0 5 10 15 20
Source: Morris Inquiry Survey
Preferred
8.68 There is a clear message here for managers on how to communicate with
their people in a way that will get the best from them. We agree with the evidence
of Stephen Banyard, Director of Human Resources at the Inland Revenue, that “you
cannot tell people too much, and you cannot listen to them too much.”
We recommend that the MPS reviews its internal communication in the light
of best practice in other large public and private sector organisations.
The right culture
8.69 Structure and systems alone will only go so far in moving an organisation
forward. The prevailing culture must be one which is outward-looking and
inclusive. An organisation has to develop a culture which is consistent with its own
ethos, mission and values. We do not think that a culture needs to be specified for
the MPS but a healthy culture has various elements. We deal with these below.
8.70 The organisation needs to listen and learn from what it hears. Encouraging
learning is vital and this includes learning from mistakes. If, when something goes
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