Looking Backwards to the Future?
| Published date | 01 March 1989 |
| Date | 01 March 1989 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058903600104 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Looking Backwards
to the Future?
In the mid-1970s, the author, David Millard (now ACPO, W
Mid-
lands) and his colleagues at Shelton Probation Office, Stoke on
Trent, began to develop a style of
teamwork
that attracted a
lot
of interest and discussion around the Service. They published
two reports about their work which led a series of national
conferences at Keele. We invited David to indulge in a bit of
nostalgia, and to wonder whether the lessons learnt at that time
have anything to say to our present troubles.
irst and foremost, I
remember sharing
-
sharing space,
sharing
clients,
sharing work, sharing responsibility,
sharing authority. I was the senior, of
course, so I have to acknowledge that
my
memories may be somewhat fanci-
ful, but I don’t remember being much of
a
senior. I didn’t
18
really have to be. Shared
professionalism, and the respect that we
had for each others’ ability and commit-
league was persistently seeing all of his
ment, meant that questions of authority
clients in the staff room! Whenever any
could be resolved through argument
of us went in for a quick brew, there he
and debate without being stymied by
was
with yet another client - or maybe
the kind of personal antipathies that
two - drinking tea and rattling away as
have to be contained by authoritarian
though they were friends! When chal-
decision making.
The sharing itself grew naturally
Any
proposals for innovation
in
from this mutual respect for each
client
supervision in
the
Service
others’ work. Moreover, we got on well
should
be
tested
against
these
two
eon-1.
together; we enjoyed meeting each
questions-
Does
it provide for
other at work (!) and although we did
tinuity of
eare?
Is
it admalnistwadve-
not socialise a
great deal together away
ly simple? If the arnswer to either is
from the office, we were nevertheless
4no9, the ehanees
are
it won’t
work.
interested and carmg about each
others’ lives. This kind of climate within
lenged, he said he thought they were
a team cannot be created artificially,
friends, and m
any case he was fed up
and no amount of managerial head
with all this intensity behind closed
...
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