MANAGEMENT TOOLS & PDRM

To be honest, I am a tad cynical of any management tools hoisted upon us with the purpose of improving PDRM’s performance and image. Cynical, not of the management tools per se but of it’s effectiveness when put into practice by PDRM.

I certaintly would like to apologised for being a wet blanket, a naysayer and most definitely, a pessimist. But in the organisation that I worked in and in the country that I currently call home, being an optimist is a difficult thing to do. I have lost track of the number of times my hopes have been dashed to pieces by believing that things will change for the better when new leaders takes over (both in PDRM and the country) or new management tools brought in.

I was still an inspector when QCC was the rave in PDRM. Nothing happens and today they are re-introducing it into PDRM. I am afraid of the day when PDRM hears of TQM, ICC and 5S. In between that, we have bench marking, KPIs, STAR Rating, ISO, blah! blah! blah! and so on. I believe it is because of these management tools, that PDRM today is a highly efficient and well respected law enforcement agency in the country.

Besides being currently involved in the police MS ISO 9001- 2008 certification exercise, PDRM’s Ethics & Modernisation Committee. I am now also nvolved in the Blue Ocean Strategetisation of the police force where you’re supposed to create blue oceans out of the red ones that you have been in, all this while. You bring down the negative values of your work unit whilst boosting it’s positive values.

Negative value : your station’s personnel are not people friendly. Bring this value down by getting your personnel to agree to smile more and be courteous. Question : How to get them to smile when they are a disillusioned and almost completely demoralised lot. These are the men and women in blue who has seen, heard and even participated in all those new fangled theories and methods of revitalising and energising the police force. They have promises after promises heaped on them that PDRM will be a better place to work in where staff welfare and well being, justice and fair play will be the order of the day once these methods are implemented. And day after day these are the same men and women in blue who has seen these promises turned to ashes and that in spite of all the changes nothing really changed in the Royal Malaysia Police after 202 years. How do you make these men and women smile and be courteous. You tell me.

11 police stations have been choosen to initiate the Blue Ocean Strategy. I reserved my comments for now. After all, I am a wet blanket. Here’s to hoping that PDRM will adopt IRAN’s Green Ocean Strategy. Until we meet again, lets whack each other with hopes and promises until all of us turns red, white and blue.

Salaam from Uncle B.