NCJ Number
228186
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 71 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2009 Pages: 56-58
Date Published
April 2009
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article examines the Corrections Corporation of America's (CCA's) leadership program.
Abstract
A team of CCA staff developed the Samberg Program, a leadership program that was chartered as a project not only to train supervisors on how to be effective leaders, but also to reduce correctional officer turnover. The four sets of principles that the Samberg Program design team used as anchors to ensure a comprehensive and integrated program are: integrity; respect; trust; and loyalty. The second row of building blocks used for development of the program became the skills that the team felt described the ideal leaders of the CCA work force: effective communication; problem-solving; competency in job duties; functioning as a team member; completing the job; conflict resolution; innovation; being a productive change agent; objectivity; coaching and mentoring others; and business IQ. The final standard used by the team to develop the program was the intent to make it durable and sustainable. The Samberg Program was presented nationally in September 2007. During the past 12 months, the turnover rate of employees was reduced by more than 4 percent nationwide. As of December 2008, more than 2,100 supervisory staff members completed Phases I and II and are now engaged in Phase III. Additionally, Phases I and II of the Samberg program have been made a prerequisite for CCA's upper-level leadership program, which has been implemented. CCA's Samberg Front Line Leadership Program appears to be durable and sustainable through its ongoing delivery and its prerequisite status for other leadership initiatives; in upcoming months, the first cohort of Samberg participant will be completing the final phase of the program.