In 1988 public concern about declining respect for, and confidence in, the police led the Met to commission external consultants to look at the problem. Their report, entitled "A Force for Change," highlighted a lack of "corporate identity" throughout the Met. The Met decided to undertake a comprehensive self-study that would address every aspect of the operation and management of the Met. The end product of the assessment was the development and implementation of a 5-year plan for organizational change in the Met. The plan, called the "Corporate Strategy," established a revised statement of common purpose and values, followed by a redefined strategic intention, a statement of corporate strategy, and 16 specific areas of reform and change. The corporate strategy is designed to address both operational and administrative issues of the Met as a mechanism to improve the force's service delivery. It takes into account changes in Europe and the developing role of the Met in the national policing arena. The strategy to be implemented emphasizes a customer orientation, provision of service, reinforcement of the need for police integrity, and the need to deal with fear of crime as well as actual crime. To accomplish the goals defined in the corporate strategy, a team approach is being used to elicit the broadest and best array of initiatives to achieve goals. Efforts are being made to give police personnel a feeling of "ownership" of the plan, as they provide input for the changes and their implementation. 14 notes, a 13-item bibliography, and an appended outline of the goals established in the corporate strategy