Tuesday, 22 December 2009

Collaboration - lessons from the police service

http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2009/12/police-collaboration-creating.html

The recent White Paper (Protecting the Public: Supporting the Police to Succeed December 2009) “demands more urgent and radical action to squeeze out unnecessary costs, raise productivity and ensure that we continue to focus on front line delivery.” The White Paper goes on to set out a “wide ranging programme to ...strengthen commitment to collaboration between forces and voluntary mergers where appropriate.” The Home Secretary, in his foreword states that this programme “has to be a priority for us all”.

This is fighting talk and perhaps might be summed up wryly as ‘tough on bureaucracy & duplication and tough on the causes of bureaucracy & duplication’. The police service has been here before. Since the Autumn of 2006 (after police force mergers fell by the wayside), there has been significant pressure on police forces and authorities to make improvements in both efficiency and effectiveness via collaboration....

...This article has argued that successful collaboration is founded upon believing & trusting in its value, broadcasting successes, investing in capability development, using only the best aspects of ‘regimentalism’, analysing the costs & benefits in the round, developing collaboration in ways that create enthusiasm & commitment, evaluating the best collaborative combinations and clear, positive leadership.

(Full article on my blog)

Jon

(formerly Director of Organisation Development - Collaboration for the six police services of the Eastern region)

Has anyone got a paper or digital copy of the 'Myth of the Hero Innovator' article?

I appear to have lost mine - and I am very keen to get hold of another copy - it is just such a useful and indeed seminal article. The full reference is:

Georgiades, NH, & Phillimore, L. (1975) “The Myth of the Hero Innovator and Alternative Strategies for Organisational Change”,

(in Kiernan, C.C & Woodford, F.P (eds) “Behaviour Modification with the Severely Retarded” Associated Scientific Publishers Amsterdam. 1975)

Any help much appreciated. 

Thanks and seasonal greetings to all

Jon

Thursday, 26 November 2009

Virtuous leadership?

‘If a prince wants to maintain his rule, he must learn how not to be virtuous, and how to make the best use if this or not according to need’*

This is one of Machiavelli’s statements that have led to his notoriety. For him, being virtuous, or not, is merely a means to an end.  In this respect there is no virtue. 
But, is there a modern and ethical message here? This statement could be interpreted as ‘be deliberate in how you act – you should always be focused on what you are trying to achieve’
Or am I being too charitable to Machiavelli? How would you interpret this statement?
(*Excerpt from * Machiavelli “The Prince” – translated by George Bull – Penguin 1961)

 

Monday, 2 November 2009

Teenage Pregnancy & Evidence Based Strategies

I have just read an excellent article published on the Nursing Times website (click here for 'Exploring the evidence on strategies to reduce teenage pregnancy rates' by David Paton, PhD, Chair of Industrial Economics, Nottingham University Business School).

The overall thrust of the article is that the current strategy on teenage pregnancy reduction is just not working. As the conclusion says:

Despite more than £200m being spent on the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, there has been little discernible impact on conception rates, at least at a national level. Although disappointing, these results should not be surprising.

The article is well worth reading in its entirety. You may not have a huge interest in the subject (although I am sure we are all concerned with reducing teenage pregnancy) - but do read it for its analysis and the incisive way in which the author uses an evidence based approach to slice through existing strategies.

I have left a comment at the end saying

This is an excellent and provocative article that I hope makes policy makers and indeed the Teenage Pregnancy Unit sit up and think about their practices and assumptions. I am sure this will not be the end of the story - but the ball is now firmly in the Government's & TPU's court to evidence their continuing strategies. I only wish more Government (at all levels) strategies could undergo such scrutiny - we need more evidence based policy and practice - in every aspect of the public services (not just in health care).

Are your strategies evidence based? How are you evaluating the impact of your strategies?

UPDATE (& EXCELLENT NEWS): 29 October: report shows that restorative justice reduces reoffending - The Prison Reform Trust today publishes Making Amends: restorative youth justice in Northern Ireland, the study reveals that reoffending rates were much lower when offenders were involved in restorative justice schemes. Figures showed four in ten 10 to 17 year-olds committed another crime within a year, compared to 71% of those who had been locked up. (Click here - pdf file)

A great story of how evaluation has shown that a policy has worked - in this case remarkably well!

 

From http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/

 

Tuesday, 27 October 2009

Customer Journey Mapping & Attendance Allowance

On my other blog - two of the posts that have proved to be more popular than most have been the links to Stoke City Council's work on customer journey mapping. Indeed partly as a result of the interest they have received via my otherblog - they are now running workshops about their model. (The links can be found here and here)

I wish them well and look forward to hearing about their workshop which is happening early in November. (I have just found out this morning that the workshop is very nearly full - so I am very happy to have played a small part in this success. Watch this space for a report of the workshop.)
I think the idea of a process to enable and encourage service providers to see their service through the eyes of the user is enormously important. So often (and this is not just with public services of course) when you seek a service you get a response that appears to not only talk a different language to you - but also live in a very different world.
From recent experience of trying to understand how the process of 'Attendance Allowance' works (on behalf of an older relative) - I have been met with what appears to be a Catch 22. The eligibility criteria for obtaining Attendance Allowance say that "your disability must be severe enough for you to need" help with washing, dressing etc. In my dictionary the word 'need' implies that you cannot do without such help. However, Attendance Allowance ostensibly exists (at least in part) to help people with disabilities live independent lives. But how can this be the case because if you needed such help - you would not be able to (albeit possibly struggling to...) live alone.
So I phoned the Department for Work and Pensions helpline yesterday. I had a confidential and non attributable chat with a very helpful adviser. She explained that some people who should receive Attendance Allowance often do not apply because of this issue. She gave the example of a person crawling up their stairs on their hands and knees to get to bed. That person may feel they don't need assistance but they could do with some help. Their lives could be immeasurably better with some help. A person in such circumstances would get Attendance Allowance. However... would that person apply?
This seems to be a clear example of where some 'customer journey mapping' might help to sort out this service / benefits arrangement. Have the DWP ever spoken to people in these circumstances to understand their perspective on all of this?
I do not want to have a cynical view that the DWP has an interest in people not applying for Attendance Allowance - but unless they look again at the language of the legislation and guidance - as given on the relevant page of theDirect.gov.uk website then I may have to revise my view.
So I hope the DWP will show leadership here (and maybe even attend the workshop being run by Stoke City Council) and think about Attendance Allowance from the perspective of the claimant.

 

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Developing a cornucopia...

Some months ago I established a newsblog to support, celebrate and share examples of where people have taken the initiative to improve effectiveness or efficiency or both in the public and third sectors. There are over 250 examples of this on the blog now.

Here is one posting from a few months back - as an example:

http://smallcreativeideas.blogspot.com/2009/03/regular-cornucopia.html

One council sent me a long list of the many suggestions made as part of their improvement scheme. Some of these are being implemented, others about to be and some still yet to be considered by their scheme panel. I reprint a selection of them here in recognition of the energy and enthusiasm for improvement that this council has evidently generated: 

 

  1. Using water saving devices in toilet cisterns
  2. Reducing the number of waste bins per office
  3. Using the telephone holding system for advertising/promotion instead of playing music
  4. Monies from parking fines on taxi ranks go to Licensing budget
  5. Hold a bumper sale of surplus council items
  6. Charge for the replacement of lost bus passes
  7. All mailing lists should be split into internal and external recipients to avoid internal recipients being sent mail by external post
  8. Have one day a week with no internal emails
  9. Create themed guided walking tours of the town
  10. Provision of more recycling facilities in Council offices
  11. Include ‘Please consider the environment before printing this email’ at end of emails
  12. Make an administration charge for cheque payments that bounce, especially in respect of taxi/private hire drivers
  13. Selling off items of confiscated equipment that the Council takes possession of in noise nuisance cases
  14. Chevron style parking on larger roads and charging e.g. £1 per day for using the car parks out of the tourist season
  15. Installation of solar panels on council buildings 
  16. Using waste paper bins as the default bin for recycled paper and each team having one bin for non-recyclable waste
  17. Promote a culture of organising and running training courses for other local authorities as a way of funding our training 
  18. Promote NHS stop smoking services, smoking helpline and Together Programme more proactively
  19. Reduce number of offices required through working from home and hotdesking.
  20. Reduce number of receptions.
  21. The new Local Area Agreement should take the opportunity to include countywide performance targets with financial reward as in the 2003-06 PSA agreement 
  22. Install movement detectors so that lights work automatically according to whether there are staff in an office, or install a cut out system after flexitime ends (already being done)
  23. All appropriate printers to have the double sided print option as a default setting to save paper (already being done)
  24. Eliminate lease cars and offer a cash alternative. Where a leased car is required, the council requires that these be dual powered/electric powered (hybrid) vehicles (already being done)
  25. Provision of more recycling facilities in Council offices
  26. Remove at least one large refuse bin from behind the Town Hall and replace with recycle bins 
  27. Stop sending mail shots with pay slips
  28. Produce a council calendar
  29. Chipping felled tree branches and shrubs for footpaths & mulch 
  30. Issue salary slips only when amount differs by £5 or more
  31. Have one central location on Intranet for procedure guides
  32. Have ‘recycle for xxxx’ & logo printed on envelopes
  33. Reduce temperature of hot water to sinks
  34. Use biro refills instead of ordering whole pen
  35. Send email version of termination form to Payroll
  36. That the document image processing system currently used by local taxation be used by the Council as a whole
  37. That a way be investigated into ensuring that the water flushing for urinals happens only when premises in use and not 24 hours a day, seven days a week
  38. That a consortium of bank staff be set up with other Councils 
  39. That staff appraisals are programmed for January and February and training plans submitted by the end of February so that the training budget can be allocated by the end of March each year
  40. Instead of sending a remittance advice for officers expenses through the post, email it instead
  41. That the Council leases a suitable vehicle which can be driven to many locations in residential areas throughout the town and act as a mobile ‘bring site’ 
  42. That the radiators in the corridors at the Town Hall have thermostatic valves added to allow better control over the heating 
  43. That staff are encouraged to turn off lights in meeting rooms once they are vacated i.e. with extra signage.
  44. That the notice board in the reception area at the Town Hall be replaced with an electronic TV style screen/monitor similar to that in the Registrars reception to display meetings etc
  45. That in areas where people are constantly walking in and out i.e. toilets, kitchen areas, store cupboards, that instead of a light being kept on all the time, light sensors be installed 
  46. Mobility Scooter Drag Racing to ‘tie in’ with the ‘Go Fast’ event.
  47. Set up the property title reference number base so that when title reference numbers are required they are recorded, then the next time it is looked up, the Council need only pay £3.00 instead of £6.00 (Being investigated)
  48. That all waste paper be treated as confidential waste
  49. A free book exchange library
  50. To coincide with the opening of the Cultural Centre run a competition for staff to submit a piece of artwork that could be displayed in one of the galleries
  51. Have a VAT calculator on the Intranet so staff can input their gross and the net and VAT is worked out for them. We could also have a section to input what category the item purchased is under to insure that it is a vatable cost
  52. That staff with mobile phones on the same network make free calls to each other and mobile phone numbers are displayed on the Intranet.
  53. That instead of having a photo ID/warrant card, swipe card and name badge, these are amalgamated into one card
  54. Could junk email be stopped at the post room and returned enmasse with a delete from mailing list request.
  55. Provision of online resources i.e. email, intranet, internet and other services in meeting rooms.
  56. Instead of the Council leasing vans it would be more beneficial to buy them.
  57. More students could be used to fill posts at less cost.
  58. Use alcohol gel hand sanitizer instead of soap, water, paper towels or dryers in toilets and kitchens.
  59. Use only envelopes without windows and print addresses onto envelopes or labels instead so they can be recycled.

If you have any more ideas that you would like to add - please go to the blog and add some - as a comment - or email me (jon@jonharveyassociates.co.uk) - thanks!

http://smallcreativeideas.blogspot.com/

The blog is free, searchable and open to all. 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, 11 October 2009

Authentic leadership: who are you today?

Authentic: "authoritative," from O.Fr. autentique (13c.), from M.L. authenticus, from Gk. authentikos "original, genuine, principal," from authentes "one acting on one's own authority," from autos "self" + hentes "doer, being." Sense of "entitled to acceptance as factual" is first recorded 1369. Authentic implies that the contents of the thing in question correspond to the facts and are not fictitious; genuine implies that the reputed author is the real one. Authentication is recorded from 1788. Authenticity dates to 1657 (in form authentity). (Thanks to theOnline Etymology Dictionary for this)

On this basis - authentic leadership means being the author of one's own life and being true to oneself.

Many years ago I read a book by Warren Bennis "On Becoming a Leader" and one of his key themes was authenticity. To lift a quote (and thanks to the Amazon sitefor making this easy!): First and foremost, find out what it is you're about, and be that. Be what you are and don't lose it...It's very hard to be who we are because it doesn't seem to be what anyone wants.

I sometimes wonder in this age of competency models and evidential assessment whether sometimes people end up believing that leadership is some kind of puzzle to solve - a bit like one of those spot the difference competitions. If I can just tick enough of the boxes on the leadership framework, I too can become a senior manager, a director, a chief...

Warren Bennis and I (& no doubt many other people) say something different: first and foremost, being leader is about being yourself and being true to yourself. It is about knowing who you are and relaxing into being you.

How are you today?

Who are you today?

___________

http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2009/10/authentic-leadership-who-are-you-today.html

 

Tuesday, 6 October 2009

X Factor - leadership lessons

For those who don't know, X Factor is a UK based (but syndicated in many other countries including the USA) reality TV show where members of the public audition to take part in a live pop singing show. It is a very compelling programme which dominates the weekend schedules for several weeks each year. I will come clean and admit that I am fan - mostly because I am captivated by the journeys that the various contestants go through. See http://xfactor.itv.com/2009/

 

But watching the programmes over the weekend - I got to thinking - what does this show say about leadership? (OK - it is mostly about entertainment - and leadership is probably not high on its agenda but...)

Firstly I recall a video by Tom Peters from many years ago - where he was talking to a large group of managers in the Albert Hall (I think). To paraphrase - he said "if you don't like people - don't become a manager! You have to really delight in seeing people grow and develop to be a good leader".

I think this is partly what makes Simon Cowell a good leader. Yes, of course, the cynic in me says that all is ever in his mind is a stream of pound notes and dollar bills. However, looking carefully at him when people perform (or don't perform) - I see a gleeful twinkle when anyone excels. Moreover, he smiles even more, when people appear to have been on a journey of development and discovery. I think this is what marks him out as a good leader. (For the record I would put Cheryl in the same category - but I am not sure about Louis and Danii...)

So leadership lesson one is: delight in reflection, growth and development and show it - your followers will aim for even higher things as a result

What Simon is also excellent at - is giving feedback. Yes, he plays to the crowd sometimes and can be quite cutting. If he is ever harsh (and some might say cruel) - he does it with a clear purpose designed to either get the person to give up on hoping to become a celebrated singer or to get the person to improve. His criticisms are never just extraneous. He is also honest and direct.

Leadership lesson two: give feedback purposefully and helpfully - say what you believe and believe what you say. Of course in a work context, giving developmental feedback needs to be more than the one liner from a reality TV show - but the principles are not that dissimilar.

One of the themes that Simon and other judges often return to is self belief. Comments such as 'she is really beginning to believe in herself now' pepper the show. I think one of the most important attributes of a good leader is the ability that they have to inspire true and deep self confidence in the people that they lead. I suspect that singing coaches, also know this - and whilst there are undoubtedly techniques and tricks to learn - I am guessing that the most important aspect of a good singer is confidence. Leaders and coaches need to act on this.

Leadership lesson three: Do all that you can to build confidence among the people you lead - indeed, look to create the leaders of the future.

Original blog post: http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2009/09/x-factor-3-leadership-lessons.html

Thursday, 1 October 2009

Is leading change like designing and operating a rollercoaster?

Can change be managed or should it, indeed, be led?

Readers of this blog will know that I have titled several posts as 'Change Alchemy' with the first one explaining why I used this term. Making change stick still seems to me to be a " daunting mixture of alchemy, tenacity and luck". On this blog I have sought to outline what are, for me, some of the critical ingredients that need to be added to the crucible.

Certainly there are many elements of change leadership that might be reasonably called change management. There are various tasks that need to be manipulated and sequenced, and critical decisions need to be made. But all this seems to be to be more like the project management of change. So change management is a subset of change leadership. The question is, what are the extra ingredients?

I am reminded of an apocryphal comment on someone's professional development review 'not a born leader, yet'. I am pondering whether the ingredients that make change leadership different to change management can be learnt? I hope and believe so - since I am about to craft a workshop entitled 'change leadership'! Here is my starter for ten (and the beginnings of the workshop agenda) of the three most critical ingredients:

Number one for me is passion. Change leaders have and express a passion for where they want to go. This passion is sufficiently infectious and sincere to inspire others to take the journey as well. Change leaders are comfortable with creating visions of the future that are compelling both logically and emotionally. However this passion is not rigid or brittle like cast iron. This passion is strong like an old tree, able to bend in the wind and adapt whilst standing firm.

This heralds a second critical ingredient which must beresilience. Change leadership is rarely easy. I recommend reading 'The Prince' by Niccolò Machaivelli. This quote come comes from the Penguin 1961 edition translated by George Bull:

‘It should be borne in mind that there is nothing more difficult to handle, more doubtful of success, and more dangerous to carry through than initiating changes in a state’s constitution. The innovator makes enemies of all those who prospered under the old order, and only lukewarm support is forthcoming from those who would prosper under the new. Their support is lukewarm partly from fear of their adversaries, who have the existing laws on their side, and partly because men are generally incredulous, never really trusting new things unless they have tested them by experience.’

The Change leader needs to know how to handle resistance and finesse the power of the resistors so that the goal is still achieved.

Thirdly comes being able to make change thrilling but safe. Change is a scary and threatening thing for both leader and those who are on the same journey. Change is always a process of letting go, not just of the past, but also the future. We can allow our past and present to hold us back from trying something new. We can have a fixed idea of the future we think we are going to have. However, ultimately change is about casting off and setting sail to another country. We may look back and think of the years we spent doing 'x' and feel driven to justify it. We may have hunkered down in a cosy image of our future...

But then a change leader comes along with something very different that challenges what we have done (in all good faith) and what we thought we were intent on doing in the future. The change leader will only be successful in these circumstances if they make it safe to change. Recriminations, blame and threats (whether intended or not) have no place in good change leadership. Instead the process of leading change is to create just enough discomfort with the status quo to make people want to change but not so much that fear of the future or justifications of the present way of doing things are provoked to emerge. Not only must the leader make it OK to change, they need to find be the balance between comfort and risk.

Perhaps the job of being a change leader is about designing and then operating a rollercoaster!

Original blog post at http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/

 

Citizens not customers

There is much discussion and indeed mission statements in the public sector about the need to focus on customers. However, I don't think the public services have customers in the same way that say Pizza Hut has customers. I think the public services are there to serve & engage citizens whilst being accountable - through politicians - to taxpayers/citizens. This makes the whole relationship a far more complex one.

I think saying that the public services have customers simplifies and indeed commodifies the relationship. For example if I want a pizza, I buy a pizza: the transaction has ended. However, if I, as a police officer (say), wish to serve and help my community become a safer place to live and work, I have to work with the local citizenry to achieve that. I cannot do it alone. There is no simple one way transaction there.

Yes, all public service workers should give good customer service to the citizens / service users / public that they are there to support and help. That almost goes without saying in my view. But that is but one small part of a much richer relationship.

The role of public service workers is to be transformational not merely transactional. The job of the public services is to generate sustainable social outcomes, not merely perform a series of one way transactions.

Sadly, the use of the word customer has become all to common in the public services. People may defend its use as reasonable shorthand. I take a very different view. If there is a shorthand to use, it should be 'citizen' not customer.

For me the biggest danger in this use of the word 'customer' is that it shapes (consciously or unconsciously) the business of providing care, education, community safety (etc.) into being a commercial enterprise. It is not. It is more subtle, more complex, indeed more important than that!

Original blogpost at: http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/

 

_____________

Not sure how to add a comment to the comments below - so here is my response as an edit...

Of course there are times when the word customer can be useful - indeed I would argue strongly that the public services do need to improve their 'customer service' in many quarters. However, the people being served are also users, patients, clients, travellers, etc etc. In my view it is the subtlety & diversity of the various relationships that need to be emphasised. I don't believe this is an ideological point but an organisational improvement one. What I believe is ideological is the idea that these complex relationships can be boiled down to one - that of customer. That, for me, is a dangerous ideology as it leads to inefficiency and ineffectiveness.

So citizens can occupy many roles - the essence of providing a good & efficient service is understanding the relationship, I believe.

As for the responsibilities of citizens - yes there are many. I have argued for the need for 'empowered citizenship' - where citizens are not only helped to be active - but actively do the right kinds of things. (See http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2009/05/empowered-citizenship.html )

 

Friday, 18 September 2009

http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-do-we-have-old-style-conferences.html

Browsing through an old copy of The Psychologist journal (December 2008) which I get as a member of the British Psychological Society, I came across an interview with Emeritus Professor John Sloboda (from Keele University).


He was asked for 'one moment that changed the course of your career'. This is what he said:

Meeting the late Michael J. Howe (of Exeter University) quite by chance at a conference we both found boring. We sloped off to the pub, and by the end of the conference had made decisions that led to the most productive and long-standing research collaboration of my academic life.

I find this thrilling as it shows, yet again, how people given the space can make profound connections and decisions without the need for too much structure - or even any structure at all.

Why do people persist in arranging conferences and events which are dominated by 'expert' speakers whilst the experts in the audience are left to sit passively wondering about what conversations they could be having otherwise? Instead people hope that the busy networking in the coffee breaks and lunchtimes will suffice.

Clearly in Prof. John Sloboda's case it did - fortuitously. But I am left wondering how many conversations have never happened for want of some more (open) space in which they could have occurred. How many opportunities for collaboration, understanding, rapprochement and exploration have been missed over the years by the starchy, constrained and over controlled (but looking very worthy) conferences?

Why not use Open Space instead? Not only is everyone empowered, supported and enabled to have whatever conversations they wish to have - but everyone else gets to know what everyone else is talking about too.

So much more efficient and effective!

Thursday, 17 September 2009

The nail machine - a story of pain & learning

Many years ago I was doing some work with a nail factory in Cardiff. The company, along with its sister steel companies, have, sadly, long since gone to the wall. I met and got to know some great people. This assignment was one of my first as a consultant - working then on Total Quality Management.

In the course of my work I talked about improvement and learning with a wide range of people in the firm. One man I worked with was the shop steward who had a wisdom and gentleness that I remember to this day.
He once told me story about the six inch nail machine...
... If we learn something new - that upsets what we thought was reliable & true - there can be pain to be experienced. I am left wondering if we sometimes know this (perhaps subconsciously) and so we avoid learning - despite all the evidence and arguments to the contrary. We resolutely hold onto the past, because even though we know that there is a better way, it would mean experiencing such excruciating pain, that we would rather live in ignorance.
(more from the link below)

 

http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2009/08/nail-machine-story-of-pain-learning.html

Do you know any well poisoners??

There are some people who know that by being explicitly against a change that this will neutralise their position. These are the ‘seasoned’ change resistors who sneak out at night and put poison into the well. No one quite knows who they are.

Continuing the metaphor – what is a leader to do?

  • Post sentries on the well.?
  • Give antidotes to everyone else.?
  • Find out who they are?
What should you do?

 

http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2009/09/change-alchemy-well-poisoners.html

Friday, 10 July 2009

Please visit my other blogs!

 

http://smallcreativeideas.blogspot.com – news blog about ideas making a difference

A news blog to collect ideas from around the world - of where small changes have been made to the public & third sector services that have resulted in big benefits. I am looking for ‘bite sized’ ideas that have helped your organisation deliver more to your local communities, or helped make work even more efficient, or just saved some money or staff/officer time. And the idea could be applied elsewhere reasonably easily and is probably not widely known elsewhere.

 

http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com – thoughts on change & leadership

Latest post:

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2009

A bonfire of targets?

It seems that, suddenly, it is becoming possible - perhaps even fashionable - to challenge the whole culture and edifice of target setting in the public services. I can only say 'hooray'! For far too long, the public services have been slaves to aiming at the 'shadows on the wall' rather than doing what they should and want to be doing which is achieving robust social outcomes for the people they serve.

An excellent article by John Seddon appeared in the Guardian 2 days ago:http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/07/steve-bundred-public-service and it is well worth a read. The comments too are worth reading as well - especially one by Redshrink who makes a connection to the commercialisation and commodification of public services. (That is next battle ground in my opinion.)

I have also added below an article I wrote six years ago.... (see blog for full post)

Thanks.

Jon Harvey

jon@jonharveyassociates.co.uk