Plans for rescuing failing schools have moved forward with the announcement of the organisations that will take part in rescue operations. Framework contracts for consultancy work relating to LEA interventions have been awarded to KPMG, Lorien, Capita, Office of Public Management, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Arthur Andersen/Birmingham LEA.
Powerful non-legislative levers backing up existing regulation is a better way of fighting discrimination than more regulation. This is the finding of the Better Regulation Task Force, an independent advisory body, which has been at work since September 1997. Task Force Chairman Lord Haskins said that their work has shown that making equal opportunities an Investors in People standard and including it as a feature of the Business Excellence Model would deliver a better result than more regulation. The Task Force recommendations do however include support for extending anti discrimination legislation to the public sector.
Read more on POWERFUL LEVERS NEEDED TO COUNTER DISCRIMINATION…
Mabey C, Skinner D
The International Journal of Public Sector Management, (UK), 1998 Vol 11 No 6
Start page: 494. No of pages: 15.
Examines the meaning of empowerment and its adoption in a UK Next Steps Agency. Finds that little research exists regarding the views of those on the receiving end of empowerment programmes. Explores this and related issues through interviews with staff at two headquarters sites and two operational sites. Found a mixed response indicating varying degrees of adoption of the required approach. States that for many staff, the positive empowering structural changes brought about were inconsistent with the less-than-empowering style of the more senior managers around them. Finds that those who had experienced a psychological benefit from the empowerment training were positive and felt more in control and accountable. Points out that staff are not mere passive recipients in any change process and that in this case the question of trust featured significantly in many respondents’ answers. Believes their research findings gives further insight into grass roots feelings even though the sample size was small.
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