Archives for June 9th, 2003

CULTURE CHANGE IN THE CABINET OFFICE

Headlines, PublicNet: 9 June, 2003

The promise made in the Modernizing Government White Paper, published in March 1999, to create a civil service for the 21st century has come closer to delivery with the appointment of a Managing Director for the Cabinet Office. This is thought to be the first MD appointment in the civil service which has prided itself on using such distinctive titles as ‘Secretary’.The appointment is more than a cosmetic gesture to placate the modernizers. It reflects the shift from ‘administration’ to ‘management’. The new MD, Colin Balmer, will report to the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary Sir Andrew Turnbull and he will have a seat on the Cabinet Office Management Board. He will play a major role in the delivery key public service priorities and in leading the reform programme for public services.

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COUNCILS FAILING TO TAKE STRATEGIC VIEW OF ICT TRAINING

Headlines, PublicNet: 9 June, 2003

Staff training in ICT is not being dealt with by councils as a strategic issue, neither is there a strategic lead promoting training and there is little support from the top. Where there is training, it usually starts because it is thought to be ‘ a good idea’. These are key findings from a report published by the Society of IT Managers in Local Government, supported by the Improvement and Development Agency and the British Computer Society.Over half the people in local government who use ICT spend over half their working week using it and they see it as critical to their job. Despite the vital part that ICT is playing in local government today more than 50% of staff received no training in its use in the last year. The skills gap in e-government is well recognized with 69% of councils acknowledging a gap with officers and 51% a gap with council members.

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GOOD MANAGEMENT CAN HELP BUILD A GOOD SOCIETY

Abstracts, PublicNet: 9 June, 2003

This report from Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development argues that effective people management is crucial to the material and psychological well being of society. But current management practice falls far short of what is needed to maximise the common good, and business and government must act together to deliver improvements. Indicators of poor practice include relatively low productivity and living standards; high rates of joblessness for certain disadvantaged groups and concern over wage inequality. Other factors include the stubborn gender pay gap, psychological stress and a general sense of social malaise and unhappiness. The report finds that the management practices that make workers happy actually boost productivity too. These practices include greater autonomy and scope for discretion, control over the pace of work, a supportive climate, mutual trust, a dynamic atmosphere and participation in decision-making.Published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and available from j.street@cipd.co.uk

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