Following the announcement of plans to give people more influence over the decisions taken by local councils, the Government is facing a call for a ‘fundamental shift in power’. The Chief Executive of the Local Government Information Unit, Andy Sawford, said the proposed empowerment white paper was an opportunity for real change for local government and for communities.
A new survey shows that IT is the major constraint on flexible working within local authorities. The study, by WiseWork, also found there was an increased business focus for the introduction of flexible working rather than the welfare imperative of staff’s work life balance.
Read more on TECHNOLOGY IS MAIN BLOCK TO FLEXIBLE WORKING IN COUNCILS…
Mike Bennett
This article was first published in Public Management and Policy and is reproduced by permission of the Association. http://www.cipfa.org.uk/pmpa/index.cfm
Local government chief executives are unusual and they don’t have much in common. Their job is also unusual spanning many professions and their agenda is set by politicians. To do the job effectively they need ‘nous’, but this does not feature on leadership or development courses. The author explores what ‘nous’ is, how it can be recognized and what people who possess ‘nous’ can do that others cannot. He explains how ‘nous’ complements abstract reasoning and describes how people with ‘nous’ are sharing their experiences with others.