Greg Park examines the nature and criticality of wisdom as a leadership attribute. He argues that effective operational leadership is not just about knowledge and experience, but more fundamentally about a cognitive mental process which considers and consistently applies fundamental values, principles, perspectives and priorities in an analytical and affective manner.

Read more on COLLABORATIVE WISDOM…

As public sector organisations get into further rounds of budget cuts, outsourcing options are being examined more closely. In this feature Andy Vaughan offers some straightforward advice to get the best result.

Read more on TAKING THE PAIN OUT OF OUTSOURCING…

Strategic sourcing, a more sophisticated approach to obtaining the ICT services used by local public service organisations, is likely to offer less risk and greater benefits to communities than simple outsourcing contracts.

Read more on CALL FOR MORE STRATEGIC SOURCING BY COUNCILS…

Almost 59 per cent of youth justice staff working with young people say that their current IT system does not enable them to identify which services are having the biggest impact on improving outcomes.

Read more on MOST STAFF IN YOUTH JUSTICE UNAWARE OF WHAT WORKS BEST…

Ines Mergel has produced an easy-to-read guide to the development of a successful social media presence for government organizations.

Stocked with real-life examples and case studies, the book explores myriad social media tools and provides step-by-step guidance on how to implement them based on mission, goals, and strategy. Written in a jargon-free and accessible style, the book is a go-to resource for anyone in government who wants to put the power of social media to work for their organization.

Read more on SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR…

The use of social media is rapidly increasing, but most councils are failing to exploit its potential to cut comunications budgets.

Some 74% of the population of the United Kingdom use at least one social channel. This includes between 18-24% of those over 55 years old. But a survey by Crowd Control HQ revealed that only 22% of Council officers said that training was available and 82% claimed that they were not too sure that their respective authorities have a clue at all.

Read more on COUNCILS FAILING TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO CUT COSTS…