We’ve got it all wrong the Private sector should be learning from us not the other way round. For the last 30 years we have had it the wrong way round. Like discovering some famous modernist painting has been hanging upside down in the Louvre ever since they paid a kings ransom for it. For decades the public sector has been told it needed to be more like the private sector . We were urged to get more business like, to be more customer focused, to be more efficient and to do this we should adopt private sector methods and technics such as outsourcing, performance management, business plans, annual reports, league tables and targets, annual appraisals and performance related pay. We should invest in technology and we should take our leadership models from successful( profitable) private sector companies Only now the private sector has discover social responsibility , the environment and business ethics, the value in good community relations, the need to treat employees health and well being seriously, the advantages of a diverse and inclusive workforce, the need to invest in developing and retaining talented individuals, the need for leaders with emotional intelligence rather than a killer instinct., the need for managers with good people skills not just good technical skills. The need to see beyond the budget. The value of cooperation and developing partnerships not just relying on being competitive. And that customer care is not just about offering choice but developing a positive relationship. That value for money is not about the cheapest. And that efficiency needs to be in balance with effectiveness.
Blair Mcpherson former Director author and blogger www.blairmcphersonco.uk
