The ‘cat is out of the bag’ with the chancellor going public on these arbitrary and scarcely credible 25% cuts. That huge savings are possible is beyond doubt but why 25%? Research by Cardiff University published in 2002 showed that up to half of all activity across a range of sectors was waste! That is, it neither added value that customers would pay for nor was things that had to be done – at the moment.
The first step is better leadership of this process. With all due respect to the prime minister and the chancellor, however dire public finances are, that was lousy leadership and not calculated to engage anyone. The whole subject needs to be reframed as a challenge and one that will not necessarily mean massive redundancies – if done properly.
My experience working with public sector organisations is that the top-down approach guarantees that frontline services will suffer. It doesn’t have to be that way.
The recent book Visual Transformation by Dave Gaster shows scores of examples of the huge savings possible when the focus is on improving the service to customers. Standard continual improvement approaches that are already widely known about can accomplish huge savings if initiated in a positive way.
Add to conventional improvement methods what is called a solutions-focused approach working back from the frontline services to customers that we all want protected. A solutions-focus does more of what is working for those people, in that place, at that time. Use the knowledge, passion and creativity of the people in the frontline. They can do it.
In summary, first, the politicians need to provide inspiring visionary leadership. Second, they need to encourage frontline staff to use the improvement methods already available. Third, they need to insist that all this work starts with the aim of improving service to the users/customers. Finally, they must take a solutions-focused approach to doing more of what works. It can be done! Provided that is, they don’t cherry-pick; all four must be done. This systemic approach requires all of the elements to be in place.
By Alan Clark, ACQI
5 July 2010
