Real Control

I have always been a fan of companies which are managed by those who work in them. In the late 1970, I helped start up a project called the Local Enterprise Advisory Project (LEAP) which morphed in a large multi-million Community Business encouraging and supporting those living in marginalised estates to set up companies offering local services which small businesses locally wouldn’t touch.

It provided people with purpose – and services – and wages instead of welfare. But ultimately it became too dependent on government grants – and folded.

But the hierarchies which poison the atmosphere of workers in both commercial and government organisations are becoming increasingly unacceptable. Mondragon and Buurtszog are only the most famous of cooperative which inspire us to contemplate a new working model.

Reinventing Organisations (2014) by Frederic Laloux gave us a great typology and principles for self-management which should inspire us to action. Dealing with Dysfunction – innovative problem solving in the public sector (also 2014) by Jorrit de Jong is a very different sort of book but it too indicates that a different sort of cooperative approach can work.

A new book has just appeared in the UK in the same spirit which I hope to report on soon - Radical help – how we can remake the relationships between us and revolutionise the welfare state; Hilary Cottam (2019)

The OECD is not my favourite body – it peddles neo-liberal solutions and the dreaded New Public Management.

A few years ago it set up something called the Observatory for Public Sector Innovation which has just produced a report with a lot of examples of how cities are working together to use Big Data to produce local solutions.

But as befits a group of technocrats their language is impenetrable – and they clearly cater for an academic audience since every second line has 2 or 3 academic references which completely breaks the rhythm of the reading, The report is Transformation of Public value – cities as the playground for the future; (OECD 2019)

Those wanting to see how public services can work for ordinary people should really read Public Services Reform – but not as we know it; by Hilary Wainwright (Unison and TNI 2009) is a rare readable case study of a bottom-up approach to reform.

As far as the process of improving local services is concerned, I would strongly recommend Creating Public Value in Practice – advancing the common good in a ….noone in charge world; ed J Bryson et al (2015), 

The last 3 books can all be accessed in full by clicking the hyperlink…..