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…..
