Have we seen the last of target obsession in the public sector?

With the passing of new Labour have we seen the end of its wretched managerialism? I don't tend to keep a secret of my contempt for target-obsessed management approaches and the massive damage they have done to the public sector in this country. I've experienced it first hand in a government-funded organisation.

Housing, benefits, social services, education, health, you name it, there have been problems created for ordinary people when they should be solved, and billions of pounds wasted.

Now I've found (thanks for the link Alison) someone far wiser who has clarified perfectly what's been going on and why it's so damaging. In this recorded talk, which I urge you to watch and learn from, John Seddon, author of Systems thinking in the public sector, puts the boot into what he calls 'target obsession disorder':

'Targets and all other arbitrary measures make your systems worse. Always.'

'You create a de facto purpose and distort method...'

'Our public services should be local, not national...'

Seddon refers to all the public services mentioned above and brings a refreshing, knowledgable commonsense to the criticism of what he calls 'policy-based evidence'. Great stuff.

Comments

[Sean Brady]

Great video, thanks for the link, after years serving on an LSP until recently I recognise all the issues. As a local Parish Councillor the forthcoming 'Parish Plan' consultations in Formby will be better informed by these insights.

[David Wilcox]

David Gurteen is good on why targets and rewards don't work ... the first can be gamed, the second can be demotivating. http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/measures

[Ben Lee]

Seddon's take seems very sound. You can read more from him on the failings of local public sector managerialism in the Localis pamphlet published last week "Small State, Big Society - Essays on Reforming the State to Create a Stronger Economy and Bigger Society" http://bit.ly/bp1GPY - in which he contrasts Portsmouth's neighbourhood-based approach to housing management in other areas where efficiency is equated with scale. He argues that those who "obey official advice to use shared call centres [for social housing management] ... find themselves paying large sums for call-handling that is of no value in doing the work and confuses customers en-route."

[Kevin Harris]

Thanks for this Ben - i quite liked this para too:
'When citizens experience good service their behaviour changes. They not only have good things to say about their council (and send employees flowers or cakes instead
of brickbats), they begin to behave more responsibly in their own communities. Visitors to Portsmouth’s estates are struck by their appearance and the culture amongst residents. The economic value extends beyond cost-savings. Better services create better communities; the moral economics outweigh even substantial financial benefits.'
k