Mid-Year Mini-Conference - "You can't streamline 30%"

Ramada Park Hall Hotel, Wolverhampton April 21st 2010

With massively reduced budgets, 'streamlining' processes cannot deliver major efficiencies - radical transformation is needed, aimed at the virtuous circle of improved services, enhanced work-life and lower operational costs.

The problems encountered by centralised initiatives such as the Integrated Children’s System is a vivid example of the failure of command-and-control (targets, inspection, micro-management).  Far from improving children’s safety, risks have been increased, staff are stressed and frustrated and have less time to devote to the professional task.  Many organisations have undertaken streamlining activity in a highly effective way over the last few years - but in doing so have failed to challenge the fundamental issues.  In this respect they may well have made the achievement of further substantial savings almost impossible.  On BBC television's Question Time on Thursday 4th March - an estimate of between 14% and 24% budget cut was unchallenged by the Government representative on stage, Lord Adonis.  Levels of efficiency of upto 24% cannot be squeezed from existing budgets - dramatic and radical re-engineering may well be the only solution.

There are a number of general lessons to be learned from such failures and a new management paradigm is needed.  Positive change requires the design of innovative forms of work organisation, emphasizing local autonomy and user-centred design enabled by technological innovation.

One of the main topics of the event will explore is the extent to which managers need to regard themselves as ‘organisational designers’, with a well-developed understanding of best practice in designing processes and services.  Senior managers in particular, must lead the way in building the capacity for design and innovation at all levels in their organisations.

For full details go to the Events section using the menu to the right. 
SPRINT Community members £65 - Guests £95