Links

Blame bureaucrats and systems for Baby P's fate The Observer 23 November 2008. Simon Caulkin, management editor at the Observer, provides a systems perspective on the Baby P case in Haringey.
Why things fell apart for joined-up thinking The Observer. 26 February 2006. Simon Caulkin, Management Editor at the Observer, writes compellingly about the systems perspective and where the government went wrong.
Thinking outside the box The Obsersver 26 May 2002. Simon Caulkin, management editor for the Observer, writing about systems thinking and targets.
Anti-guru of joined-up management The Telegraph. 7 February 2007. Stefan Stern's interview with Russell Ackoff.
Boot camp tactics won't win the battle The Telegraph 15 February 2006. Stefan Stern interviews John Seddon in the Telegraph.
Maintaining the system: a systematic approach to future delivery Southern Housing. Issue 107, April/May 2008. pp. 42-46.
Drop the deadline The Guardian 18 November 2008. Sue White writes about the workflow IT system that actually prevents workers from protecting children.
Russell L. Ackoff, iconoclastic Web article on Russell Ackoff and the systems approach to innovation
Obituary: Stafford Beer 4 September 2002, The Guardian, written by Dick Martin & Jonathon Rosenhead. Obituary of the great systems thinker, and important pioneer in the operational research movement.
Too many mistakes means too many managers The Observer 07 December 2008, Simon Caulkin writes about waste in the public and private sector.
Social care is Stalinist. That's not an insult, it's a fact Sunday 14 December 2008, The Observer, Simon Caulkin, Management Editor, describes how freedom of speech is being suppressed in the public sector, by the inspection regime.
This waste of our money is just madness The Telegraph 19 March 2008, by Philip Johnston, discusses the issues of cost and performance in the public sector after he has read John's Seddon's book.
A senseless system graduates without honours Sunday 21st December 2008, the Observer, Simon Caulkin writes that Universities are part of the problem for a failure of management and they need to change to become part of the solution.
Be efficient, please customers, cut costs ... that's it Sunday 28 December 2008, The Observer, Simon Caulkin writes about the essential ingredients, to make your business venture successful and able to weather stormy waters.
Planning rules' 'perverse' result BBC news website article, Wednesday, 17 December 2008, news report on the BBC website about the impact that targets have had on the planning system.
NHS targets 'harm hip patients' BBC news website article, Wednesday, 24 December 2008, that show the danger that NHS targets are having upon the lives of hip patients.
Dentists fail to meet NHS targets BBC news website article, Thursday, 27 November 2008, dental care targets in Leicestershire haven't been met, and dentists argue its because the meeting the targets would harm patients.
Targeting the NHS targets BBC news article, Sunday, 15 May, 2005, how the government have tried to move away from targets by setting standards. Only for standards to be the new targets.
Hospital turns away ambulances...to meet Government targets Your Local Guardian website news article, Wednesday 17th December 2008, written by Jamie Henderson on how targets meant that a hospital closed its doors to patients to meet government targets.
Government targets distorting GP/patient relationship? Civitas article, that argues that government targets are leading to a distorted GP/patient relationship.
Government targets distort priorities Computer Weekly.com, 02 Aug 2001, written by Ian Bruce, on how government targets to put all services online are doing the wrong thing.
'Creative' solutions to knife crime thwarted by government targets Children & Young People Now website news article, 28 May 2008, written by Allison Bennett, on how government targets on knife crime have lead to unexpected consequences.
'Government targets killed pensioner, 81 left to wait for surgery', claims top surgeon Daily Mail Online website news article, 29th July 2008 reporting that a patient died because of the governments targets.
Government target 'failing' breast cancer patients 4NI website news article, 30 July 2003 on the impact of government targets on breast cancer patients.
Target fixation 'can damage learning' BBC news website article, Thursday, 27 February, 2003, on how government targets are damaging our children's education.
Government ‘ignored’ evidence on damage caused by testing The University of Manchester website, 13 May 2008, on academic research that shows how government education targets are damaging children's learning.
Endless tests leave bored pupils 'with hatred of learning' Times Online website article, April 17, 2003, Tony Halpin, Education Editor for the Times writes that testing and targets are conditioning an entire generation averse to learning.
Election deportation targets put lives at risk Independent race and refugee news network article, 11 April 2005 about how government targets are causing infringement of human rights laws.
Indicators, targets and the decline of education? Teaching Expertise article, February 2008, written by Richard Bird, argues that government targets and indicators are no way to improve children's learning.
Police forces abandon Government targets and bring back common-sense Daily Mail online, 31st May 2008, STEVE DOUGHTY and NICOLA BODEN write that Police forces are ditching government targets because of the damage that they caused to service performance.
Deaths from hospital blunders soar 60% in two years as NHS staff 'abandon quality of care to chase targets' Daily Mail Online, 06th January 2009, DANIEL MARTIN, writes that chasing government targets has lead to a higher death rate. NHS trusts are now ditching targets to bring rectify the problem.
Children taken from parents and adopted ‘to meet ministry targets’ Times Business Online, August 24, 2007, Frances Gibb, Legal Editor, writes that some babies are being taken into care or adopted to meet government targets.
Flawed targets damage access Times Higher Education online, 2 July 1999, Alison Goddard writes that government targets are damaging access to higher education.
Targets can seriously damage your health The Observer, Sunday 4 November 2007, Simon Caulkin, Managing editor writes about the damage that government targets are causing.
Darwin's theory turned bosses into dinosaurs The Observer, Sunday 18 January 2009, Simon Caulkin writes about the change in thinking required from the new generation of economists and business managers.
Improve teamwork 22nd January 2009, Local Government Chronicle, Robert Bullard writes about the results that systems thinking is achieving in Neath Port Talbot's County Borough Council's development control service.
Efficiency: Systems thinking 22nd January 2009, Local Government Chronicle, Robert Bullard writes about systems thinking in Wiltshire County Council and the amazing results that they are achieving.
Efficiency: Enhance Capacity Suffolk County Council's Trading Standards Department was widely believed to be performing well but staff felt overloaded
We can't afford to give bosses a blank cheque The Observer, 8 February 2009. Simon Caulkin, business editor argues that a serious cause for the financial crisis has been the bonus culture, all at the expensive of intrinsic motivation. He argues for reform based upon doing the right thing.
Inside every chief exec, there's a Soviet planner The Observer 15th February 2009, Simon Caulkin, Management editor at The Obserrver, argues that the current financial crisis and its causes are part of a general malaise within management. The malaise is command and control thinking, and despite all of the checking that goes on, reflects neither value nor reality.
Primary education 'too narrow' Friday, 20 February 2009,thia BBC article describes a new report that argues government targets, and a too narrow focus are damaging our children.
However good the pay, it doesn't buy results The Obeserver, Sunday 22 February, Simon Caulkin, Business Editor at the Observer with yet another excellent piece upon the damage that incentives do. Quite rightly he argues that organisations should instead design a good job for people to do and rely upon intrinsic motivation.
We need local heroes, not local elections Sunday 1st March 2009 the Observer, Simon Caulkin, Management Editor argues against government knee-jerk from central control to local control. Its all about management and understanding demand.
This isn't an abstract problem. Targets can kill Sunday 22nd March 2009, The Observer, Simon Caulkin, Business Editor writes that the evidence for targets damaging systems and in health systems, killing is overwhelming.
Hundreds of patients 'died unnecessarily' at flagship hospital The Guardian, Tuesday 17 March 2009, John Carvel, social affairs editor, on the behaviour in the system that the government targets regime caused
NHS targets 'may have led to 1,200 deaths' in Mid-Staffordshire The Telegraph, 18 Mar 2009, Rebecca Smith Medical Editor writes that government targets may have contributed to the death of patients because managers were chasing the target, causing cheating and distortion of services.
CAA inspectors need to join us in the real world 02 April 2009, Local Government Chronicle, written by Joanna Killian, Chief executive, Essex CC and Brentwood BC, an architect of CAA admits that it won't work and that inspection just ticks the box
British politics has reached its Yaffle moment The Times, March 11, 2009, Philip Collins reports that Labour is still addicted to centralised power
EU green targets will damage rainforests The Telegraph, 30 May 2007, Bruno Waterfield in Brussels writes that an unintended consequence of the EU environmental targets will speed up the destruction of the rainforest
NHS: Have targets become more important than patients? The Telegraph, 27 Mar 2009, Max Pemberton writes about how meeting the targets are leading to perverse consequences in the NHS
Culture of targets prevents nurses from tending to patients The Telegraph, 26 Mar 2009, Claire Rayner, President of the Patients Association writes that meeting targets are stopping nurses from looking after patients
Obsession with NHS targets is killing patients The Telegraph, 08 Apr 2005, Andrew Sparrow, Political Correspondent argues that patient are dying so that government targets can be met
Free our police from the tyranny of targets The Telegraph, 29 Mar 2009, Philip Johnston argues that its time to free police from targets as they are driving perverse behavior
Shooting at goals: Why setting performance targets can backfire The Economist, Mar 10th 2009, reports on how targets cause perverse behaviour in performance
Have targets done more harm than good in the English NHS? Yes BMJ, 16 January 2009, James Gubb argues that targets have caused real damage to NHS perforance
Hospital uploads paper referrals to hit Choose and Book targets In Pulse, 25 Mar 09, Steve Nowottny describes what behaviour government targets are having in some NHS hospitals
A century on, the MBA still has lessons to learn The Observer, Sunday 20 April 2008, Simon Caulkin, Management Editor to the Observer assesses the MBA and asks if it is any replacement to working in the work
Prescriptive national curriculum restricts teachers The Guardian, Monday 13 April 2009, Jessica Shepherd reports that the national carriculum is so prescriptive it allows no room for teachers to learn and improve it
Lloyds bank staff ‘puts frighteners’ on debtors The Times Online, April 12, 2009, Claire Newell and Jonathan Calvert write about LLoyds recovery tactics. Systems Thinkers know that these tactics are the unintentional behaviour caused by bonuses to meet targets
Teachers and heads unite to force abolition of SATs The Times, April 11, 2009, Nicola Woolcock writes that teachers, head teachers and unions are uniting because the SATs assessment is having a detrimental impact upon children's learning
Schools and nurseries opt out of Early Years strategy The Times Online, April 10, 2009, Joanna Sugden writes that schools and nurseries are applying to opt out of the governments curriculum, with 69 targets, because it restricts children's natural learning
Government meddling 'has de-skilled teachers' The Times Online, April 2, 2009, Nicola Woolcock writes that the government has turned education into a franchise. Effectively de-skilling teachers through central prescription
'Toxic' mix of reforms undermining education The Telegraph, 11 Apr 2009, Graeme Paton, Education Editor writes that the inspection regime league tables are leading to an exodus of teachers and pupils for fear that not meeting government targets will ruin their careers. It is leading to stress and high sickness levels.
Children under five given 300 'tick box' targets, say teachers The Telegraph, 13 Apr 2009, Graeme Paton, Education Editor writes that targets now apply from cradle to grave with over 300 for children under 5!
While we suffer, the box-tickers will continue to prosper The Observer, Sunday 19th April 2009, Nick Cohen argues that the budget will be wasted unless the tick-boxing and targets culture is jettisoned
The Government's Choice Based Lettings Scheme does not offer real choice 24th April 2009, this letter to Inside Housing argues that from a systems thinking perspective Choice Based Lettings (CBL) doesn't offer real choice
Pressure on to outsource NHS back offices 22 April, 2009, The Health Service Journal (HSJ), Sally Gainsbury writes that the NHS is being pressurized to cut back office costs by moving towards shared services. Systems Thinkers know that this will reduce quality and increase costs.
The mad world of New Labour's efficiency drive Sunday 26th April, The Observer, Simon Caulkin, Business Editor at the Observer with an article on what is wrong with the public sector today
Why the public sector needs to improve its contractor handling The Times Online, Jane Dudman Tuesday 28 April 2009, writes that the public accounts committee has condemned the government's mismanagement of its external suppliers. Systems thinkers know the thinking is all wrong.
Time for radical innovation The Guardian, Friday 24 April 2009, Phillip Blond writes that the problem of public sector improvement isn't lack of cash but ideas
Dry run for quality accounts gets the go ahead Health Service Journal, 24 April 2009, Dave West reports that all foundation trusts will have to publish reports on quality that assess against centrally prescribed criteria
DH says NHS can save money and improve patient safety Health Service Journal (HSJ), 1st May 2009, Charlotte Santry writes that a Department of Health economist is arguing that the NHS can save money and improve patient safety. Systems Thinkers agree, but come at it from a totally angle.
Early learning goals to be watered down in primary review The Times Online, April 30, 2009, Alexandra Frean, Education Editor writes that Early Learning targets are being renamed as goals although critics say that the regime hasn't changed at all
Headteachers vote to boycott primary Sats The Observer, 3rd May 2009, Anthea Lipsett writes that Headteachers have voted to boycott sats tests next year, because they believe that league tables damages education
Gradgrind facts of teaching English literature The Guardian, 2nd May 2009 in a letter to the editor G Browne, a teacher on the frontline writes about the real detrimental impact that targets are having
Wayward aims The Guardian, 25th March 2009, Jane Dudman comments upon the government inspection regime
The £70,000 social worker: Baby P council offers huge salaries to applicants 'with a sense of humour' The Mail Online, Colin Fernandez and Vanessa Allen write about the wages and recruitment crisis that social services face. The crisis led to a focus upon people and not systems solutions
Baby P case 'hitting recruitment' BBC news online reports that social workers are becoming harder to recruit in light of the Baby P incident and the serial sacking of staff
The smoke and mirrors behind 'positive' youth crime statistics The Guardian, Joe Public Blog, an account of how government statistics are being gamed
It's centralised, it's nutty, it's miles from reality The Times Online, 6th April 2009, Libby Purves reports on the damage that centralisation has done to the probation service
Rising patient choice fails to improve NHS quality standards 7 May 2009, The Health Service Journal (HSJ), Helen Crump writes that choice has had no impact upon improving quality in the NHS.
Fifth of 11 year-olds with poor maths skills, say MPs The Telegraph, 7th May 2009, Graeme Paton, Education Editor writes that despite £2.3 billions spent on teaching maths, and a raft of targets, performance hasn't improved. Time for a change of tack?
Care cases remain at higher pace BBC news online, reports that the body which safeguards children's interests in court, Cafcass has highlighted that children being taken into care has risen by 37.9%.
Co-ordination in child protection is the problem, not the answer The Times, May 7 2009, Camilla Cavendish: commentary discusses how more targets are the response of the government at the expense of understanding and reflection
Here's an idea: don't offer prizes for suggestions The Observer Sunday 10th May 2009, Simon Caulkin, Management Editor writes that offering NHS staff money for good ideas underlines the desperate lack of method
UK 'failing' on causes of crime the BBC news online website reports that Professor Waller in a report for the Policy Exchange think tank argues that central control is leading to a focus upon punishment instead of systems solutions to root causes and prevention of crime
All in the garden is far from rosy as developers grab greener The Guardian, Sunday 10 May 2009, Graham Norwood writes about the gardens being lost across the country to high rise developments. Part of the cause may be the targets the government has set for new build being high density. Cause and effect of a target?
Role for a local hero Local Government Chronicle, 7th May 2009, Mark Leftly, business correspondent, Independent on Sunday reports that Bill Roots want to set a 3% target to reduce the cost of procurement. Doubtless this will drive costs up as systems thinkers know
Gordon Brown urges police to walk people home from cashpoint The Guardian, Tuesday 12 May 2009, Alan Travis, home affairs editor writes that Gordon Brown is setting more government policing policy. More 'good' ideas imposed onto the public sector.
A framework that doesn't fit The Guardian, Tuesday 12 May 2009, Janet Murray asks if there is room for Steiner schools, that focus upon developing the whole child and don't believe in targets to opt out of early years foundation testing
Back to the office Inside Housing, 8th May 2009, Martin Hilditch reports that the TSA is looking to align the regulation of the sector with what matters to residents
Protection orders hit record high Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 14th May 2009, Jim Dunton writes that child protection orders are increasing as are costs after staff were sacked for the poor performance of their system
Efficiency: LGA seeks greater powers Local Government Chronicle, 21st April 2009 reports on LGA calls for the government to remove some of the legislation that stops Local Authorities improving and not just demand cuts
Three years to balance books plea Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 15th May 2009, James Illman reports that the New Local Government Network is begging for budget cuts demanded of local authorities to be assessed over three years. This would give them latitude to improve and not slash and burn services
Arms firm bids to buy ambulances The Observer, Sunday 17th May 2009, Tim Webb writes that Local Authorities, responding to treasury demands to slash spending are i talks to enter into a PFI deal with a private company to sell all of their ambulances, fire engines and police cars and then lease them back
Government IT spending continues to rise, but where are the savings? The Guardian, Public supplement, Monday 18 May 2009, Jane Dudman reports that the government IT bill is increasing rapidly with no signs of improvement. Systems thinking use of IT costs little and the results are dramatic!
Police sent on litter patrols 'to boost crime detection figures' The Telegraph, 16th May 2009, John Bingham reports on the perverse impact of targets caused by the inspection regime
NHS bureaucracy The Times letters, 19th May 2009, writes considering the huge resources poured into the NHS cancer services with little improvement, perhaps the answer is simple processes and improving capacity
Whitehall entrepreneurs face Dragons’ Den-style grilling over ideas The Times, 18th May 2009, Jill Sherman, Whitehall Editor writes that civil servants are having to pitch their 'good' ideas on improving services to a panel. Systems Thinkers would suggest that they get out into the work and learn
MPs call for power shift to councils Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 20th May 2009, Dan Drillsma-Milgrom writes that an influential committee of MP's is calling for more power and tax raising functions to be handed to local authorities. This would improve local accountability. The regime's local government minister rejected the arguments
Councils 'must do more to train social workers' Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 19th May 2009, Jim Dunton writes that Moira Gibb speaking to the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee says that more must be done to train social workers. No changes to the system (the 95%) but more training on the 5%.
Call for ministers' commitment to savings Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 21st May 2009, Dan Drillsma-Milgrom writes that John Sibson, government and public sector leader at consultants PriceWaterhouse Coopers, said ministers would need to demonstrate willpower if they wanted to see standardisation and simplification between local organisations within an area. Systems Thinkers know that this approach wrecks services!
MPs call for more freedom for councils Inside Housing, 21st May 2009, Martin Hilditch reports that MPs are finally making calls for local authorities to be freed from central control
Failing to learn - or learning to fail? The Guardian, Wednesday 20th May 2009, Kieran Walshe writes that a failure to solve the root causes of poor performance and instead focus upon symptoms is stifling learning in the public sector. Time for a change of tack?
A&E departments meet four-hour government target The Nursing Times, 17th May 2009, Clare Lomas writes that the government has congratulated NHS staff for meeting the A & E 4 hour waiting time. Despite much evidence that the system is gamed to meet the target, general ignorance reigns.
Chief exec urges radical new thinking Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 27th May 2009, Robin Latchem reports that the leader of Brent council is calling for an outbreak of new thinking to improve services and save money
GP incentive system delivers disappointing results on diabetes Health Service Journal (HSJ), 27th May 2009, Helen Crump reports that the performance related pay scheme has had no impact upon improving patient care. In fact the chase to meet the targets may have harmed care.
Monitor costs could double in three years Health Service Journal (HSJ) 27th May 2009, Dave West reports that the cost of regulating foundation trusts will double in the next three years. Systems Thinkers know that you can't inspect quality in.
Concern at adult training regulator Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 28th May 2009, Mark Smulian reports that Councils may have to deal with a bloated quango for adult training instead of the expected light-tough regulator, the Local Government Association has warned.
Districts sceptical over efficiency targets Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 28th May 2009, Dan Drillsma-Milgrom reports that District councils are more sceptical about their ability to meet the government’s extended efficiency targets, according to a Localis survey
Balance of power: are councils timid? Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 28th May 2009, Dan Drillsma-Milgrom reports that the Commons communities and local government select committee spoke of its “disappointment” in the “limited” ambition and “timidity” it found in the sector.
School heads want tests abandoned BBC news online, Thursday, 28th May 2009, Primary school principals have called on grammar schools to abandon their plans for unregulated tests due to take place later this year.
Former chief Tara Donnelly 'misled' over A&E breaches Health Service Journal (HSJ), 29th May 2009, Dave West reports that managers were misled over the number of patients waiting longer than the targets. Systems Thinkers know that targets encourage cheating, and cause fear and no learning
Look to the Puritans, not business schools The Observer on Sunday, 31st May 2009, Simon Caulkin writes that the arguments swing between state control and no state control. Time to move-on.
Watchdogs paid staff £25m in bonuses The Observer, Sunday 31st may 2009, Jamie Doward writes that the Financial Services Authority, which regulates Britain's banks, paid £19.7m in bonuses to staff last year, with £4m of that going to executives earning more than £100,000, and the highest single bonus being £90,000
Housing density in England grows Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 1st June 2009, Dan Drillsma-Milgrom writes that housing density is growing, something belived to have been caused by centrally-imposed housing building targets
Ed Balls 'harming social care provision' Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 1 June, 2009, Nick Golding reports that David Clark, of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives & Senior Managers, accused Mr Balls of being one of the many politicians “happy to put the boot into social workers at every level”, potentially harming recruitment to the sector.
The targets era is over - now we need to go and catch criminals, says police chief Mail Online, 06th June 2009, Andrew Chapman reports that one of Britain’s most senior police officers has criticised the Government’s obsession with performance targets and called for a return to old-fashioned policing
Industrialising the service sector is a false economy and fatal in the public sector Thus, 8th June 2009, John Seddon writes that industrializing service will increase costs and ruin services
Infection drive 'hit by targets' BBC news online, 9th June 2009, a British Medical Association report says infection control practices have been damaged by overcrowding, understaffing and targets in NHS facilities
Warning over localism reforms Local Government Chronicle (LGC), 10th June 2009, David Boyle, a fellow of the New Economics Foundation (NEF) thinktank, claimed reforms proposed by all three main parties were under threat because the debate around localism was too narrow.
Farewell, with a last word on the blunder years The Observer on Sunday, 14th June 2009, Simon Caulkin writes his brilliant column for the observer for the last time. A review of where management went wrong
Ofsted setting tougher standards BBC online, 12th June 2009, Education inspectors are bringing in tougher standards for England's schools which will require higher results for them to be rated good or outstanding. More of the wrong thing
Government should scrap PFI, says Unison The Guardian, 15th June 2009, Owen Bowcott reports that the private finance intiative will cost UK taxpayers £217bn in repayments over the next 25 years, warns report from public and health services union
'Huge job cuts' for public sector BBC news online, Tuesday, 16th June 2009, reports that Chief economist John Philpott says the recession will bring "a bloodbath in the public finances" which will force employers to slash their workforce
Force disciplines police blogger BBC online, 16th June 2009, A police blogger criticising bureaucracy and government ministers has been disciplined. “In his blog "Night Jack - An English Detective" an unnamed officer had chronicled his working life in an unnamed UK town with descriptions of local criminals and his struggle with police bureaucracy”
Banking regulation 'not to blame' BBC news online, 17th June 2009, the Chancellor Alistair Darling does not plan fundamental reform of the way UK financial institutions are regulated because be believes that there was nothing wrong with the system. Instead he blames the heads of the banks.
Probation 'told to under-spend' BBC Online, 19th June 2009, Harry Fletcher, from the National Association of Probation Officers, has said that senior managers were encouraged to underspend by Senior officials at the Ministry of Justice. The Head of the Probation service resigned over the matter.
NHS pay reforms 'delivered no evidence of savings' Telegraph, 18th June 2009, Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent reports that the Agenda for Change program has lead to an initial decrease in productivity, and no reduction in costs
Must do better: Ofsted order to schools as third of English lessons judged not good enough The Guardian, 19th June 2009, Polly Curtis, education editor reports that a three-year study by Ofsted, published today, found 30% of lessons are not good enough and little attempt is made to encourage teenagers to read for pleasure. They fail to understand that targets lead to this behaviour.
Policing policy 'needs time' Local Government Chronicle, 19th June 2009, Dan Drillsma-Milgrom reports that Local Government experts revealed that “By 2012, the Home Office wants to see 60% of the public agree the police and their partners are tackling the local crime issues that matter most to local people! Perception over reality?
Undercover Boss: Andy Edge, Park Resorts Channel 4, Thursday 18 June 2009 9pm, Andy Edge is a company director of Park Resorts, who goes into the work, to work on the work, with the workers. A good start, although there is no method other than going into the work. Which is as much as Orwell did.
Schools 'too safe' teachers say BBC online, 21st June 2009, A survey by Teachers TV has found that nearly half of teachers believe the health and safety culture in schools is damaging children's learning and development. The elimination of all risk has impacts on other parts of a system.
Hit the target and miss the point The New Stateman, 31st January 2000, Nick Cohen questions wether governing by targets is the right thing to do. This articles comes right from the early years but the government wasn't listening.
The storming of the accountants The New Statesman, 21st January 2002, David Boyle writes that when the world is turned into the tyranny of numbers, what results are abstractions that damage services
What's all this, then? The New Statesman, 28th May 2007, Emily Hill writes about the strange things that targets do to the police and recording crime.
Let's turn the NHS upside down The New Statesman, 31st January 2000, Julia Neuberger argues that we won't get better services until central control is relaxed.
The myth of private sector efficiency The New Statesman, 21st August 2008, Peter Wilby writes about the myth of private sector performance and the danger of turning to the private sector for advice and for opening up the public sector to competition.
Inspection pressure 'hits social work' Local Government Chronicle, 24th June 2009, Jim Dunton writes that Helen Denton, Lancashire CC’s director of children’s services, said she believed that Ofsted’s new inspection framework for child safeguarding is creating a culture of fear. Systems Thinkers know that quality cannot be inspected in.
Scraping of burnt toast in the public sector The Financial Times, June 25th 2009, Letters Section, Dr Peter Middleton, Queen's University Belfast writes that the problem with the public sector is the prevailing management thinking.
Death By Call Center Customer Management IQ, 24th June 2009, Tripp Babbitt, Vanguard USA writes about systems thinking & IVR in US call centres
Labour ready to abandon Tony Blair's public service targets The Guardian, 26th June 2009, Patrick Wintour and Nicholas Watt report that Labour is looking to reduce the number of targets, whilst promising more personalisation of services. The promises come with menaces.
Civil servants divided over IT efficiencies The Guardian, Kable supplement. 26th June 2009, Kable reports that recent attendees to an IT efficiency conference, only 55% said that believed that IT, such as shard back offices would lead to efficiency savings, with 45% against. Is the message starting to get out? Shared Services is bad for your organisational health.
Rail bosses get £1.2m in bonuses BBC Online, 26th June 2009, Top Network Rail bosses will get bonuses totalling over £1.2m, despite criticism of the firm's performance. Again, chasing bonuses leads to worse performance.
Labour ends central control of schools The New Statesman, 26th June 2009, reports that the government is ending national strategies for learning and intends to allow teachers to teach. Change will have to wait until 2011 (when presumably they would be out of power anyway), and comes with major threats.
Systems Thinking: A Personal Affront? Bryce Harrison inc, Systems Thinking: A Personal Affront? Bryce Harrison, a Vanguard systems thinker working in the USA writes about the reaction of some US companies to systems thinking.
Dragon's Eye BBC Wales, in a debate on public sector cuts, savings and efficiency, John Seddon has a brief appearance talking about service improvement and what the government has to do to improve.
Police face frontline cuts under Treasury savings targets The Times, 29th June 2009, Sean O’Neill, Crime Editor, and Francis Elliott, Deputy Political Editor write that Police forces must cut spending by £480 million this year, prompting fears that officer numbers may fall when increasing unemployment could bring a surge in crime. It doesn't have to be this way.
Leading doctors demand end of target-driven patient care which 'endangers lives' Daily Mail, 30th June 2009, Jenny Hope reports that Dr Hamish Meldrum, of the British Medical Association, speaking at its annual conference in Liverpool, called on Health Secretary Andy Burnham to end the 'ludicrous, divisive and expensive experiment of the market in healthcare in England'.
Who will enforce Gordon Brown's new 'entitlements' and 'guarantees'? The Guardian, 30th June 2009, Michael White's blog discusses the new policy initiatives of writers. Who will enforce it he asks? We know it will drive in waste and drive up costs.
Spanner in the streamlined works The Guardian, 1st July 2009, Jane Dudman writes about John Seddon and the systems thinking perspective of shared services. Unfortunately she calls John a proponent of lean techniques, but the general gist is there.
Moral imperative for public services The Guardian, 1st July 2009, in a letter to the editor Charlotte Pell argues that the governments rights and enetitlements are merely targets by another name and will fail.
Survey highlights social work fears Local Government Chronicle, 1st July 2009, Jim Dunton reports that The Baby P tragedy has caused a damaging plunge in morale among social workers that is threatening the safety of children, a new survey of councillors has found.
Planning measures 'perverse incentives' Local Government Chronicle, 3rd July 2009, James Illman reports that the 13 weeks target for planning is having unintended consequences. Something systems thinkers have known for some time.
Public service delivery - The Politics Show BBC News Online, An East Midlands council officer insists government should get off the backs of local authorities and abandon its obsession with targets
Reith lectures: Of markets and morality The Guardian, 04th July 2009, Editorial on the fascinating Reith lectures, this year delivered by Professor Sandell. An interesting listen and linked to where the current regime went wrong on the public sector.
Patients at risk from 'unsafe' NHS trusts The Guardian, 3rd July 2009, Owen Bowcott reports that a critical parliamentary study has identified as government targets as a key factor in making services unsafe. The three "notorious" examples it cites are Mid Staffordshire NHS trust, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS trust in Kent, and Stoke Mandeville hospital.
We've had years of growth - so let's not be afraid of cuts The Observer, 5th July 2009, Steve Bundred, Chief Executive of the Audit Commission with his method for improving public service, wide-scale cutting. He believes this will increase morale and improve services.
They sold our streets and nobody noticed The Observer, 5th July 2009, Rafeal Behr with an interesting article on how the regeneration didn't work.
Simon Caulkin tells us why its time to Reboot Britain SMLXL, 5th July 2009, Simon Caulkin, the management commentator writes about why the world of management needs rebooting.
Police spending half their time away from front line as paperwork increases The Telegraph, 5th July 2009, Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor writes that Police officers are spending an increasing amount of their time on paperwork, despite the Government's claim to have cut the burden of red tape, new figures have disclosed
Today's public sector 'jobs'. Cost: £1.6million The Telegraph, 7th July 2009, Justin Williams lists a number of public sector jobs advertised on one day and highlights that most are not real jobs.
Bundred's blind belief The Guardian, 7th July 2009, John Seddon responds to Steve Bundreds argument on cuts and instead argues that to cut costs, cut the compliance culture!
Warning over new children’s directors guidance Local Government Chronicle, 8th July 2009, Jim Dunton reports that new government guidance on child services is overweighted towards safeguarding and ssociation of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) president Kim Bromley-Derry has called for clarification
Somerset denies outsourcing inquiry Local Government Chronicle, 8th July 2009, Mark Smulian reports that Somerset CC are denying that the new Conservative council is launching an investigation into the shared services system. An MP has claimed that Southwest One – a back office shared services partnership of Somerset, Taunton Deane BC, Avon & Somerset Police and IBM – “has made a complete hash of things in the county”
System failure? The Guardian, 9th July 2009, Jane Dudman reports on the failure of the massive central NHS database, £12.5 billion and 5 years late
Ed Balls urges teachers and lawyers to become social workers The Telegraph, 9th July 2009, After sacking social workers at Haringey, leading to an outflux of social workers from the profession, Ed Balls is drawing up plans to persuade teachers and lawyers to become social workers.
Police are recorders not investigators, says Government's red tape tsar The Telegraph, 13th July 2009, Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor writes that the government's 'Red Tape' Tsar, has said that police officers have become recorders not investigators because of the growing burden of bureaucracy
Patients 'being hurried though casualty departments' The Telegraph, 14th July 2009, Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent reports about the cheating that hospitals are engaged in to meet government targets. And yet the government remains unable to learn the lesson that targets damage service.
Planning 'plagued by box-ticking' BBC online, 14th July 2009, John Andrew reports that the centre-right Bow Group has argued that England's planning system is plagued by box-ticking and target-setting and does not deliver the homes needed at local level
£286m to help terminally ill to die at home ‘lost in system’ Times Online, 15th July 2009, David Rose reports that Nine out of ten local health authorities cannot identify their share of the £286 million promised last year to help people who want to die in their own homes, rather than in hospital
New Labour's great mistake is to think we are all automatons The Guardian, 14th July 2009, Jenni Russell with an insightful discussion of where New Labour went wrong when it focused upon targets, and managerialism.
Twins separated by council after admission form error The Telegraph, 16th July 2009, report that an accidental mistake on a form meant that two children of the same age will now go to separate schools.
Cut the Audit Commission, not public services Local Government Chronicle, 16th July 2009, John Seddon argues that The Audit Commission, other inspection bodies and those who specify need to be cut or reigned back before wholescale improvement in service will take place
Baby P checks 'should be halted' BBC news online, 17th July 2009, Unannounced checks on children's services introduced after the Baby P case should be halted because they are unfair, senior officials have said. Once again, inspection is criticized.
Audit Commission needs to back off Public Finance, 17th July 2009, letter by John Seddon on the Audit Commission
Shared services agenda is sinister, says leading Tory The Guardian, 17th July 2009, Mark Say report that Shadow immigration minister Damian Green says sharing IT systems is 'highly sinister' and claims too many data bases and data sharing threaten basic freedoms
Think Tank: Please sir, you’re not qualified to teach Times Online, 19th JUly 2009, Sheila Lawlor with commentary on the Teaching profession under central initiatives and targets
Deborah Orr: This illogical vetting scheme will not safeguard our children The Independent on Sunday, 19th July 2009, Deborah Orr argues that tick-boxing and databases will not safeguard children.
By all means criticise us, but get your facts straight Local Government Chronicle, 20th July 2009, David Walker, Managing Director, Communications and Public Reporting, Audit Commission responds to John Seddon's article. In responding they show how little they understand.
Government 'is not good at delivery' Public Servant Daily, 21st July 2009, Dean Carroll writes that Geoff Mulgan, architect of the New Labour project, now agrees with John Seddon that the Audit Commission needs to be reined back for local innovation to happen
DCLG set to fail on value target Local Government Chronicle, 23 July 2009, Dan Drillsma-Milgrom reports that the DCLG have seen a rise in head count from 1,942 in 2007/08 to 2,148 this year, missing it's own value for money targets
The folly of scale LocvalGov.co.uk, 22nd July 2009, John Seddon writes that economy of scale, what the government bases most of its thinking upon, is a myth and is driving up costs, driving in waste and demoralisation
Criminal justice must break free from the past The Times, 22 July 2009, Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions writes that what they have been doing, including targets for example, is great. More prescription, targets and tick-boxing to follow.
On average, our schools are serving up a lesson in failure The Times Online, 24th July 2009, Lee Elliot Major writes that the attempt to drive up average standards is damaging lower and higher achievers
Terence Blacker: The mad democracy of snooping The Independent, 24th July 2009, Terence Blacker reports on a highly sinister consequence of a controlling, checking, specifying state, we get used to it and start to police our own thinking in the same way
Traffic wardens 'made to ticket' BBC news online, 25th July 2009, traffic wardens who have been set targets are leading to unintended consequences including motorist militancy
Hospital chairman quits over dangerous targets The Telegraph, 25th July 2009, Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent reports that the head of one of Britain’s largest hospital trusts has resigned over his fears that patients’ lives are being put at risk by an obsession with government targets
Badge of success The Guardian, 17th December 2008, Robert Bullard reports that focusing on customer needs instead of targets has improved a council's mobility parking scheme
School league tables ‘meaningless’ The Financial Times, 27th July 2009, Nicholas Timmins, Public Policy Editor writes that School league tables are essentially a “meaningless exercise” and should be scrapped, two leading academics have claimed. They are really there to give the perception of progress
Response The Guardian, 27th July, Response section, letters critical of government targets and 60 learning goals in early years education.
Hanging on the telephone? Change the way you work The Financial Times, 28th July 2009, Stefan Stern asks John Seddon why when you need service from a call centre, they won't help. His answer is a compelling insight into where service design went wrong.
Head-to-head Local Government Chronicle, 28th July 2009, Robin Latchem reports that the argument between the systems thinker John Seddon and the Audit Commission has attracted the largest ever audience to the website and the largest ever number of contributers
Union fury as civil service outsources jobs to India The Times, 29th July 2009, Jill Sherman, Whitehall Editor reports that more than 100 jobs at the British Council are to be outsourced to India as part of a massive cost-cutting drive to save the taxpayer money. The private sector, having learnt that economies and outsourcing in fact increase costs are currently insourcing.
DH will probe how row over targets led to bullying claims Health Service Journal, 29th July 2009, Helen Crump and Alison Moore report that the Department of Health is to launch an independent review into allegations of bullying and harassment over targets
‘New way’ thinker John Seddon aims at council targets The Times Business, July 31, 2009, Emily Ford interviews John Seddon and describes an the way out of the cul-de-sac for the public sector
If you need a target, don’t be a teacher The Times Online, 31st July 2009, Joe Chislett argues that following government prescription over targets and standards is the dumb thing to do and instead improving candidates ability to think is much better
Rate performance from customer perspective Inside Housing, 31st July 2009, Letters section responding to comment from Housemark on Benchmarking
Suspension as Wirral NHS Trust announces investigation into waiting time “irregularities” Liverpool Daily Post, Jul 14 2009, Kevin Core reports that Wirral University Hospital Trust has confirmed it is carrying out an “urgent” inquiry and one member of staff has been suspended at Arrowe Park hospital. Merely another victim of the targets culture.
‘A&E targets put patients at risk’ Telegraph and Argus, 14th July 2009, Anika Bourley reports that Patients are being put at risk at Accident and Emergency departments across the Bradford district with staff under constant pressure to meet four- hour targets. The evidence piles up.
PbR: A target by any other name.. Health Service Journal, July a blog by Nadeem Moghal on a new government target has been getting some interesting comments
DfT shared service reverted to manual controls The A Register, 20th July 2009 11:49 GMT, The Department for Transport had to resort to manual processing to cope with problems at its shared services centre.
Low energy lightbulbs mailed to British families that cannot use them The Telegraph, 10th Jul 2009, Geoffrey Lean reports that Hundreds of millions of old-fashioned low energy lightbulbs have been mailed to British families that often cannot use them, official documents show!
Tories say reduction in NHS national tariff could save billions The Times, August 3rd 2009, Sam Coates, Chief Political Correspondent reports that the conservatives are planning to cut the NHS national tariff. Systems Thinkers know that a focus upon costs often increases costs and decreases quality.
Government spends £37 million lobbying itself The Telegraph, 4th August 2009, Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor reports that goverment departments and organisations are spending £37 million pounds lobbying each other
Government accused of legacy of illiteracy The Independent, 4th August 2009, Joe Churcher reports that The number of children who have left primary school unable to read or write since Labour came to power in 1997 will pass half a million when the latest SATs results are published today, the Liberal Democrats have predicted
Ministers spent £38m on lobbying The Independent, 4th August 2009, Nigel Morris, Deputy political editor reports that Ministers stand accused of spending more than £38m of public money last year on lobbying and political campaigning. If it was working the public would know.
Tom Sutcliffe: What a waste of police time – and mine The Independent, 4th August 2009, Tom Sutcliffe's opinion piece, where he describes the experience of reporting low level crime. It is what being on the end of a tick-list feels like.
Head of wheelie bin quango gets more pay than the Prime Minister Daily Mail Online, 4th August 2009, Steve Doughty reports that the head of WRAP, the body financed by the taxpayer to encourage the spread of wheelie bins, was paid more than the Prime Minister’s salary last year
Revenue tax data outsourcing plans anger unions Times Online, 5th August 2009, Jill Sherman, Whitehall Editor reports that Sensitive tax processing work could be outsourced to India for the first time under radical cash-saving proposals being considered by Revenue & Customs. The Revenue is renegotiating its multibillion-pound IT contract with a consortium led by Capgemini as part of an efficiency drive to save £205 million a year. Except it won't save money because economies of scale is a myth.
The State of the Service July 2009, Institute of Government, A review of Whitehall‟s performance and prospects for improvement. Lots of targets missed but no learning and improvement
How police plan to cut crime: Stop counting criminal damage Daily Mail, 06th May 2008, Andrew Levy on government targets and how they are causing unintended consequences
Targets can seriously damage your health... BMJ, 20th September 2003, targets and how they are damaging the NHS
Think local on NHS IT Kable (Guardian supplement), 6th August 2009, Norman Lamb MP has expressed a preference for the simple use of IT
Select committee warns on plea bargaining and out-of-court fines The Times Online, 6th August 2009, Richard Ford reports that a disturbing insight into the criminal justice system, damage caused by targets and a difference between claims and reality
Better training is needed to provide the support that people with dementia and their carers need Nursing Times, 6th August 2009, Sarah Goldberg writers that hospitals focus upon targets rather than doing the right thing for those with dementia or what their carers need
Junior Doctors Learning has Suffered In the News.co.uk, Thursday, 06 Aug 2009, Published in the journal Clinical Medicine this week, the findings describe how NHS targets are being met, but "trainees' learning opportunities have suffered"
"Strong" gas record of housing body called into question Enfield Homes, 7th August 2009, Hannah Crown writes that the Audit Commission gave Enfield Homes a strong on gas safety in their inspection report, despite claims to the contrary including one claimed blundering workmen left her with a broken cooker and another said she has a boiler which is so old it cannot be serviced
Social work chiefs go back to the classroom The Times Online, August 6, 2009, Rosemary Bennett reports that social workers and their managers are going to get more training. Command and control training is no training at all.
It’s raining bonuses at the Met Office The Times Online, 9th August 2009, John Ungoed-Thomas reports that the government owned met office is paying bonuses. When will they learn that bonuses harm learning and instead pay them a good wage?
Newsnight - Phillip Blond and failure demand Newsnight, 11th August 2009, Phillip Blond interviewed on Newsnight talked about the concepts of failure demand, a key point of leverage for improvement. Find the 11th August and watch from about 7 minutes and 15 seconds in
Youth offending team falsified files, say probation inspectors The Guardian, 12th August 2009, Alan Travis, home affairs editor reports that a youth offending team were caught out by the inspectors falsifying their files. What the inspectors don't understand is that they were unlucky to get caught. Inspection damages learning and improvement.
Today - Radio 4 Listen Again - debate on inspection - John makes an appearance Today on Radio 4 Listen again, John Waite describes the experience of white collar workers using Job Centre plus for the first time. They feel shocked, and yet this is the truth (as compared to the spin) of the experience of using some public sector services
NHS computerisation: lessons from what the bosses never learned The Guardian, 12th August 2009, Michael Cross reports that the big NHS database never learnt from previous IT projects.
Schools 'swamped' by guidance The Telegraph, 13th August 2009, Graeme Paton, Education Editor reports that Schools are struggling to cope after being “swamped” by almost 4,000 pages of Government guidance every year, according to the Conservatives
Blackburn with Darwen's £91k consultancy bill for inspection help Lancashire Telegraph, 12th August 2009, Tom Moseley reports that a council spent £91,000 on consultants’ fees to get top marks in an inspection. As systems thinkers know, inspection gets organisations doing things that tick inspectors boxes and are no indicator of quality
The NHS, and the rest of the public sector, must not be immune to criticism The Telegraph, 17 Aug 2009, Philip Johnston writes that whenever somebody suggests new ways of delivering public services they are shouted down. In the same way that the Audit Commission tried to do for Seddon.
The NHS, and the rest of the public sector, must not be immune to criticism The Telegraph, 17 Aug 2009, Philip Johnston writes that whenever somebody suggests new ways of delivering public services they are shouted down. In the same way that the Audit Commission tried to do for Seddon.
Learn the buzzwords and key phrases, and pass an A-level The Daily Mail, 18th August 2009, Laura Clark reports that teachers are coaching sixth-formers to memorise the precise detail of how examiners award marks in A-level questions, according to a study. But when you are assessed against league tables and targets, linked to finance, you will do everything to look good.
Stifling prison innovation The Guardian, 19th August 2009, David Wilson reports that a unique prison with great results is being threatened on the grounds of finance.
Local authorities breach parking guidelines The Times Online, 19th August 2009, Ali Hussain reports that Consumer group Which? says motorists are been penalised unfairly when issued with parking tickets. Targets again.
Blunders cost the NHS £807m: Targets blamed as payouts rise by a quarter Daily Mail online, 19th august 2009, Daniel Martin reports that the amount paid out by the Health Service for serious medical blunders and other accidents has soared by almost a quarter in just one year. Targets are in the frame again
How target of 50% going to university foundered The Guardian, 20th August 2009, Polly Curtis, education editor, reports that the 50% target for student admission to university will not be met as government backtracks. More evidence on no good way to set a target.
How target of 50% going to university foundered The Guardian, 20th August 2009, Polly Curtis, education editor, reports that the 50% target for student admission to university will not be met as government backtracks. More evidence on no good way to set a target.
WWHA gains coveted Investors in People Leadership and management accolade 24 Dash, 20th August 2009, Hannah Wooderson reports that West Wales Housing Association has won the top IIP accolade on the back of systems thinking work carried out with Vanguard.
Low morale to blame for poor productivity The Times Online, 20th August 2009, letters after a report “Fat, unfit NHS staff top the sick league,” blames poor productivity on lifestyle conditions. What systems thinkers know is that productivity is a condition of an efficienct system.
Doctors demand more money to administer swine flu jabs The TImes Online, 20th August 2009, David Rose, Health Correspondent reports that GPs are demanding money to administer the new flu vaccine? Why? So as to protect their bonuses that are paid out when they meet their productivity targets! Targets again!
David Colin-Thomé leads review of NHS urgent care policy Health Services Journal, 20th August 2009, Dave West reports that a national expert group is reviewing policy on urgent and emergency care for the Department of Health in response to the next stage review, the Mid Staffordshire foundation trust scandal and spiralling demand. It will examine targets. It has to also question the use of targets.
Call for re-think about Public service leadership Public Net, 20th August 2009, call for a whole systems thinking approach to total place and what constitutes leadership in the public sector
Elliott School has produced xx, Burial and Hot Chip. Could they really close it? Times Online, 22nd August 2009, Sophie Heawood reports that a school earmarked for closure because it doesn't tick the box of Ofsted, produced a series of good bands and ex-pupils who love it. The recipe for its prior success? A committed, innovative and passionate headteacher. I wonder if that even comes onto the radar of Ofsted tick-lists?
Public sector inefficiency claimed to cost £58.4bn The Observer, 23rd August 2009, Kathryn Hopkins reports that the widening productivity gap between the public and private sectors has cost the British taxpayer £58.4bn a year. The chief of the CEBR says automation in the public sector is behind the curve, leading to higher costs. Wrong wrong and wrong. Automation of the cause of much of the inefficiency in the public sector.
Children's care crisis as criminal vetting fees approach £600m The Guardian, 24th August 2009, Jamie Doward, home affairs editor reports that almost £600m has been spent to check the backgrounds of people who work with children, it emerged last night, triggering claims the vetting system is in danger of spiralling "out of control"
Quangos blackball ... oops, sorry ... veto ‘racist’ everyday phrases The Times, 24th August 2009, Chris Hastings reports that dozens of quangos and taxpayer-funded organisations have ordered a purge of common words and phrases so as not to cause offence
Heart attack victims 'lack ongoing support' The Independent, 24th August 2009, Kunal Dutta reports that the government has missed another target and heart attack long-term care is being missed. When will they learn that there is no good way to set a target and that they are damaging and distracting.
Hospital probes changes to A&E waiting records This is nottingham.co.uk, 24th August 2009, Hospital staff changed the records of dozens of patients who waited too long for emergency treatment at the QMC. More damage caused by targets
Are teachers choosing 'easy' exam boards? The Guardian, 24th August 2009, Warwick Mansell reported asks if this week's GCSE results reflect students' hard work – or, as critics claim, efforts by teachers to find the 'easiest' exam boards? It includes arguments that targets, league tables and testing have led to this outcome.
Chronic shortage of NHS health visitors raises safety fears The Guardian, 25th August 2009, Owen Bowcott reports that a chronic shortage of NHS health visitors has resulted in newborn babies not being seen at home until they are almost four months old. he CPHVA, part of the Unite union, blames the failure on adherence to central government targets – it says these reward NHS trusts for meeting in-hospital waiting-time deadlines but ignore other medical needs.
'Don't involve public in their services' Public Service, 26th August 2009, Matthew George reports that Seddon says don't involve the public in designing services.
'Don't involve public in their services' Public Service, 26th August 2009, Matthew George reports that Seddon says don't involve the public in designing services.
500,000 violent criminals escaped justice last year The Daily Mail, 01st September 2009, James Skacj and Matthew Hickley report that crime resolution is falling and whilst 22% of time is spent on paperwork, only 14% is spent on patrol.
Campaign seeks new social workers BBC news online, 1st September 2009, a new campaign has been launched to recruit 5,000 new social workers after some were sacked and the profession lambasted by ministers who designed the system.
Disadvantaged children failed by British system, warns OECD The Telegraph, 1st September 2009, Britain's education and welfare system is failing disadvantaged children despite high levels of public funding, the OECD has warned
£500 fine if you put out wheelie bin on the wrong day Daily Mail, 2nd September 2009, Daniel Bates and Steve Doughty report that a new series of fines are being levied for putting your bin out on the wrong day. There is a better way.
Councillors back education, housing and waste Local Government Chronicle, 2nd September 2009, Dan Drillsma-Milgrom writes that Education, social housing and waste collection and recycling services are the services most councillors believe should be priorities for investment, a survey of councillors has revealed. To do this they need to understand the true performance before they learn to improve.
'Crisis' over terminally-ill care BBC news online, 3rd September 2009, In a letter to the Daily Telegraph the six doctors and campaigners liken government guidance to a "tick-box approach" to care
Teachers' workloads 'not reduced' BBC news online, 3rd September 2009, Teachers' workloads in England and Wales have not been reduced as intended by recent reforms, research has found
1 in 10 NHS jobs 'would have to be cut to meet efficiency targets' The Telegraph, 3rd September 2009, a report commissioned by the Department of Health, McKinsey and Company, the consultancy firm, recommends that 137,000 NHS posts should be shed. Abstracting numbers will lead to the wrong answer. When we will learn that only new thinking will take us out of this crisis.
Benefits service in £1m boost This is Leicester.com, 2nd September 2009, More than £1m is to be injected into the Leicester's struggling benefits service after the Audit Commission awarded it zero stars. The council has pledged to turn around the service and hit ambitious targets within 18 months. In systems thinking benefits services performance is many hundreds of times better than Audit Commission imposed standards and targets.
Treasury sets value targets The Guardian, 17th December 1998, the first 500 targets
Teachers 'fiddled school roll' The Guardian, 11th December 1999, The government is to investigate truancy at a Newcastle comprehensive after allegations that teachers fiddled the attendance figures by persuading parents of persistent absentees to sign forms saying they intended to educate their children at home
Improve or else The Guardian, 7th December 1999, Universities and colleges falling behind government targets for drop-out rates or widening access were this week warned by Baroness Blackstone, the education minister, to improve their performance. This was a clear signal that new benchmarks will soon be used to drive funding.
Is it Hair or Blague? The Observer, 31th December 2000, There are so many targets that there are targets of the number of targets civil servants must hit. There are targets to halve world poverty and improve dental hygiene; to end child poverty within 20 years and raise 'the quality of service by catering staff at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre to 88 per cent' within one; to cut hard drug use by 50 per cent by 2008 and 'increase the favourability of media coverage of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority by 43.9-50 per cent' by 2001.
How to draw up a best value performance plan The Guardian, 27th December 2000, Lets visit where it all started to go wrong - Putting a best value performance plan together can be a headache for even the most dedicated council officer. Think carefully about who you're writing it for, and you won't go far wrong
Government announces adoption shakeup The Guardian, 21st december 2000, those adoption targets and where they came from. Sweeping reforms which aim to increase the number of children who are adopted by 40% over the next five years
Whitehall unlikely to hit target for women in top jobs The Guardian, 15th December 2000, Figures released in the civil service annual report reveal that although the percentage of women getting jobs among the top 3,000 civil servants has jumped from 17.8% to 22%, it was still far short of the government's target of 35%. Targets quickly caused problems.
Asylum scandal The Guardian letters page, 15th December 2000, A few weeks from now, Jack Straw will announce that the Home Office is meeting his target of deciding most asylum applications within two months. What he is unlikely to say is that this is being achieved by a deliberate policy of not even looking at a large proportion of them.
An eye on the big picture The Guardian, 23rd August 2000, An early insight into social services and targets. The modernisation agenda in social services comes after years of growth. Despite the public's perception of cuts, there has been a real increase in spending every year. Ministers have grown increasingly impatient at the failure to translate these increases into visible improvements in services and are issuing more directives.
Labour stakes credibility on 5-year NHS revolution The Guardian, 28th July 2000, Tony Blair yesterday staked the political credibility of a second Labour term in government on a five-year plan to slash NHS waiting times and create a patient-friendly health service to suit the consumerist values of the 21st century.
Fiddling the figures to get the right results The Guardian, 11th July 2000, Welcome to the other side of David Blunkett's drive for higher standards, to the world of tests and targets, where the career prospects of a teacher or the future of a school can be broken by one bad set of statistics, a world where teachers have been taught to fear failure with such an intensity that they have learned to cut corners to survive. Welcome to the Big Cheat.
Agency 'fixed figures' on jobs The Guardian, 21st June 2000, The government agency in charge of regenerating rundown England misrepresented the official cost of creating thousands of new jobs, to pretend it was twice as efficient in spending public money, MPs reveal in a report published today.
Traumatised teachers hit back The Guardian, 23rd April 2000, At least four teachers have died as a direct result of stress from school inspections in the past two years, it emerged over the weekend. Britain's largest teaching union, the National Union of Teachers, is worried about pressure placed on teachers by the Ofsted process.
Too complicated for word The Observer, 2nd December 2001, the brilliant Simon Caulkin writing on language in business and how it is masking true performance
Waiting lists drop by 20,000 The Guardian, 11th May 2001, Hospital waiting lists have fallen by more than 20,000 patients in a single month, according to figures published by the Department of Health today.
Four of the 'top' hospitals fall out of running The Guardian, 16 July 2003, Four of the 29 NHS hospitals being groomed by ministers for foundation status were forced out of the running last night when the health inspectorate decided they were no longer good enough to qualify for the top three-star grading.
Spot check by auditors finds NHS waiting lists fiddled The Guardian, 5th March 2005, The credibility of government claims to be cutting NHS waiting times is put in doubt today by a report from the audit commission showing widespread error in hospitals' official waiting list records.
Leading article: Why targets may not work The Independent, 27 June 2002, Is setting targets the way to improve things? The Government certainly thinks so. It has been setting targets all over the place, not least in education. Primary schools and secondary schools are groaning under the weight of targets – from the numbers succeeding in SATS tests to numbers passing GCSEs. Now – since last week – we have a whole new raft of targets for further education.
Half of senior police say they are stressed and depressed The Independent, 4th September 2009, Robert Verkaik, Home Affairs Editor reports that More than half of senior police officers are suffering from anxiety and depression brought on by under-staffing, bullying chief constables and 60-hour working weeks. In systems thinking organisations, performance increases, costs go down, sickness goes down and staff engagement goes up.
Teaching assistants' role queried The BBC online, 4th September 2009, Pupils who receive help from teaching assistants make less progress than classmates of similar ability, a government-funded study suggests. When decisions are made on the basis of cost, something unintended consequences occur.
Looking beyond the sound bites 24desh.com Paul O'Brien argues that the recent debate by John Seddon and the Audit Commission has overshadowed the issue, how do we improve services. Actually we argue that what is at stake is a deep struggle for the heart of public sector improvement.
'Regional planning apparatus and targets will go' LGC, 4th September 2009, Bob Neill MP writes that if elected, a Conservative government would move swiftly to abolish the whole regional planning apparatus and associated targets regime.
Maths 'no better than in 1970s BBC news online, 5th September 2009, Pupils are no better at maths now than they were 30 years ago - despite a rise in exam grades, a study suggests. Dr Jeremy Hodgen, of King's College, London, who lead the research team, suggested the disparity between unchanged ability and the increase in grades was partly down to schools' obsession with Sats results and league table positions.
Britain's blade culture claims another victim ...Scouts' penknives Daily Mail Online, 6th September 2009, Daniel Boffey reports that now, as the fight against Britain’s growing blade culture intensifies, Scouts have been told not to take penknives on camping trips.
Quangocrats clock up £300m in travel claims Times Online, 6th September 2009, Robert Watts and Matthew Holehouse report that Quangos have racked up £300 millions in travel claims. Instead of focusing and experimenting on works in our own systems and unleashing innovation, they have been copying from around the world.
Quangocrats clock up £300m in travel claims Times Online, 6th September 2009, Robert Watts and Matthew Holehouse report that Quangos have racked up £300 millions in travel claims. Instead of focusing and experimenting on works in our own systems and unleashing innovation, they have been copying from around the world.
Waste reward pilot launched by council Local Government Chronicle, 7 September, 2009, A pilot scheme to reward households for recycling mixed waste - said to be the first in the UK - has been introduced by a Berkshire council. Using systems thinking Increased recycling could have been achieved for free.
Hospital chairman quits over dangerous targets The Telegraph, 9th September 2009, Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent reports that David Bowles, the chairman of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, quit on Tuesday after being threatened with suspension when he refused to commit his organisation to meeting national waiting targets.
A weapon of mass distraction? Local Government Chronicle, 10th September 2009, Gareth Daniel, Chief executive, Brent LBC reports his misgivings over how the CAA inspection process is distracting local authorities from true improvement
Best traffic wardens rewarded Local Government Chronicle, 11th September 2009, Bristol City Council is offering free lunches and time off to its traffic wardens who issue parking tickets with the most accuracy and politeness while generating the fewest compliments from the public. Sounds plausible doesn't it? But such targets are not the same as doing the right thing.
What will it take to stop the Irish public sector rot? The Times Online, 13th September 2009, reports that in another scathing report published last Friday, the comptroller detailed hundreds of millions of euros in waste by politicians and public servants over the last few years. The Health Service Executive did not even bother to recoup €160m in costs from private patients treated in public hospitals.
Hospitals to be told to make patients happy The Times Online, 13th September 2009, Isabel Oakeshott reports that hospitals that fail to keep their patients happy will lose money under new plans to improve the NHS. More targets to distort service performance.
Ministers' job changes criticised Financial Times, 14th september 2009, Jim Pickard reports that the speed at which ministers change jobs is hampering good government, according to a withering critique by the head of the Audit Commission. It is only one of many many systems conditions in the public sector, the Audit Commission being another.
Parents protest at Ofsted inspections for children taught at home The Times Online, 14th September 2009, Joanna Sugden reports that parents whose children are educated at home do not have to register with their local authority and are not inspected. But proposals being considered by the Government would change this and threaten parents’ ability to choose the curriculum for their children, campaigners say.
History in danger as only 30% of pupils take subject at GCSE Mail Online, 14th September 2009, Ian Drury reports that three out of ten schools no longer teach history as a stand-alone subject for Key Stage 3, despite it being a compulsory part of the curriculum. Only 30% are due to take it. Targets are in the frame again.
Targets make performance worse! Channel Island TV, John Seddon appears at the Jersey Chambers of Commerce and he appears here providing their September lunch.
'Shocking' sickness rates in social work The Independent, 16th September 2009, Nigel Morris, Deputy Political Editor reports that Social workers are taking "shocking" levels of sick leave – far higher than the national average – prompting protests they are being subjected to intolerable pressure. Systems Thinkers know that staff engagement is a product of the system.
Cost of unaccountable quangos hits £170bn - a three-fold rise from a decade ago Daily Mail Online, 16th September 2009, Ian Drury reports that an in-depth study found that more than 1,000 'arm's length' Government bodies swallowed up an eye-watering £170billion in 2007-08. These quangos spend their time specifying through tick-box and inspection that make public services worse
Exam board admits maths pupils 'jump through hoops' for results that will boost league table Daily Mail online, 16th September 2009, Exam board admits maths pupils 'jump through hoops' for results that will boost league tables. Systems thinkers know that targets and testing damage learning.
'Bonus culture' entering schools BBC News, 16th September 2009, reports that an unwelcome bonus culture is creeping into head teachers' pay, diverting funds from the classroom, a teachers' leader is warning. So bonuses fail in the financial sector and are implicated in the crash, now let's try them in education!
Scrap school league tables, say experts The Telegraph, 16th September 2009, Graeme Paton, Education Editor reports that official rankings force pupils to “jump through hoops” to boost schools’ positions at the expense of a decent grasp of basic subjects such as mathematics, it was claimed. The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance study said schools were “frequently preoccupied” by tables, meaning lessons were often reduced to rote learning to make sure pupils maximise their scores.
Narrow margin in favour of self-regulation Local Government Chronicle, 17th September 2009, Helen Crump Most senior council managers want the sector to run its own performance regime, suggests exclusive LGC research – but the margin is narrow
We've tested the joy out of childhood, says National Curriculum guru Daily Mail Online, 17th September 2009, Sarah Harris reports that Pupils are being deprived of a 'joyful childhood' by a target driven education system that treats them like 'currency', according to the architect of the new national curriculum. Targets lead to unintended consequences and testing kills learning.
Total Place? Nothing new there The Guardian, Public supplement, Friday 25th September 2009, Des McConaghy reports that the Total Place initiative has all been attempted before; the odd thing is how little Whitehall has learned from those previous attempts.
Front line 'crippled' by lack of trust The Guardian, Public Supplement, 22 September 2009, Workers on the front line of Britain's public services are demoralised and less effective because of a crippling lack of trust in their expertise from middle management and Whitehall, according a report released today by the Progressive Conservatism Project at the thinktank Demos. Systems Thinkers know why.
Outsourced hip operations 'make more work for NHS' The Guardian, 22nd September 2009, Owen Bowcott reports that The use of specialist treatment centres to reduce waiting lists for hip replacement operations has resulted in the NHS carrying out expensive remedial work, a surgical study has claimed.
Outsourced hip operations 'make more work for NHS' The Guardian, 22nd September 2009, Owen Bowcott reports that The use of specialist treatment centres to reduce waiting lists for hip replacement operations has resulted in the NHS carrying out expensive remedial work, a surgical study has claimed.
Killed by Post Office targets: Manager's suicide after staff appraisal Daily Mail Online, 20th September 2009, Arthur Martin reports that A postmistress killed herself because she could not cope with the pressure of sales targets imposed by her bosses, an inquest heard. Targets in the frame again
Two troops for every civil servant in MoD The Telegraph, 28th September 2009, Jon Swaine reports that whilst Britain has just two active troops for every civil servant in the Ministry of Defence, France has almost five, Spain has almost eight and several smaller countries have many more. The specification industry?
Review of babysitting ban ordered BBC online, 28th September 2009, England's Children's Minister wants a review of the case of two police officers told they were breaking the law, caring for each other's children. What he doesn't understand is that arbitrary rules set from above often defeat purpose. It also stops people thinking.
Review of babysitting ban ordered BBC online, 28th September 2009, England's Children's Minister wants a review of the case of two police officers told they were breaking the law, caring for each other's children. What he doesn't understand is that arbitrary rules set from above often defeat purpose. It also stops people thinking.
Dr Crippen: The illusion of choice in the NHS comes at a high price The Guardian online, society supplement, 29th September 2009, Waiting lists are down – but where are the beds in an emergency? Dr Crippen's insight into the illusion of choice in the NHS. The application of ideology to a problem.
Two policewomen's crawling babies are nothing to do with Ofsted The Times, 29th September 2009, Libby Purves writes that Ofsted has no right to interfere in personal arrangements that are safe. It is a problem with inspection that always wants to go further.
Two policewomen's crawling babies are nothing to do with Ofsted The Times, 29th September 2009, Libby Purves writes that Ofsted has no right to interfere in personal arrangements that are safe. It is a problem with inspection that always wants to go further.
The regulation game The Health Service Journal, 29th September 2009, an anonymous NHS worker on the growing excesses of the inspection regime and how everybody is lined-up to please it
Community is all-important – if only Whitehall would listen The Guardian online, Public Supplement, 30th September 2009, "Don't go barmy in Camden," an insight into community service provision.
Cost of ill-designed public services The Independent, Opinion letters, 30th September 2009, Charlotte Pell explains why failure demand in public services is costing this country dear.
Andreas Whittam Smith: A simple way to greater efficiency The Independent, 25th September 2009, Andreas Whittam Smith reports that call centres are really just factories modelled on the car plants established by Ford. The article mentions the work of John Seddon.
Two schools win right to ditch early years curriculum The Times Online, 2nd October 2009, Rosemary Bennett, Social Affairs Correspondent reports that two schools have won the right to opt out of the controversial early years “nappy” curriculum after ministers dropped a commitment that no pre-school child would be exempt. Targets damage learning.
Focus on central government targets stifles innovation Public Finance, 2nd October 2009, John Seddon writes that public sector bodies should ignore the box-ticking demands of the Audit Commission and get back to the work of providing quality services at a reasonable cost.
Computing problems lengthen Barts' waiting list The Guardian, healthcare supplement, 3rd October 2009, Cerner user Barts and The London NHS Trust has said its attempts to meet the government's 18 week waiting list target have been 'compromised' by IT weaknesses. It added that the 26,640 patients concerned have all been seen by a consultant as outpatients within 13 weeks. If many can be seen in much less than 13 weeks it shows how arbitrary targets are and possibly how they undermine improvement.
Swathes of Civil Service may be privatised Daily Mail, 4th October 2009, Dan Atkinson, economics editor and Lisa Buckingham report that Administrative functions across Whitehall, such as pay and human resources, would be hived off into new 'public service companies' that would then be floated in popular mass share sales. Systems Thinkers know that these ideas are based upon economies of scale and not flow
Penny-wise paradox The Guardian, 5th October 2009, a letter by Charlotte Pell reveals that even Bichard is uncertain about Total Place, and yet still blow huge amounts of tax payers money on the gamble.
£3m ‘wasted on quango non-jobs’ in Scotland The Times Online, 4th October 2009, Stuart MacDonald reports that Public agencies have been accused of wasting millions of pounds on politically correct “non jobs”, including a knowledge analyst, an ethics policy adviser and a moving and handling supervisor. It is likely to be much higher in England.
Revenue’s cash rewards and confiscation targets ‘skewing justice’ The Times Online, 5th October 2009, Sean O’Neill, Crime Editor reports that Senior prosecution officials have received personal bonuses for seizing defendants’ assets under an incentive scheme which, it is feared, could create miscarriages of justice. Targets and bonuses always cause bizarre behaviour, unwanted consequences and warp performance on systems.
Spending cuts 'could lead to catastrophe' in state prisons The Times, 6th October 2009, Richard Ford, Home Correspondent reports that cuts in prison services will lead to serious disorder in our jails. Systems Thinkers know that a focus upon costs increases costs and decreases quality.
Not in total agreement Public Finance, 8th October 2009, John Seddon writes that Total Place is an initiative; a last-ditch attempt to do something that works in public sector reform. It won't work
NHS targets slashed to stop 'tick box culture' London Evening Standard, 11th October 2009, Joe Murphy, Evening Standard Political Editor reports that Dozens of key national targets for the NHS were ditched today in what critics called a major U-turn.
Alan Johnson to set new targets on reducing anti-social behaviour Daily Mail, 13th October 2009, Police and councils will be set tough new targets on dealing with anti-social behaviour, Home Secretary Alan Johnson will announce today. System Thinkers know that targets are poor leadership and method and will lead to unintended consequences.
Civil Service Facing Privatisation Threat Sky News, 13th October 2009, The Government is considering establishing public service companies to privatise IT and human resources for its Whitehall departments, according to Sky Sources. Economies of scale is a myth. This will damage services and increase costs for a generation.
Tesco boss: School standards too low The Independent, 14th October 2009, Richard Garner, Education Editor reports that Tesco's boss Terry Leahy, argues that excessive meddling in schools, leaving teachers "distracted" from their main job. Systems Thinkers know that arbitrary rules and targets damage learning and improvement.
False waiting time figures probed BBC news online, 14th October 2009, A hospital has apologised and launched an inquiry after hundreds of patients' records were altered to suggest NHS waiting time targets were met. As systems thinkers know targets engage people to cheat the target instead of learning and improving
MoD equipment plan 'unaffordable' BBC News online, 16th October 2009, The way the Ministry of Defence buys equipment is "unaffordable", with an estimated budget overrun of £35bn, a report has said. Even with everybody Prince 2 trained?
Primary review: 'start formal lessons at six' The Telegraph, 16th October 2009, Graeme Paton, Education Editor writes that Children should start formal education at the age of six, according to the biggest review of primary schools for 40 years. Government rejects report. In hierarchies, no challenge will be brooked or acknowledged.
Ambulance crew unable to help girl with fractured skull as they had to stay The Mirror, 15th October 2009, Geoffrey Lakeman reports that a girl lay in the road with a fractured skull but an ambulance crew had to stay "at lunch". Arbitrary rules have taken over.
Crisis over claim that jails 'duped' inspectors by moving inmates The Guardian, 18h October 2009, Jamie Doward, home affairs editor reports that for years, difficult prisoners have been shunted between jails. But a report this week could conclude that staff at two major prisons have used the practice to improve behaviour during visits by independent assessors. The fallout will have far-reaching consequences for the whole penal service. Systems Thinkers know that this is the tip of the iceberg.
How 'ghosting' threatens to plunge UK jails into fresh crisis The Observer, 18th October 2009, Jamie Doward, home affairs editor reports that staff at two London prisons may face charges of gross professional misconduct if reports reveal that problem inmates have been switched before inspections. Inspection regime does not lead to learning or improvement.
Listen again to the Radio 5 phone-in on inspection Radio 5 live 20th October 2009, go and listen again to those phoning-in about the inspection regime and how it has led to cheating
'Prisoner chess' is a result of government targets The Independent, 21st October 2009, Colin Standfield writes an enlightened letter suggesting that targets are dumb and are set to make politicians look good.
We can't afford to DNA test your skirt, police tell victim of sex attack Daily Mail, 21st October 2009, Luke Salkeld reports that traumatised by a sex attack in a park, a teenage girl was at least comforted by the likelihood the man would be identified by DNA. To her horror, they said they could not justify spending £500 on DNA testing. Arbitrary rules fight against purpose.
Leeds bin strike continues after crews reject 'best and final' deal The Guardian, 22nd October 2009, Martin Wainwright writes that Union says 92% of workers voted against offer to reduce pay cuts in return for improved productivity targets. Systems Thinkers know that targets damage learning and improvement and can lead to conflict.
Ringing in the changes The Thinking Policeman Blog, 22nd October 2009, a police blogger raises doubts about back-office shared services moves in his force the claims for efficiency savings. Systems Thinkers know that this is the big lie based upon economies of scale. Systems Thinkers think in economies of flow
Annual health check: impact of targets and FTs seen in acute score slide HSJ, 22nd October 2009, Charlotte Santry reports that The stroke targets are partly being blamed for the slide in acute trusts’ annual health check performance. Systems Thinkers know that targets damage learning and improvement. It becomes all about gaming the league tables.
Children's services being undermined by demoralising inspections The Guardian, Thursday 22nd October 2009, Rachel Williams has reported that in thinly veiled swipe at Ofsted, Kim Bromley-Derry says inspections are draining confidence and capacity. Systems Thinkers know that improvement is needed, but inspection damages learning and improvement. What are the causes of poor performance?
Targets are not the way to make schools accountable The Guardian, 23rd October 2009, Warwick Mansell writes that Sats tests cause pupils great harm and the information they provide is often of little use
£11 million spent studying public fitness levels The Times Online, 23rd October 2009, Ashling O’Connor reports that Discovering fitness levels among the population in England is proving an expensive business — £11 million and counting, in fact. That is the cost to the public purse of three national opinion polls asking adults which sports they played and how often. Surveys do not equal knowledge
Violent crimes are being ignored by police, says report The Independent, 22nd October 2009, Paula Fentiman reports that Violent crimes such as assault and domestic attacks are routinely being wrongly ignored by the police rather than investigated, a report revealed today. Targets in the frame again?
The crimes that no one is counting: Police fail to record street attacks and wife-beating in attempt to meet Government targets Daily Mail online, 23rd October 2009, James Slack reports that Some vicious street attacks and wife-beatings are not being included in police figures because officers wrongly fail to count them as a crime, it emerged yesterday. Targets in the frame again.
A&E FIDDLE EXPOSED AS NHS BOSS SACKED Sunday Express online, 25th October 2009, Lucy Johnston reports that SENIOR NHS bosses are fiddling waiting times for accident and emergency patients. Systems thinkers know that targets damage learning and improvement
A&E FIDDLE EXPOSED AS NHS BOSS SACKED Sunday Express online, 25th October 2009, Lucy Johnston reports that SENIOR NHS bosses are fiddling waiting times for accident and emergency patients. Systems thinkers know that targets damage learning and improvement
BBC Mark Easton - Will we miss targets? BBC's with a general blog and article on targets. Systems Thinkers know that targets do not improve performance but damage learning and improvement.
How police are making criminals of the over-40s: Target culture fuels rise in first-time convictions for middle aged Mail Online, 27th October 2009, James Slack reports that Record numbers of middle-aged people are being ‘criminalised’ by target-chasing police. Whilst we don't know the specifics of the case, systems thinkers know that targets damage learning and improvement.
Bonuses for lawyers who seize criminal assets 'risk undermining justice' The Times, 31st October 2009, Sean O’Neill and Frances Gibb report that targets and bonuses could lead to unintended consequences. Systems Thinkers knew that they will.
Russell L. Ackoff, Management Consultant & Systems Thinker, 1919 -2009 Sadly Russell Ackoff passed away 29th October 2009. Read his obituary here.
Better Tips for Government IT Outsourcing or Shared Services Tripp Babbitt of Bryce Harrison, 4th November 2009 writes about the problem with shared services and economies of scale is those who are pushing the ideas (consultancies). He undermines their arguments one-by-one
Pull your hoods off Inside Housing, 5th November 2009, David Puttick explains why the government's approach to ASB is fueling ASB
Ghosting: prisoner removal before inspections spreads to Brixton The Guardian 8th November 2009, Jamie Doward, home affairs editor reports that ghosting is spreading to other jails. The reality of course is that cheating has always been the response to targets and inspection.
Redux: Rethinking Lean (Six Sigma) Service Quality Digest, 9th November 2009, Tripp Babbitt writes about his journey from Lean Six Sigma to Systems Thinking.
Response: Sometimes it's the workplace that's stupid, not the staff 11th November 2009 William Tate reports that Eileen Munro argues that it is better to learn and improve the system than to keep on blaming the workers. Great to hear systems thinking perspectives being voiced.
NHS missed target on chlamydia screening, says watchdog The Guardian, Denis Campbell, health correspondent reports that the NHS missed its chlamydia screening targets according to the watchdog. Nothing from the watchdog on the fact that management by targets is crazy and self-defeating.
John Seddon on Total Place in Localis John Seddon writes about Total Place in Localis
Red tape cut as Marsh opts for local liability Inside Housing, 12th November 2009, Isabel Hardman reports that the Tenant Services Authority plans to axe more than 50 diktats and good practice notes in a bonfire of red tape. And it begins.
Four-hour A&E target is putting patients at risk, warn nurses The Mail Online, 12th November 2009, Nurses are being 'pressured' into manipulating data and falsifying information to meet Government targets, the Royal College of Nursing has claimed. All systems thinkers know that targets damage learning and improvement. This represents just more evidence.
Children turned into 'mini-adults' The Telegraph 17th November 2009, Martin Beckford reports that 69 learning targets “robbing children more and more of their right to a childhood relatively free of adult anxieties, preoccupations, and intrusions”.
LGA takes aim at Audit Commission in cost-cutting drive The Local Government Chronicle reports that the LGA has called for the government to take an axe to public sector inspectors in a bid to safeguard councils’ position ahead of the impending public spending squeeze.
England expects Marc Bolland to do his duty – and he fails at his peril The Observer, 22nd November 2009, Simon Caulkin back today. Whilst not a public sector article, I thought that we might celebrate his return. He is an important voice of sanity, sadly missed. Emails to the Observer to congratulate them and ask for more. john.mulholland@observer.co.uk & business@observer.co.uk
Ofsted fails barrage of inspections The Guardian, 22nd November 2009, Polly Curtis, education editor reports that inspection comes in for more criticism. This time its OFSTED. Systems Thinkers know that it is the entire inspection regime.
Ofsted under fresh attack over child protection policy The Guardian, 24th November 2009, Polly Curtis, education editor reports that is subject to a barrage of new criticisms from local government leaders and the National Union of Teachers a day after a chorus of complaints from children's services chiefs, headteachers, MPs and a former head of Ofsted, Sir Mike Tomlinson. Systems thinkers know that inspection damages your health
NHS staff 'fiddle waiting time figures' survey claims The Telegraph, 24th November 2009, By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor forty per cent of nurses believe their colleagues are adjusting the times patients either arrive A&E or are discharged in order to make it look like they compiled with the four-hour target. No shock to systems thinkers here.
Local council puts the customer first The Guardian, 25th November 2009, Jane Dudman reports that nspection regimes are way down the list of priorities for one housing department determined to focus on tenants, not targets. Three cheers for Portsmouth!
Call centre industry service standards declared a failure yourstory.org reports that Vanguard Scotland's Stuart Corrigan has argued that the current method of management is destroying service quality and morale in call centres.
British policing 'has lost its way in target culture' The Telegraph, 26th November 2009, Richard Edwards, Crime Correspondent reports that policing has “lost its way” amid the “noise and clutter” of government targets, initiatives and new laws, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary has said. Systems thinkers agree.
Seddon joins Cameron thinktank Local Government Chronicle, 26th November 2009, Professor John Seddon has been recruited as a member of the advisory board to a new thinktank. The conservative party are interested in learning about systems thinking and how this learning can be used to improve public sector services.
Patients are paying the ultimate price for NHS targets 27th November 2009, reporting on the NHS problems and the inspection regime wrote: But the hands of these professionals have been tied by a Government target and inspection regime which is stultifying individual responsibility.
System that puts targets before patients fails NHS The Telegraph, 30th November 2009, Andrew Lansley reports that Labour’s new hospital inspection regime was supposed to ensure that all NHS hospitals operated to the very highest standards. That hasn’t happened either. The system is deeply flawed and needs a complete overhaul.
John Seddon - my localist manifesto choice Local Government Chronicle, 3rd December 2009, John seddon writes that he is supporting the pledge - replace compliance with responsibility - support the pledge and vote at the LGC now
Police time on the beat tumbles to 13 per cent as red tape blitz fails Daily Mail, 3rd December 2009, Rebecca Camber reports that Efforts to get police out on the beat by slashing paperwork have failed, the Government's own 'red tape tsar' warned yesterday. Systems Thinkers that getting knowledge comes first.
Manager demoted over hospital target figures The Bolton News, 10th December 2009, Cherry Thomas reports that a senior manager has been demoted because it was found the targets had been gamed. Targets damage learning and improvement. They lead to gaming and not improvement or learning.
The End of Buyer Beware Tripp Babbitt, an American systems thinker on why great service always costs less
Police bureaucracy report criticises systems and failure to adhere to standards Policeprofessional.com, 10th December 2009, reports that Rebuilding trust and addressing the causal factors behind bureaucracy rather than the symptoms is the way to cut red tape in policing, according to Independent Reducing Bureaucracy Advocate, Jan Berry.
Indiana Welfare Eligibility Modernization, Costs and Cynicism Tripp Babbitt, 12th December 2009, Tripp writes about the insanity of public sector reform in the US.
Figures show Government's previous 'efficiency' drives drove up staff and budgets The Independent, 12th December 2009, Brian Brady, Whitehall Editor reports that a previous government efficiency drive, headed by Gershon increased costs and staff numbers.
List mania is the besetting folly of our age Times Online, December 14, 2009 Libby Purves on grading BBC talent to marking hospital performance, dim managers hide behind the false reassurance of tables.
Call for 999 ambulance response targets rethink BBC news online, 17th December 2009, the government has been urged to review its targets for ambulances responding to 999 calls, following claims that patient care is being affected.
Elderly patients 'left humiliated and distressed' by delays when they call for help in hospital The Telegraph, 15th December 2009, Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent reports that government targets and performance measures do not relate to what matters to patients.
John Seddon - my localist manifesto choice HSJ, 3rd December 2009, John Seddon articulates why responsibility should replace compliance.
Factory schools don’t give real education The Times, December 22nd 2009, Anthony Seldon writes about the McDonaldisation of schooling, through targets and testing.
Ownership – putting it back on the frontline Public Service.co.uk, 22nd December 2009, Phillip Blond and Adam Schoenborn report that outsourcing is a dumb idea that will not work. They suggest an alternative.
Tories accuse hospitals of 'fiddling' A&E waiting times BBC news online, 23rd December 2009, Hospitals are fiddling a four-hour A&E wait target by using other wards as dumping grounds, the Conservatives say. Systems thinkers know that targets cause unintended consequences in every service that they are used in.
Tories accuse hospitals of 'fiddling' A&E waiting times BBC news online, 23rd December 2009, Hospitals are fiddling a four-hour A&E wait target by using other wards as dumping grounds, the Conservatives say. Systems thinkers know that targets cause unintended consequences in every service that they are used in.
A&E patient has to wait 32 DAYS as NHS target time is exposed as a sham Daily Mail, 23rd December 2009, Daniel Martin writes that Labour's A&E waiting-time target was exposed as a sham last night after it was revealed hospitals were fiddling the figures.
Spending on NHS bureaucracy up 50 per cent The Telegraph, 26th December 2009, Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent reports that spending on bureaucracy has increased 50% in four years.
Boys aged three 'must work more' The Independent, 29th December 2009. New government targets for 3 year olds. When will this government learn that targets will not lead to improved outcomes.
Police count who they meet in new red tape farce The Telegraph, 29th December 2009, Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor reports that thousands of police officers are having to count how many people they meet each day or leaflets they hand out in a new red-tape farce. You couldn't make it up!
Taskforce to advise council savings UKPA, 30th December 2009, the press associations reports that John Denham has threatened Councils over shared services. Let us be clear - there is no evidence that shared services increases efficiency. There is plenty of evidence that costs increase whilst service quality decreases.
Repairmen travel hundreds of miles in public waste, report claims The Telegraph, 30th December 2009, Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor reports that a Government repairman drove 175 miles to change light bulbs while another had a 320 mile round trip to fix a lavatory seat. Systems Thinkers know that focusing upon costs increases costs.
Police officers 'prefer warmth of police station to catching criminals' The Telegraph, 3rd December 2009, Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor reports that police officers have been accused by the Justice Secretary of preferring to sit around in a “warm police station” rather than going out on the streets to fight crime. It is a system that politicians have devised and must take responsibility for rather than blaming officers.
Police still burdened by Government targets, says former chief constable Tim Brain The Telegraph, 7th January 2010. Richard Edwards, Crime Correspondent reports that Tim Brain, who retired last week after eight years running Gloucestershire police, said that a claim by the Home Office to have scrapped all targets and replaced them with a single public confidence measure is “rhetoric”.
Ofsted 'stigmatising' schools, say MPs The Telegraph, 7th January 2010, Graeme Paton, Education Editor reports that the future of Ofsted has been thrown into fresh doubt after MPs accused the watchdog of “stigmatising and undermining” schools.
Mountain of forms just to deal with playground fight The Telegraph, 7th January 2010, Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor reports that Police have to fill out 50 separate forms just to deal with a playground fight between two children, the Government's red-tape tsar has warned.
The Smooth And Efficient Running Of A Police Station Police Inspector Blog, 7th January 2010, the snow allows a glimpse of the world where police officers are left to get on with their purpose of helping the public, free of targets and bureaucratic tinkering.
Schools entangled in red tape, say MPs The Guardian, 7th January 2010, Rachel Williams reports that School accountability system makes them feel 'coerced and constrained', the children, schools and families select committee reports
Police officers told to avoid talking about crime because it 'upsets the public' The Telegraph, 7th January 2010, Richard Edwards, Crime Correspondent reports that Police should avoid talking at length to the public about crime because it “upsets them”, according to new Home Office guidelines. God forbid that the police should talk about crime.
English Heritage visitor diversity targets 'unrealistic', say MPs The Guardian, 12 January 2010, Polly Curtis, Whitehall correspondent reports that Targets to increase the number of black, disabled and economically disadvantaged people who visit England's historical attractions are today branded "pointless" by MPs.
JOHN SEDDON: Why I'm suspicious of shared services LGC, 13th January 2010, John Seddon questions the drive to sharing services, believing they fail to deliver much and can increase costs.
Lean: Someone has Poisoned the Waterhole! Bryce Harrison Inc, 13th January 2012, another great blog post from Tripp Babbitt. Interesting and irate comments left by Mark Graban. Tripp is obviously hitting some raw nerves.
Creating Useful Measures Lean and Kanban blog, 13th January 2010, citing Vanguard systems ideas. Lean thinkers all over the world are beginning to wake-up to the value of the systems perspective.
Pledges you want the parties to adopt LGC, 14th January 2010, the arguments supporting the top 5 pledges in the public sector.
The laughing policemen: 'Inaccurate' data boosts arrest rate The Independent, 17th January 2010, Michael Gillard and Richard Osley report that Officers accused of targeting 'law-abiding middle classes' to meet government performance quotas
NHS 'could save millions' by flying patients to India The Independent, 17th January 2010, Nina Lakhani reports on the possibility of outsourcing NHS operations to India. Systems Thinkers know that this is the unit cost approach that has failed dismally and led companies to bring services back from abroad.
Cut back council targets, says LGA cypnow.co.uk, 18th January 2010, Lauren Higgs reports that the Local Government Association wants a drastic reduction in the number of national indicators.
Benchmarking Examples - Are there any good ones? Vanguard Scotland, Stuart Corrigan asks if there are any good examples of Benchmarking? The answer of course, is no. Read it here.
Labour's computer blunders cost £26bn The Independent, 18th January 2010, Michael Savage, Political Correspondent reports that Ministers blamed for 'stupendous incompetence' after taxpayers left with huge bills for bungled projects
Labour misses housing repairs target The Guardian, 21st January 2010, Polly Curtis, Whitehall correspondent reports that pledge to eliminate all poor quality social housing by this year will not be met, says spending watchdog.
Local Action – together we can National Coalition for independent action, John Seddons work is being used to support resistance to 'good ideas' derived within the centralized hierarchy.
Child poverty targets are diverting policymakers from the causes to the symptoms of poverty Oxfam, January 22nd 2010, Neil O’Brien, Director of Policy Exchange reports that the current child poverty targets certainly need to be reassessed, because they are distorting and undermining anti-poverty policy. Systems Thinkers know that is because targets damage learning and improvement.
Needs must Inside Housing, 22nd January 2010, Sarah Thurman on findings of a new report that shows choiced based lettings system offers very little choice at all. Systems Thinkers have been saying this for some time.
This social work by computer system is protecting no one The Times, January 24 2010, Jenni Russell with a very good outline of a systems perspective of social work. No blaming workers. If this keeps up I'll be changing the newspaper that I buy.
Counter-Intuitive Thinking About Absenteeism and Turnover Customer Management, 26th January 2010, Tripp Babbitt writes about the counterintuitive approach to absence management
Council regulators must cut inspection costs, says LGA Public Finance, 26th January 2010, Councils are challenging their inspectors to reduce the financial burden of their work, warning that the current system cannot be sustained in a period of fiscal restraint.
Ministers passing too many 'bad' laws, say ex mandarins BBC News, 27th January 2010, The way Britain is governed has gone wrong and is in urgent need of reform, a group of former Whitehall chiefs has warned in a highly critical report.
Deliverology Rears Its Ugly Head in the United States Tripp Babbitt writes about how the failed deliverology methodology is raising its head in the USA
chris argyris: theories of action, double-loop learning and organizational learning INfed, Many organisations espouse theory. They say that they stand for this or that and yet the reality for staff is that what they hear, see, feel and touch is very different. Chris Argyris was the first to discuss how real learning comes from being able to learn based upon knowledge. And this means espoused theory matching theory-in-use every day.
Audit Commission's anti-Tory ‘plot’ The Times Online, 31st January 2010, Robert Watts reports that the Audit Commission has local government spending watchdog has paid a lobbying firm with links to Labour for advice on how to undermine Tory frontbenchers who challenged its activities.
Scrapping CAA 'would save billions' Tuesday 2nd February 2010, James Illman reports that Scrapping the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) would save in excess of £2bn and improve council performance, according to a report.
Trivial incident sparked lonely death of a caring headteacher The Herald Scotland, 19th Jan 2010 Irene Hogg, a respected and committed headteacher with 18 years’ experience in the post, had failed to record an allegation over a “minor” child protection issue that turned out to be unfounded. The fact that procedure had been breached led to HMIE inspectors grading care, welfare and development in Glendinning Primary School in Galashiels as “weak”, several grades below the “very good” that was recorded in Scottish Borders Council’s pre-inspection report.
500,000 hospital patients sent home too soon every year (and 1,500 a day readmitted for emergency care) Daily Mail Online, 1st February 2010, James Chapmen reports that more than 500,000 patients every year are readmitted to hospital after apparently being sent home too soon, alarming figures reveal.
Audit Commission in CAA cost row The Local Government Chronicle (LGC) 3rd February 2010 James Illman reports that the Audit Commission are seeking to rubbish the claim that the costs of CAA are £2bn. Localis, the authors behind the report stick to their figures. The AC only ever see their own direct costs and never see the actual costs of inspection.
Spelman spells out regulation strategy Local Government Chronicle, 4th February 2010, Emma Maier reports that Conservative Shadow local government secretary Caroline Spelman has restated her party’s commitment to abolishing the comprehensive area assessment - but signified support for the Audit Commission’s Oneplace website.
Deliverology Rears Its Ugly Head in the United States New Systems Thinking, Tripp Babbitt reports that the corrosive targets regime kicked-off by Barber has reached the USA. The will wreck services for the poorest members of society who have no voice.
Simon Caulkin wins columnist of the year award Last year The Observer made the management journalist Simon Caulkin redundant as part of a reorganization. Now Simon has won columnist of the year award and their decision appears more like a move to silence an effective critic who upset the political applecart.
A senior doctor swore at me for staying with a dying man... THAT'S how bad this out-of-hours crisis has become Daily Mail Online, 8th February 2010, Dr Ellie Cannon writes that targets are stopping people doing the right thing. Systems Thinkers have known this for years. Although it does make the government LOOK like it is doing something.
Errors see benefit overpayments double Inside Housing, 9th Feb 2010, Isabel Hardman reports that overpayment of benefits has doubled to £800 million in the past decade, MPs have discovered. Vanguard know that this is nothing new and is fueling huge rework down-stream to mop-up the problems.
'Two-tier' ambulance trust accused of prioritising town dwellers over rural patients The Telegraph, 10th February 2010, Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent reports that patients in some rural areas are being disadvantaged by a “two-tier” ambulance service which prioritises town dwellers in order to meet national targets. Targets again.
Has Toyota lost its way? The CQI, 10th February 2010, John Seddon writes that Mr Toyoda (Toyota’s chairman) chastised Toyota’s management, imploring them to return to basics. But is it too late?
5S in Hospitals and Service Tripp Babbitt's blog, 10th February 2010, Tripp comments upon 5s and lean in the hospital service.
Expenses body to cost six times more than MPs' payback BBC news online, 11th February 2010, the parliamentary body for policing expenses will cost about six times as much to set up as MPs have been ordered to repay.
Audit Commission spends £170,000 on role play training for its own staff The Telegraph, 12th February 2010, Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor reports that a Government watchdog which monitors spending among councils and public bodies spent nearly £170,000 on role play for its own staff.
Business Guru Turns Video Star For Full House Talk University of Derby, 11 February 2010 John Seddon is packing them in. Why aren't the government blazing a trail to his door to see what they could learn?
Parking warden vultures 'still given ticket targets' of seven per day The Daily Mail Online, 12th February 2010, By Ray Massey and Jamie Welham report that Traffic wardens are allegedly still being set ticket 'targets' by the country's biggest parking enforcer and a leaked memo from one of its regional managers complains that staff are not issuing tickets at a high enough rate.
'The school's chances were snatched away' The Telegraph, 15th February 2010, Labour Party member Joanna Leapman became a governor at her children's school to make state education better for everyone. Here she explains how the system has failed and why she ended up resigning. Tick boxes and targets do not a good school or education make.
Headmaster demands revolution to 'mechanised' curriculum The Telegraph, 15th February 2010, Leading headmaster Anthony Seldon has called for an urgent national debate on future of education because schooling has become “formulaic and mechanised”.
NHS puts targets ahead of patients reports warned The Telegraph, 18th February 2010, Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor reports that the NHS is gripped by a culture of fear and compliance rather than innovation and learning. It then goes on to propose more regulation. Wrong. What is needed is the right regulation based upon knowledge.
NHS safety failings 'kill 40,000 a year' as patients pay price of target culture The Daily Mail Online, 18th February 2010, Jenny Hope reports that Managers are more concerned with hitting targets than improving systems known to be flawed.
Hospitals 'face fines if patients are sent home too quickly' The Daily Mail, 18th February 2010, Hospitals face being 'fined' if patients are returned to wards within a month of being discharged, under Conservative plans to address a spike in emergency re-admissions. It just goes to show that doing the wrong thing is not specific to party politics.
Number of murders 'unprecedented' This is Lincolnshire.co.uk February 19 2010, Nottinghamshire police struggled to investigate murders because officers had to concentrate on meeting Government targets for less serious offences, a Lincoln inquest heard.
Six Steps to Service Improvement Customer management IQ, 19th February 2010, Tripp Babbitt on the alternative perspective of project planning to achieve improvement. Begin by getting knowledge instead.
Innocent people could have lives wrecked by 'Big Brother' vetting checks The Telegraph, 21st February 2010, Innocent teachers and nurses could be banned from working with children because of their attitudes or lifestyles. The world has indeed gone mad!
Local democracy has become meaningless The Telegraph, 21st February 2010, Daniel Hannon argues that the Audit Commission is anti democratic when it forces 'best practice' two-weekly bin collections.
Welcome to the office, the new Stasi state The Guardian, Sunday 21st February 2010, Nick Cohen writes that Whistleblowers don't stand a chance in a Britain where managers are ludicrously powerful.
Schools are churning out the unemployable The Times. Sunday 21st February 2010, Harriet Sergeant writes that the generation graduating from schools to take up jobs do not know how to learn because they have been subject to teachers getting them to meet government targets for passes.
First Step to Systems Thinking . . . Curiosity Newsystemsthinking.com, 23rd February 2010, Tripp Babbitt writes that to improve you must be curious about a better way of working.
Ofsted: Labour school reforms 'not working' The Telegraph, 24th February 2010, Graeme Paton, Education Editor reports that the raft of new initiatives, red tape and targets have overwhelmed improvement. Wrong method.
Patients abused and neglected by hostile staff at scandal hospital: inquiry The Telegraph, 24th February 2010, Rebecca Smith and Martin Evans write that a new report describes how patients were neglected and abused by hostile staff at a flagship hospital where 1,200 people may have died needlessly. The reality is systemic rather then the people and when the focus is cost cutting and targets people stop doing the right thing.
Auditor urges increased shared service savings (not a hope) Kable.co.uk, 26th February 2010, Audit Scotland says the country's public sector is making slow progress in achieving savings from shared services. Systems Thinkers understand that the savings arising are minimal and in reality will increase costs and that shared services is based upon a false premise.
Police accused of fiddling response times The Telegraph, 27th February 2010, Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor reports that Police were last night accused of fiddling emergency response times so they can meet targets. Don't blame the officers! Targets are poor management and drive disorder into the system.
To improve the asylum system, get things right first time The Guardian, 1st March 2010, a letter to the Guardian suggests that when dealing with asylum getting it right first time would reduce appeals and failure. This is of course, a concept introduced by Vanguard.
Police must spend 80 per cent of time on beat The Telegraph, 1st march 2010, Gordon Brown is to set a new target for officers to spend 80% of their time on the beat. This target is being set to give the illusion of control. All targets are based upon no knowledge, and with no understanding. This new target will drive disorder further into the system.
Gordon Brown tells police to keep officers on the beat BBC news online, 1st March 2010, The PM said it was not "acceptable" to miss the Home Office target of having neighbourhood Pcs spend at least four fifths of their time on patrol. Instead of tackling causes of crime, or actual crime, what has been announced are new targets, more batching of calls and calls to tackle the fear of crime.
chris argyris: theories of action, double-loop learning and organizational learning Argyris is a very important thinker in terms of organizational learning. He points out that many organizations espouse one theory and often practice different theories at odds to those espoused.
Hospital 'bent the rules' on four-hour A&E target: report The Telegraph, 4th March 2010, Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor writes that Hospital staff under pressure to hit A&E waiting time targets 'bent the rules' by changing the times patients were discharged, a report has found. Don't blame the staff. Target are poor management.
Labour’s obsession with targets and red tape created ‘tick-box’ society, Catholic archbishops warn The Telegraph, 4th March 2010, Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent reports that Britain has become a "selfish society" with a “tick-box mentality" due to Labour’s obsession with targets and red tape, Roman Catholic leaders have claimed.
Dog owners test is barking up the wrong tree The Telegraph, 4th March 2010, George Pitcher reports that proposed new rules for the dog-owning classes are a model of useless state interference. More checks, tests and controls.
Delivering Public Services that Work Triarchy Press - 1 week to go for John Seddon's new book to be released.
GHA Praised For Systems Thinking Housing Scotland Today, Glasgow Housing Association's focus on putting customers at the heart of the organisation has been showcased in a new academic book
More headteachers 'sacked' for missing GCSE targets The Telegraph, 7th March 2010, Graeme Paton, Education Editor reports that Record numbers of headteachers are being sacked for failing to improve exam results, according to school leaders.
Hospital patients routinely treated in storerooms, survey shows The Guardian, Randeep Ramesh, social affairs editor, 9th March 2010, Nearly two-thirds of nurses in poll say patients treated in areas not designed for clinical care, from cupboards to kitchen. More insight into command and control management from the top. Note the Department of Health's response.
Low morale at Revenue & Customs threatens government plans, MPs warn The Guardian, 9th March 2010, Morale inside Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is so low that government plans to tackle aggressive tax avoidance are in jeopardy, according to a report today by an influential group of MPs. HMRC have been using Lean as an improvement methodology.
Child protection reforms in wake of Baby P could run up huge bill The Guardian, 10th March 2010, Rachel Williams reports that council leaders have warned that Lord Laming's costly recommendations are overloading social workers. Change in a command and control format from the top will always increase costs and increase the danger of service failure. It is called the cycle of control.
Taxpayers not getting value for money from £630million project to regenerate mining areas The Telegraph, 10th March 2010, A £630 million project to regenerate former mining areas, funded by public money, has no way of knowing how many new jobs have been created, according to a highly critical report by MPs. If they had been familiar with the Vanguard Method they would have understood purpose - MEASURES - method.
'Our pupils arrive with all sorts of chaos in their lives' Times Online, 11th March 2010, Greg Hurst, Education Editor reports with an insight into education and targets in schools.
Andreas Whittam Smith: There is nothing as stupid as targets The Independent, 12th March 2010, references John Seddon's latest work that brings more evidence of improvement in the public sector.
Total Place or total waste of time? The Guardian Public, Friday 12 March 2010, A public manager writes from the inside about how the Total Place initiative has failed to impress his chief executive.
A critique of the Audit Commission's study of Strategic Service-delivery Partnerships A report by the European Services Strategy Unit criticizes an Audit Commission report for poor method. It is not an isolated incident.
On Ineptitude in Public Services ResPublica, Simon Caulkin (independent journalist formerly the Observer) on the critical path to better government illuminated by John Seddon's new book
Whitehall reorganisation 'cost £780m in four years' BBC, 18th March 2010, The government spent £780m reorganising its departments and agencies in the four years after the 2005 election, Whitehall's spending watchdog says.
Launch of John Seddon’s latest book Res Publica, photos and podcast of the launch of John's latest book 'Delivering Public Services That Work/Systems thinking in the public sector: Case Studies’
Commission rejects claims of rising inspection costs LocalGov.co.uk, 19th March 2010, A simmering row over Comprehensive Area Assessment burdens boiled over this week, when the Audit Commission hastily dismissed Local Government Association claims that inspection costs are ‘climbing’.
Audit Commission's joint inspections are seen to work The Guardian, Public, 17th March 2010, Jane Dudman argues that there is a row over costs, but Comprehensive Area Assessments are widely seen as a step in the right direction for external inspection of local authorities. Interesting how support takes its place instead of evidence of what works.
Birmingham City Council social workers sacked BBC news online, 19th March 2010, Six social workers at Birmingham City Council have been sacked over failings in the children's services department. Does Birtmingham CC really have a people problem or does it have a systems problem? Systems thinkers begin by getting knowledge and studying their system as a system.
ICO wants to see performance awards publicservice.co.uk, Friday, March 19th 2010, Dean Carroll reports that A data protection and publication performance assessment regime - similar to Audit Commission and Ofsted inspections of councils and schools - has been discussed at the highest levels of the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). And yet another inspection industry grows. When will we learn?
Tim Stone: Have we gone consultation mad? Tim Stone, 20th March 2010 asks if the Audit Commission have gone inspection mad. We say yes. Consultation is part of what has been prescribed must be carried out to show that the organisation is good. Of course, it is possible to be a poor organisation and be good at ticking this box. So no consultation does not make for a good organisation.
Scandal-hit hospital trusts 'ordered to improve or face fines or even closures' The Telegraph, 19th March 2010, Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent reports that two scandal-hit hospital trusts have been ordered to improve standards or face fines or even the closure of services under a new hard hitting system of regulation. The insanity of doing something harder that hasn't worked in the past.
US calls for 'YouTube' of government data BBC online, 21st March 2010, The US technology chief has called on developers to build the "YouTube" of government data. The Audit Commission wants the same. The problem? If the data doesn't measure what matters it is all junk and therefore all froth. The illusion of information and control being passed to the public.
Ruby Wax’s lessons for civil servants censured as waste of cash Times Oneline, 22nd March 2010, Richard Ford, Home Correspondent reports that the Home Office has been accused of wasting public money in the build-up to the Budget by hiring Ruby Wax as an adviser to its staff. Ah that explains it.
Civil servants 'given stress advice to deal with boredom at work' The Telegraph, 22nd March 2010, Andrew Hough reports that Civil servants have been given counselling manuals advising them how to deal with stress-related boredom and a lack of work.
Changing the system from "command and control" Conservative home, Last week saw the launch of the latest book from John Seddon’s stable, Systems Thinking in the Public Sector: Case studies delivering public services that work. It is a volume of case studies showing how local authorities using his ideas have made massive improvements in service in conjunction with dramatic reductions in costs.
'Ticking clock' of turnover target putting A&E patients at risk, says top doctor The Guardian, 22nd March 2010, Department of Health target specifying patients should spend no more than four hours in A&E is compromising care, says president of College of Emergency Medicine. Actually both in principle and in reality targets are dumb management. This is merely yet another example.
HR shared service to save councils £500,000 publictechnology.net, 23rd March 2010, Paul Martin, chief executive of the London Borough of Sutton has told an audience of Public Sector Managers how shared HR services between the Sutton and Merton boroughs are expected to deliver a £500,000 saving in 2010/11. Unfortunately without the right measures he will not be able to see the huge costs and unintended consequences that come with economies of scale.
Productivity in NHS ‘has fallen steadily since 1995’ Times Online, 25th March 2010, Ian King reports that the productivity of publicly funded healthcare fell by an average 0.3 per cent every year from 1995 to 2008. And yet everywhere people are working hard. The cause? How people think about the design and management of work.
Productivity in NHS ‘has fallen steadily since 1995’ Times Online, 25th March 2010, Ian King reports that the productivity of publicly funded healthcare fell by an average 0.3 per cent every year from 1995 to 2008. And yet everywhere people are working hard. The cause? How people think about the design and management of work.
Almost half of calls to taxman unanswered The Telegraph, 25th March 2010, Tom Whitehead reports that almost 45 million calls from the public to get help on tax and benefits went unanswered last year and millions more may have been given wrong advice, a report by MPs warns today. I wonder what the failure demand looks like?
Government sets targets to remove targets! CLG, 24th March 2010, ' All local councils in England will benefit from the removal of at least 10 per cent of the current National Indicator set.' No understanding of why targets are poor management.
Misleading 'more bobbies on the beat' TV advert banned Daily Mail online, 26th March 2010, Claire Ellicott reports that an advert has been withdrawn after the advert claimed that officers would spend 80 per cent of their time on the beat. The ASA ruled however, that it did not clarify that this would involve duties other than patrolling the streets. It would have been better to remove the things that stop officers doing a good job.
Departments reveal plans for making savings Public Finance, 25th March 2010, Vivienne Russell reports that Whitehall departments have set out how they plan to achieve the government’s efficiency target of £11bn a year by the end of the next Spending Review period. They include more shared services (proven to increase costs and decrease quality), reduction in NHS sickness (guaranteed to increase sickness and turnover) and better procurement (the belief that costs can be reduced by economies of scale).
Budget: Public sector in huge shake-up as Whitehall back office roles face private sell-off Daily Mail Online, 28th March 2010, Dan Atckinson reports that huge chunks of the Government's property holdings are to be shunted into 'strategic vehicles' and Whitehall back-office functions will be bundled into new public service companies that could eventually be sold to the private sector. This will increase costs and reduce quality.
Ambulance service gets £38 for every patient they don't take to hospital The Telegraph, 28th March 2010, Laura Donnelly and Alastair Jamieson report that the Ambulance service is being paid bonuses for not taking patients to hospital in a bid to help the NHS hit controversial targets. Targets damage learning and improvement. The evidence is solid and growing, the regime isn't listening.
Top public schools 'fail' new inspections The Telegraph, 28 March 2010, Julie Henry leading public schools are among dozens of independent schools which have "failed" inspections for not complying with new "tick box" regulations. Read this it is an insight into the UK inspection industry.
Basic surgery denied by NHS trusts to cut costs, say surgeons The Guardian, 29th March 2010, Randeep Ramesh reports that NHS Operations refused mirror those in McKinsey cost-cutting report for Department of Health. What is not understand is that by focusing upon costs, quality decreases as costs increase.
Ambulance ‘waiting rooms’ cost NHS £11m The Times, 29th March 2010, Jonathon Oliver reports that the NHS has wasted more than £11m using ambulances as “waiting rooms” to get around Labour’s target that patients should be treated within four hours of entering casualty. Targets damage learning and improvement.
Public sector staff offered new cars and holiday vouchers to work The Telegraph, 29th March 2010, James Kirkup reports that public sector staff are being offered new cars, cash and holiday vouchers as an incentive to turn up to work. Attendance and reduced sickness could be achieved for free by a well-designed system.
Timer device limits civil servants to ten minutes in toilet The Telegraph, 30th March 2010, civil servants have been limited to spending a maximum of ten minutes in the toilets - after timers were installed. In the command and control world, managing time, reducing office size are seen as methods for reducing cost. A better method would be to study the system and deliver more value.
Systems Thinking and The “Flop” newsystemsthinking.com, 29th March 2010, Tripp Babbitt writes that method is whatever achieves your purpose best and that isn't command and control.
Schoolchildren 'failing to read books' The Telegraph, 30th March 2010, Graeme Paton reports that Children’s love of classic literature is being ruined as books are increasingly “dismantled” to help pupils pass exams, according to teachers. This is yet another example of the unintended consequence of targets.
Schoolchildren 'failing to read books' The Telegraph, 30th March 2010, Graeme Paton reports that Children’s love of classic literature is being ruined as books are increasingly “dismantled” to help pupils pass exams, according to teachers. This is yet another example of the unintended consequence of targets.
Will this waste of our money never stop? The Telegraph, 30th March 2010, Philip Johnston reports that late and way over budget, a plan for new fire control centres is just one example of Whitehall profligacy. More economies of scale thinking leading to huge failure and waste.
Axed hospital boss condemns decision thisislincolnshire.co.uk, 30 March 2010, reports that a manager argues that he was sacked because he put patient safety before government targets.
Traditional postman's bike to be scrapped The Telegraph, 31st March 2010, the traditional postman’s bike is to be scrapped after Royal Mail ruled that Britain’s roads are now too dangerous. Nothing to do with activity targets then?
Industry group calls on police to privatise backroom roles The Daily Mail, 31st March 2010, The Confederation of British Industry called on forces across England and Wales to share more back office functions. Systems Thinkers know that shared services are based upon the flawed concept of economies of scale and will fragment service. Costs increase as quality decreases. Good for business bad for taxpayers.
Outsource back office, Gershon tells Tories Channel Register, 30th March 2010, Former head of the Office of Government Commerce Sir Peter Gershon has advised the Conservatives to outsource all back office processing functions within 18 months of being elected. Systems Thinkers know that shared service centres and back office function decreases quality and increases costs.
Books for business: utility, functionality and form A good review of Vanguard's new book.
Ofsted changed Shoesmith report BBC new online, 1st April 2010, Ofsted, the education watchdog, has been accused of altering a report into the Baby Peter scandal in the hope Sharon Showsmith would be sacked by Haringey, according to court papers seen by the BBC.
Hospital checklists for common conditions 'cut deaths' BBC news online, 2nd April 2010, Checklists that spell out exactly how to care for patients with common conditions have dramatically reduced hospital deaths, say doctors. Sounds compelling but is actually very dangerous and will lead to unintended consequences as the system gets dumb.
Baby P report on Sharon Shoesmith 'was beefed up to remove her' The Guardian, 2nd April 2010, Lawyers claim dossier on Haringey's handling of Baby Peter case had positive notes about its children's services director overwritten with harsh criticisms after interference from the office of Ed Balls, the children's secretary. Systems thinkers know that inspection is seriously flawed as a method and a better focus is prevention.
By the final draft, all criticisms of police and NHS had been deleted The Times online, 2nd April 2010, Despite widespread failings, it is Haringey social workers and Ms Shoesmith who have been blamed for the tragedy.
Audit Commission: not 'civil servants' and therefore costs not for public veiwing Tim Garbutt is standing as MP for South Thanet and his blogspot contains the claim that the audit commission say they are not civil servants and therefore not subject to FOI requests.
Teachers’ mental strain highlighted BIG ON News, April 5 2010 Stressed teachers are suffering depression and even considering suicide due to heavy workloads, naughty pupils and a “tick-box culture” in schools, research suggests.
House building targets missed in every region The Telegraph, 7th April 2010, Rosa Prince reports that House-building targets have been missed in every region in the country over the last eight years, new figures show. Targets are not based upon knowledge. It would have been better to remove the barriers to increasing the numbers of properties built.
Testing can undermine children's rights, says teachers' leader The Independent, 7th April 2010, Richard Garner reports that Children primary schools are being robbed of their human rights by national curriculum tests, a teachers’ leader said today.
Improvements in education by the Labour Government are a myth rtucs blog, 8th April 2010, Supporters of New labour who say that Education has improved since it has been in office are propagating fiction not fact. Most teachers and school staff working on the ground would substantiate it as a myth and not what is going on in the real world. Interesting insight.
The Baby P inquiry shows witch-hunts still thrive The Guardian, Tuesday 13 April 2010, Jenni Russell writes yet another insightful article into the smoke and mirrors that is the inspection regime and how it is politically motivated. The reality is that targets, and prescribed computer systems alongside a corrosive inspection regime have led to a severely damaged system.
Exclusive: Ministers ready to intervene at Doncaster council Yorkshire Post, 14th April 2010, Rob Waugh reports that Doncaster is facing sustained and large-scale Government intervention following an emergency inspection. The irony is that those who created the system, targets and IT, and those who enforced the regime are about to blame and sack people instead of removing the systems conditions.
A discreet dash to dashboards Smarthealthcare.com, Michael Cross reports that the NHS is working on use of clinical dashboards, allowing organisations to monitor performance through unified data displays. Sounds plausible? Not really. It is possible to have a dash board and be a poor performing organisation and use measures very poorly.
Police criticised for pledge to 'reduce offending' The Telegraph, 16th April 2010, A police force has been criticised for producing a leaflet proclaiming its No 1 priority was "reducing offending". Instead of focusing upon relentlessly improving performance the regime wishes to manage information.
Council staff take two 'stress sickies' a year Daily Mail, 16th April 2010, Andrew Levy reports that Local authority employees took nearly five million days off in total for mental health problems including depression or anxiety. Systems Thinkers know that this is the consequence of a command and control approach.
One in 10 staff manning controversial NHS helpline off sick at any one time The Telegraph, 17th April 2010, More than one in 10 staff manning a controversial NHS helpline are off sick at any one time, new figures show. Systems thinkers know that high sickness is mostly the consequence of a poor system. I'll bet they use targets.
General Election 2010: NHS whistle-blower tries to oust health minister The Telegraph, 18th April 2010, Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent reports that an NHS boss sacked after refusing to put Government targets before patient safety is standing for parliament in a bid to oust a health minister. Yet more unintended consequences of targets!
Police plan to double detention for drunks and drug abusers bnet.com, 19th April 2010, Strathclyde Police will argue that performance indicators are being given priority at the expense of officers' discretion and community relations. Systems Thinkers know performance measures tend to measure the wrong thing, and worse they often come with targets.
Government to intervene in troubled Doncaster Council BBC news, 19th April 2010, Government will intervene in Doncaster after critical Audit Commission report. Government going to intervene and blame people for a system that the government created. Couldn't make it up!
Playing politics with the 3Rs BBC news online, 19th April 2010, a fascinating insight into how education statistics are used politically. In particular how targets have been used based upon no real knowledge but to 'stretch' workers
Teenager told 'you're too ill to work'... then same health firm tells her she's too FIT to claim benefits Daily Mail Online, 20th April 2010, A teenager who was refused a job after being deemed unfit for work was stunned when she was turned down for benefits - for being too healthy.
Waiting list fiddlers 'will be sacked' Daily Mail Online, 20th April 2010, The head of the NHS warned yesterday that hospital managers who fiddle waiting lists would be sacked and never again work for the Health Service. Systems Thinkers know that targets and central control always lead to ever-increasing checks and more control (the cycle of control).
Gwent Police plans shared services The Guardian Kable supplement, 22nd April 2010, A Welsh police force is considering joint procurement of shared services with local councils and other emergency services. Shared services is based upon the false premise of economies of scale. Costs will increase as quality suffers. Guaranteed.
Police to publish call response times on website The Independent, 22nd April 2010, One of the largest police forces in the UK today launched a website page where people can view up-to-date 999 and non-emergency call handling statistics. Systems Thinkers know that targets damage services and do not tell the truth of the customer experience.
Policing Pledge Response Times – The Ugly Truth! POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG, 22nd April 2010, a police blog that reveals the tricks of the trade to beat those government targets. Everybody is doing it. Engaging their ingenuity to beat the targets that is.
Council loses '68 years' work to sickness' The Telegraph, 23rd April 2010, Staff at a single council took the equivalent of 68 years off sick days in the last year at a cost to the taxpayer of £2.5 million, it has emerged. Systems Thinkers know that when you change the system, staff become more engaged, and as sickness falls morale goes up.
Candidate to sue Lincolnshire health authority BBC news ELECTION LIVE, 24 April 2010 reports that The candidate standing as an Independent in the seat of Lincoln has said he plans to sue the health trust where he was chief executive. Mr Walker said he was asked to "compromise the safety of patients in order to achieve government targets" and made the claims publicly last July.
Joan Smith: Orwell foresaw our treatment of Sharon Shoesmith The Independent, 25th April 2010 Joan Smith invokes Orwell and state sponsored hatred suggesting it is akin to how Shoesmith has been treated. The reality is more absurd. Shoesmith was following politically mandated prescription over the design of services. She took the fall for the design mandated by OFSTED and Balls.
48 hours' wait to see a GP The Daily Mail, 26th April 2010, reports that four in ten patients still wait longer than two days to see their GP, despite Government claims to have speeded up access. Systems thinkers know that targets damage learning and improvement.
Stress driving doctors and dentists to drink addiction Daily Mail online, 26th April 2010, Thousands of doctors and dentists are putting patients at risk because they are addicted to alcohol, an official report has revealed. More unintended consequences of target?
Seminar Question – How do I Engage Employees in Change? Tripp Babbitt again with another excellent blog. This time he talks about change and motivation (what Mintzberg called Kita).
Brown pledges one week target for cancer test BBC news online, 26th April 2010, Gordon Brown announces that if he wins the election he will introduce a new target for cancer treatment in the NHS. Whilst well-intentioned, systems thinkers know that targets distort the behaviour of the system and lead to unintended consequences
Surgeons treble NHS pay with extra operations BBC news online, 25th April 2010, surgeons are earning treble their pay to carry out extra operations to meet government targets. No change in method, just more operations.
Smarter way to access services The Guardian, 28th April 2010, From reporting grafitti to finding a job, smartphone apps could help public services save time and money. Systems Thinkers know that these applications will only help if they assist service users to achieve purpose. Command and controllers will see another method for reducing cost instead of improving value.
The Baby P blame game reveals that social work reform has taken a turn for the worse The Guardian, 29th April 2010, The tragedy of Baby Peter led to a much-needed rethink of social work procedure, but that progress is now unravelling, says Sue White. Systems Thinkers know that there is a Compliance culture within public services. Comply with the service design prescription of the centre, score highly at inspection. OFSTED found compliance with prescription in buckets, that is why they scored good. The fact that the prescription is poor management led to the requirement for a scapegoat. Step forwards Sharon Shoesmith.
The Needs of the Many Outrank the Needs of the Few Quality Digest, 29th April 2010, Tripp Babbit with another gem pointing out management's obsession with assessing employees
Targets not tests are bad for children The Guardian, 30th April 2010, Teachers should have boycotted the way SATs are taught, not the tests themselves. Worse still targets damage learning and improving. It is not enough to drop tests, education needs to have purpose.
Scalpel! This NHS red tape needs removing The Times, 30th April 2010, The internal market has been a costly disaster. Let the professionals manage medicine. Systems thinkers would agree, as long as they are guided by sound method and measures that relate to purpose from the customer's perspective (outside-in).
End of the NHS The Times, May 1st 2010, Yet another GP comes out to argue that the introduction of the market and targets have devastated the NHS. Systems Thinkers are not surprised by the damage caused by political ideology of choice and markets instead of studying the system and getting knowledge before acting. It isn't enough to remove targets and the market. The NHS needs method.
Farce of police paperwork exposed as officers spend up to 80 minutes filling in holiday request forms Daily Mail online, 30th April 2010, Officers in one of the UK's largest police forces have been spending up to 80 minutes filling out a single holiday request form, it emerged today. Systems Thinkers do not blame people for these problems but aim to help people change the system.
'Don't treat school heads like football bosses,' says union The Independent, Sunday 2nd May 2010, Richard Garner, Education Editor reports that Schools should stop treating their heads like football managers – sacking them when they fail to deliver good test and exam results, a conference was told yesterday. Systems Thinkers know that targets, league tables and inspection have destroyed education and the lives of teachers across the country. Some have even taken their own life due to the stress that they have been put under.
Illiteracy and innumeracy are the UK's dirty little secrets The Guardian, Monday May 3rd, Digby Jones argues that the election campaign is dodging the issue of low basic skills. Prisons provide the most acute examples of this waste. For systems thinkers these are clear indicators that targets, league tables and tests just are not working.
Police targets 'making officers behave like car salesmen' The Telegraph, 3rd May 2010, Police officers have complained that they are being be forced to behave like pushy car salesmen in order to hit targets for imposing on-the-spot penalties. Targets again!
Council customers put last, says chief EADT, 3rd May 2010, Paul Geater reports that Andrea Hill, CEO of Suffolk CC has attacked the management culture at her council. In two memos she argues that the council was more keen to please the regulator than the customer. Such honesty shows the true mettle of a brilliant leader. It is only by facing the warts and all reality and designing services from the customer's perspective that excellent service can be delivered.
Balls' Ofsted warning over Sats boycott Local Government Chronicle, 4th May 2010, The Ofsted inspections of primary schools taking part in the Sats boycott will “inevitably” be affected, Ed Balls has suggested. The proof that inspection is all about compliance and nothing about innovation, learning and improvement.
Poverty and injustice in David Cameron’s model borough The Independent, 5th May 2010, Johann Hari writes tht David Cameron cites Hammersmith and Fulham council as a 'model' of compassionate conservatism. So what can the actions of Tory councillors here tell us about how the party would behave in government? Systems Thinkers know that the Easy council model is flawed and focuses upon cost and not value. This drives costs up.
Poverty and injustice in David Cameron’s model borough The Independent, 5th May 2010, Johann Hari writes tht David Cameron cites Hammersmith and Fulham council as a 'model' of compassionate conservatism. So what can the actions of Tory councillors here tell us about how the party would behave in government? Systems Thinkers know that the Easy council model is flawed and focuses upon cost and not value. This drives costs up.
Half of housing staff stressed at work Inside Housing, 6th Nay 2010, reports that half of housing staff are stressed with increased caseloads. In systems thinking social housing providers, services are aligned to demand meaning that often staff satisfaction and resident satisfaction is high and costs low.
Leaning Your Way to Disaster Harvard Business Review, 6th May 2010, Michael Watkins writes that the connecting thread between Toyota's troubles and the BP Oil Spill is lean.
'Pointless' courses boost schools' league table rankings The Daily Mail, 6th May 2010 Schools are routinely boosting their league table rankings by putting pupils through undemanding vocational courses, figures revealed yesterday. Systems Thinkers know that all sorts of games are played to try and meet government targets. The point of education and the child has been lost in the league table and testing scrum.
Obliquity, By John Kay The Independent, 8th May 2010, This book by the distinguished economist and writer John Kay is an extended essay about an idea which is intuitively true: namely, that certain targets are achieved only as a side-effect of aiming for something else. Systems Thinkers know this to be true (although would align demand besed upon service users concepts of value). Labour Party please read.
Answer the question The Times Online, May 9th 2010, little snippets of mangerialism in education and how your money is being spent. I particularly liked the fingerprint control.
Women launch class action against 'target obsessed' NHS trust The Independent, 9th May 2010, More than 200 women were treated by a consultant who was allowed to continue working despite admitting to bosses he was 'overwhelmed' by work. All this in a hospital rated highly by the audit commission and meeting all of its targets?
Schools abandon dissection in Biology lessons over health and safety fears The Telegraph, 8th May 2010, Pupils are no longer being allowed to dissect animals over health and safety fears. Is the unintended consequence of the risk fad the destruction of vital society and experimentation?
Fraud, chaos and a pointless quango: why we need to tighten the rules on voter registration The Times. 9th May 2010, Daniel Hannan on the scandal of election, fraud and how a quango have not been able to solve the problem. Systems Thinkers know that some quangos are part of the architecture of command and control. I tell, you do.
Pupils to miss Sats in mass exam boycott The Telegraph, 9th May 2010, Graeme Paton, Education Editor reports that up to 300,000 children are expected to miss their Sats tests this week as head teachers across England stage an unprecedented boycott of primary school exams. Systems Thinkers know that the purpose of education has become to pass the test rather than encourage lifelong learning.
Investment Column: Capita set to benefit from state outsourcing The Independent, 12th May 2010, James Moore argues that as public sector costs are slashed, outsourcing company Capita are due to become the benefactors. Systems Thinkers know that outsourcing is often based upon unit costs and economies of scale and therefore the savings are offset by cost increases in other areas or worse service. Systems thinkers know that true efficiencies are in flow.
Coalition Government: cuts to benefit outsourcing firms The Telegraph, 13th May 2010, Outsourcing companies are set to benefit as the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats take action to “significantly accelerate” the reduction of the fiscal deficit. Except systems thinkers know that economies of scale unit cost outsourcing, pushes costs into other parts of the system. In fact it hides the increased costs and worse service. Economies of flow is a better.
Sameness: All Main Political Parties are the Same On 07.06.09, In Non Political Party, by Barry Mappn who suggests that all political parties cut without understanding. He quotes John Seddon heavily.
Directors of NHS finances should sweat their assets Times Online, 14th May 2010, Tim Care suggests that Finance directors should sweat their assets! He then goes on to talk about mergers. Systems Thinkers know that all this unit cost economies of scale stuff increases costs (by driving it into other parts of the system) and reduces quality.
Theresa May: Police on the beat a priority The Independent, 14th May 2010, Putting police back on the streets and slashing bureaucracy are among the Government's top priorities, Home Secretary Theresa May said today. She also outlined cutting bureaucracy. Systems Thinkers would ask 'By what method?"
'Once in a generation' chance for outsources Guardian, Public supplement. 14th May 2010, Outsourcing firms expect to do good business under the new Conservative-led government. Systems Thinkers know that outsourcing is often based upon economies of scale which lead to costs being pushed into other parts of the system. Service will get worse as costs increase. Economies of flow lead to higher quality and lower costs.
'Once in a generation' chance for outsources Guardian, Public supplement. 14th May 2010, Outsourcing firms expect to do good business under the new Conservative-led government. Systems Thinkers know that outsourcing is often based upon economies of scale which lead to costs being pushed into other parts of the system. Service will get worse as costs increase. Economies of flow lead to higher quality and lower costs.
It is time to stop fetishising hospitals - let's let the axe fall The Telegraph, 13th May 2010, Andrew Gilligan argues that NHS management have caused the death of lots and lots of patients. Therefore sack them. Systems Thinkers know that much of the problem was the system control put in place by politicians that dictated and guided what they did and how they did it. Rather than just cutting managers, remove the systems of targets and help with the method for improvement and management of the work.
Inside job gives call centres a pool of cheap labour Times online, 13th May 2010, Britons have grown accustomed to dialling call centres in Bangalore to check their bank details. But what if your bank’s back office was in an Indian prison — and was manned by criminals? Systems Thinkers know that outsourcing often makes service worse and increases costs, so no matter how you dress is up its wrong.
Will Hutton to lead public sector pay review for coalition The Guardian, 16th May 2010, Anushka Asthana, policy editor reports that Government gives liberal commentator and Labour's Frank Field key policy roles. It isn't enough to have critics, this doesn't replace method. Already the talk is of mass outsourcing and yet we know that often outsourcing is based upon economies of scale myths.
Met police chief in crisis talks on overdue, over-cost IT system The Times, 17th May 2010, Sean O'Neill reports that a new back office, shared-service centre designed to save the Police millions is six months late and £10 millions over budget. The real story that isn't being told is that shared services is based upon economies of scale thinking that will not only not improve service, but will decrease quality as it increases costs. That is the hidden cost that nobody is talking about.
Public sector pay: how change to performance-related pay fuelled anger about bonuses The Telegraph, 17th April 2010, Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor on David Cameron’s plans to curb the excesses of public sector pay has tapped into increasing concern about pay and bonuses paid to staff working for the state. Alfie Kohn highlighted that bonuses and incentives led to a focus on the bonuses rather than doing the right thing. Doing less of the wrong thing is to do the 'wrong thing righter' (Ackoff).
Police chiefs urge end to bonus culture The Independent, 18th May 2010, Chris Greenwood reports that a delegation of force leaders told the Tory Cabinet member that bonuses are not part of the country's "policing culture" and should be dumped. As Alfie Kohn has pointed out, all incentives distort systems and cause unintended consequences.
Police to regain power to charge suspects The Guardian, 19th May 2010, Alan Travis, home affairs editor reports that the power to decide whether a suspect is charged in hundreds of thousands of cases a year is to be restored to the police. A good first step, however the real challenge will be to free police to choose method for improvement and the removal of the crushing inspection regime.
Theresa May offers police 'radical new deal' The Guardian, 20th May 2010, Alan travis reports that Theresa May, in her first major speech in the post, was offering the police a "radical new deal" under which they would be offered wider professional discretion and operational freedom from Whitehall bureaucracy in return for increased local accountability.
NHS explores paying people to become healthier BBC news online, 20th May 2010, The NHS is exploring the possibility of using financial incentives to encourage healthier lifestyles. Systems Thinkers know that incentives focus people upon chasing the incentive instead of doing the right thing. We wouldn't want to stop them experimenting however but believe that there are many other better methods.
Why are we all swimming in red tape? The Telegraph, 19th May 2010, the risk fad and why it is stifling our country.
Spending watchdog calls in life coaches for staff The Times, 30th May 2010, A GOVERNMENT waste watchdog spent more than £3m in one year on life coaches, hotels and driving lessons for its staff. This included other misguided management techniques to improve team working including firewalking and team building awaydays. And this is the organisation judging public sector bodies on value for money?
Celebrate the end of CAA, by John Seddon Public Finance, 24th May 2010, John Seddon writes that the new government has abolished Comprehensive Area Assessments. Hoorah. Public servants will be breathing a sigh of relief now that the burden of self-assessment, a costly exercise in representation rather than accuracy, has gone.
Government to curb 'excessive regulation' Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced today (2 June 2010) an Action Plan aimed a bringing an end to ”excessive regulation that is stifling business growth”.
Revealed: new teaching methods that are producing dramatic results The Telegraph, 3rd June 2010, Innovative headteachers at schools around the country are abandoning traditional chalk and talk teaching methods in favour of widely differing visions of an educational future. Judith Woods enters a world of spaced learning, praise pods, flexible Fridays and sixth-formers in business suits. Systems Thinkers know that innovation is possible where purpose is clear and control isn't top-down in the form of targets.
The Droids We Build Quality Digest, 2nd June 2010, Tripp Babbitt with another brilliant article about Vanguard systems thinking in service organisations. The focus is upon systems and not people and nurturing innovation.
The hospital visit that made me sick The Telegraph, 4th June 2010, Meeting targets is a shameful Labour legacy that must be overturned. Systems Thinkers agree. This is not the same as having no method however.
Nurseries 'teaching children using computers' The Telegraph, 1st June 2010, Nurseries attached to state schools are much more likely to expose under-fives to modern technology, it was disclosed, despite fears that it undermines children’s long-term development. The impact of targets and passing the test.
Hospitals face penalties for discharging patients too soon The Guardian, 8th June 2010, Health secretary to announce plans intended to reduce emergency readmissions within 30 days of discharge
Hospitals face penalties for discharging patients too soon The Guardian, 8th June 2010, Health secretary to announce plans intended to reduce emergency readmissions within 30 days of discharge
No 10 'will respond' to e-petitions sent to Labour BBC news, 11th June 2010, last year a petition on the Number 10 website proposed that John Seddon became public sector service tsar. The new regime threatened to delete them, but Vanguard's Charlotte Pell has managed to persuade them to pay them attention.
What if we just cut targets? A great blog about auditing and the cost of compliance and including references to John Seddon
Labour’s fruit freebies cost taxpayer £100,000 The Times, 13th June 2010, Marie Woolf, Whitehall Editor reports on the increase of sales and marketing people under the last administration. The re-presentation of reality supports what we know of the audit commission regime in the public sector.
Surgery targets endanger patient safety, poll suggests BBC news online, 17th June 2010, Pressures over hospital budgets and targets may be damaging safety in operating theatres, a survey suggests. Systems Thinkers know that targets damage learning and improvement and can lead to unintended consequences.
NHS targets ''have harmed patients'' Public Service, June 17 2010, Targets in the NHS could be causing harm to patients by compromising safety in operating theatres, according to a survey of surgeons. Systems Thinkers merely toss this survey onto the ever growing pile of evidence and ask why nothing has changed?
Shapps to scrap Tenant Services Authority Inside Housing, 18th June 2010, Housing minister to hand watchdog’s responsibilities to HCA and ombudsman service
400,000 patients give up over A&E delays The Telegraph, 19th June 2010, Hundreds of thousands of patients abandon Accident and Emergency departments every year in despair at the length of time they have to wait, new figures disclose. Targets have improved nothing. Systems Thinkers know why.
GP waiting time target 'scrapped' BBC news online, 21st June 2010, Patients in England will no longer be guaranteed a GP appointment within 48 hours under a scaling back of NHS targets. Good news? Only if new measures are introduced that relate to the purpose of the system and what matters to patients.
Nick Herbert outlines new thinking on policing The Guardian, 24th June 2010, As the Home Office braces itself for cuts of up to 25% next year, Herbert criticised what he called the 'old numbers game'. Has he been influenced by articles on this website about policing? Possibly.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10406010.stm BBC news online, 25th June 2010, Councils in England will no longer have to report to ministers annually on their performance in key areas.
Council 'league tables' to be scrapped to save money BBC news online, 25th June 2010, Councils in England will no longer have to report to ministers annually on their performance in key areas.
Pickles orders end to CAA Public Finance, 25th June 2010, Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has today written to councils informing them that Comprehensive Area Assessments will be stopped.
Rules tightened for council-funded newspapers BBC news, 27th June 2010, The government wants to tighten the rules on council-run free newspapers.
Police target culture led to failures in Kirk Reid investigation The Telegraph, 28th June 2010, A target-chasing culture that distorted police priorities led to the “shameful” failure to catch a serial sex attacker who targeted up to 100 women, an official report concluded.
Theresa May scraps Labour police beat pledge The Guardian, 29th June 2010, Labour's promise that neighbourhood police officers spend at least 80% of their time on the beat is being dropped with immediate effect, the home secretary, Theresa May, said today.
New goals to replace NHS targets BBC news online, 1st July 2010, Hundreds of new quality measures will be published in the coming years to help the NHS in England improve care as the coalition government continues its quest to scrap targets. Systems thinkers know that targets damage learning and improvement & these ARE targets
Police 'buried under' guidance on avoiding risks BBC news online, 1st July 2010, Police are "buried under" 6,497 pages of guidance on new legislation and risks to avoid, the chief inspector of constabulary has warned.
PWC survey shows rise in fraud by public-sector staff The Independent, 4th July 2010, A new PWC report claims that less checking and audit will lead to increased fraud during a recession. Why then systems thinking organisations have much less checking and audit and yet the money & work is more visible?
Competition makes NHS hospitals more efficient The Guardian, 4th July 2010, London School of Economics suggests that where patients have more choice hospitals become more efficient. Sounds more like free market ideology again. A better focus would be purpose, what matters and design against demand.
Analysis: Is it really the end for NHS targets? BBC news online, 5th July 2010, Targets split opinion in the NHS like no other subject. Labour loved them. Doctors, it is fair to say, did not. Have they really gone?
David Cameron refuses to be drawn over NHS cancer screenings guarantee The Guardian, 15th July 2010, Harriet Harman says PM's failure to give specific answer suggests government are 'ditching' two-week cancer target. Even now the Labour party have no understanding of the damage that targets caused.
Addressing sickness absence The Guardian, 15th July 2010, The public sector has good policies and management tools for dealing with absence, it just needs to use them more effectively. Systems Thinkers know that these are consequences of the design of work. Focuses upon them often increase the problem and do not tackle the root causes.
Beware the 'Bonfire of the Quangos' - it might not save any money, warns charity The Guardian, 15th July 2010, Scrapping quangos might not save large amounts of public money even though many functions are duplicated by Whitehall departments, a leading research charity has warned. The director of the research charity is an architect of the quango state and compliance culture. No change in thinking or approach. No change.
Two-week target 'retained' for NHS cancer patients BBC news online, 17th July 2010, The two-week waiting time target for NHS cancer patients is "clinically justified" and will be retained, Commons Leader Sir George Young confirmed. This is despite large amounts of evidence that show that targets cause unintended consequences and damage learning and improvement. Is it back to management by assumption & appearance?
Seddon quoted in Guardian Article: Austerity drive will hand billions to private sector The Guardian, 17th July 2010, Outsourcing firms are preparing for bonanza of contracts to provide everything from binmen to back office bureaucrats. The public sector is about to go to hell in a hand cart as services are outsourced. Seddon is quoted warning of the dangers.
NHS to collect raft of data on quality of care: Department of Health BBC news, 20th July 2010, The NHS is to be ordered to collect a raft of new measures on the quality of patient care just as the new Coalition government abolishes targets, it has been announced. Will these be the measures that are used to benchmark services to facilitate choice and ultimately the outsourcing agenda?
Audit Commission plans pared down role Public Finance, 22nd July 2010, The Audit Commission is planning to cut its costs by 30% and focus on supporting self-inspection in local government. Doing less of the wrong thing is still the wrong thing.
Police lack back-office savings ambition Computer Weekly, 20th July 2010, A report into areas where police forces can save money said a lack of ambition for back-office savings within police authorities could hold back value for money. This is despite economies of scale actually increasing costs and reducing quality.
Eric Pickles to scrap 'agents of Whitehall' in English regions The Guardian, 22nd July 2010, The government today announced plans "in principle" to abolish government offices in the English regions – a decision that Labour said would cost 1,500 jobs. Many public sector leaders have been policed by Government Offices if they have attempted to try things at odds with the regime.
Axe falls on NHS services The Telegraph, 25th July 2010, NHS bosses have drawn up secret plans for sweeping cuts to services, with restrictions on the most basic treatments for the sick and injured. Systems Thinkers know that cuts will lead to poorer services and INCREASED costs. That's counterintuitive.
From canings to Ofsted: a teacher's view of a lifetime of change in his school The Guardian, 25th July 2010, Anushka Asthana. Yorkshire teacher Alan Hemsworth is retiring after 40 years at the same school, putting him in a unique position to offer views on an education system in flux. An experienced teachers view of targets and league tables.
Benefit overpayments from fraud and errors 'hit £3.1bn' BBC news, 28th July 2010, The level of benefit overpayments caused by fraud or errors has risen by £400m to £3.1bn in the last year, according to official estimates.
Shoesmith given leave to appeal BBC news, 2nd September 2010, Sharon Shoesmith has been given leave to appeal over her sacking as the head of children's services in Haringey after the death of Baby Peter. Ofsted still operate their inspection regime. The prescription remains.
Time to 'move beyond' Asbos, says home secretary May BBC news, 28th July 2010, The home secretary has said it is "time to move beyond" Asbos, signalling the possible end of their use in England and Wales.
Paring Down to Spend More Quality Digest, 19th July 2010, Economy of flow is a management paradox whose time has come.
NHS hospitals to be allowed to 'earn more money' from private patients The Telegraph, 30th July 2010, Bundred claims that choice will lead to increased innovation, quality and efficiency in the NHS. Systems Thinkers know that this is a flawed argument.
Closing the Gap: How Desire Affects Perceptions of Distance Scientific American, July 2010, When we judge distance, desired objects seem nearer. More insight into why targets distort our reality and lead to unintended consequences?
Exclusive: How targets filled our prisons, and the police ignored serious crime The Blog, 2nd August 2010, The Slog shows how first, the Jack Straw Home Office under Tony Blair clogged up the prison system to meet targets
The economics of value and localism Public Service, 3rd August 2010, Local services are human, receptive, engaging and productive – counter-intuitively, they are also high quality and low cost. John Seddon argues the case against more centralisation of services
Systems Thinking Saves Service 5th August 2010, Tripp Babbitt argues that if you want change, change your mind.
When Goal Setting Goes Bad Harvard Business School article on how goal setting and targets lead to unintended consequences.
David Cameron shifts drug addicts treatment to live-in schemes BBC.co.uk, 8th August 2010, Target-obsessed approach to drug problem did not work, says PM. More evidence on the damage caused by targets.
John Seddon article - Systems Thinking: Management by Doing the Right Thing Modern analyst.com, To understand change in organizations we must understand what influences people’s behavior within an organization and how it does so.
A Service Assumption – Variety, not Standardization is the Problem Tripp Babbitt's blog and an argument about standardization versus absorbing variety.
A Service Assumption – Variety, not Standardization is the Problem Tripp Babbitt's blog and an argument about standardization versus absorbing variety.
Starbucks’ Lean Ruins the Experience Quality Digest, 8th August 2010, an account of how Starbucks have been using lean in their stores and the impact that it has had upon service.
John Seddon: The Audit Commission should just follow the money Conservativehome.blogs.com, 11th August 2010, John Seddon says the Government must go further in scaling back Audit Commission meddling.
Primary school results 'inflated' by teachers The Telegraph, 11th August 2010, The extent to which children’s grasp of core subjects is being “artificially inflated” by schools is laid bare in damning figures which have been published for the first time. More evidence that targets, league tables and testing led to unintended consequences.
Council under fire for 'leaving staff scared after spying on their work' The Telegraph, 12th August 2010, A council has been criticised for “spying” on its staff, after it emerged that investigators were paid to follow them in their cars. Another unintended consequence of the standards industry? Purpose Measures Method a better approach
Patients wrongly admitted to hospitals to dodge waiting times targets – report Caledonian Mercury.com, 12th August 2010, Auditor General for Scotland makes claim that the four hour waiting time targets has improved performance. Not true. It has led to cheating and unintended consequences. If he studied the system systemically he would discover this for himself.
Audit Commission D-Day tomorrow Local Government Chronicle, 13th August 2010, The Audit Commission is set to be slashed with rumours circulating of its abolition, LGC understands.
Audit Commission to be scrapped BBC news, 13th August 2010, The Audit Commission, which employs 2,000 people, is to be scrapped, the BBC has learned.
Go, for God's sake go! Our readers speak out on the Audit Commission Public Service.co.uk, 16th August 2010, When Audit Commission chairman Michael O'Higgins spoke to Dean Carroll about the effectiveness of the body and where its future lay, readers of the Public Servant story online had some very strong reactions ...
Systems Thinking, the PGA and the Bunker Debacle Tripp Babbitt's Blog, Yet another stellar blog on service management systems thinking style. Golf and the PGA bunker ruling as a trope of modern management.
Bonuses are not the incentive to catch criminals, says police chief The Telegraph, 19th August 2010, Bonuses have no part in modern policing because officers should not need a financial incentive to catch criminals, a chief constable has said.
The Focus on Function Causes Dysfunction Tripp Babbitt's blog, 19th August 2010, Every function sales, operations, software development, contact centers, etc., etc. have their own association. They all promote certifications, training and much more to teach how to be better at their function. So few, though, have a focus on the broader system and how each function interacts with each the others.
Companies can't afford this waste of human capacity The Observer, 23rd August 2010, Simon Caulkin writes that levels of employee engagement have plummeted – in a knowledge-based economy where workers' ideas and inventiveness matter most.
Bright pupils 'held back by league tables' 23rd August 2010, Richard Garner, education editor writes that the best GCSE candidates are not being given the chance to excel due to government exam league tables, a head teachers' leader warns today.
Why our jobs are getting worse The Guardian, 31st August 2010, There's a good reason why so many of us no longer like going to work. There's not much call for thinking these days.
Watchdog to investigate alternative exams BBC news, 1st September 2010, England's exams watchdog, Ofqual, is to investigate how A-levels and GCSEs compare with other qualifications.
Reform of services was 'bunkum', claims Blair The Guardian, 2nd September 2010, Former prime minister reveals errors made in early days of New Labour as it tried to reform public services by concentrating on outputs instead of structures, particularly in the NHS
Lincoln Council tear up the rulebook PRFIRE, Lincoln Council have used Vanguard systems thinking to transform their service. As always systems thinking shows catastrophic change in service improvement.
Deming, Systems Thinking, and the Future Quality Digest, 2nd September 2010, Don't be a copycat; think and learn
New, Larger, Re-designed ‘Scrap The Pledge’ Wristbands Police Inspector Blog, 4th September 2010, all about the state of targets in the UK police force. Plus read the comments on this inside view of policing.
<<BACK