Title

In today's performance driven public sector, managers are judged by results. Senior managers are expected to deliver improved performance and star ratings. To what extent is success based on the actions of a few or the efforts of many? Do senior managers take too much credit when things go well, and too much blame when they don't? How much difference can a senior manager make, and to what extent is success a matter of having the right people, or even luck. League tables and judgment by results feed a macho management culture where the belief is encouraged that one individual, a charismatic leader, can, by sheer force of personality, dramatically improve performance and public perception. Such leaders try and convince everyone they are in control. But, are the most successful senior managers simply those who inherit the best staff and a growth budget? Or do some just get lucky? It's fairly obvious that if you have a strong, dynamic and experienced team you are going to be successful, all the more so if you have the budget to fund new services and pilot innovative initiatives. This may explain why ambitious senior managers chose a poor-performing organisation over a coasting one. A poor-performing organisation is more likely to accept the need for strengthening the management team and provide the money to fund new posts and new service initiatives. How much is success down to luck? They will never admit it on the MBA courses, but success may be as much to do with luck as skill. For every scandal, there are 1,000 senior managers thinking, there but for the grace of God – luck. A small change in a government's funding formula benefits some organisations at the expense of others. Suddenly, you don't have to cut services, close establishments or increase charges. Instead, there is capital for refurbishment, money for new initiatives and good news stories – luck. After an inspection-free period, you are due for a major inspection. If it comes this year, in the middle of your reorganisation, you will be vulnerable. But, if it comes next year, you will be able to show the service in the best-possible light. Whether it is this year or next year could be decided by a high-profile complaint or the timing of a critical article in the local press – luck. Senior managers can and do make a difference, they influence the culture of an organisation, set priorities, and articulate the vision. They describe how things will look in the future. They inspire. Senior managers also take too much blame for poor performance and too much credit for improved results, because they have only a limited influence on day-to-day activities. As the focus shifts from a preoccupation with a narrow range of PIs to co-ordinated efforts to promote economic development, social inclusion and community cohesion, success will be determined by collaboration rather than competition, integrity rather than manipulation, and empowering and coaching rather than demanding and controlling. This requires a different type of leadership, one where all managers show leadership by taking responsibility, by seeking to influence across organisational boundaries and being effective people managers. Whether the organisation is a good place to work, a place where service-user satisfaction is high, and performance improving, is down to the leadership of managers at all levels, the commitment and skill of staff and, no doubt, some luck. Blair McPherson is director of community services at Lancashire CC

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WHITEHALL

Making life manageable

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