What a brilliant idea. Just think how much more comfortable life would be for senior managers if you could out source unpopular decisions. “Don’t blame me I didn’t make the decision”. The government has led the way with outsourcing decisions on cutting benefits to individuals with a disability to a French company, reducing the number of people claiming unemployment benefit by contracting with the infamous A4E and outsourcing security to the incompetent G4S.Local Authorities could do it by outsourcing grants to voluntary/ community/faith groups. “We have outsourced the process of processing and awarding grants. G4G will take over this function, members having set criteria for awards and budget reduction targets”. Of course managers have tried this approach before with their “don’t blame me blame HR” response to unpopular decision but it is so much more convincing now HR has been outsourced. There is a well established ploy used by managers when presenting team members with unpopular, unworkable and counterproductive decisions which is to blame senior management. It works but it would work so much better if senior management was outsourced. I understand some places are already experimenting with the idea of not filling their chief executive post but buying in some chief executive time from an adjacent authority. Why not just outsource the whole senior management team. Eric Pickles couldn’t complain about the salaries of senior managers if we didn’t employ any! I can hear it now the leader of the council saying this is a better deal for the organisation and the council tax payer, we save on salaries, pensions and sick pay (and we can get rid of all those policy, PR and communications staff who work in the chief executive’s office). Blair McPherson UnLearning management published by Russell House www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
