As part of the public value consortium project The Work Foundation ran a series of workshops. These workshops explored the central themes of public value and how organisations apply them in practice.
Presentations from each workshop and additional material written by leading academics are available to download below.
March 2008
Engaged Staff: Responsive public services
The workshop offered participants the opportunity to question speakers and other participants about what works in practice, and how public value can be built into organisational culture.
Speakers:
Peter Housden, Permanent Secretary of Communities and Local Government
Peter spoke about how the CLG has addressed questions of management quality, work organisation and job design to create an internal culture in which public value can flourish.
Sian Thomas, Joint Director of NHS Employers
Sian is responsible for delivery of employer support and Large Scale Workforce Change. She spoke about the challenges of engaging the country's largest workforce to deliver major public service reforms and offered examples of success.
Tom Wilson, Head of Organisation and Services Department, TUC
Tom discussed the importance of listening to staff and the constructive role that unions could play in advocating change.
Presentations and handouts:
Renewing the Public Realm: The changing relationship between politicians and public managers
This workshop looked at whether public managers are becoming more visible and closer to the public than their political masters and how their values, skills and behaviours are changing.
Speakers:
Sir Steve Bullock
Elected as the London Borough of Lewisham’s first Executive Mayor in May 2002, Sir Steve has a long experience of working local government.
Dr Ita O’Donovan, Chief Executive of Haringey Borough Council
Ita has 20 years' experience of working in and with local government, most recently as City Manager and Chief Executive of Stoke-on-Trent.
Professor Gerry Stoker, Professor of Governance, University of Southampton and founding Chair of the New Local Government Network
Presentations and handouts:
November 2007
Hitting the Target, Missing the Point? Performance measurement and public value
Speakers:
John Kay, Economist
With a career spanning academia, media, policy and business, John presented his critique of why centrally determined targets for public services don't work.
Colin Talbot, Professor of Public Policy, University of Nottingham
Professor Talbot responded with a new paper outlining how performance measurement regimes can reflect the outcomes that the public values
Presentations and handouts:
October 2007
Trial by citizens’ jury? Public services and public participation
Speakers:
Ruth Jarratt, Director of Policy Development, The Royal Opera House
Ruth commented on running the Royal Opera House’s first Citizens’ Jury and how this has informed the ROH’s strategy.
Dr Marcia Kelson, Associate Director: Patient and Public Involvement Programme, NICE
Discussed patient, carer and public involvement in the development and implementation of NICE guidance.
Kate Hawkins, Research Manager, BBC Trust
Examined the range of methods that the BBC is using to engage the public and how this relates to issues of accountability and trust.
Ricardo Blaug, Political Theorist, University of Leeds
Looked at the theory of public participation, the benefits and limitations, and how recent initiatives are faring.
Presentations and handouts: