Public Servant Management Clinic

2010 Articles

July Edition: When times are tough we need to get the balance right
We all have a role to play in responding to the current financial crisis and the hardships it may bring, says Ben Moss, who warns that a lot depends on maintaining a balanced approach
June Edition: Bullying – we need to see the other side of the coin
Jill Flint-Taylor explains why managers must be allowed to apply the necessary pressure to get the best performance out of their staff – without fear of being labelled as bullies
May Edition: Good relationships require everyone to be on board
Gordon Tinline looks at some of the options for keeping things positive at executive level
April Edition: Resilience matters – where does yours come from?
People are either good at coping in difficult situations or they’re not – right? Wrong, says Ivan Robertson
April Edition: WORKPLACE WELLBEING – Does it matter in hard times?
An unhappy workforce can cost an organisation dearly, says Cary Cooper
March Edition: Change: it’s a lot more than choosing a new name
Short-term fixes dressed up as structural change can do more harm than good, says Georgia Kerr. Successful change management requires real commitment from everyone involved
February Edition: Pessimistic? – cheer up, we could be French
We should expect government to help us feel good, but we all have a responsibility to engage in some positive thinking and show some resilience, says Ben Moss
January Edition: Surveys...the good, the bad and the ugly.
Jill Flint-Taylor looks at some of the more useful aspects of workplace surveys and suggests that sometimes the results can raise more questions then they answer.

2009 Articles

December Edition: All present, but not necessarily correct
Staff who insist on struggling into work despite being ill are doing themselves and their organisation more harm than good, say Nick Hayter and Matt Smeed, who argue that employers should do more to tackle the trend of presenteeism.
November Edition: So tell me, what exactly do you do here?
Lack of understanding about what other people in your workplace actually do can have a serious impact on morale and motivation, warns Gordon Tinline
October Edition: Get engaged to defeat the gory headlines
Cary Cooper suggests that far from being soft issues, employee engagement and well-being are vital tools that can be used to secure improvements in performance.
September Edition: Pay restraint - at what price?
With a possible public sector pay freeze on the horizon Ivan Robertson discusses the likely impact on employee motivation and looks at what managers can do to maintain commitment.
August Edition: Where next? Leadership in unchartered territory
With the general election 10 months away at the most, the biggest leadership challenge facing the civil service is maintaining momentum and a sense of purpose, says Gordon Tinline.
July Edition: Take time to refocus your ambition
Having long-term goals will help you to find your way along the career development path, says Ben Moss.
June Edition: Trust vs pay – what do we value more at work?
We need to be successful economically, but we also need a new set of values for how we achieve this, says Cary Cooper.
May Edition: We’re committed – but to what?
Setting goals can be a useful way of motivating staff to improve performance. But, warns Gordon Tinline, managers must make sure they set the right sort of goals to aim at.
April Edition: New technology – friend or foe?
New technology can be a boon to busy staff – but only if the correct training and development processes are put in place.Jill Flint-Taylor warns that without careful planning and monitoring, technology can cause more problems than it solves.
March Edition: Managing positively in a downturn
Professor Ivan Robertson looks at how managers should respond to the concerns of their employees at a time of economic recession and how those fears can be converted to achieve a positive outcome.
February Edition: Presence is not performance
With redundancies hitting the headlines it is tempting for employees to feel they should make themselves indispensable by working extra hours. But a longer working week is not necessarily a more productive one, says Ben Moss.
January Edition: Managing Workload – it’s a fine balance
Jill Flint-Taylor faces up to the reality of managing workload against a background of ever-increasing demands for improvement and cost savings.