Business guru calls for a revolution in the public sector in Sheffield

John Seddon says the way to save money is by focusing on demand from customers and achievements based on their needs and finances should be pushed down the list of priorities.

He gives the example of a man asking the council for help who is then visited by a succession of officials who pass him on to other departments so they can tick a box to say they have dealt with him - at minimal cost to their own budget.

Mr Seddon said it would be much better to have one person who understood the individual and “what a good life looks like” for him to help him take responsibility for achieving it. The expert would then work out what he needs from friends, family, the voluntary sector and the state.

The model runs counter to mainstream methods and people struggle to understand it, he says. But when they study their own organisational systems “the penny drops and you can’t go back.”

Mr Seddon, an ardent critic of public sector reform, gave a lecture in Sheffield attended by 94 people, mostly council and NHS managers, management consultants and students.

It was part of a tour to publicise his new book called ‘Beyond Command and Control’.

His method – the Vanguard Method – helps leaders see the flaws in command-and-control management through studying their organisation, and helps leaders make choices about changing the ways they think and manage performance.

The Vanguard organisation has franchisees and sister organisations in Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Croatia, Canada, South Africa and The Netherlands. He is a visiting professor at Buckingham University Business School and Hull University Business School.

Current and recent clients include UK local authorities, housing organisations, police forces and fire and rescue services, Lloyds Bank, Zurich Insurance, Aviva and Standard Life, Top Denmark, Fortis/BNP Paribas, Amsterdam City Council, Department of Internal Affairs (NZ), Standard Bank (SA), Old Mutual (SA), TekSavvy (Canada), PCS Construction (Canada), Bromolla and Sunsval Communes (SE).