From the editor: Has the government become mission-oriented?
31 Jul Civil Service Reform

From the editor: Has the government become mission-oriented?

In the end, the Spending Review did not put mission-based working front and centre, but look closely and it's clear that the five missions did still exert some influence on the chancellor's allocations
by Jess Bowie and Suzannah Brecknell
Celebrating success and shifting the dial on diversity – nominate now for the 2025 Women into Leadership Awards
02 Sep Leadership
Celebrating success and shifting the dial on diversity – nominate now for the 2025 Women into Leadership Awards
Why chasing productivity won’t save our public services
01 Sep Civil Service Reform
Why chasing productivity won’t save our public services
Voluntary madness: Whitehall’s obsession with exit schemes is hollowing out the wrong people while dodging real reform
27 Aug Civil Service Reform
Voluntary madness: Whitehall’s obsession with exit schemes is hollowing out the wrong people while dodging real reform
Civil service leaders must get better at deep listening
02 May 2024 HR
Civil service leaders must get better at deep listening
Does it bother you as much as it does me that across government, we can still be way too slow to spot and act on serious problems before they materialise or grow into national scandals?
Talent is the magic ingredient of success – so how can Whitehall get better at managing it?
01 May 2024 HR
Talent is the magic ingredient of success – so how can Whitehall get better at managing it?
The civil service must create dedicated roles and a more effective system for spotting and supporting talented people – as well as removing poor performers – if it is to address the complex challenges facing the country
Ethics is an enabler, not a barrier to effective policymaking
29 Apr 2024 Digital, Data & Technology
Ethics is an enabler, not a barrier to effective policymaking
The ethical and regulatory challenges associated with developments in biomedicine, health and AI are set to intensify, writes the director of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Building a case for a change: Tackling fraud with AI Partner Content
22 Apr 2024 Fraud, Error Debt & Grants
Building a case for a change: Tackling fraud with AI
Investing in counter-fraud technologies can help address financial mismanagement and optimise spending
Dave Penman: What's your issue with the civil service, John?
19 Apr 2024 HR
Dave Penman: What's your issue with the civil service, John?
Cabinet Office minister John Glen's latest attack is both ill-advised and damaging
Who is responsible for preventing fraud and error? A simple but vital question
17 Apr 2024 Coronavirus
Who is responsible for preventing fraud and error? A simple but vital question
Joshua Reddaway, director of fraud and propriety at the National Audit Office, considers lessons from two recent NAO reports where fraud was found in schemes delivered through others
Matt Bazeley: 'We must work smarter on workplace well-being' Partner Content
15 Apr 2024 Health & Social Care
Matt Bazeley: "We must work smarter on workplace well-being"
The chief executive of the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC) on an urgent call for a national strategy to address the national health crisis and tackle absenteeism
Plain failing: Leadership means sharing career disappointments as well as success
12 Apr 2024 HR
Plain failing: Leadership means sharing career disappointments as well as success
Mentorship can accelerate careers, especially when senior staff share their disappointments and setbacks
Good government relies on good whistleblowing, so departments must be ready to listen
11 Apr 2024 HR
Good government relies on good whistleblowing, so departments must be ready to listen
Without listening to whistleblowers, we are destined to lurch from scandal to crisis without learning from mistakes
The value of ChMC accreditation Partner Content
11 Apr 2024 Operational Delivery
The value of ChMC accreditation
Government Chief Commercial Officer Gareth Rhys Williams recently highlighted the great work being done to drive up professional standards in consulting with the new Chartered Management Consultant accreditation. Tamzen Isacsson, CEO of the Management Consultancies Association (MCA), looks at the award’s growth over the past three years
The use of social investment to tackle homelessness can provide a blueprint for other policy challenges
05 Apr 2024 Policy
The use of social investment to tackle homelessness can provide a blueprint for other policy challenges
Policymakers must consider creative options to tackle entrenched challenges, says former senior civil servant Stephen Muers, who is now chief exec at Big Society Capital
Book review: Ros Atkins' guide to communication is honest, readable and practical, but don’t hope for shortcuts
25 Mar 2024 Communications
Book review: Ros Atkins' guide to communication is honest, readable and practical, but don’t hope for shortcuts
Engagingly written and packed with useful information, this book will ensure you never start an email with 'I hope you are well' again
We’re looking at public sector productivity the wrong way
21 Mar 2024 Civil Service Reform
We’re looking at public sector productivity the wrong way
The chancellor is hoping that his £3.4bn investment will unlock £35bn in productivity improvements. But will it?
Defra’s experience shows the problems in making Brexit work
14 Mar 2024 Energy & Environment
Defra’s experience shows the problems in making Brexit work
The department is struggling to make sense of its post-Brexit responsibilities and freedoms
Under the Rwanda bill, civil servants face an impossible dilemma. The government must put this right
14 Mar 2024 Legal
Under the Rwanda bill, civil servants face an impossible dilemma. The government must put this right
Ministers want to break the law; civil servants have a legal duty to uphold it
In a momentous year, civil service leaders must be capable of delivering government aims
13 Mar 2024 Leadership
In a momentous year, civil service leaders must be capable of delivering government aims
The NAO's latest report shows the Cabinet Office needs a more coherent and integrated "whole-system" approach to boosting civil service leadership capability
David Halpern on the Budget: Could evidence-based policy be key to improving public sector productivity?
12 Mar 2024 Civil Service Reform
David Halpern on the Budget: Could evidence-based policy be key to improving public sector productivity?
The path to improving public sector productivity is not a quick fix but it can be done
Tell us about HR in your organisation
11 Mar 2024 HR
Tell us about HR in your organisation
Take part in this Reform and CSW research into civil service HR processes
Charting a smoke-free future Partner Content
11 Mar 2024 Health & Social Care
Charting a smoke-free future
Duncan Cunningham, External Affairs Director for the UK & Ireland at Philip Morris International, advocates for science-backed solutions to help adult smokers switch to less harmful alternatives, and calls for collaboration with government to accelerate the transition to a smoke-free nation
The civil service has a people problem – you can help us find the solutions
07 Mar 2024 Civil Service Reform
The civil service has a people problem – you can help us find the solutions
I refuse to believe there aren’t solutions to tackle civil service's talent and poor performance problems, especially among the people most affected by them
The People Survey results should be a wakeup call
06 Mar 2024 Civil Service Reform
The People Survey results should be a wakeup call
The worst thing that can happen with the People Survey is that its findings do not deliver meaningful change
Book review: Baroness Falkender's biography is the story of a woman who lived and breathed politics
27 Feb 2024 Politics & Constitution
Book review: Baroness Falkender's biography is the story of a woman who lived and breathed politics
The first woman political adviser to a British prime minister, Marcia Williams may have had her share of failings but, as Linda McDougall’s excellent book makes clear, she deserves to be remembered as a trailblazer
Why local governance is important on the path to net zero
26 Feb 2024 Energy & Environment
Why local governance is important on the path to net zero
As the British Academy publishes a new report on governance and net zero, one of its fellows advising the project, Professor Andy Jordan, reflects on the role of local leadership
The public is ready for citizens' assemblies – civil servants should embrace this
23 Feb 2024 Civil Service Reform
The public is ready for citizens' assemblies – civil servants should embrace this
Deliberative democracy will allow us to harness the collective intelligence of millions of citizens, not just depend on a handful of politicians and civil servants