Plan and Deliver

As reported by Stefan Stern in the Financial Times (“Managers poised for deeper and more damaging cuts to come”, 19 February 2010), a new report from the Institute for Leadership and Management shows 70% of public sector managers have already experienced budget cuts in the last 12 months and know that more will come.

 

It seems, therefore, the only real debating point is the extent of the cuts and how skilfully managers respond. In the public and private sector, we will now more than ever need to be sure of the business case for equality and diversity. There will always be a battle for the best talent and a desire to retain that talent. The importance of making sure that we are running meritocracies rather than unintentionally cloning ourselves is still critical to medium and long term success. A sharp analysis of equalities data can help us manage performance robustly and fairly, diversify our customer base, ensure the most vulnerable service users are looked after, ensure we gain competitive advantage when bidding for work, and that we build strong brands.

 

For those of us who have management responsibilities and the rewards that come with it, focusing on what we can do in relation to equalities (and everything else) rather than what we can’t do, means that we are doing our jobs properly even when the going gets tough.

 

Jane Farrell, Chief Executive Officer