With the downturn in the economy, more and more executives are considering a move into the public sector - including a large number who would have turned their noses up at the prospect a few years back. Applications to work in the health and education services have risen dramatically, but for many executives whose whole career has been in the private sector, attempting such a move may be a step too far.
We have talked about the reasons for this interest in previous newsletters: a feeling of making a contribution to society, the pursuit of goals other than just profit and a degree of career security. However, public bodies are not always the right targets for commercial sector managers looking for a fresh challenge, as the experience gained may not transfer at all well.
In our view the opportunities for an effective transfer of private sector skills are much better where public and private sectors collaborate, for example the Private Public Partnerships (PPPs) and other similar entities. Private sector involvement in public services is now well established in many fields, including local authority services, health, law enforcement, education and even defence.
As Spindler Associate Pat Perridge observes, ”In PPPs there is the interest and satisfaction that comes from involvement in ‘worthwhile’ work but also a need for many of the managerial skills that have been honed in the commercial world. The aim of many of these ventures is to change the service delivery model, so managers with different views and varied experiences are welcomed - indeed sought out.”
Spindler’s recent work in PPPs has focused on the NHS LIFT programme, which aims to enhance the facilities from which primary health care is delivered. This will be achieved by moving away from the GPs who work from a room in their house, the pharmacist who is miles from any other health practitioner, the health visitor and community nursing clinics borrowing space in old church halls and the like. The vision, expressed with enthusiasm in the Darzi Report, is of high quality buildings, each central to a community, offering GP and community health services, pharmacy, optical and personal care options, delivered by a combination of public and private sector providers.
The chairpersons and general managers of these LIFT projects need a considerable array of skills, with stakeholder engagement and change management being two of the most important. Spindler has recruited at this level for four LIFT companies over the last year. Successful candidates included executives with backgrounds in advertising and communications, construction, private sector health provision and outsourced services.
Soundings in other PPP sectors such as education and waste treatment show that private sector skills are readily accepted. The ways of achieving results are likely to be more familiar to those moving from private industry into a PPP or similar venture than if the same person was to move into a full public sector post. Candidates who recognise this difference can enhance their career prospects. As Pat puts it, “They will be pushing at an open door rather than banging away at a closed one.”
