Rotherham PR consultant paid £850 per day, twice a week. Worth it?

[Native lad]

 

The leadership issues were/are not unique to Rotherham. If we go on a witch hunt then we will have nobody with the knowledge and experience to run all these departments and things will get even worse.

 

Think what happened in Iraq after the war. We went after the bad guys and removed everyone from positions of power that worked under Saddam. The country fell apart because those put in place weren't up to the job and the chaos remains today.

 

It might make us feel better to see punishments dished out but it will result in a decline in service provision and the last thing we need to do is make things worse for vulnerable children and families who depend on social services.

 

We need to learn the lesson but move on.

 

 

Well, I've worked in both the public and private sector in various parts of the UK, and one thing I've observed again and again is that bad management and inadequate supervision are the key problems everywhere when things go wrong. I have never witnessed a manager learn from his or her mistakes and take action to avoid making the same mistakes time and again. Part of the reason why managers are paid considerably more than those in less senior positions is - as they would tell you themselves - because they are perceived to shoulder a far greater burden of responsibility and accountability. If they are not prepared to answer for their negligence and incompetence, then perhaps a financial penalty is in order? Perhaps their salaries should be cut to a level that truly reflects the actual limit of the responsibilities and accountability. Perhaps, they should also pay back a percentage of their total earnings to date too? That would make them seriously consider the magnitude of their acts and omissions and their effect on other stakeholders.

 

With regard to Iraq, ultimately, the problems there result from poor strategy, with inadequate planning, integration and management. It is a shame that the decision makers failed to use historical knowledge and experience to inform their decisions. As with Rotherham, none of the decision makers have been held truly accountable for their acts and omissions; they have been negligent and have shirked their responsibilities, leaving a downward spiral of pain, misery and despair that even negatively affects citizens of the UK.

 

Also, a "witch hunt" is usually when people attempt to hold someone accountable for acts or omissions of which they had no part whatsoever: so, the term witch hunt is not applicable to the circumstances outlined above. Every citizen in the UK has a common law duty of care toward other citizens, and a similar statutory duty of care exists for landowners (& occupiers), and in the workplace. Each of us can be held responsible for our acts or omissions in respect of this duty of care. As citizens, regardless of whether or not we agree to it, we have this duty placed upon us and face the law should we be negligent. In light of this, it is not unreasonable to expect professional managers to be held accountable for their acts and omissions.

 

Realistically, the managers responsible are unlikely to find similar positions of employment elsewhere and are likely to be tied to the locality through their own family and financial commitments.

 

By the way, how often have you heard government officials say "we're learning the lessons", or " lessons have been learnt", only for it to be apparently evident - later - that no lessons were learnt or, if they were, then there was no subsequent review and revision of policy or strategy and there was inadequate commitment of appropriate resources and a lack of action and supervision/enforcement? ...Bless those well meaning, unselfish, PR people and associated spin artists.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Native lad