{"title":"John Seddon","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"systems-thinking-in-the-public-sector-book-john-seddon-9780955008184","title":"Systems Thinking in the Public Sector","description":"The free market has become the accepted model for the public sector. Politicians on all sides compete to spread the gospel. And so, in the UK and elsewhere, there's been massive investment in public sector 'improvement', 'customer choice' has been increased and new targets have been set and refined. But our experience is that things haven't changed much. This is because governments have invested in the wrong things. Belief in targets, incentives and inspection; belief in economies of scale and shared back-office services; belief in 'deliverology... these are all wrong-headed ideas and yet they have underpinned this government's attempts to reform the public sector. John Seddon here dissects the changes that have been made in a range of services, including housing benefits, social care and policing. His descriptions beggar belief, though they would be funnier if it wasn't our money that was being wasted. In place of the current mess, he advocates a Systems Thinking approach where individuals come first, waste is reduced and responsibility replaces blame. It's an approach that is proven, successful and relatively cheap - and one that governments around the world, and their advisers, need to adopt urgently. A refreshing deconstruction of the control freakery of the current performance regime. It could do for thinking on business improvement what An Inconvenient Truth has done for climate change. Andrew Grant, Chief Executive, Aylesbury Vale District Council This is the must-have book. It correctly identifies why the present regime is failing our citizens and customers, but more importantly it gives the reader a proven method by which to bring about real improvement in service performance and cost. Dr Carlton Brand, Director of Resources, Wiltshire County Council This book is uncomfortable, challenging and very direct. It offers huge learning and insight... A superb read. David McQuade, Deputy Chief Executive, Flagship Housing Group If ministers, local authority leaders and chief executives only read one book this year this is it. A true beacon of sanity in an increasingly insane regime; ministers should read this and recognise the error of their ways. Mark Radford, Director of Corporate Services, Swale District Council","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49504477151505,"sku":"GOR001797077","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49732412670225,"sku":"NGR9780955008184","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49918031790353,"sku":"CIN0955008182G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50227591217425,"sku":"GOR002257411","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50262751805713,"sku":"CIN0955008182VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50286542192913,"sku":"GOR007770827","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50942857150737,"sku":"GOR006247819","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51009785725201,"sku":"NIN9780955008184","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52134097682705,"sku":"NLS9780955008184","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0955008182.jpg?v=1750916907"},{"product_id":"freedom-from-command-and-control-book-john-seddon-9780954618308","title":"Freedom from Command and Control","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49529512657169,"sku":"GOR001275099","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50468322902289,"sku":"CIN0954618300G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50468324213009,"sku":"CIN0954618300VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50629220368657,"sku":"GOR007012217","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52116405092625,"sku":"GOR001673572","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0954618300.jpg?v=1751363872"},{"product_id":"whitehall-effect-book-john-seddon-9781909470453","title":"The Whitehall Effect","description":"John Seddon is back. This time with an uncompromising account of Whitehall's effect on our public services. And it's a damning read.  'The Whitehall Effect' chronicles how the Whitehall ideas machine has failed to deliver on a monumental scale  -  and what we can do about it.  We have a breathtaking opportunity to create public services that truly serve.  But only if Whitehall changes.  ---  Why don't public services work very well? One key reason is that  they have been 'industrialised'. Part 1 explains why call centres, back offices, shared services, outsourcing and IT-led change almost always lead to service failure. It explains, in particular, why 'economies of scale' are a myth.  Part 2 proposes a better (and tried-and-tested) alternative to the alienating and unresponsive experience of industrialised public services. Good services are attuned and sensitive to peoples' needs. Where the 'industrialised' approach tries to drive down costs but invariably drives them up, the better approach  -  managing value  -  drives costs down significantly. Part 3 challenges conventional thinking and received wisdom about public services. Targets, inspection and regulation have to be part of the solution, don't they? Seddon explains why they're actually part of the problem and shows that the most effective lever of change and improvement is to stop 'managing' the people (public sector staff and managers) and start managing the system they work in. Part 4 discusses some of the current fads in public-sector reform:  'choice',  'managing demand', 'nudge' and 'lean'.  Politicians pursue them  because they are plausible and fit their narrative, the story they like to tell about reform. But these fads only make public services worse or, at best, detract from the opportunity at hand.  The opportunity John Seddon describes is breathtaking. We can undo the costly debacle of public sector 'reform', but only if we first change Whitehall. In Part 5 he describes how Whitehall is systemically incapable of listening to and acting on evidence and finally turn to how Whitehall needs to change if we are to turn away from the mistakes of the last 35 years and realise the profound opportunity open to us.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49545337471249,"sku":"GOR009104574","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49557164949777,"sku":"GOR006540517","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53114088489233,"sku":"GOR008131823","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1909470457.jpg?v=1751434752"},{"product_id":"i-want-you-to-cheat-book-john-seddon-9780951973103","title":"I Want You to Cheat!","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49564255518993,"sku":"GOR001213350","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49652751761681,"sku":"GOR001610771","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49800188166417,"sku":"CIN095197310XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50374600556817,"sku":"CIN095197310XVG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51864773034257,"sku":"GOR002981558","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/095197310X.jpg?v=1751397354"},{"product_id":"case-against-iso9000-book-john-seddon-9781860761737","title":"The Case Against ISO9000","description":"ISO 9000 is an international Standard. It claims to be a standard for quality management but John Seddon argues it has nothing to do with quality, being based on entirely different theory. Organizations register to ISO 9000 because they are obliged to - market-place coercion works on the principle of you comply or we won't buy, and registration is no guarantee of quality. In this attack on one of the sacred cows of business today, John Seddon shows how the ISO standards are not only failing to deliver the improved quality they promise, but in most cases are actually damaging the companies that have implemented them. In this updated paperback edition, which includes a critical analysis of the new and much-hyped ISO 9000:2000 version of the Standard, Seddon maintains his position that managers should say no to ISO 9000. For those who feel they have to register to ISO, Seddon shows them how to avoid the usual pitfalls of the Standard.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49569076969745,"sku":"GOR004377048","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50788587831569,"sku":"GOR011654470","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53140760002833,"sku":"GOR014770679","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1860761739.jpg?v=1751433852"},{"product_id":"in-pursuit-of-quality-book-john-seddon-9781860760426","title":"In Pursuit of Quality","description":"An attack on ISO 9000. John Seddon argues that the ISO standards are not delivering the improved quality they promise, and that in most cases they are actually damaging the companies that have implemented them. Seddon argues that the command-and-control ethos that pervades the ISO way of thinking is precisely what most companies do not need. In its place, Seddon shows how real quality can be achieved in businesses today by viewing the organization as a system and focusing on continuous improvement as the best means to create higher quality products and services. With numerous case studies and examples from actual companies, this book should help managers take a new look at the critical question of how to develop a quality organization.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49589286371601,"sku":"GOR001274236","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50794714693905,"sku":"GOR011429030","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1860760422.jpg?v=1751061050"},{"product_id":"whitehall-effect-book-john-seddon-9781909470477","title":"The Whitehall Effect","description":"In The WHITEHALL Effect, John Seddon explains how and why it is that governments repeatedly fail to deliver what our public services need and exposes the devastation that three decades of political fads, fashions and bad theory have caused. Although his examples come from the UK, he and his colleagues at Vanguard consult with government and public sector bodies in 10 countries and the problems he identifies (outsourcing, incentives, targets, standards, inspection) can be found in all Western political systems. With specific examples and new evidence, he chronicles how the Whitehall ideas machine has failed on a monumental scale - and the impact that this has had on public sector workers and those of us who use public sector services. The WHITEHALL Effect provides fresh insights into some of the most challenging issues of our time (because of their impact on health, education, policing and all public services) and reveals the unprecedented opportunity we now have to create the public services we all deserve.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49736948023569,"sku":"NGR9781909470477","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50767812428049,"sku":"GOR007419416","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52142961393937,"sku":"NLS9781909470477","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52728166940945,"sku":"GOR010361840","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52778716430609,"sku":"NIN9781909470477","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1909470473.jpg?v=1751413052"},{"product_id":"freedom-from-command-and-control-book-john-seddon-9781563273278","title":"Freedom from Command and Control","description":"\"Command and Control is failing us. There is a better way to design and manage work - a better way to make work work - but it remains unknown to the vast majority of managers.\"  An adherent of the Toyota Production System, John Seddon explains how traditional top-down decision making within service organizations leads to managers","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49898670194961,"sku":"GOR005039898","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50313370042641,"sku":"CIN1563273276VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51423947948305,"sku":"CIN1563273276G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52671032787217,"sku":"NLS9781563273278","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53251885236497,"sku":"NIN9781563273278","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1563273276.jpg?v=1751341819"},{"product_id":"beyond-command-and-control-book-john-seddon-9781527239562","title":"Beyond Command and Control","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50045963338001,"sku":"GOR011630025","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50108390244625,"sku":"GOR010086919","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51925113930001,"sku":"GOR014464567","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/152723956X.jpg?v=1751212604"},{"product_id":"eficiencia-en-el-sector-publico-un-enfoque-sistemico-book-john-seddon-9781908009852","title":"La Eficiencia En El Sector Publico. Un Enfoque Sistemico.","description":"La reforma de la Administracion Publica es un asunto pendiente en muchos paises. En lugar el desastre actual este libro aboga por un enfoque sistemico en el que las personas son lo primero, se reduce el despilfarro y la responsabilidad sustituye a culpabilidad.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":53474386936081,"sku":"NGR9781908009852","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781908009852.jpg?v=1777376025"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-ie\/collections\/author-books-by-john-seddon.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}