Future Leadership programme

• The programme
• Who is it for?
• What you will achieve through this programme
• The modules
• What we expect of you
• Who delivers it?
• Programme dates
• Fees and subsidies
• What people say about Future Leadership
• Further information and booking

The next few years will continue to provide challenges for local government leaders, with budget cuts, ongoing reform and increased demands on services. If you are an ambitious managerial leader and attend this programme, you will have the opportunity to develop practical solutions to the challenges facing your organisation and community. You will also be able to hone your personal and professional skills.

The Future Leadership programme addresses the role of leadership in changing organisational cultures. It aims to ensure that you can lead effectively and become a strategic commissioner of public service provision and work in partnership. These goals are brought to life in a learning community with colleagues from other public and third-sector organisations.

The programme

The programme comprises seven residential days over six months. It is delivered on campus at Ashridge Business School with:

• formal and guest speaker input
• group and personal project activity
• practical and experimental work
• coaching and 'buddy' support.

All modules are linked to practical projects that are intended to deliver positive change in public services and increase organisational capacity.

Each participant receives individual coaching support from an experienced course tutor during the programme and access to the Ashridge Virtual Learning Resource Centre.

A key feature of the programme is the bespoke 360-degree Office for Public Management (OPM)-Ashridge public sector leadership assessment tool. This is also linked to personality preferences through the Myers Briggs Type Indicator instrument. This has proved to be invaluable in sustaining learning from the programme in the workplace.

Who is it for?

Managerial leaders who are responsible for delivering or commissioning services and working in or with:

• councils – unitary, district and metropolitan
• fire and rescue services
• police forces and national offender management services
• third, charity and private sectors
• health trusts.

A typical group on the programme will consist of managers from across service sectors and will provide participants with the opportunity to learn with leaders in different roles and responsibilities. For example, this might include managers in local government responsible for:

• strategy
• performance management
• service commissioning
• children's and adults services
• community services working with managers from a social landlord, third-sector organisations, emergency services or crime and justice.

View the programme facilitators and participants discussing the benefits of attending the Future Leadership programme:

Future Leadership programme video podcasts

What you will achieve through this programme

The programme aims to:

• enhance leadership and management skills
• improve the performance of local public services by building leadership skills
• develop best-practice solutions to the opportunities and challenges facing organisations in modernisation, efficiency and change
• contribute to the understanding of social cohesion and sustainable communities
• strengthen the delivery of local services through understanding of effective engagement strategies with local communities and service users.

The modules

Module 1

Developing individual leadership and skills and using these skills to focus on participants’ roles and responsibilities to help develop other people.

Module 2

Organisational and change leadership including practice in change management, commissioning, presenting business cases and applying efficiency principles.

Module 3

Partnership and community leadership through an exploration of political leadership, partnership working and community and stakeholder engagement techniques.

Between modules participants will:

• work on a project designed to achieve radical service efficiencies and improvements
• use the Ashridge Virtual Learning Resource Centre to research current issues in strategic commissioning and practise interpreting data for leadership decisions
• receive tutored coaching support.

Optional specialist modules are also offered including:

• strategic thinking using open strategy
• coaching skills for managers
• 'lean leadership' thinking
• commissioning skills
• financial leadership.

Participants will be entitled to special discounts on local follow up workshops, optional modules and other programmes offered by the Office for Public Management (OPM) and Ashridge – please contact us to discuss this further.

What we expect of you

Participants are expected to:

• develop their leadership skills to prepare for future demands and changing roles
• lead the transformation agenda across their department or service
• plan and deliver a work-based project that shows radical service improvements and efficiencies
• contribute to sustainable solutions for public services
• deliver high performance in partnerships
• develop a talented workforce
• attend all three modules and complete the assignments and reading between modules.

Who delivers it?

It is designed and delivered by OPM, leading practitioners in the field of public services policy and practice, and Ashridge Business School, the top UK business school for tailored executive education according to the 2009 "Financial Times" rankings. LG Improvement and Development supports this programme as part of the national offering of leadership development programmes for ambitious managerial leaders at key stages in their careers.

OPM website

Ashridge website

Programme dates

All modules will be held at Ashridge Business School in Hertfordshire. The next round of programmes are as follows:

Programme 3

Module 1: 22 to 25 June 2010
Module 2: 29 September to 1 October 2010
Module 3: 15 to 17 December 2010

Programme 4

Module 1: 20 to 23 September 2010
Module 2: 22 to 24 November 2010
Module 3: 23 to 25 February 2011

Programme 5

Module 1: 30 November to 3 December 2010
Module 2: 2 to 4 February 2011
Module 3: 4 to 6 May 2011

Fees and subsidies

Programme fees are £3,900 plus VAT, which includes all accommodation, course materials, meals and refreshments. Travel and other personal expenses are not included. A number of the regional improvement and efficiency partnerships (RIEPS) will accept bids for support.

What people say about Future Leadership

Comments from recent participants on our Future Leadership programme:

Health and Housing Manager, City Council:

"The programme has positively changed my leadership style and helped me to secure an important resource centre for residents."

IT Programme Manager, London Borough:

"An excellent balance between theoretical work and practical application. I’m going away with very concrete answers to dilemmas and very practical things I can implement back at work."

Principal Officer, Performance and Improvement, County Council:

"In my promotion I’m leading the total transformation of our business planning and performance management. All the training came back and I could hear your words ringing in my ears."

Corporate Policy Manager, District Council:

"The content was spot on in terms of developing me as a potential leader. Meeting up with a group of like-minded individuals has been a great source of inspiration and confidence for the future."

Streetscene Manager, City Council:

"The programme provides a confidential space to consider how you can really change the perceptions of customers and build services that work far more efficiently."

 Manager, Third-sector Organisation

"The course went far beyond my expectations in terms of the calibre of teaching and facilitation staff and the positive group dynamic – a significant turning point in my professional development and career."

Further information and booking

Contact:

Kimberley Green
telephone: 020 7239 7828
email: kgreen@opm.co.uk

It is essential that applicants state whether they are seeking subsidised places.

Page updated January 2010.