A 'Big Society', giving local communities the power to control their own environments, to run new schemes and make the community a buzzing centre, meeting needs of the people who live there.
It all sounds wonderful, but is this a reality or just a pipe dream?
In this article we look at the main drivers and barriers then ask what can be done to get 'The Big Society' really working. Firstly we must ask ourselves why is this initiative being driven from central government; is it just a way to replace paid roles with volunteers?
The answer has to be, even for a sceptic, lowering costs is very attractive, but the reality is that services to the community are and will change, no matter what, and the success or failure of 'The Big Society' initiative will not change these facts.
The idea of volunteers is fundamentally part of the British way; the scouting and guide movement have been based on this model for over one hundred years. So this is a good model to look at and ask what changes they have seen in this model. The answer is that it has been in decline with less people willing to be volunteers for some years now.
The idea of volunteers is fundamentally part of the British way; the scouting and guide movement have been based on this model for over one hundred years. So this is a good model to look at and ask what changes they have seen in this model. The answer is that it has been in decline with less people willing to be volunteers for some years now.
This has been backed by the Hansard Society survey: One in ten plan voluntary work(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12900961) and points to the fact that the reality is that most people do not volunteer.
This is due to a number of factors, which are very relevant to 'The Big Society'. One factor is the traditional elements of society that will volunteer are those with a professional background and lifestyle, which again is backed by the Hansard report "Those most likely to put themselves forward were parents aged under 45 and from a high-income group". Therefore we need to look at the barriers faced by this element of society and how modern life has impacted on the availability and willingness to volunteer.
It has been well documented that working mothers are now the norm with professional couples balancing home life, work and childcare. (The UK has the third highest rate of female employment in Europe with a record 70% of women at work.- HRMGuide.co.uk).
Although we hear many a dissenting voice saying this must change, the hard facts are that it is almost impossible to change society and would we really want to remove opportunities from any working parent?
Another factor is that running a voluntary organisation or public sector initiative is just like running a company; you need skills, opportunity, enthusiasm and leadership. In fact you need to be entrepreneurial, a team player and committed to success. In fact I think this explains why the elements of society that have traditionally volunteered are the professionals and leaders.
The last factor to consider is that anyone who is likely to volunteer or more importantly create services around community needs, is going to be very busy so we must consider how we can change or influence this.
So what have we established so far?
- In order for the Big Society to work we must focus on the people most likely to volunteer.
- To ensure that community services are aligned around needs we need professional entrepreneurs.
- The people we are looking for will be busy and time available will an issue.
The dilemma here is how do we free up these people without having an impact on their income? This is where we can apply the element of lean processing, by looking at elements of their lives that add little or no value to anything. The biggest waste is travel to and from a place of work, usually at peak time wasting hours in a car, train or bus. I have not included walking or cycling in this assessment as both have health benefits and allow time to unwind. Some would argue that sitting in a car or train allows you to unwind, but in my experience this is untrue and while driving down a county lane can be pleasant, stuck in traffic is not! A recent study from INRIX UK found that motorway journeys during peak hours take an average of twenty two percent longer than the same journey would take in non-peak times. (http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/analysis/general-analysis/121603-uk-is-ranked-europes-most-traffic-clogged-nation.html)
The next is the use of an office, while it can be a good environment to get work done it is also very inefficient and most people waste time during the day making a day in the office approximately 45% efficient. Using the latest figures available for office space a typical cost per square meter is £500 and typical desk space is 15 square meters per desk, which means each desk costs £7,500 pa.
I am sure that by applying lean processing in greater detail will reveal many other areas where efficiency could be gained, but I am sure you will agree that these two represent a common theme through most people lives and so will be the focus of my thoughts here.
Home or flexible working has been around for some time now and most organisations have schemes to promote or encourage staff to work in this way, but why am I not seeing less traffic on the road at 7.00am in the morning? Why am I not seeing empty trains going to London? Why am I not seeing community working centres?
In conclusion if we want the big society to be a success and provide a model of how local community can be empowered by central government, then we must create a space for the key volunteers to come forward. This needs change in the way we work and for businesses to embrace smarter working.
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