Civic entrepreneurs

“Civic entrepreneurship is the renegotiation of the mandate and sense of purpose of a public organisation, which allows it to find new ways of combining resources and people, both public and private, to deliver better social outcomes, higher social value and more social capital.”

Leadbeater 1998

The idea of enterprise in the public sector may be unfamiliar. It’s the sort of language most of us associate with the business world.

But why should that be? There is a growing recognition that being enterprising – making things happen and creating value, can make a huge difference in the public sector just as much as in commercial life.

As a public sector worker you belong to a group which forms up to a third of the working population. Given the resources and influence this brings, you and your colleagues play a vital role in maintaining the community’s social, cultural and economic well-being.

You will all have had conversations in the office canteen about how that role is changing and you’ll all recognize ever-increasing pressures to add yet more value to service delivery.

This may sometimes seem threatening but equally it can be thrilling; where innovation and enterprise have been encouraged in the public sector some remarkable outcomes have resulted as we’d like to show you.

This programme is about helping you and those you work with make the most of your enterprising qualities and cultivate a few new ones. It’s designed to help you make an impact – you’ll design and implement your own project with measurable outcomes.

And best of all you’ll find more fulfillment in your work and provide real benefit to those who rely on your services.