Purpose – The new public management (NPM) agenda is transforming the public sector in many countries. However, there have been criticisms of NPM, particularly over its emphasis on quantification, results orientation and the measurement of performance to the possible detriment of service...

Purpose – The use of storytelling as a knowledge elicitation tool has attracted much attention in recent years, yet there is limited literature on how to illicit or stimulate the story. This paper aims to find appropriate research instruments that stimulate storytelling and morph vocalised...

Argues that although 2002 was undoubtedly the most challenging year for a long time for local government employers it does not herald a return to the climate of the 1970s and the “Winter of Discontent”, as too many things have changed socially and economically for this to occur. For example,...

Brings together a sequence of negotiating events in the 2002‐2003 fire services dispute from the point of view of a participant. The author was appointed to the position of Independent Chair of the National Council for Local Authorities’ Fire Brigades in February 2001. Attempts to apply some...

Purpose – This paper aims to describe how Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, UK, has introduced a management and leadership programme that has driven positive change in the organization. Design/methodology/approach – The paper details the reasons for the programme, how it was delivered...

Purpose – To demonstrate how government policy on fires service reform was initially challenged by a stubbornly resistant fire service corporatism but finally dismantled following the 2003 fire service White Paper. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on longitudinal case study...