Fudge that could kill off ailing postal giant

Who would want Neville Bains old job as chairman of Consignia (still known to many of us as the Post Office)? A recent advertisement for the post states: This is a role of national importance... Consignias new name and plc status reflect Governments commitment to establish the company as a profitable commercial enterprise and to exploit the opportunities created by market changes.

Reading between the lines you will see a struggle between the public and private. Some believe that the attempt to marry public and private instincts and character in one organisation is a hopeless fudge that will finish off the already troubled 350-year old giant.

The reality is that the new chairman whoever that may be along with the current board will have to work out how to do the best they can with what they have got. Our report shows that they will have to instigate massive cultural change. It will take leadership on a gargantuan scale to turn round Consignia, with its bureaucratic culture, poor relations with the CWU and layer of middle managers who critics believe are just biding their time until they can retire.

The search for the chairman of such an organisation might be global in scale. After all, if you need the best, shouldnt you get the best in the world? This is certainly the view of Hamish Davidson, head of search and selection at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Bob Kiley, Londons commissioner for transport, is just one of Davidsons catches. Tony Blairs promise to deliver better public services will rest largely on those who are in charge of local and national government administration. Davidson was recently responsible for hiring the 10-strong team for the Office of Public Service Reform in the Cabinet Office which puts him at the heart of Blairs public service reform policy.

In this issue, we look at how organisations from the NHS to Reuters are using technology to improve the HR function. But the message is loud and clear: dont get carried away by dreams of what technology can do; stick to what you need.

The greatest push for HR outsourcing or radical change often comes from the board. The CEO wants to know how much HR costs. Can these costs be controlled? Whats the return on investment? To get a clearer picture of this issue, Human Resources magazine is working with Hewitt Associates to produce an HR costs and e-Delivery Survey (we will report on the results in the May issue). To complete this survey and receive a complimentary copy of the resulting report you must respond by 22 February. For further details click on www.ehrsurvey.co.uk or telephone Helenka Sosna-Rose on 01727 888208.

Morice Mendoza

Editor