Ahmed Binsubaih, Steve Maddock and Daniela Romano
In Dubai, traffic accidents kill one person every 37 hours and injure one person every 3 hours. Novice traffic accident investigators in the Dubai police force are expected to…
Abstract
In Dubai, traffic accidents kill one person every 37 hours and injure one person every 3 hours. Novice traffic accident investigators in the Dubai police force are expected to ‘learn by doing’ in this intense environment. Currently, they use no alternative to the real world in order to practice. This paper argues for the use of an alternative learning environment, where the novice investigator can feel safe in exploring different investigative routes without fear for the consequences. The paper describes a game‐based learning environment that has been built using a game engine. The effectiveness of this environment in improving the performance of traffic accident investigators is also presented. Fifty‐six policemen took part in an experiment involving a virtual traffic accident scenario. They were divided into two groups: novices (0 to 2 years experience) and experienced personnel (with more than 2 years experience). The experiment revealed significant performance improvements in both groups, with the improvement reported in novices significantly higher than the one reported in experienced personnel. Both groups showed significant differences in navigational patterns (e.g. distances travelled and time utilization) between the two training sessions.
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Turbulent times are here to stay and public leadership needs to become less managerial, more adept at harnessing resources and transforming governance. While the media continues…
Abstract
Purpose
Turbulent times are here to stay and public leadership needs to become less managerial, more adept at harnessing resources and transforming governance. While the media continues to search for heroic leaders there is a growing awareness that there is more to public leadership than charisma and that compliant leaders do little to nurture innovation. The purpose of this paper is to address the varying concepts of leadership within public services in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper addresses the varying concepts of leadership within public services in the UK and offers a comparative discussion on these choices of types of leadership.
Findings
Evidence shows that successful public leaders tend to motivated by social values rather than money and that in the UK, transformative leadership is stronger at the local level than in central government, where although embryonic, political and executive leaders are forging platforms for innovation and new governance systems that central governments could learn from.
Originality/value
There are examples of exemplary public leadership in the UK and this paper attempts to unpack where these are, how they challenge existing leadership thinking and why new forms of leadership are critical at this time.
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This article seeks to advance the view that collaborative leadership can generate the relationships necessary to resolve the tensions between rising expectations, smaller budgets…
Abstract
Purpose
This article seeks to advance the view that collaborative leadership can generate the relationships necessary to resolve the tensions between rising expectations, smaller budgets and more innovative solutions.
Design/methodology/approach
The article contends that, in the 1980s and 1990s, the public sector learned how to manage project and performance from the private sector, but more recently company executives have started to recognize that public‐sector leaders are more adept at managing complexity and broader governance than they are.
Findings
It is argued that many local public leaders are now more collaborative and much less insular and actively engaged in external partnerships as well as internal management.
Practical implications
The article claims that the transformative capacity of collaborative leaders could forge the foundations of a new public eco‐system at the local level and create a foundation for both a healthier economy and society if given endorsement by central government.
Social implications
Innovative leaders could radically improve services and new models for service provision and governance if they have more confidence in collaborative practice.
Originality/value
The article offers a place‐based model of leadership that reconnects elected politicians, communities and executive leaders, who through partnership and active collaboration reframe local and regional priorities and strategies.