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Two roles, one purpose
Avanti Academy / Serving the public / Working in a Political Environment / Bitesize
Bitesize

Two roles, one purpose

Member-officer relations and leadership.

Level
Bitesize
Learning time
1 hour 30 minutes
Where
Working in a Political Environment
Price
£39

When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Read the full terms

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Certificate of Completion

About this course

Overview and Outcomes.

Overview

Councils answer to both the ballot box and professional accountability, so their leadership does not fit the textbook. Drawing on Jaques, Kakabadse and Kakabadse, Hambrick and Mason, and doctoral research at Rhondda Cynon Taff, this module explores discretionary and prescribed activity, transactional and transformational leadership, the Cabinet Team with its three capabilities and cohesion, Westen on persuasion, New Local's four shifts and community power in Westmorland and Furness. Good governance succeeds or quietly fails in the working relationship between one member and one officer. This module distinguishes political from managerial leadership, finds the shared goal behind familiar complaints, and uses Eric Berne's transactional analysis to explain why the same words land differently. It sets out what each side reasonably needs from the other, the modernising agenda, and the LGA's 2025 guidance on jointly built member-officer protocols.

What you'll develop

In this Bitesize, you will develop the ability to:

  1. Distinguish discretionary from prescribed activity, and transactional from transformational leadership, and explain how members and officers sit differently on each.
  2. Describe the Cabinet Team concept and its three capabilities, character, competence and relational competence, and explain why cohesion ties them together.
  3. Apply the factors behind successful policy implementation and New Local's four shifts to lead with both head and heart in your own setting.
  4. Distinguish political from managerial leadership and explain where the two legitimately overlap.
  5. Use transactional analysis to recognise Parent, Adult and Child ego states and steer a difficult conversation towards Adult to Adult.
What it covers

The Modules.

1 hour 30 minutes of learning.

  1. 05Political LeadershipCouncils answer to both the ballot box and professional accountability, so their leadership does not fit the textbook. Drawing on Jaques, Kakabadse and Kakabadse, Hambrick and Mason, and doctoral research at Rhondda Cynon Taff, this module explores discretionary and prescribed activity, transactional and transformational leadership, the Cabinet Team with its three capabilities and cohesion, Westen on persuasion, New Local's four shifts and community power in Westmorland and Furness.45 min
  2. 06Member-Officer RelationshipsGood governance succeeds or quietly fails in the working relationship between one member and one officer. This module distinguishes political from managerial leadership, finds the shared goal behind familiar complaints, and uses Eric Berne's transactional analysis to explain why the same words land differently. It sets out what each side reasonably needs from the other, the modernising agenda, and the LGA's 2025 guidance on jointly built member-officer protocols.41 min
Where it fits

Keep going.

Part of the Working in a Political Environment topic, also sold whole as Politically savvy.

How credit works

Go deeper, and pay only the difference

  1. You are hereBitesize, 1 hour 30 minutes, £39
  2. Next stepFocus, Working with members, 3 hours 30 minutes, £69. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £30.
  3. The whole topicExplore, Politically savvy, 6 hours 30 minutes, £129. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £90.

When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Prices per person. Read the full terms

Also part of: Serving your community well, Holding steady, moving forward, Your first days in office

Other Bitesize in the Working in a Political Environment topic

See all in Working in a Political Environment

Also Inside