Local authority leaders need to lead a ‘cultural revolution’ to empower their workforce and drive the transformation of the public sector, according to a new report.

Published today by Solace and Civica, Invigorating the Public Sector Revolution reveals only 7% of public sector employees at middle manager level and below view the public sector as an empowering environment.

It also found 47% of public sector workers think their leadership team lacks the management skills needed for a period of massive and accelerating change.

On top of this, Solace and Civica learnt 36% want public sector leaders to invest in creating a more flexible and adaptive working environment.

The report calls for radical change in leadership style, organisational structure and culture across the sector.

Three areas are highlighted where improvements should be made.

The first is leadership: public sector leaders should motivate everyone across the organisation to take accountability for delivery and improvement. They must give employees a voice and empower people to make decisions.

The second is in the working environment: leaders need to encourage barriers to be broken down and create teams that work together across agencies.

Finally, rules: these should be light touch in order to avoid suffocating original thinking.

Wayne Story, deputy CEO of Civica, said: ‘As the pace of change accelerates, not everyone has the necessary skills to manage and build on the shifts taking place. Public sector leaders need to be able to empower and inspire the wider workforce and take responsibility for building a culture that encourages employees to innovate and try new ways of working without fear of failure.

‘Whilst excellent public sector training and development exists to support individual challenges, we would propose introducing a nationally-funded programme to arm leaders with the skills they require to meet future demands and effectively manage the significant change and increasing expectation using tools and technology available to encourage collaboration and innovation.’