ABSTRACT
In 2001, in response to governmental concerns about the quality of public service leadership, the Cabinet Office established the Public Service Leaders Scheme (PSLS) for rising leaders in central and local government, the National Health Service, the police and voluntary organizations. At the time of writing, some 250 public service leaders have taken part in the programme, which includes, as a mandatory element, participation in facilitated action inquiry groups. The author has been involved in the scheme since its inception, designing the action inquiry group element of the programme, selecting and supporting the facilitators of the 21 groups over the lifetime of the scheme, monitoring performance and undertaking an overall quality assurance role.
