Public aspects of public manager training, education and development

This article will be of interest to those undergoing or responsible for management and leadership development in public organizations, in both policy and practice. Training providers such as consultancies, universities and colleges will also find the article useful. The article challenges the assumption that management capabilities are generic and context-free. The article argues that public organizations exist in a political system, not a market, and therefore senior public leaders and managers will benefit from systematic learning about democracy, public value and political astuteness in order to operate as professional, fair and impartial public servants. Training, education and development for senior public managers often focuses on generic management capabilities, which are useful for any sector, but this neglects the specific features, purposes and processes of public organizations. This article identifies distinctive features of public management and argues that knowledge and practice about democracy, public value and political astuteness are key areas for management development. There are some services with good practice, but there is scope for wider design and provision of sector-specific training.