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In recent years the use of formal, centralised training courses to promote the development of managers has been criticised by people such as Alistair Mant, Reginald Revans and Hawdon Hague. Mant calls for a drastic reappraisal of management education and training. He argues that, unless a coherent theory of management action and learning is developed, little real progress can be made. Revans advocates project‐based or action learning as an alternative to training courses, whilst Hague sees the individual coaching of managers as another possible solution to the problem of management training.

This paper uses Alistair Mant's colourful systems metaphor of the frog and the bicycle to explore the current changes in the NHS. Considering the implications of these system changes from this organisational health perspective, a possible leadership strategy is considered to navigate through the challenging transitional period.

This paper suggests that as the focus on ‘leadership’ has intensified over recent years, the quality of management in both public and private sectors has diminished. The two phenomena may be linked. Our capacity to run things properly and to manage people in a dignified and productive way has been trammelled by an over‐emphasis on the behavioural and a consequent under‐emphasis on authority, role clarity and task. The managerial vacuum thus created has been filled, imperfectly, by executive coaching and a range of other ‘learning and development’ stratagems. In the real world of complex systems, management and leadership are merely opposite sides of the same coin.

This paper suggests that the basic assumptions and language of big business have largely taken over our discourse about how we live our lives and conduct our public affairs. So complete is this takeover that most people, including the current generation of government ministers, are largely unaware it has taken place at all. Important general ideas such as leadership, judgement and even public service have taken on new and opaque meanings as a result of this. But there are good ‘systems thinking’ ideas to be borrowed from big business. Our problem is that the ideas the public service does borrow from the private sector are almost invariably those that are the most inappropriate and unhelpful.

The purpose of this paper is to explore what it means to be a library leader in the future.

The paper begins with an exploration of the intelligences library leaders need to pursue their work and their lives. It then assesses the understanding of those intelligences and their relative values. Finally, the paper attempts to bring the threads together.

Building the bridge across the chasm from one form of library service to another will require many intelligences, perspectives and different skills if it is to happen.

The paper advocates a robust approach to the future, with managers re‐examining their own values, their ability to listen, keep an open mind, think heretical thoughts and think the unthinkable.

The ‘corruption ceiling’ refers in the first instance to a gender dynamic in public sector organisations whereby women may locate corruption at more senior levels, which then prevents their applying for executive posts. A similar dynamic can operate between public service practitioners and senior managers irrespective of gender, inhibiting not only the effective exercise of leadership but also of ‘followership’, contributing to alienation and disengagement at all levels. This dynamic can also be seen in society, affecting the capacity for engaged citizenship.

This article summarises a piece of recent research into strategies adopted by newly established training officers in four organisations. While it was not expected that all the findings would have general application, nevertheless it was hoped that they would throw some light upon the various factors involved in establishing new training departments.

During the last two years management training and development has endured the same strong pressures as other sectors of the British economy, the same questioning, the same reluctant pruning in the interests of cash flow, and even survival. Management attention has therefore been focused on short‐term returns rather than long‐term developments, and this has led to a different attitude towards short management courses. No longer do sponsoring managers turn readily to an educational experience of 3–10 weeks' duration as a background for further development of their staff, unless it forms part of a special development programme, and then only for a few favoured people.

The structure and management of small firms are examined here in the light of the findings of recent research. This article analyses the contribution of small companies to the United Kingdom economy and the patterns of growth and decline of small firms in this country and in the United States of America, and describes some of the findings of research into the management of small companies. It considers some of the implications of research findings for the training and development of small firm managers and for the formulation of policies that contribute to the more effective use of managerial manpower in the small firm.