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Challenges for Public Sector Leaders

Transformation In The Public Sector

Now, it seems, is the time to see if the public sector is fit for the challenge that change on this scale represents....

The pressure on public sector leaders to achieve real and substantial cost savings while maintaining standards of service and effective operational delivery has never been quite so intense as it is today.

Delivering public sector reform

The challenge for public sector organisations to increase service provision without overspending through the implementation of operational efficiency improvements is a big challenge but one that can be met.

Indeed, the Government’s Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) is a major step in this direction. Achieving these improvements will also require public sector organisations to:

• Have a clear and achievable strategy
• Build a team of capable individuals to lead and deliver the necessary reforms
• Identify the most efficient way of delivering services
• Understand the key sensitivities to their business plans
• Ensure there is enough flexibility in their organisation to deal with the changing market for their services

For many leaders in the sector it isn’t difficult to demonstrate a convincing rationale for change, show the graphs and numbers that justify your proposed strategy, draw up a new structure and win a mandate to make change. Yet this is only half the task. The other - perhaps most challenging half - is implementing this new way of working without your best people leaving, morale crashing, performance falling through the floor and dissatisfaction erupting among your customers.

Given that the change demanded from the public sector is so radical the sector needs to look internally and start its journey to sustainable, long-term change by reviewing its fitness for the task in hand and assessing its capability and capacity for change on an organisational, departmental and individual employee level. Without attention to this type of detail, the public sector simply won’t get the return or change that it expects to see.

Leaders need to take the initiative and demonstrate to their people that they are the change they want to see within their organisation and to be the catalyst for this change. Support to understand the strategy of change is essential, but so too is the practical support that public-sector organisations will require as they undergo a transition to a new way of thinking and working.

This includes investing time and resources to, for example, facilitate sessions with stakeholders where managers need to listen to or respond to difficult messages, implementing transition and team coaching to help managers stand back and focus on priorities as well as process what the change means for them personally. Extra capacity for communication, engagement and rapid problem solving so all stakeholders are actively involved in finding solutions will also be required.

These are all ways that the sector can ensure that the difficult change they are expected to undergo happens as smoothly as possible.

Delivering greater value for money

Throughout its three phases of spending reforms to date, Government’s key aim has been to achieve greater value for money. The most recent phase, the OEP, addresses this key aim and focuses on incentivising and empowering local public sector staff.

As such, public sector organisations need to look beyond traditional approaches to cost reduction. They will need to encourage new ideas and practices that will transform service delivery. They must face these challenges with speed and agility, and consider what lessons can be learned from how the private sector handles the change driven by the economical and political status.

Change for the public sector isn’t rocket science, but it is highly skilled work that needs commitment, courage and consistency to deliver the results that both the sector and its stakeholders expect. The sector will need support from its peers in the private realm - whether acting as partners or mentors - to make change a success. But the benefits of this endeavour are surely worth it, as with a stronger public sector we can build stronger foundations for the future economic and business environment.

Systems Thinking

Breaking the Barriers to In-Efficiency

Systems’ thinking is not one thing but a set of practices within a framework such as ABC that is based on the belief that the component parts of a system can best be understood in the context of relationships with each other and with other systems, rather than in isolation.

Put another way we break down ‘stove pipes’ and get the organisation working more efficiently and effectively. To find out more please contact us we love talking about this stuff and more importantly we are very passionate about delivering the change and transformation our clients engage us to implement.

A Well Defined Strategy + Catalyst Change Leaders + Systems Thinking Methods =
SUSTAINABLE, CONSTRUCTIVE AND POSITIVE CHANGE & TRANSFORMATION

For further information about how Ascot Barclay can enhance your business or project:

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