Those of us who spend our working days interacting with Government officials sometimes want to tear our hair out. The ‘public service’ sometimes seems anything but a service. More often a closed shop with fixed views.
So you may be interested in this Global Government Forum research Making Government Work: Five pillars of a modern, effective civil service – a global study of civil service leaders from around the world (NZ gets a very brief mention).
The research reveals the key characteristics needed in a modern public service. You may have opinions about how those characteristics apply to New Zealand.
- Strong leadership with mutual respect and alignment between ministers and senior officials.
- Building a highly skilled, inclusive and thriving public sector workforce.
- Fostering an agile, digital, and risk-taking culture focused on delivery.
- Implementing working structures that transcend organisational silos.
- Cultivating a service trusted by its users and the public.
The research was undertaken to identify how public services are responding to unprecedented challenges.
It found that relationships between civil servants and ministers are becoming increasingly strained, with populist politics often making it difficult to speak truth to power.
Officials find themselves torn between serving the requests of ministers seeking quick political solutions and upholding their “stewardship” function as public servants working in the nation’s long-term interest.
Meanwhile, global pressures – such as conflicts, ageing populations, the transition to net zero and post-Covid economic recovery – are placing huge strain on public services.
Certainly, New Zealand’s public service has changed significantly in the last 15 years. It’s become much harder to access officials, much harder to get information (and share information) and much more political. Driven more by the needs of political masters than the previous imperative of providing free and frank advice.
To see the full report and to read more about the individual views of public service leaders around the world click here.