III
Putting People First
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People are at the heart of successful public sector
reform |
People are at the heart of successful public sector reform. Looking outside, reform requires a focus on
citizens and their elected representatives. Looking inside, reform means focusing on
public servants, the men and women whose professional life is committed to serving the
public interest today and the men and women who will be called upon to do so in the
future.
Public servants are committed to serving the public interest and want to put their
talents and their skills at the service of a worthy cause. Their talents are in demand
outside the public service and can be put to use in any number of organizations. For them
to join and maintain their commitment to a career in the public service means we must
provide a suitable working environment and working conditions.
While those who choose a career in the public service expect to receive fair and
reasonable pay for the work they do, their attachment depends on a number of less tangible
factors. These include
Pride in the role of the public sector in society
Opportunities to serve Canadians and to make an important contribution
to Canada
Respect for the institution and for their professional contribution
Room to contribute to their full potential — to learn and to be
challenged
To ensure that Canada can continue to rely on one of the best public services in the
world requires
Trust between Canadians and their public sector institutions
Vision on the part of parliamentarians about the role of the public
sector in society
Respect between elected officials and public servants and a solid
understanding of each others’ contribution and role
Partnership between the public sector, the private sector, the
not-for-profit sectors and voluntary organizations
La Relève
In my annual report a year ago, I signalled that a "quiet crisis" had arisen
in the Public Service of Canada. It was becoming difficult to retain, motivate and attract
people essential to the work of the public service. This was the result of years of
downsizing and pay freezes, criticism, insufficient recruitment, and the premature
departure of experienced public servants. It was a quiet crisis because few people were
willing to talk about it and even fewer were doing something about it.
A year later, while the symptoms remain, the crisis is quiet no more. Under the
auspices of La Relève, it is now being openly addressed. Public servants are
taking action and they are responding with an ambitious program of reforms. After 12
months it is fair to say that the circle of people committed to making a difference and to
putting forward reforms is expanding in every department and at every level.
In last year’s report, La Relève was described as
"A challenge to build a modern and vibrant institution able to use
fully the talents of its people
A commitment by each and every public servant to do everything in their
power to provide for a modern and vibrant organization now and in the future
A duty, as the guardians of the institution, to pass on to our
successors an organization of qualified and committed staff ready to face the challenges
of their time"
Finally, La Relève invited public servants to show a bias for action.
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La Relève has given
rise to an unprecedented focus on people issues in the Public Service of
Canada |
The numerous initiatives put forward by departments, functional communities
(such as the policy,
communications, and science and technology communities), and regional councils to meet
this challenge were summarized in the October 1997 document "La Relève: A
Commitment to Action". Today, a first progress report is tabled as two companion
documents to this report. These documents demonstrate that La Relève has given
rise to an unprecedented focus on people issues in the Public Service of Canada. Over the
coming years, departments and agencies will provide further progress reports to Parliament
through their annual business plans.
Looking Forward
The challenges ahead are many and progress will take time. But if the changes and the
progress that we have seen over the last 12 months are maintained over the coming
years, much more can be done to build a vibrant and creative institution relevant to the
needs of Canadians — an institution capable of attracting and retaining the talent it
requires and providing its public servants with rewarding and stimulating careers.
Among the goals we must all strive to achieve are
1. A borderless institution
As issues become more global and more complex, and as citizens and the collective
interest become the focus of policy development and service delivery, the work done by
public sector employees is changing. The issues require
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The Public Service of Canada is committed to
reducing the barriers to the flow of ideas |
To respond to this challenge, the Public Service of Canada must become a borderless institution. This does not
mean it has organizations without structure, without legislative frameworks or without
accountability. Rather, it is an institution committed to reducing the barriers to the
flow of ideas and information within and among public sector organizations. Some of the
barriers are physical, others are built into our information systems, but most are
cultural. The cultural barriers are the most difficult to overcome.
A borderless institution
Focuses on the big picture and has a culture oriented to attaining
collective goals, not just individual objectives
Enhances the exchange of ideas and information among organizations
within and outside the institution
Supports and encourages teamwork and co-operation among organizations
Encourages the mobility of its people within and outside the public
service, in order to broaden their experience and expertise and prepare them for the
future
2. A learning organization
| The Public Service of Canada requires a
transformation in its people, its culture and its leadership |
Most of the La Relève plans submitted by departments, functional groups and regional councils have demonstrated
a commitment to training and development. Assignment programs, mentoring and coaching
initiatives and training and development activities are being put in place. This gives us
the base to move to a more difficult challenge. The Public Service of Canada must become a
continuous learning organization. It is still far from that goal — it
requires a transformation in its people, its culture and its leadership.
The challenge of becoming a learning organization requires that we go beyond the
provision of training and development. A learning organization
Recognizes that it is not perfect — it will make mistakes, but it
is able through self-correcting measures to avoid repeating them
Is able to generate new ideas and to acquire new and useful ideas
generated elsewhere
Disseminates knowledge and insight to multiply and expand their
potential applications
Modifies its behaviour to reflect new knowledge and insight
3. Effective leadership
Building an open, borderless, learning organization requires everyone to change —
managers, supervisors, and employees. And it needs leadership.
A growing number of public servants are "knowledge workers." This means that
they own the most important resource of the organization — their know-how and their
ability to innovate. This has implications for all public servants.
First, it changes the traditional concept of employee. In the past, employees worked in
a relatively predictable environment and were generally clear about what was expected of
them. A learning and knowledge-based organization is much more fluid and unpredictable.
Employees are expected to look for solutions, contribute ideas, share information with
others, innovateand make a contribution. They are also expected to share with their home
organization a responsibility for keeping their skills, knowledge and expertise current
and for contributing to the development of others.
Second, it challenges the traditional concept of management. All managers exercise
power and authority. They set priorities, organize work and are accountable for results.
This will continue to be the case. However, in a learning organization, the way in which
managers achieve results and get the best from everyone is very different.
With all the power and authority in the world, one cannot "command and
control" creativity and innovation. One cannot "order" new results to
emerge. A new approach to management is called for. This approach requires a climate of
trust, encourages collaboration and favours inclusiveness. It recognizes the importance of
sharing power in exchange for having everyone gain a greater sense of collective
responsibility. This management model is much more complex than the one we inherited from
the industrial era.
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The Public Service of Canada needs champions
and leaders |
As we change to a learning and knowledge-based organization, the Public Service of Canada needs
champions and leaders. A leader is the person who guides the efforts of a group toward a
result beyond its current reach. Leaders are not necessarily managers — they can come
from anywhere in the organization. And no leaders lead all the time. They know how to
follow the lead of others and rely on the strength of others. Human qualities — not
position or title — make a leader. The signs of outstanding leadership are found
among the followers, for without them there would be no leaders.
Effective leaders
Have a sense of direction. They are confident in their beliefs and
values and have a clear sense of purpose.
Are the servants of their followers. They liberate the energy and talent
of others, allow their ideas to flow, and help them reach and extend their potential.
Free the potential of others. They understand that leadership is
required at all levels and in all workplaces, and they allow others to discover their own
leadership potential.
Foster inclusiveness. By being flexible and open-minded, they encourage
others to join in and to be part of a collective effort. They listen and foster two-way
communication.
- Value and support people. People want to make a difference, to be proud of their results
and to be recognized for what they do. Leaders help to create an environment which
satisfies these needs, builds on diversity and allows people to contribute to their
fullest. Leaders recognize other people’s contribution to common goals.
The Public Service of Canada has always had great leaders throughout its ranks. Some of
them were managers, and their leadership qualities magnified the impact of their work.
Many more were professional, technical, operational, administrative or support staff.
Their leadership qualities allowed them to bring about results that most of their
colleagues initially believed were beyond their reach.
To become a continous learning organization requires that we understand the importance
of leadership at all levels in the organization and that we learn to detect, support and
develop people who have leadership qualities. Many of the initiatives in the La Relève
action plans aim to do just that.
Conclusion
As we come close to the end of the 20th century, there is growing recognition that a
well-performing public sector is a national institution that makes a significant
contribution to the performance of a nation and the well-being of citizens.
International agencies, such as the World Bank, the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development, and the International Monetary Fund, are placing
increasing emphasis on the importance of good governance and sound public administration
as essential preconditions for stable economic growth.
Business leaders, academics and others have also begun to recognize the
importance of good governance and sound public administration to a nation’s
international competitive position.
To grow and prosper, countries need a strong private sector to support a market
economy, a strong voluntary and not-for-profit sector to support communities, and a strong
public sector to support democracy. All are complementary and inextricably linked.
For the Public Service of Canada to play an effective role in Canada’s future, we
need an openness to re-examine the way we work and a willingness to act on the conclusions
we draw in the search for innovative ways to serve citizens and their elected
representatives. Continued effort and sustained attention to the challenges set out in
this report should help ensure that the Public Service of Canada will maintain its ability
to attract the talent it requires, to motivate and reward its employees, and to retain the
knowledge, know-how and expertise needed to make an important contribution to
Canada’s future.
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