Achieving Transformation in Public Service

The world is fundamentally changing with massive shifts in demographic, societal, economic, and technological trends that are shaping our future. Citizens' needs and demands are also evolving, and the public sector globally has to become more agile and innovative to keep pace with this rapidly changing world. However, public service organisations are often seen to be resistant to transformation. Many public service organisations around the world seek to increase capacity but not transform. However, to stay relevant in the future these organisations must innovate and transform regardless of whether they operate in healthcare, justice, education, central or local government.

There are several compelling reasons to pursue transformation in public service:

• Enhanced efficiency and cost savings: Many public sector agencies are burdened by manual processes, leading to inefficiencies and increased operational costs. Relevant transformation can streamline operations, automate tasks and save taxpayer money.
• Improved service delivery: Citizens expect government services to be accessible and efficient. A transformed public sector can lead to improved service delivery and greater citizen satisfaction.
• Better decision-making: Transformation enables better data collection and analysis, which helps inform the decision-making process. This can lead to more informed policy decisions and resource allocation.
• Citizen engagement and accountability: Transformation enables better citizen engagement, making it easier for citizens to access information and interact with government agencies, thus increasing accountability.

However, transformation in public service is complex and requires careful planning and guidance in transitioning from existing practices to new improved ones. By definition transformation involves change and yet the introduction of change management strategies and methods in the public services are often resisted, citing the lack of precise definitions of their nature and the uncertainty of their outcomes within change programmes. ICPS's extensive pedigree in building capacity in the public service means that we understand the challenges of transformation and change and to that end have developed a programme of courses that support the success factors for transformation.

Organisational transformation is hard to conceptualise for public service organisations and harder to apply. However, experience tells us the success of transformation is dependent upon the presence of the following factors:

• Committed Leadership with Clear Purpose and Priorities: Successful transformations are driven by motivated leaders who have a clear purpose and priorities to achieve the targeted outcomes. Committed leaders who display determination as well as adaptability are the most important factors for ensuring successful transformation and for ensuring that the change is resilient to future shocks.
• Compelling Communication and Visioning: A compelling future vision, communicated to teams by visible leaders, is a key component of successful transformation. However, such communication channels need to be omnidirectional which not only gives leaders new ways to communicate with employees but also opens up new mechanisms to listen and demonstrate authenticity. In the organisational context, including openness and transparency with key stakeholders is essential.
• Creating Capability for Change: Creating capacity for change involves equipping individuals with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to navigate and adapt to transformational initiatives successfully. This process encompasses investing in learning and development programmes, fostering a culture of openness and innovation, and empowering employees to embrace new challenges. By building capacity for change, organisations can enhance their resilience, agility, and ability to thrive in dynamic environments, ultimately driving sustainable growth and achieving strategic objectives.
• Coordination in Service Delivery: Fostering highly collaborative teams and a central point of coordination significantly improves the success of Transformation programs, often using agile approaches such as cross-functional teams.
• Building resilience to the challenges of the future: One of the clearest lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it is very difficult for public service organisations to anticipate how future changes might impact their transformation programmes. Indeed, increasing global uncertainties driven by the current geopolitical and other unforeseen events underline the importance of building resilience in the public service.

Barriers to Transformation

Many public service employees are often seen to remain resistant to change which often hampers the transformation initiatives. It is often claimed that public service employees may ignore innovation and prefer to carry on doing things in the same old way. Moreover, the risk-averse nature of public service organisations can create barriers to change, learning and transformation.

Similarly, public organisations are often seen as being reluctant to invest in change that could potentially create longer-term benefits as there are immediate pressures to realise benefits from as low an input cost as possible. Moreover, the ongoing spending cuts across the globe have created an environment where organisations are more risk-averse. Reductions in staff numbers have led to an environment where there are fewer people available to implement and support transformation. There has also been greater emphasis on protecting core services rather than trying to do things differently.

Organisational learning if undertaken widely can help overcome some of these barriers to transformation. Learning can help widen horizons and identify that there are different and better ways of doing things. Therefore learning and development have to be central in helping people both understand the need for transformation, cope with its effects and thrive from the benefits the change brings.

The following case study depicts some challenges and ways they were overcome when transforming public service:

In Brazil, where poverty and inequality were significant challenges, the implementation of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme, Bolsa Família (launched in 2003), revolutionised social welfare policies. Traditional welfare programmes were fragmented, inefficient, and often failed to reach those most in need. Bolsa Família sought to address these shortcomings by introducing a comprehensive and targeted approach to social assistance.

Challenges:

• Lack of staff training: Brazil's social welfare system was fragmented, with multiple programmes administered by different government agencies. These agencies were provided with no proper training in achieving the desired outcomes. This lack of direction and training often resulted in poor implementation of the programmes including duplication of efforts and inefficiencies.
• Political Resistance: Implementing Bolsa Família required overcoming political resistance from various stakeholders, including opposition parties, traditional elites, and bureaucratic interests.
• Data Integration: Coordinating data from disparate sources and ensuring accurate targeting of beneficiaries posed a significant challenge in a country with diverse socio-economic conditions and geographic disparities.

Planning and Strategy:

• Training programmes for the staff: In its first phase of implementation of Bolsa Família encompassed integrating multiple existing cash transfer programmes and investing in learning and development programmes. The training was focused on creating motivated leaders who have a clear purpose and priorities to achieve the targeted outcomes. The training also prioritised creating capacity for change involves equipping individuals with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to navigate and adapt to transformational initiatives successfully. The training played a huge role in reducing corruption and duplication and increasing efficiency.
• Targeted Approach: Bolsa Família adopted a targeted approach to social assistance, focusing on the poorest and most vulnerable families, identified through a rigorous process of socio-economic assessment.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Bolsa Família implemented robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track programme implementation, assess impact, and ensure transparency and accountability.

Change Management:

• Training: Bolsa Família’s focus on organisational training helped bring in the much-needed efficiency which was essential for the successful implementation of the scheme.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Bolsa Família engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including government officials, civil society organizations, community leaders, and beneficiaries, to build support, address concerns, and foster ownership of the programme.
• Communication: Bolsa Família implemented a comprehensive communication strategy to ensure clear and consistent messaging about the programme's objectives, eligibility criteria, rights, and responsibilities.
• Public Accountability: Bolsa Família established mechanisms for public accountability, including regular reporting, citizen feedback mechanisms, and independent evaluations, to ensure transparency and responsiveness to public concerns.

The programme significantly reduced poverty, improved access to healthcare and education, and empowered marginalised groups, contributing to political stability. Bolsa Família's success thus demonstrates an effective management of transformation in resource-constrained settings. It further highlights the transformative potential of the public sector in addressing societal challenges.

Conclusion

The 5 key success factors below have been central to the successful transformation programmes ICPS has supported for its customers and to the training courses and resources we have developed:

• Committed Leadership with Clear Purpose and Priorities
• Compelling Communication and Visioning
• Creating Capability for Change
• Coordination in Service Delivery
• Building resilience to the challenges of the future

The need and pace for public service to transform is accelerating and to support that it is essential that the training and development of staff is central in achieving short, medium and long-term success. To find out more about how ICPS’s Leadership, communication, change, service delivery and resilience training courses can support your transformation programs contact me at: [email protected]