The APS has no articulated common purpose and vision to complement its legislated objects and values. With the issues that matter most becoming increasingly complex and crossing portfolio boundaries, a shared purpose and vision can provide a foundation for coherent leadership, service alignment and shared execution across the APS.
What we think is needed
- A legislative requirement to develop an inspiring purpose and vision that unifies the public service, linked to existing Public Service Act values. The purpose should articulate the reason for the APS’s existence; the vision should outline how the APS works and contributes to Australia.
- A vision for the APS developed by the Secretaries Board, supported by the APS200 (agency heads and deputy secretaries cohort), drawing on feedback and ideas from across the service.
- The vision, purpose and values to be embedded in the APS’s culture and way of working, including through public reporting on outcomes and management of performance.
What is shaping our thinking
- The well-established practice in high-performing organisations that aligning around an aspirational purpose and vision improves individual satisfaction and lifts organisational performance.
- Current legislation which establishes “an apolitical public service that is efficient and effective in serving the government, the parliament and the Australian public”. It also requires collaboration across agencies, and that individual agencies develop annual purpose statements.
- Feedback that, while current legislation helps define who the APS serves and outlines agency responsibilities and deliverables, it does not provide a focal point for the APS to deliver its work, or address complex or cross-cutting issues.
- Commonwealth agencies have purpose and mission statements, which provide a frame for their work and have been effective in helping employees clearly identify with their agency. This has resulted in hundreds of purpose statements across the service.
- Evidence that, for a shared purpose to endure and move beyond rhetoric, it should be co-developed through genuine engagement with employees.
- Positive feedback from current APS employees that a common purpose and vision would assist in linking their daily work to a national perspective and align the service.
What we are still exploring
- Effective ways to embed the common purpose and vision across the service to drive better outcomes.
- Whether the present APS values should be amended alongside a new purpose and vision.
Comments
Thu, 02 May 2019
Firstly thank you for the opportunity to contribute. I really agree with what the APS review has captured in relation to purpose. I hear and feel everyday as a member of the APS the strength/spirit of service to our community.
That said, when we consider future - technology, job roles, capability and expectations I do feel we need a new approach. The successful organisations in the future will need to do more that put a purpose/mission/vision/values up on a wall and ask everyone to fall in line.
What if we ‘reversed’ the traditional workplace culture model? Could we put the individual, their individual purpose and their individual values at the heart of the APS? Could we then, as servant leaders connect this to an organisational ‘growth’ mindset?
Consider a more Agile and citizen centric APS, the reverse of the APS of the past. The purpose does not change, but worplace culture does need to change/transform to support transformation and new ways of working.
What would happen if we built an APS culture based on listening to individual staff and individual customers about what is important to them?
TRUST
Thu, 02 May 2019
I think we need to think more broadly about job losses through such transformation and what might strategies might be employed to support those affected. This is a society wide concern, so APS is not a distinct case.
Another concern that needs to be addressed is the failure rate of such transformations. What have we learned from our past transformations and those from abroad? Further, private sector is most often cited as more efficient esp in customer centric environments, yet they also suffer from a lack of systems integration within a single large enterprise, let alone the prospect of cross-agency platforms. Telcos are a case in point when it comes to delivering on customer experience. There also needs be clear delineation of digitisation for enhanced, evidenced-based decision-making and those that affect human interaction and human impact decisions requiring judgement. What level of automated services is optimum for the Australian public, according to community values and cultural norms? We are proceeding with these issues without first defining the key philosophical basis around public, human services,etc.
Thu, 02 May 2019
The proposal can be strengthened by engagement of APS personnel, public, and other stakeholders, by defining and promoting a future-proofing role as a value creator. This engenders engagement, ongoing investment and attractiveness to future employees, leaders. APS must transform role from that of engager' todeveloper of solutions'. This needs bipartisan support and will drive transformation agenda in a positive way. It also changes the perception and negative associations that many people have with terms like automation',AI', etc. These latter techs are means to the end of value creation. This language and its authentic application is most important. APS leaders must be recruited and appraised on their integrity to such a mission.
Wed, 01 May 2019
Once a shared purpose and vision statement has been agreed, the APS values should be reviewed to ensure they support, and are consistent with, the aspirations of the APS.
Wed, 01 May 2019
I support this idea. The vision statement would need to be revisited - perhaps every five years - to ensure it remains current and relevant to the issues faced by Australians.
Wed, 01 May 2019
The draft report lacked any substantial reference to environmental stewardship and management of ecosystem services, beyond the connection to country for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. I think this is a critical component of common purpose and vision given that the environment cannot vote or otherwise advocate for itself.
Wed, 01 May 2019
Include opportunity for all levels and locations of APS and Australian community to contribute to development of common purpose through co-design workshops. For APS this should be done in a cross-agency environment to help breakdown silos and limits in thinking related to only their agency. Continue cross- agency and community collaboration following the development of such a purpose and ensure that it stays relevant.
Wed, 01 May 2019
Facilities such as the Department of Education and Training's 185 seat theatre in Canberra should be designated as APS shared facilities, and departmental executive officers should have to achieve KPIs related to how much they share these facilities. The tendency for departments to regard these eminently shareable resources as entirely their own, even when they are able to cost-recover all expenses related to sharing these facilities and the costs of staff associated with them.
Wed, 01 May 2019
We need to operate more like corporate bodies, i.e. have a Group of Company like structure, perhaps with a group governance board or functions. This could be broken up into streams with each director being responsible for one stream, a few streams come to mind, i.e. Social Services, Defence and Security, Health and Human Services for example. This body could compliment the APSC oversight role that traditionally sits within the PM&C Portfolio.
Wed, 01 May 2019
- Quick question: Why do we need a legislative requirement to develop an inspiring purpose and vision that unifies the public service? No other company or organisation needs their purpose and vision legislated. That seems like a gargantuan of a waste of time. Stop the noise. Just get on with it.
- Yes, we need a vision. No I don't think it should be developed solely by the Secretaties Board. A day in the life of a secretary, is not a day in the life of a public servant.
- Yes, vision, purpose, values must be in the culture and way of working. The APS is moving far too slowly and being outpaced at every turn.
Wed, 01 May 2019
Consistent training (all levels) across common areas - linking back to the APS rather than department specific, such as Induction, APS values, Culture, Leadership development.
Tue, 30 Apr 2019
APS staff need to remember they work to the government of the day, and take directions from them, even if they are opposed to it - perhaps some training should be established about this by APSC. APS staff need to also be treated with respect by Government of the day, two-way-street
Tue, 30 Apr 2019
Yes but Vision must be forward looking not just what we now do and be subject to regular review to ensure the Vision moves forward with time.
Tue, 30 Apr 2019
"One public service committed to providing fearless and frank advice to the Government and to administering services to the public with integrity and economic efficiency."
Tue, 30 Apr 2019
(1) How can we strengthen each proposal: You asked what other items might be included in the outcomes from your review of the APS. One area that struck me based on our work relates to the issue of governance. I do note that the APS has a number of independent agencies, some of these quite large in scale, which operate with an independent Chief Executive, often a large budget, but without any formal board. My understanding that while there are many of these they report directly to the Minister’s office rather than through a board. My limited exposure suggests that this is not an ideal working arrangement and that the organisations would be better served if they had a small board that was appointed through some form of merit based rather than political process. I wonder if this is an issue that you have considered and whether it is worthy of including in your recommendations. Ashley Stephenson
Sun, 28 Apr 2019
I hope this results in a celebration of public service. I think that being a public servant is a worthy and dignified vocation and I would be proud to have this as a common purpose that unites us.
Tue, 23 Apr 2019
Management requires the needs of domain knowledge in the business where they're managing to make correct business decisions. How to attract and retain talent in the workforce. Performance measure should be conducted not only by immediate manager, This should be a group of managers to balance the view of the individual performance and help them assist in further development. Cross skilling requires a programme and not put bottom on sits to expect outcomes with no training.
Thu, 18 Apr 2019
consult with the entire APS involve people, have working groups over the department from all levels including and most importantly front line workers.
Thu, 18 Apr 2019
Ok, unpopular opinion but really what we need at this time of a very very unfocused and undisciplined APS is less fluff around visions and purpose (that's quite simply to serve the Australian people and do it efficiently and without extraneous cost) and more around: clear direction from government; freezes on government changing the direction of a department too many times or in too rapid succession; accountability for senior executive (DHS have had MANY self-serving, inept SES who have ruined things for the department and Australians); getting good at what we're already meant to be doing and being given the time and space to do so; laying off the 'let's innovate!' button - just try and get your bread-and-butter work CORRECT; and - it may sound stupid - but depoliticising the operations of each department, particularly that of Social Security.
Thu, 18 Apr 2019
I have worked in the APS for 15 years at the Department of Human Services, Centrelink primarly in smart centres division and i cant think of a worse time for Managerial intregrity than at present, I myself am in leadership, and find the moral conflicts i deal with daily exhausting, from the level of subverted bullying, underhanded manipaulation, decit, disregard for due process, unethical behavoir. we need immedaite action on managerial conduct and beahvour a fairer and simplier process for staff to be supported without fear of reprisal, we need accountable and transparent decisions, and this starts with tougher scruinty of executine and managers, an independant auditing or review, we used to have health check teams, but these teams are disbanded and thier actions items and review findings largely glossed over and dismissed. I feel its a crisis point in some area's of the Department, and the toll it has taken is sometimes not obvious, there is no grandious media attention, or staff walkouts, its more the lack of engagement, the high unplanned leave, the increase in fair work or compensation cases, the high distrust for departmental messages due to inaction on managers.
Thu, 18 Apr 2019
work in colloboration within department, respect each other and be honest and upfront.
Fri, 12 Apr 2019
If the Secretaries Board creates the vision and purpose, it will then have to be 'sold' to the rest of the workforce in a process that would be at risk of modelling an unspoken value around 'we (the Secretaries) know what's best for you and the APS and now you have to get with the program'. This is likely to be incongruent with the purpose and vision and the culture being sought. In other words, yet another experience of 'don't do what we do, do what we say'. The most effective way to embed the vision and purpose and to model the very culture the APS is seeking, is for the Secretaries to go to the workforce with questions rather than the answer and to walk the talk of collaboration as together the whole service grows the vision and purpose. This would be a congruent experience where the process of vision creation is in itself an example of that vision in practice.
Wed, 03 Apr 2019
Gain buyin from APS employees. Help them feel like they are 1. a member of the APS team, then 2. a member of their local employer. We need unity. We need to feel represented a whole. We need the community to respect the positive work that we do on their behalf. Give a us a young vivacious Leader with a vision to unite us!
Wed, 03 Apr 2019
Whatever we do, we shouldn't entrench hierarchy in our thinking. that is the antithesis of the 'professional' objective. If we are to have a truly professional Information Age Service, we need systems that allow thought leadership and vision to be drawn from the whole of the APS.
I wouldn't be entrusting the development of the 'Vision' to the Secretaries Board, or the APS200. I'd be looking for new thinking. Perhaps a cross agency working group involving staff at all levels leading to a convention to vote on the core elements of the vision. Many of your proposals provide the framework for this discussion.
Responsibility for implementing this vision is not going to be senior leaders at the back end of their careers - it will be those with another 20 or 30 years of commitment to the public sector profession. If we are serious about agility, inclusion and the adaptive approach we need to engage and trust young professionals now, not let tablets of stone be handed down from the Secretaries Board.
Wed, 03 Apr 2019
What happened to the new APS tagline that was announced back in 2017 as winner of the Brand It competition? It was “Shape Australia. Create your future.” I haven't seen it implemented on APS sites or recruitment material. See https://www.apsc.gov.au/aps-news-march-2017-fostering-flexible-efficient-high-performing-aps
Tue, 02 Apr 2019
If there is to be a common vision to unite and inspire the APS we must ensure that custodianship is supported by more than the APS200. Let's face it, they are a wholly unrepresentative demographic - many great individuals, but also a good many who've got where they are by playing the system. Courageous change agents are under-represented in their ranks.
And if they are in the APS200 their future is retirement, they are not going to be around in 20 or 30 years to reap the fruit of their deliberations.
Let's stop thinking of the APS as something managed by the SES, where everything else is engagement with employees. If we characterize it as a profession, then stop dividing the APS into leaders and employees.
We should investigate ways of identifying representatives from across the APS to articulate this vision. Do not ask the agencies to self-select these people, you will get the good company men (and maybe a few company women). You'd do better with a lottery.
And let's consider ways of keeping the vision fresh - think about an annual representative forum to discuss best-practice in achieving the vision and a communications strategy to relate the vision to emerging challenges.
Tue, 02 Apr 2019
-All departments need to co-ordinate and communicate effectively -Need to reduce administrative systems and have move coal face resources
Tue, 02 Apr 2019
Interesting that we are called the Public Service - which means we are to serve the public, but we also have high aspirations of being leaders, which is counter-intuitive to serving. Setting a common purpose across the APS is held already within our title as Public Servants. The APS Values already set out how we should act and are aligned with good practice. If we were to set out a Purpose it needs to resonate with the Australian public and be succinct. With the stated aspiration of "a trusted APS, united in serving all Australians" I believe that actually sums up what we stand for, but I also like the Australian colloquialism of "giving a fair go for all" - which is what the public service should aspire to and would actually be a statement that resonates with our current work and enable transformation of the APS for the future.
Tue, 02 Apr 2019
Transparency. Clear and open communication is the key.
Mon, 01 Apr 2019
The APS needs to do the work of the people, not just the work of the Government of the day. Independent, fearless advice needs to be given and received to ensure programs, proposals and expenditure is in the best interests of the public rather than who has been lobbying the most and where votes/electorate support are needed. Transparency is key
Mon, 01 Apr 2019
Strengthen the culture, governance and leadership model
The culture of any unified agency or organisation is its people, we are all different and have different talents, we also come from many backgrounds where some of us lead whilst others prefer to help build the infrastructure. When I look at culture and leadership I think of " the bee movie" the one bee who felt they were not working for a purpose - a defined opportunity. Our elders use to sit in dreaming circles and discuss policies and lore and how that affected people, now we in the building are so busy moving from one meeting room to the other we are just discussing actions, rather than doing. We would take a vote on lore that is the culture the voice of 'many workers' rather than leaders. placing a title on someone has broken down the need for embracing our strengthens and weaknesses, that common sain your only as strong as your weakest link, your only weak because they have not been placed in the strengthen, because they haven't been given a voice amongst the circle of elders - inexperienced or not a opportunity to learn serves us all. Leadership should be built on strengthen and not who favours you, not who you knew in high school or colleague. Leadership should be built on voting for the respectful communities we live in and breath everyday, they should be recognised yearly and changed, everyone should at least once be given the opportunity to lead , wether they fail or succeed. our youth are looking for role models who can show optimistic future. We are not looking for parents who are leadership, rather we are looking for mentors or coaches that stay with us for continuity, not change every 6mths, we are looking for adaptive ways to work around our families instead of never seeing them grow.
Fri, 29 Mar 2019
Not only creating this vision but ensuring that everyone understands and is on the same page within a short term.
Thu, 28 Mar 2019
We can strengthen this proposal by articulating the sort of culture we want from this common purpose and vision. Culture is the glue that holds together organisations/institutions and would be great to capture this smartly and concisely. High performing organisations have fantastic cultures - one drives the other.
Thu, 28 Mar 2019
Agree with this proposal.
one thing to be conscious of here is ensuring a purpose and vision is articulated to include the independent executive - i.e. the agencies are independent of the Minister. Much of the narrative that runs through the review and comments keeps reiterating the fact that the "APS provides advice to Government" - this is actually only a small component of what the service does - a substantial amount of work is done independently and deliberately so to insure against political interference. E.g you wouldn't want AFP to enforce criminal law or Centrelink to provide payments according to ministerial direction.
The public service is so much more than "providing advice"
Also just a side note - it would be good to ensure that the review applies not just to entities under the Public Service Act - but to commonwealth public service entities more broadly defined.
Thu, 28 Mar 2019
I welcome the shift to 'serving all Australians' rather than just the minister or the government of the day. Consideration needs to be given how we transition the ministers and advisers to this way of thinking.
Wed, 27 Mar 2019
This whole report is great but reads like it could be talking about any organisation, anywhere at any point in history. It's not the big decisions, structures or leaders that mater, it's the micro, day-to-day ones that have the most impact. With or without a big fancy report costing millions of dollars the main problem will still be cost$$$. Having to do more with less. Political pandering in order to reduce taxes in order to buy votes. Low taxes are great but they also lead to low public service standards. Unwillingness to invest money in the people, their work environment and resources on a daily basis that causes dysfunction, dissatisfaction and failure. I come from a multi-generational public service family who have witnessed much change over the years. The majority of which centred around money saving measures dressed up and presented as 'productivity improvements.' I am experiencing the same things now that my father faced half a century ago. In stead of trying to fire a silver bullet that will fix all ills lets bite the bullet and face the fact that quality service costs money and go from there...