What is a unified public service?

Len CookFormer Government Statistician

The Public Sector: In the service of the public"New thinking on the public services of New Zealand"

Wellington, 5-6 September 2013

A joined up telecom

– Hanoi, Vietnam

Some universal outcomes expected of governments

• Time (foresight, continuity, durability)

• Place (global, national, regional, local)

• Citizens (future, past and current, generations, life-course stages)

Enduring issues where collective wisdom and experience determine the likelihood of robust

policy• The collective management of risk and uncertainty is a critical role

of government. • The management of national assets (Environment,

Reputation/identity, Integrity of government) • The efficiency and quality of accumulated infrastructures

(transport, energy, housing)• Key sectors of government (Justice, Taxation, Education, Health,

welfare)• Protecting the functioning of the small NZ economy among the

global economy• Ensuring the shared prosperity of citizens• Countering inequalities that really matter

Infancy Education Housing/Family Development

Retirement

Birth family stability Health / disability

Income of birth family

Lifestyle/ dietGender equity

Relevance of education

Household stability Structural shifts in jobs

Migration

Home ownership Partner history

Lifestyle Parents Family arrangements

Parents Wealth accumulation

Parents Education

Health eventsParticipation

Life Course Influences On Cohort Life Expectancy

Estimated Life Expectancy

at key stages of life cycle

BIRTH TO DEATH EXPERIENCES

Lifestyle provision

AGE

Diagnosis of NZ Health Sector 2009• Insufficient formalised processes for establishing sector outcomes and

overseeing the future whole-of-system performance• Absence of an effective governance body to identify core systems,

inputs and outputs, and appropriate evaluation methods• Inadequate mechanisms for defining performance expectations for

consumers• Inadequate capacity for regular expert review of systems and

performance, and defining best practice• Insufficient legal and financial authority for cross-sectoral investment

and Governance• Unsatisfactory leadership in the development of whole-of-government

systems and leadership skills• Poor encouragement of innovation

Investments fundamental to a public service that necessitate unified leadership

1. People2.  Knowledge3. Recognition in roles and structures of the

authority needed for public service wide, and sector specific systems leadership

4. New Zealand specific focus5. Citizen engagement6. Ethics and integrity7. The impact of information technology on the

production function across key public service sectors

Sources of performance degradation

Policy and investments are only poorly directed at their relevance to the long term decisions

that they will eventually shape.

Limited account of the impact on citizens, business, local and central government.

Resource loss and social cost from poorly targeted change, of institutions, statutes,

regulation

Opportunity cost from poor political use of the responsiveness of the New Zealand Parliamentary processes to give an

unchallengeable statutory authority to decisions of the executive.

Economic loss and social cost from failure to capture the full potential benefits of

recognising and managing the key sectors of government as complex systems. Limits to

autonomous agency model

Comparison of Autonomous Organisation Form with Organisations that are part of an Integrated Networked

System

Organisations with an integrated network system

Autonomous Agencies

Information driven Information protected Benchmarking Self referencing

Value chain leadership Integration on matters with political gainsCapital switched to raise ROI Rigid capital base

Dynamic outputs/ services Output rigidityAccreditation and standards Sets own standards

Continuous improvement

Inspection costs highPeriodic restructuring

Consumer shifts drive services Consumer shifts unanticipatedHighly leveraged infrastructure

Dynamic processesSingle use project specific systems

Professional, expert leadership Generic managerWorkforce development Immigration, frequent recruitment

Focus on prospects, future context Output specification retrospectiveMultiplicity of relationship forms Contractual engagement

Risk mitigation key priority Risk mitigation fragileResponse to system failures Sorry / let’s move on

An Ideal model of sector transformation

Continuous Improvement (efficiency)

Culture Process measurement Consumer expectations

Transformation (Competitive) Business knowledge Industry benchmarks Sector knowledge

Service Reductions Reduced wellbeing Clarity of political preference

Output cost contributions Inputs flexibility Consumer linkages

Output mix reallocation Change in political preference

Clarity, robustness of political preference Consumer linkages Inputs flexibility

Capacity to direct and implement change at level of key sector of public service

Change in production function

Cost shifting/ output mix change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=L3Kor38Aczg#t=3

TREVOR MANUEL – SOUTH AFRICA