The world of work is changing. Technology, flexibility and the way we think about careers are redefining the workplace. The public service is not immune from these changes, which create an imperative for transforming how the public service operates.
There are really only two choices for this country: We can take pride in our diversity and use it as an advantage when interacting with the world, or we can hunker down behind borders and slowly gnaw at each other.
How can a public servant have a role in policy leadership while not overstepping the line? The nuance required couldn't be found in the guideposts defined by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Instead, some point to the stewardship function, in which public servants find themselves navigating determined politicians and a public in need of sustainable policy.
To dismiss design thinking as originating outside the public sector and therefore “not always fit for purpose” is to ignore the common challenge faced by different sectors: understanding a problem, predicting the best way to solve it and then working out what might happen in practice.
Joseph Maltby is a subject matter expert in change management, employee engagement, and project/program management who worked in the US Department of Homeland Security as the chief of organisational culture and development. He gives us the benefit of his sound advice on how to tailor one's mindset to the practical reality of working in government and the public sector. Follow his path and secure a long and fulfilling career in public service, you will.
South Australia's nuclear waste citizens' jury was meant to take discourse from radioactive to considered, but ended with polarisation. The former premier, his staffer, a top public servant and the consultation contractor discuss what they would do differently.
Australia’s primary federal renewable energy target -- to have 33 terawatts of renewable energy by 2020 -- has essentially been achieved. There is much uncertainty as to what is next.
Whether a mistake is tiny or enormous, consequences will be a given. A successful apology has five achievable qualities that, when eloquently combined, can restore the trust that you might have thought was already lost.
If you are a public servant, Scott Morrison's address to the APS was not boring, no matter what absolutely everyone else was predicting and concluding. It's no small thing for a reigning PM to address the APS, and it's a rare event. Public servants need to know the commander’s intent -- and this week, it came across loud and clear.
As the nature of work changes – including technological advancements, reduced job security, and blurred work/non-work boundaries – psychosocial harm is likely to increase, says the World Health Organisation.
Generally, social conformity is rewarded with comfortable feelings of belonging while anxiety rears up and warns us to think carefully before going too far against community norms. But we can act rationally and rebel against group-think. We can change the way things have always been done.
Sci-fi has offered predictions and inspired many of the technologies we now take for granted. What one person can imagine, another can build. Being able to conceive of the optimistic outcome (and not just what you believe to be the achievable outcome) is the first step to making it happen – in both technology and public policy.
One of the greatest challenges for any election management body is the incorporation of constantly evolving information communication technology into established election practices. Trust is hard earned but easily lost. Will internet voting be transformational?
The boost followed the creation of a disability pathway in the grad program, as well as an effort by the VPSC to redesign its marketing and user experience.
New Zealand's wellbeing budget promises to solve intractable social problems by focusing on "what New Zealanders value". So is it a genuine innovation or a Labour budget in new clothes?
