Auditor-general’s tips on good governance: don’t forget the culture
For public sector boards, it's important to consider how official structures and organisational culture work together, says ANAO. Read More
performance
Building a smarter organisation with analytics and AI
Artificial Intelligence is now mainstream, fuelling more and more aspects of business and day-to-day life but how can data-driven innovation be brought to life and put into action to resolve real problems that government agencies and departments face on a daily basis? Read More
Why Michael Pezzullo is not a fan of KPIs, or right-wing extremists
Department of Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo made it very clear he has no intention of setting new performance targets for processing citizenship applications, as he explained to a Senate committee why he refused to accept an auditor-general’s recommendation. Read More
The potential downside of proactive staff
Proactivity at work can help solve problems and create new innovations. Just make sure your energy is directed wisely. Read More
eBook: How do I talk to an employee about their poor performance?
Download this eBook to: identify practical ways to raise difficult conversations manage a difficult conversation document employee performance correctly transition ‘out’ an underperforming employee through… Read More
Bringing intelligence to government decision-making
For government, being able to streamline or automate high frequency, low risk decisions is at a critical stage. Faced with a flood of information, government departments, public sector leaders and executive groups are exploring new decision-making techniques and tools. Read More
Remaking performance management
Most organisations' performance management systems are unpopular and ineffective. How can they be improved? Read More
Hierarchy and mystery job applications — public servants reveal their frustrations
What are public servants' biggest bugbears? Motivation-destroying hierarchy and performance management come in near the top, alongside confusing recruitment processes. Read More
Performance reporting progress ‘too slow’, PGPA Act review finds
Commonwealth entities are improving their performance reporting but leadership is required to make sure they go beyond mere compliance, argues the final report of the PGPA Act review. Read More
Blast from the past: Palaszczuk asks 1990s public service reformer to define future state
The Queensland government wants to know what “the public sector of tomorrow” will look like and has asked Peter Coaldrake, who ran the Goss government’s… Read More
Politicians happy to blame public servants — but not so keen on praise
Cognitive biases -- such as erring towards negative performance data -- can undermine the potential benefits of increased transparency. They might also help explain bureaucrats' notorious risk aversion. Read More
NSW councils applaud auditor-general’s first foray into their sector
New South Wales residents should be given more detailed information about how local councils spend their money and what they get out of it, the auditor-general recommends, and the peak body that represents them is all for it. Read More
A focus on goals rather than behaviour is creating workplace monsters
Our research highlights that destructive leaders lack self-control especially when anxious and the difficulty of tasks is high. Read More
Councils take up benchmarking with performance excellence program
A local government performance benchmarking program is helping over 100 councils pinpoint challenges and measure progress in everything from spans of control to budget processes. Read More
Performance management is under-performing
The Commonwealth State of the Service results suggest there is a disconnect between managers and their staff on how well performance management is performing. Read More