What are the skills of a high performing public service? We break down the OECD Report…
Big data, AI, transformation, agile work flows, dynamic leadership – the number of buzz words surrounding the future of public purpose work are coming in thick and fast. But – what skills do people actually need in order to be a successful and impactful public servant?
The OECD recently released a report about the skills that high performing civil servants (and by extension public purpose workers) need, and IPAA Queensland has broken them down for you. The future public servant in essence will embody the below skills and talents:
| Professional | Strategic | Innovative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs civil servants who are: | Qualified Independent Values driven Ethical | Outcomes driven Evidence based Future oriented Proactive Networked | Iterative Data literate Citizen centred Curious Storytellers Insurgent |
| In a civil service which is: | Merit based Capable of integrating soft skills, ethics, talent management (future potential vs. past performance) Able to structure the right balance of generalist and specialist professions and career paths | Agile Attractive to skilled job seekers Planned and managed to ensure the right skills and competencies are effectively allocated to areas of current and emerging need Future oriented and responsive | Open and collaborative cultures, leadership and management Engaged Autonomous (eg. Work design) Mobile Diverse Learning oriented |
| Led by Senior Civil Servants who are: | Trusted policy advisors and effective transactional managers | Transformational leaders, change managers | Collaborative leaders and adaptive managers |
As expanded on in the OECD report, today’s public sector is changing. Agencies and organisations need to evolve to be agile and adaptable to the changing public purpose landscape.
Noteworthy in this list are ‘citizen-centred’, ‘open and collaborative cultures’ and ‘collaborative leaders’ – all are essential for bringing sectors together for the successful development and delivery of services to the community.
Public purpose employees, whether from government or non-government organisations, must keep up with the change. Falling behind is no longer an option!
So – what are you doing as a public purpose worker, and what steps is your organisation taking to pave the path for the future?
For more information on this topic, check out this great report from PWC, ‘Workforce planning in the Public Sector’ .
About IPAA Queensland:
IPAA Queensland is the professional association for people engaged in public purpose work.
Our mission is simple. We promote and enhance the professionalism, capability and integrity of public administration and pride in service.
We do this through a program of thought leadership forums and events that enable our members to build their connections, challenge their thinking and keep informed about contemporary issues.
Becoming a member of IPAA Queensland demonstrates your personal commitment and contribution to public purpose work and offers you exclusive development and networking opportunities.