Canadian Government Executive - Volume 23 - Issue 08

Our mission is to contribute to excellence in public service management Editorial Editor-in-Chief: George Ross george@promotivemedia.ca Associate Editor: Marcello Sukhdeo marcello@promotivemedia.ca COPY EDITOR: Michelle Currie michelle@promotivemedia.ca Editorial Advisory Board DENISE AMYOT, PENNY BALLANTYNE, Jim Connell, Michael Fenn, Lana Lougheed, John Milloy, Vic Pakalnis, Robert Shepherd, Andrew Treusch, David Zussman Sales & Events Vice President, Sales: Terri Pavelic 905-727-3875 x2 terri@promotivemedia.ca Director, Media Content & Events: Laskey S. Hart 905-727-3875 x5 laskey@promotivemedia.ca art & production Art Director: Elena Pankova elena@promotivemedia.ca Subscriptions and Address Changes Circulation Director: Mary Labao 905-841-7389 circulation@promotivemedia.ca General Inquiries 1-226 Edward Street, Aurora, ON, L4G 3S8 Phone 905-727-3875 Fax 905-727-4428 www.canadiangovernmentexecutive.ca corporate Group Publisher: John Jones john@promotivemedia.ca Publisher’s Mail Agreement: 40052410 ISSN 1203-7893 Canadian Government Executive magazine is published 10 times per year by Navatar Press. All opinions expressed herein are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or any person or organization associated with the magazine. Letters, submissions, comments and suggested topics are welcome, and should be sent to patrice@promotivemedia.ca Reprint Information: Reproduction or photocopying is prohibited without the publisher’s prior written consent. High quality reprints of articles and additional copies of the magazine are available through circulation@promotivemedia.ca. Privacy Policy: We do not sell our mailing list or share any confidential information on our subscribers. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. www.canadiangovernmentexecutive.ca 4 / Canadian Government Executive // November 2017 On a recent visit to Ottawa, I had the opportunity to sit down with some of Canada’s top public service executives to find out what’s on their mind and to discuss CGE . These meetings reinforced what I’ve been hearing from executives and managers at all levels across the country. Namely, with the rapid onset of disruptive technologies, and the ever-increasing digital expectations of citizens and ambitious political agen- das, we are on the cusp of a dramatic, generational change, the likes of which we haven’t encountered since the use of the Internet shaped public services decades ago. The anticipation of this change leaves us with questions; are we able to lead this change or will it run over us? Are we fully prepared to engage citizens in a deeper way using new technology? How can we sustain a professional, multi-generational workforce through this journey? How will open government shape the processes and fundamental role that civil servants play in society? Very exciting to say the least. In this issue, we explore these challenges with Marcia Nelson, Alberta’s Deputy Min- ister of the Executive Council, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Public Service. Mar- cia and I had the opportunity to talk in Charlottetown, at the annual Institute of Public Administration of Canada’s (IPAC) Annual Meeting. Of these challenges, perhaps the most pressing issue of our time for public servants across the country is how to truly engage with Indigenous communities in keeping with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call to action. Catherine McQuarrie offers her perspective on this based on the work that IPAC is doing to facilitate dia- logue across the country. At the core of this is the need for meaningful relationships and Catherine discusses the values and approaches that public servants should con- sider as a foundation for their engagement with Indigenous communities. The types of change that public service organizations will encounter over the coming years will inevitably strain our organizations, structures, and leadership capacity. Maria David Evans, a new contributor to CGE , offers her view on this organizational trans- formation and employee engagement. She highlights some of those leadership charac- teristics necessary for success in a challenging public service environment where the landscape is dominated by the need for innovation. Maria urges us to lift our heads a bit and look for answers in cross-sectoral partnerships and new relationships. With this backdrop of change, public sector management will be front and center. Ex- pectations for continuous improvement, a focus on results and accountability, adminis- trative excellence and organizational performance will be the norm. Craig Szelestowski offers us five ways to improve our strategic planning that can be employed in any size or organization. Marje Aksli reinforces the need for better use of Project Management methodologies to get the most from Results-Based Management initiatives. Regular contributor Jeffrey Roy offers his views on the effects of AI on Government Services and the need for Government to get its internal operational house in order as a precondition for tackling much more significant service transformation. In her “Final Word” Lori Turnbull discusses what seems to be never-ending public consterna- tion over the application of ethics rules and guidelines and perception on acceptable behaviour for government and public-sector actors. Indeed, it is an exciting time with all of this change in the air that gives us, at CGE , much to explore. To assist CGE in its quest to bring you the most relevant and useful content, I have asked some very distinguished public servants and academics to come together to form a new CGE Editorial Advisory Board. Their role will be to provide me, and the whole CGE team, with guidance and to ensure we stay committed to our core mission of Public Sector Excellence. Our Dashboard this month announces our new Editorial Advisory Board and need- less-to-say, I am absolutely delighted to have them working with the CGE team. I would also like to pass on my appreciation to those that have served in the past and to all those who have worked with CGE, you all remain an integral part of the CGE family. editor’s note George Ross web