Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 01

14 / Canadian Government Executive // January/February 2018 T his quote from management spe- cialist Peter Drucker should be the mantra for every senior exec- utive. It communicates a simple, yet essential idea: No new strategy will survive within a corporate culture that is risk-averse, resistant to change, or simply protective of the status quo. If you want to embrace change and encourage inno- vation within your organization, the first step is transforming your culture. And transformation has become an ab- solute necessity for the public sector in Canada. We find ourselves in the midst of an age of disruption. The demographic makeup of our country is changing, entire sectors of our economy are being upended seemingly overnight by the introduction of new technologies, and citizens’ expec- tations are on the rise while global com- petition is intensifying. Public services are now expected to do more with less. The public sector can no longer rely on the status quo to deliver the services our citizens depend on. We have to be ready and willing to adapt to constantly changing circumstances. However, as Peter Drucker eloquently points out, transformation re- quires a cultural shift. And a cultural shift within an organization must be driven from the bottom up, not dictated from the top down. In other words, if you want to drive innovation, you must be willing to let your employees take the wheel. The Ontario Public Service has a long tradition of adapting to continually shift- ing conditions and delivering public ser- vices in new and innovative ways. And as the pace of change accelerates, we must accelerate our efforts as well. This February, we released the discus- sion paper Transforming the Ontario Pub- lic Service for the Future, which was de- veloped following consultations with our staff members in all regions of Ontario. Across the province, we heard the same feedback: we need to transform our orga- nization by collaborating with each other and with stakeholders to create a new long-term vision for the OPS. This discussion paper launched our Public Service Renewal (PSR) Project. Designed with the goal of engaging our employees from every level across our entire organization, this active employee engagement will drive cultural change to ensure that our workforce has the oppor- tunities, skills and leadership capacity to encourage innovation and meet citizens’ growing expectations of a public service that matches, or exceeds, the service lev- els provided by our private sector coun- terparts. Through in-person engagement sessions led by myself and our Chief Talent Officer, Diane McArthur, internal discussions led by senior leaders and deputy ministers, and our online engagement portal, we are building our vision. As of June 30, 2017, we have received over 16,500 web visits, over 260 online submissions and over 2,300 OPS employees have participated in town halls. The feedback we have received thus far has been very insightful for co-designing the OPS for the future. Our employees have highlighted the need to empower staff to take more calculated risks by embedding risk-management into every level of what we do at the OPS. They want to take ac- countability for their work and have the trust and confidence of their leaders, and they want to create a working environ- ment that fosters a culture of knowledge sharing, brainstorming and collaboration. Our employees have also identified the need to create spaces where new ideas can be tested, and welcome innovative solu- tions that allow for agile course corrections when necessary. They want to establish a more responsive service delivery model based on the public’s needs, they want to leverage new technology to drive smarter decision-making and work with entrepre- neurs and the private sector to help create a more dynamic and innovative economy. The early results of these engagements repeatedly demonstrate that our employ- ees are highly motivated for change. They understand the new demands that we are facing as a public service and have ideas about how we should best respond to them. They understand the need to incor- Public Service Public Servants in the Driver’s Seat Changing our culture from the ground up to transform the Ontario Public Service for the future Putting “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” by Steve Orsini