Canadian Government Executive - Volume 25 - Issue 04

October/November 2019// Canadian Government Executive / 9 Public Service Selected Comments: “In recent years, it seems my work has become more and more transactional. I do not feel I have the same influence I had in the past.” “More work, less time, less people, fewer strategic decisions, more operational decisions, less autonomy.” “Executives are supposed to be providing strategic direction, planning for the future - these days all we seem to do is chase our tail, put out fires and report, report, report.” “At every level, we need to remove administrative minutia from those we hire to lead the organization.” Why it matters Government management reforms matter because the performance and productiv- ity of the public sector have a substantial impact on the Canadian economy and on society more generally. This is especially relevant since the broader public sector – all three levels of government – is esti- mated to account for nearly 40 per cent of Canada’s GDP . In this context, governments often seek a path to better productivity, as well as healthier work-places, through initiatives aimed at improving (reforming) how they manage their different organizations. To its credit, the Canadian public service has a long history of striving to improve how it manages its many departments and agencies, and delivers its programs and services. For instance, the annual re- ports of the clerks of the Pricy Council re- veal the importance of priorities aimed at bettering the administration of the public service. However, the same reports also reflect the often-repetitive efforts at similar reforms, and the daunting challenges of making headway in some areas. For many reform initiatives, such as simplifying administra- tive rules and processes, tangible results re- main elusive and objective information on actual outcomes is seldom available. What the survey was about To better assess the results of public ser- vice management reforms, the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, as part of its Execu- tive in Residence Program, conducted in late 2018 an anonymous survey of federal executives. The survey took a broad look across recent horizontal management reforms and queried executives on the nature and evolution of their work, the cumulative re- sults of reforms, as well as solicited their views on the public service’s management of its reform agenda and initiatives. 350 executives from 46 federal organi- zations responded to the survey, and pro- vided valuable comments and insights. The University recently posted the survey report on its website . What executives reported Overall, the majority of executives sur- veyed painted a poor picture of the status and results of management reforms in the public service. At the outset, the work of executives is not getting easier or more efficient, as expected under most reforms. • The average working hours of execu- tives is increasing. Their typical work- week averages 51.9 hours, a slight in- crease from the 50.7 hours reported in 2012 by the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service (APEX). More disquieting, the proportion of ex- ecutives working 55 hours or more per Figure 1. S ELECTED S URVEY Q UESTIONS – E XECUTIVE W ORK T RENDS R ESULTS (% OF EXECUTIVES ) Executives indicated if key work factors Increased or Decreased: - in the last 5 years - � Number of hours you work p esaercnI deton %26 .keew re � Scope and diversity of your responsibilities as an executive. 77% noted Increase � Workload of your current org esaercnI deton %58 .tinu lanoitazina � Proportion of your unit’s time spent on administrative and clerical activities. 77% noted Increase � Administrative / clerical activities transferred from other parts of the organization. 65% noted Increase � Effectiveness of policies, processes, systems in support of programs / services. 65% noted Decrease � Your capacity to focus on strategic direction and innovation (vs. ongoing delivery). 65% noted Decrease � Complexity and difficulty of delivering operations, programs or services. 77% noted Increase week has jumped by more than half, from 25 per cent (per APEX’s 2012 sur- vey) to 39 per cent – a surefire sign that the work is changing. • A solid majority (70 per cent) of execu- tives indicated spending more time in recent years on administrative or cleri- cal activities, and many (45 per cent) reported spending less time on strategic direction, planning and innovation. This increase in administrative burden, ap- parently at the expense of more strate- gic work, is not an effective use of execu- tive resources as charting the strategy and direction of programs and services is essentially the role of executives. • Consistent with the previous 2017 APEX survey, executives reiterated that their work remains challenging: they have constant time pressures and a heavy workload; suffer too many interruptions; their jobs have become more demand- ing; and employees do not have the tools and technology to do their jobs properly. • As well, those surveyed predominantly agreed that their situation is not getting any better. While many reported im- provements in productivity and in the quality of their programs and services, overall most executives noted worsen- ing trends compared to five years ago. Their work is more diverse and complex; there is less capacity to focus on strate- gic issues and direction; administration and red-tape is increasing; and the ef- fectiveness of supporting processes and systems is waning (Figure 1.).