Responding to citizens
changing needs
If you arent changing, youre regressing.
If you arent agile, youre standing still
and watching everyone else move
further and further ahead of you.
Federal Deputy Minister
Leaders identified several elements that are critical to agility, namely: developing strong
partnerships, investing in human capital, supporting and training leaders and investing in
technology. It was also noted that there is a need for the public service to become less risk
averse to become truly agile.
of participants
believe that
agility is
achievable.
3
Foreword
CONTENTS
Introduction 5
In an increasingly complex and Over the course of 2014, the Public Policy
Partnerships 7 interconnected world, where the pace of Forum and PwC worked with a panel of
change is accelerating, governments know senior administrators across Canada to
Leadership 10 that they must re-invent the ways they explore the concept of agility and what it
do business. Whether this is through the means to todays governments. Together,
Risk 11 partnerships they develop, the leadership we held round table discussions and over
Human capital 13 techniques they employ or the skilled 45 one-on-one interviews. We learned
workforce they seek out, governments that Canadian leaders are striving for
Technology 14 are facing the challenge of managing in agility in their everyday operations, and
uncertainty by focusing on becoming while theyre facing some challenges,
Barriers 15 more agile in their operations. theyre also actively seeking opportunities
and developing strategies to overcome
Conclusion 16 Agile governments provide what citizens
these barriers.
want, when they need it, regardless of
Appendix 17 external pressures and context. And This report provides a view of what public
theyre able to do this because theyre service leaders think of agility, how
responsive, flexible, creative and attuned theyre applying it in their organizations,
to citizens needs. and what critical actions governments
should consider undertaking if theyre
With the federal governments release
going to be truly agile in the new reality.
of Destination 2020, the ongoing
generational change at the leadership
level in governments across Canada and
this being a federal election year, now is a
good time to reflect on how governments
can be more agile.
Much has been written about how the roles of governments have
changed. In this fast-paced, uncertain and yet connected world,
governments need to adapt the ways that they manage.
Under the banner of Public Service Accounting for the unique characteristics
Next the Public Policy Forum has been of Canadian governments, the Public
Agility is having the considering what the critical areas of Policy Forum and PwC agreed that it was
flexibility and courage to focus should be to assist governments in both timely and important to consider the
reinvent yourself. their change process. Key pieces of the concept of agility in a Canadian context.
Forums recent work such as Flat, Flexible
College President and Forward Thinking and Changing Before we began our series of interviews
the Game: Public Sector Productivity in and roundtable discussions, we identified
Canada emphasize that Canadian leaders key elements that define agility:
are open to and focused on the enablers
1. Adaptability: the ability to adjust and
of change. At the same time, PwC has
meet changing requirements
been on a journey across the globe to
understand how the notion of agility 2. Innovation: the ability to generate
is impacting organizational change. and use new ideas, methodologies
In the Netherlands, the government is and technologies
focused on outcomes, can cooperate
and outsource, supports an active third 3. Collaboration: the ability to leverage
sector1, is societally conscious and internal and external knowledge and
client and demand driven. In Australia, resources to enhance the mission
agile public sector organizations have
the capability to achieve competitive 4. Visibility: the ability to create and
advantage through continuous maintain transparency to enhance
adaptation in an ever-changing fact-based decision-making
environment.2
5. Velocity: the ability to recognize and
respond with the requisite tempo to
new circumstances and events3
5
While these enablers resonated with Project contributors also shared views
Canadian leaders, they were eager to on what agility is not. At the outset of
provide perspectives on how agility the project, there was some contention
should be viewed in a Canadian public that governments requirement to rely
sector context. When governments are on evidence-based decision-making
agile, they should be almost invisible was at odds with agility. However, this
to citizens because the services theyre was strongly rejected. Canadian leaders
providing are seamless, tailored to needs emphasized that responsive is good,
and allow the population to move about reactive is not, and taking the time to
their lives without obstaclespaying respond appropriately can mean the
their taxes, travelling safely, running difference between doing something right
their businesses and using public transit. the first time and repeating the exercise
at significant cost. As such, in order to be
To achieve this, Canadian leaders believe agile, governments should be building
that governments will need to change the and developing evidence as a part of
way they think and the way they operate. business-as-usual so that responses are
Project contributors emphasized that grounded in fact4.
the absence of market mechanisms that
provide incentives for the private sector Being agile is also about knowing when
to take risks or invest in new technologies governments dont need to respond.
and business models, should not be used Partnerships, which will be discussed
as an excuse for public sector inactivity. in further detail next, can be a key
They considered this to be limited enabler for governments. Balance is an
thinking and not representative of how important part of agility for Canadian
the public service should be managed. leadersplanning and anticipating, being
While governments arent in competition responsive to current or emerging issues,
with other organizations in most and always cognizant of medium- and
instances, they should consider how their long-term prospects.
regulatory powers and service mandate
creates a competitive environment for
other stakeholders. For example, the
emergence of innovative technologies For Canadian leaders, agility is the ability to be responsive,
like Uber, which offers a ride-sharing flexible and creative, while being attuned to serving citizen
alternative to conventional taxis, has needs.
disrupted the industry in cities around the
world. Canadian municipal governments Former Federal Deputy Minister
who regulate the industry have been slow
to adapt. In some cases, they have taken
court action to ban Ubera position
that appears to demonstrate regulatory
constraint rather than agility.
4 Civil servants arent the only ones taking this position; elected officials such as
Michael Bloombergpast Mayor of New York Cityhave begun to champion a fact-
based assessment of government services. Bloomberg is reported to have told his
officials: in God we trusteveryone else has to bring data.
7
The scale of infrastructure development facing Canada in the near and medium term is overwhelming
and the scale of public funding is unlikely to meet current or future needs. Canadian governments are
competing with other jurisdictions with similar infrastructure challenges for private sector partnerships
and funding. They need to better position themselves as partners of choice.
The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care In 2003, the Nova Scotia government, in partnership
launched Community Health Links in 2012 as a targeted with provincial credit unions, Atlantic Central and the
program to assist those 5% of patients who, due to their Nova Scotia Cooperative Council, established a CA$6
complex needs, account for two-thirds of health care million pilot project to meet the growing need and
spending in a given year. Health Links allows family demand for small business financing. The program
doctors, specialists, hospitals, home care, long-term care recognized that community-based credit unions, with
and community support agencies to provide integrated local knowledge and a vested interest in growing small
care to patients with multiple, complex conditions. businesses, would be an ideal vehicle through which to
Health Links represents an innovative approach to deliver loans.
caring for patients with complex needsimproving The government considers the program to be an
outcomes, while delivering better value for money. excellent example of an agile public-private partnership
Across Ontario, 47 Health Links initiatives are for several reasons: the government provides a guarantee
already delivering health care to patients in need for funding which means there are no up-front costs; the
of complex care. The ministrys emphasis on a low risk to the government is restricted to 90% on term loans
rules environment has enabled the development and and 75% for lines of credit in the event of default and to
continuous improvement of Health Links. An integral date, the loss ratio of the program has been an average of
part of this innovation, partners from various sectors are 3-4%; and, credit unions are located across the province,
providing input and direction in order to improve the including rural areas, facilitating province-wide roll-out.
coordination and integration of care. As Health Links Credit unions are also already set up for lending,
develops and matures, these partnerships will continue compliance and monitoring making the program
to expand, providing many potential access points for very cost-effective. Over the life of the program, the
patients in the health care system. In addition, patients government has worked closely with its partners and
are being engaged in new ways to ensure that Health industry to ensure that the program is reflective of
Links is tailored to changing needs and expectations. consumer needs, a key element of agile government.
New streams have been added which reflect market
change, including financing for new immigrants and
social enterprise, both growth areas for the province.
The success of the program is evident in the increase to
a CA$33 million revolving program in July 2005, and
in April 2014, an increase to CA$50 million to meet
demand.
In 2010, the Government of British and driving has dropped significantly, challenges from criminal defence
Columbia introduced strengthened with the amount of time required to lawyers and a constitutional challenge
administrative sanctions under the process a driver under the IRP model to the BC Supreme Court led to part
Motor Vehicle Act to tackle drinking taking much less time than that of the IRP program being suspended
and driving on BC roads. The required for a Criminal Code case. in December 2011. The close working
governments objective was to reduce As well, theres been a significant relationship between the public
alcohol-related driving fatalities by reduction in the number of Criminal service and the elected government
35 % by the end of 2013. This goal Code cases (and hence costs associated meant that the public service was
was exceeded with an unprecedented with hearing those cases in court) given the necessary time and space to
52 % decrease in alcohol-related with fewer impaired driving cases re-draft the legislation. Amendments
fatalities since the Immediate going through provincial court since to the legislation to address issues
Roadside Prohibition (IRP) legislation the introduction of the IRP program. raised by the court were brought into
came into effect. Police found drinking The program has faced many legal force on June 15, 2012.
9
Transforming
the government
through shared
Leadership see leadership as a key to agility.
services
The prevailing view is that risk management is a critical part of any In 2005, the Auditor General
change process and will be necessary if the public service is going to issued a highly critical report
of Passport Canada operations,
be more agile. including serious concerns over
security measures. Then, in
roles very challenging. However it
2007, a change in requirements
was also asserted that tolerance levels
Redefining risk appetite for travel to the US created a
for innovation and intelligent risk
is about developing an would be higher if elected officials
surge in passport demands
understanding of next and led to overwhelming
provided some cover for public
applications that the agency was
practice, not best practice. servants. Successes cant always be
unable to manage.
enjoyed solely by the politicians, nor
Chief Administration Officer, can failures be borne only by the public In response, the agency
Municipal Government service. This creates a culture of fear reinvented itself by introducing
and inhibits creativity. a new, more flexible and
Unfortunately, in the current accelerated customer service
environment, public servants often feel Elected officials could change the model, which simplified
disempowered. This is because, when it language around project and program back-end processing, reducing
comes to risk-taking, the focus has tended development, which at the moment turnaround times. The agency
to be on how public servants can and lends the perception that new also became more accessible
should be more creative and innovative; initiatives must work the first time by increasing its service points.
yet this doesnt account for the conditions or be considered failures. This would The success of Passport Canada
that must be created in order to facilitate require a different kind of conversation is regularly cited as an example
thoughtful risk and innovation. with the publicnot over-promising of a government agency that
that every solution will be perfect and managed to redesign the way
Risk aversion was a theme noted by build in the potential to change policy it did business, placing the
Canadian leaders. Its recognized that and program directions if necessary. customer at the centre of its
elected officials are beholden to many It was also noted that public servants operations and increasing its
diverse stakeholders, which makes their require detailed documents and agility at the same time.
implementation plans well before
the approval process for budget,
design and end product even begins.
This obviously limits the capacity
for innovation and the prospect
for re-direction when changing
circumstances require a second look.
11
Public servants arent, however, placing Research on corporate culture and
all responsibility on elected officials innovation identifies three overarching
Responsive and emphasize that their role should be themes: promoting risk taking, developing
to create a no surprise environment, innovation skills and providing incentives
in crisis communicating and engaging effectively to key talent.5 Companies like Google and
to help understand risk tolerance levels Apple are prominent in this research as
and build contingency into policy options. leaders in promoting workplace practices
Following the 2008 global
A large part of being agile is about that encourage employees to innovate.
financial crisis, the Canadian
delivering what government needs in However, there are few examples in the
government directed the public
more innovative ways, which necessarily literature of governments taking the lead
service to rollout an ambitious
implies some acceptable level of risk. to foster a culture of innovation.
infrastructure stimulus package.
Set up in very tight timeframes Contributors also agreed that public The way the public service responds to
within the Treasury Board service leaders could do more to provide crises provides a valuable illustration
Secretariat, with billions of staff with more capacity to take risks. of how the risk equation can change
dollars to allocate and only Staff need to know that its acceptable to when the will exists. The public sector
a small number of staff, the make occasional mistakes, and that as should consider how processes change in
program was successful for a long as professional judgment has been these kinds of situations, why normally
number of important reasons: used in decision-making, the organization slow decision-making becomes more
There were no limitations will support them in instances when responsive and how this can be applied
or restrictions placed on the ideas dont succeed or best efforts dont to day-to-day operations. One of the key
organization to impede agility fully achieve objectives. Borrowing outcomes of crises is that government
as no previous organization of from private sector processes, several organizations share information with
this type had existed. smaller projects and experiments could greater speed and ease, without being
The structure was flat and be considered, with the understanding fixated on accountability regimes and the
based on work needs, so there that with limited resources not all can be need to know.
were no hierarchical barriers realized.
to responsiveness.
The culture of the organization
was suited to the task due to
targeted recruiting.
All of these elementsflat
structure, quick and appropriate Project contributors identified a number of actions to promote
recruitment, and high threshold risk-taking and an innovation culture in the public sector:
for innovation and risk-
takingwere enabled by a close
relationship between the public 1. ensure that senior management are innovation champions
service and elected officials and 2. allow free time to experiment with ideas
a clear, shared understanding of 3. create an environment that allows experimentation
objectives. 4. encourage and reward innovative thinkers
5. accept some mistakes and failures and dont let missteps paralyze the
innovation process
One of the key barriers to recruiting In developing the right kinds of future
and developing the human capital public servants, leaders believe that
The biggest enabler of agility required for agile governments is mobility has a critical role to play
is people. Processes will the recruitment process itself. Due to building a diverse human capital
follow. existing human resources requirements base. Government is complex, and
and accountabilities, hiring is too policy makers and program designers
Provincial Cabinet Secretary often slow, cumbersome and outdated. need to be able to reach beyond the
With a generation thats accustomed everyday environment of the public
to immediacy of response and feeling service to understand impacts and
Diversity enables agility connected online to potential employers, outcomes. Governments need to create
experience and mobility governments approaches are likely the conditions to encourage public
enables diversity. costing them valuable staff among a new servants to pursue opportunities outside
generation of emerging leaders. of government, and for private/not-
President of a Canadian foundation for-profit employees to want to work in
The federal public service engagement
government. There is understandably
plan, Destination 2020, is a positive start
some risk in allowing talented staff
to changing governments approaches
If you have the right people, focused on to take up opportunities outside of
to recruitment; however, contributors
the right things, partnering as required, government; however, creating these
to this project believe the public service
you can achieve significant outcomes. opportunities and this kind of working
needs to go even further. Many young
You need the bench strength to respond. environment is an important part of the
people that choose the public service
A simple conceptbut not always easy to new recruitment and retention equation
when theyre considering where they
execute. for governments.
will build their career do so because they
Part of building an agile public service believe that they can make a difference
is acknowledging that governments and contribute to society. Governments
cant continue to recruit and manage can do better to leverage this desire
talent the way they have in the past. to serve the public, and be smarter
Todays pace of change means that public about the ways they recruit new staff.
servants arent doing the same type of Project contributors acknowledge that
jobs in the same kind of departments. a new generation of employees have
Todays government work demands a very different expectations about job
different kind of public servant thats experience than their predecessors.
more adaptable and mobile. Previously, it Flexible work arrangements, quality
was believed that there were a handful of experience and relationships with
of easily defined competences for ideal supervisors and team are seen as key
public servants, but now, staff need to elements of a positive work environment.
stress the importance of mobility to
be able to innovate, persuade, lead and Most importantly, young public servants
improve conditions to encourage
engage, while being technologically able want to feel empowered and connected
deployments into government from the
and politically savvy. to outcomes. The public service is
private and not-for-profit sectors and
competing for valuable human capital between levels of government.
and, much like the private sector, needs
to adjust its approach accordingly.
13
More than
15
Conclusion
For years, the public sector has been grappling with how to meet citizens
increasing expectations. The inherently risk averse nature of government means
that it often avoids public service innovation. But the acceleration of technology
and globalization has put pressure on government to catch up with the private
sector and to invest in innovation, even if it means taking on greater risk and the
possibility of failure.
Our discussions with Canadian leaders demonstrate that more change is likely, and there is a growing
sense that now is the time to act. The case studies profiled offer evidence that innovative change
is underway. We believe Canadian public sector leaders are prepared to become more agile in the
following ways:
1. partnering with private sector and civil society stakeholders to leverage innovation and respond to
citizen expectations and delivering services in new ways
2. rethinking the civil service career model and required competencies to achieve agility through
strong leadership
3. providing staff with more capacity to take risks and support them when ideas dont succeed
4. recognizing that younger professionals may have different expectations about their career paths
5. redesigning business rules and in some cases, a complete reconsideration of governments
regulatory role
There are ways to ensure that checks and balances are in place, while also being responsive, creative
and adaptable. Governments are now beginning to change the ways they lead, partner, invest and
recruit in order to maximize agility. By doing so, they will be better prepared to respond to the
changing needs and expectations of Canadian citizens.
17
Rob MacIsaac Vern Paetkau Sandra Pupatello Susan Tinker Glenda Yeates
President and CEO Chair, Board Executive Director Vice President Former Deputy Minster
Hamilton Health Services Literacy Victoria Business Development Partnerships British for Health
and Global Markets Columbia Government of Canada
Dale MacLennan Ann Pappert PwC Canada
Community Services Chief Administration Marc Tremblay Neil Yeates
Government of Nova Officer Saad Rafi Director Former Deputy Minister
Scotia City of Guelph Chief Executive Officer Human Resources for Immigration
2015 Pan Am/Parapan Ministry of Culture and Government of Canada
Susan Margles Brenda Patterson Am Games Organizing Communication
Vice President Deputy City Manager Committee Sarah Young
Canada Post City of Toronto Annette Trimbee Principal and Co-owner
James Rajotte President MT&L Public Relations
Bill Mathews Yuen Pau Woo Member of Parliament University of Winnipeg
Assistant Secretary Former President and CEO Edmonton Leduc Susanna Zagar
Treasury Board of Canada Asia-Pacific Foundation Stphanie Trudeau Senior Vice President
of Canada Ross Reid Vice President Workplace Safety and
Neil McEvoy Chief of Staff to the Gaz Metro Insurance Board
Founder and CEO Valerie Payn Premier
Cloud Best Practices President and CEO Government of David Turpin David Zussman
Network Halifax Chamber of Newfoundland and Incoming President Jarislowsky Chair
Commerce Labrador University of Alberta University of Ottawa
Joe McGillivray
Cabinet Secretary Josepth Pennachetti Morris Rosenberg Mike Savage
Government of Yukon City Manager President Mayor
City of Toronto Trudeau Foundation City of Halifax
Peter MacKinnon
President Susan Phillips Yule Schmidt Peter Wallace
Athabasca University Director, School of Public Special Assistant to Secretary of the Cabinet
Policy & Administration Cabinet Ontario
David Mitchell Carleton University Government of Yukon
President Lori Wanamaker
Public Policy Forum Kerry Pond Georgina Steinsky- Deputy Solicitor General
Assistant Deputy Minister Schwartz Government of British
Larry Murray Centre for Leadership President Columbia
Chair and Learning GSS Logic Inc.
Public Policy Forum Board Ministry of Government Doug Witherspoon
Services Owen Taylor Executive Director
Karen Oldfield Government of Ontario Partner Algonquin College
President and CEO PwC Canada
Halifax Port Authority Luc Portelance James Wright
President Hilary Thatcher Former Public Servant
Steve Orsini Canadian Border Services Assistant Deputy Minister, Canadian Diplomat
Secretary to the Cabinet Agency Aboriginal Affairs
Government of Ontario Cynthia Yazbek
Yves Ouellet Shawn Porter Executive Director of
Head of Treasury Board Partner Ian Thompson Employee Relations
Government of Quebec PwC Canada Associate Publisher Public Service
Halifax Chronicle Herald Commission
Government of Nova
Scotia
Canadas Public Policy Forum is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the
quality of government in Canada through enhanced dialogue among the public, private and voluntary
sectors. The Forums members, drawn from business, federal, provincial and territorial governments,
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important in ensuring Canadas competitiveness abroad and quality of life at home.
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bringing together a wide range of stakeholders in productive dialogue. Its research program provides a
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between governments and other sectors, the Forum helps ensure public policy in our country is dynamic,
coordinated and responsive to future challenges and opportunities.
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