Working Together for Better Outcomes. The New Zealand Experience

Transcription

1 Working Together for Better Otcomes The New Zealand Experience

2 Some Context abot New Zealand Poplation: 4.79 million OECD Better Life Index: 11 th TI Corrption Perception Index: 1 st = International Civil Service Effectiveness Index: 2 nd Proportional Electoral System Central Govt dominant level of government

3 Impets for Pblic Sector Reform Unsccessfl previos approaches to reslts-based management. Persistent areas of poor otcomes: Infant mortality above OECD average; Brglary and assalts at least 40% above OECD average; Poor edcation otcomes for significant minority of school stdents. Global Financial Crisis pt pblic finances nder pressre. Increasing political and breacratic appetite for change. Better Pblic Services Advisory Grop Report 2011

4 Design Principles Used for 2012 Reslts Reslts to be important to the government and commnity. Ministers and pblic servants to work in partnership. Limited nmber of reslts to create focs. Government to be able to inflence reslts. Grops of ministers and agencies to drive reslts delivery. Reslts to be able to be easily commnicated. Progress to be reglarly reported to the Cabinet and pblic.

5 Choice of Reslts Extensive Cabinet involvement and discssion. Decision to select 10 reslts across five portfolio areas: Redcing long-term welfare dependence; Boosting skills and employment; Redcing crime; Spporting vlnerable children; Improving interaction with government. Each reslt had one or more targets indicators of progress. Ambition levels varied across reslts bt overall very ambitios. Lead Minister and lead Chief Exective assigned to each reslt.

6 2012 Reslts List 1. Redce the nmber receiving Jobseeker Spport benefits for more than 12 months. 2. Increase participation in early childhood edcation. 3. Increase infant immnisation rates and redce the incidence of rhematic fever. 4. Redce the nmber of assalts on children. 5. Increase the proportion of 18 year-olds with high school diploma. 6. Increase the proportion of year olds with advanced qalifications. 7. Redce the rates of total crime, violent crime and yoth crime. 8. Redce the criminal reoffending rate. 9. NZ bsinesses have a one-stop online shop for all government advice and spport. 10. NZers can complete their transactions with government easily in a digital environment.

7 Example of Reslt and Target Reslt 10: NZers can complete their transactions with the Government easily in a digital environment. Target for Reslt 10: By 2017, an average of 70 per cent of New Zealanders most common transactions with government will be completed in a digital environment p from 24 per cent crrently.

8 Making it Happen Reslt Action Plans (RAPs) were delivered for each reslt. They inclded: Leadership and governance; Strategy to improve performance; Key actions and responsible agencies to improve performance; Resorcing; Performance indicators. Ministers and officials reglarly reviewed progress and need for frther action. Progress assessed at national level and also regional level where necessary.

9 Innovation Examples Empowering staff in regional areas to develop new partnerships with commnity and bsiness. Connecting administrative data sets to nderstand and reach target grops. Piloting different place-based delivery models to spport vlnerable children Children s Teams. Agencies ptting aside a portion of their bdgets to create start-p fnding for new soltions to collective problems. Redesigning interface with government arond critical life events (e.g. birth of a child).

10 Accontability for Performance Six-monthly pblic reporting important accontability reqirement. Reslts that mattered to New Zealand provided strong motivation for officials. Chief exective performance assessment evolved from individal to collective responsibility for otcomes.

11 Problems that Emerged Strong incentives for ministers and officials not to act in collective interest. Some reslts and targets poorly specified. Leaders strggled to lead throgh inflence rather than command. Reconciling agency and collective reform agendas. Variable effectiveness of agency clsters.

12 Refreshing Reslts and Targets Refreshing targets important to redce risks of reslts-based management. Partial refresh of some targets agreed in November Fll refresh of reslts and targets pblished in March Contined with a small set of Reslts (10). Reslts near achievement moved ot - remained as performance measres for relevant agencies. New reslts added to address new challenges (e.g. access to hosing). Some targets were no longer driving the best actions and needed to be reset. More time needed to achieve reslts with longer-term targets.

13 What Progress was Made? Progress was made across all reslts three reslts achieved by Examples of progress made: Nmbers of infants not receiving vaccinations fell by two-thirds; Nmbers of children not enrolled in early childhood edcation fell by 50%; Bsiness effort in dealing with pblic sector remained higher than private sector bt gap almost halved. Not all reslts were achieved criminal reoffending rate fell 4.4%, not 25% target.

14 Trst in Pblic Services New Zealanders satisfaction with pblic services srveyed since Trst has risen and dissatisfaction has fallen significantly. Trst in pblic sector brand higher than in private sector. Year Trst based on personal experience Trst in pblic sector brand 67% 79% 29% 45%

15 Key learnings Reslts focs is abot cltre change. Technical aspects of design and implementation are critical. Created rgency and accelerated learning. Reqires strong partnership between Ministers and officials. Ability to innovate has been key to sccess. Sccess spported by wider pblic sector reform agenda. Transparent reporting important for accontability. Refresh reglarly to maintain momentm and to correct errors.

16 Ftre Challenges Sstaining approach across changes of government. Engaging commnities and pblic sector workforce in setting reslts. Increasing devoltion of pblic sector decision making to regions. Broadening focs of reslts-based management. Reform of bdget system to spport reslts-based management. Reviewing pblic sector vales to foster a focs on otcomes.

17 Frther Reading and Contacts State Services Commission, Better Pblic Services Advisory Grop Report, Accessed at State Services Commission, Kiwis Cont: New Zealanders Satisfaction with Pblic Services, December 2016 Annal Report, Accessed at State Services Commission website incldes crrent and previos reslts, Cabinet papers and mintes, case stdies and videos. Scott, R. and Boyd, R., Interagency Performance Targets: A Case Stdy of New Zealand s Reslts Programme, IBM Center for the Bsiness of Government, Contact Iain Rennie iainrennie@iclod.com.