INTRODUCTION. The era of globalization has provided a watershed for Barbados. economy. Thus, the attendant challenges have initiated realities

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1 Paper prepared by Mary E. Bruce (Mrs.), Training Officer, Training Administration Division, Barbados INTRODUCTION The era of globalization has provided a watershed for Barbados economy. Thus, the attendant challenges have initiated realities of change which are fundamental to adopting a deliberate policy and strategy for modifying organizational process and behaviour in order to achieve maximum institutional capacity within the Public Sector. Consequently, the Government of Barbados response to the challenges was to introduce the public sector reform initiative referred to as the new professionalism. The primary purpose of this new initiative was to create an enabling environment aimed at strengthening public-sector-wide institutional capacity. By embracing the concept of Public Sector Reform initiatives, the Government of Barbados sought to usher in a new era in the way it responds to the many developments occurring in the local, regional and international environment. Therefore, in 1997, one of the key initiatives was the creation of the Office of Public Sector Reform. Its primary purpose was to assist Ministries, Departments and other Public Sector Agencies in developing, implementing and Public Sector Reform projects and programmes. 1

2 KEY CHALLENGES FACING THE BARBADOS PUBLIC SECTOR If Barbados is to achieve its socio-economic and developmental goals, the Government, as manager of the economy, must be able to plan efficiently and adjust its objectives, resources and operations to meet the opportunities and challenges it may face in this dynamic environment. 1 The Government of Barbados recognized that to achieve its overall development objectives for the human resources of the public service, it cannot be business as usual. Thus, the concept of strategic planning was identifies as the management tool necessary to guide and assist Ministries and Departments in achieving their organizational goals in light of the changing environment. By implementing the concept of the strategic plan, then Ministries and Departments could undertake their annual programme budgeting exercises more efficiently through planning, justification and allocation of scarce resources. Further, the concept of the strategic plan would provide information on the organizational objectives for the new Performance Appraisal System, referred to as PRDS or Performance Review and Development System. The primary initiatives implemented over time since 1995 are in the following areas of: 1 Owen Arthur, Prime Minister, Chairman, Steering Committee Public Sector Reform 2

3 Performance Management in the Public Sector (PRDS) including the Teaching Service Public Sector Reform Training and Development A table of select Public Sector Reform initiatives has been included at Appendix I IMPACT OF PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM INITIATIVES Performance, Review and Development System (PRDS) Background On March 29, 2001 a meeting of the Cabinet of Barbados agreed to establish a Project Unit mandated to develop and implement a new publicservice-wide performance and appraisal system. From May 01, 2001 the Project Coordinator and Deputy Project Coordinator assumed duty, while on July 01, 2001 four (4) Project Officers were installed. The PRDS is an initiative of public sector reform and is designed to measure a public officer s performance against agreed targets. These agreed targets are based on the organization s strategic objectives and the individual s job description. Therefore, PRDS measures actual performance against expected performance. 3

4 The Annual Cycle of PRDS PRDS is an annual cycle of planning, objective setting, coaching, review and feedback. Its primary aim is to develop a culture of new professionalism or renewed professionalism within the public sector. It has been developed with best practices in performance management where communication is open and feedback on employee performance is provided. It also ensures that employees understand their role(s), are equipped with the necessary tools to undertake their jobs and share in the successes of the organization. However, before the system is implemented in any Ministry, Department or Agency, the following prerequisites must be fulfilled: A current Strategic Plan Full Job Descriptions A current Operations/ Procedures Manual An Organizational Chart Unit/ Team and Individual Work Plans PRDS has been introduced initially on a pilot basis to five (5) Ministries and rolled out on a phased basis to line agencies falling under these Ministries. Over time, other Ministries and Departments will be phased into the project. 4

5 All the Project Officers in the PRDS Unit provide technical support to assigned Ministries, Departments and Agencies in developing the prerequisites. The following table will provide a synopsis of PRDS training undertaken up to the end of the last financial year March 2004: YEAR TOT TM MS NS NO. TRAINED *48+2 *179+2 *265 KEY: TOT Training of Trainers MS - Managers/ Supervisors TM Top Managers NS Non-supervisors * At December 31, 2003 Training has been conducted in the following Ministries, Departments and Agencies: NO TITLE NO TITLE 1 Ministry of Civil Service 9 Ministry of Labour 2 Smart Stream Unit 10 Labour Department 3 Office of Public Sector Reform 11 National Insurance Dept. 4 Personnel Administration Div. 12 Office of Attorney General+ 5 Training Administration Division 13 Office of Solicitor General 6 Ministry of Finance 14 Director Public Prosecutions 7 Land Tax Department 15 Office of Chief Parliamentary Counsel 8 National Union of Public Workers 16 Justice Improvement Project These represent a sample of organizations trained and sensitized on the PRDS. From April 01, 2004 the appointment of the Project Unit has been ratified to continue PRDS training within the Public Sector. 5

6 Training and Development Background Prior to independence, training activities in the Barbados Public Service fell within the purview of the Chief Secretary s Office. At that time very littlie emphasis was placed on the training of public officers. However, in the post-independence era, the Training Administration Division was established in 1967, being then referred to as the Training Unit. Initially, the Unit comprised a small staff headed by the Chief Training Officer and its functions were limited to training approximately 12,000 civil servants. At that early stage it was proposed that a training committee be established the Public Service Training Committee (PSTC) to advise on all aspects of civil service training. In 1972, the scope of the functions of the Unit was expanded under the provisions of the Training Act, Further, at that early stage, the Government of Barbados at that time recognized the need for increased and more concentrated and effective training of civil servants. The training objectives enunciated at that time were to: effect precision and clarity in the transaction of public business; 6

7 adjust public officers outlook and methods of new administration; prepare officers for higher duties and responsibilities; and, inculcate an esprit de corps in the public service by stimulating interest in the work. These training objectives had become critical with the granting of independence, which ushered in change in the entire role and character of government. In the era of globalization these objectives have remained the same and therefore, in recent years the role of Training Administration Division has assumed increased importance in Government s Public Sector Reform initiative. The Way Forward Under the Public Sector Reform initiative a new training and development policy has been proposed with regard to the management of human resources employed in the Public Sector. The objectives of the new policy are to: ensure that appropriate training is provided so that all public sector employees have the knowledge and skills necessary for developing and implementing current and future Government programmes; 7

8 facilitate the achievement of specific human resource management objectives, e.g. the employment of disabled persons ensure that the delivery of training is cost-effective providing a comprehensive Training Policy for the Public Service since one of the many functions of the Division is the processing of study and training leave for Public Officers who are desirous of pursuing higher education studies at local, regional and international educational institutions. Given the objectives and the scope of the new training and development policy, the Division s role has increased over time. To this end, the Division s role this financial year, April 2004 March 2005, has been to create a training and development environment conducive to fostering leadership, management and specialist skills which would enhance excellence and productivity. The training programmes offered in the Division s In-Service Catalogue for this financial year include workshops of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), as well as the first level of the ACCA Accounting programme, Public Law for Public Officers and Leadership for Permanent Secretaries and 8

9 Senior Managers. In essence, training and development is linked to PRDS in realizing Government s total reform package for the Public Sector. CONCLUSION The Government of Barbados Public Sector Reform initiative is timely and innovative. It depends upon a through culture change in the public service and therefore, it is incumbent on all public sector employees to embrace the vision and play their part in effecting such change. The introduction of Internal Reform Committees (IRC) in organizations will have a positive effect on the Reform initiative and provide the basis for future successes. By setting up the framework for which an efficient and effective public service will emerge, Barbados will be better able to deal with some of the complex issues that will arise in the establishment of a fully functional CSME. 2 2 Challenge To Change The Newsletter For Public Sector Reform: October December