Achieving More with Less
The public service is going to have to achieve more with less. With budgets tight and likely to remain so for several years public servants need to ensure that every taxpayer pound spent delivers the best results. Government will need to change the way it works – ingenuity and creativity will be in high demand as we build resilience and public value. The National School of Government exists to help central government and partners to achieve better outcomes.
Lead in lean times: Courageous and confident leadership will be required to deliver in lean times, keeping staff focused on outcomes, supporting innovation and providing space to learn from others while finding ways to reduce costs.
Act together in tough times: Achieving public service outcomes will rarely be the remit of one organisation, one sector or one part of government. We need to leverage collaboration, influence effectively, make the most of networks and partnerships to share ideas, resources or services, and extend the reach and effectiveness of the public service by working across boundaries and complex delivery systems.
Make tough decisions: We need organisations whose leaders understand their future challenges, identify goals and ruthlessly prioritise activity and spending to support their achievement. We need to be able to answer our minister's questions about how savings can be made while achieving results for the public.
Manage shrinking funds: We will simply need to use less money to achieve more. Stripping out waste, learning the tools and techniques of economy, efficiency and effectiveness will help squeeze out every last drop of value from our budgets.
Challenge operational/business models: Making the right choices between various options for delivery will be crucial if we are to get the most from public funds. Understanding the benefits and consequences of procurement, outsourcing and commissioning to develop alternative service delivery models through both informal and formal partnerships will help us build the best possible business models for delivering outcomes.