New Professionals Auckland Webinar - Public Sector Agility

Our Auckland New Professionals hosted a webinar on Agility in the Public Sector, with Hannah Cameron from The Public Service Commission, Jane Fitzgerald from Deloitte and Michael Quinn from MBIE.

The panelists shared their views on what public sector agility means, what it might look like and how the new Public Service Act enables a more adaptive, agile and collaborative public service.

Some of our take-outs included:

• The sector has demonstrated we can work in an agile manner, eg the cross-agency response to COVID-19 and delivery of the wage subsidy. This was completed quickly, without all the standard checks and balances, while maintaining public trust.
• The Public Service Act reinforces and strengthens the principles of public service and creates tools for collaboration action across agencies while allowing flexibility to meet needs and deliver outcomes.
• Cross agency work requires a shared mission. Agencies need to agree on outcomes and how work will be conducted.
• Public sector systems pose challenges to achieving an agile public sector – accountability structures embedded within the sector create tension to achieving agility.
• Creating an agile environment requires a mindset and culture that is open to looking at problems/outcomes differently.