Strategic Directions 2011-14

Commissioner’s Foreword

The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) is developing its central role in providing expertise, guidance, client-focused services and leadership of public sector reform. This publication summarises how we are responding to the demands and expectations of us by government and our clients across the Australian Public Service (APS).

• For the Government, and through the Government the Australian community, our vision is to lead and shape a unified, high performing APS.
• For our clients in Australian Government departments and agencies, our vision is to develop a highly capable workforce and efficient, value-adding operating models so we can help you deliver your outcomes.
• For staff in the APSC itself, these directions emphasise that our people are critical to our success in delivering our priorities.

We will work with you to build and maintain a skilled, capable diverse, valued and engaged workforce.

 

Stephen Sedgwick
Australian Public Service Commissioner

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APSC strategic priorities 2011–14

Our vision is:

To lead and shape a unified, high-performing Australian public service.

The APSC’s outcome is:

Increased awareness and adoption of best practice public administration by the public service through leadership, promotion, advice and professional development, drawing on research and evaluation.

To fulfil its purpose and achieve its vision, the APSC has identified five strategic priorities.

These priorities reflect our statutory responsibilities, but they are also consistent with the whole-of-government reform and delivery agenda.

They are the basis on which we are leading change, responding to our clients’ demands and needs, and helping the APS respond to increased expectations by government and citizens.

The first four of these strategic priorities focus on the APS, while the fifth refers to our ability to deliver the first four.

One APS	build a unified, citizen-centric APS by leading its organisational and human capital strategies
APS agencies	lead APS agencies’ adoption of best human capital practices and assure agencies’ organisational capability
APS leaders	develop outstanding leaders and shape a cohesive leadership network
APS values	instil and enliven APS ethics and values to inspire excellence
APSC capability	invest in and grow the APSC’s capability to deliver its expanded role

How we will get there: APSC objectives for 2011–14

The APSC’s strategic priorities determine our key areas of focus over the next three years. These will, in turn, drive our detailed business plans, workforce development and performance management.

Strategic priority	APSC key areas of focus for 2011–14
One APS	APS human capital planning and management Mobility and exchange within and outside the APS APS employment conditions Management of SES, agency head and statutory office holder staffing APS workforce relations
APS Agencies	APS policy and delivery capability APS recruitment practices Performance management in the APS APS employment policies & practices APSC research and information services Diversity of the APS workforce International stakeholder relations and capacity building in developing nations
APS Leaders	Leadership & talent management in the APS APS learning and development Secretaries performance framework
APS Values	APS Values and legislation Support for the review and inquiry functions of the Merit Protection Commissioner and the Public Service Commissioner

How we will work with our clients

Our aim is to be recognised as a repository of deep knowledge,expertise and guidance.
We want to build strong relationships and work in partnership with departments and agencies so that we are respected agents of change. To do this, we will develop a workforce capable of providing policy leadership on people and workforce issues, and a workforce culture that is collaborative, high performing, innovative, curious and client focused.
We will work with the APS through five operating models. These models have been developed through extensive stakeholder engagement and in particular are informed by the course of our strategic and business planning.

How we will develop our capabilities

Our Workforce Plan guides the development and maintenance of a skilled, capable, diverse, valued and engaged workforce, and identifies strategies to ensure that our workforce is directly linked to the APSC’s future directions and priorities.

Under the APSC Workforce Plan, our key goals are to:

• focus on critical areas of development for the APSC workforce
• routinely capture detailed information on the skills, capabilities and qualifications of our workforce and use this information to design organisational learning, development and performance management
• implement a set of leadership behaviours against which our leadership group will be measured and benchmarked
• integrate the key capabilities required for the APSC to deliver its strategic priorities into our performance appraisal and development schemes
• develop/review strategies supporting workforce diversity aimed at increasing indigenous and disability representation and retention
• introduce structured succession and talent management plans.

Under our Communications Strategy we will undertake a range of measures to build stronger client engagement, including:

• developing standardised and common approaches, formats, support tools and products
• providing training and support to our workforce
• developing internal and external communications channels.

Our Capability Improvement Plan provides a staged approach to improving our capacity to commission, manage and realise benefits from our business change initiatives. Key themes to be addressed under the plan include formalising our internal governance, benefits realisation, and improving stakeholder management.

Leadership and Values

We are committed to promoting and upholding the APS Values. We will use the APS Values and Employment Principles to support a workplace culture that is:

• collaborative: welcoming, supportive, and optimistic
• high-performing: working to high standards, resilient, professional, and understanding of the challenges facing the APS
• innovative: creative, flexible, agile and enthusiastic
• curious: intellectually inquisitive, constantly learning, and self-evaluating
• client-focused: outcome focused, understanding and responsive

Our senior executive and middle managers are role models for the APS Values. We expect to be held accountable for our behaviours, and will ensure the Values are embedded in all aspects of the work that we do.