Experience and capability of APS managers

In November 2022, the Australian Public Service Commission explored levels of experience held by managers in the Australian Public Service, and how managers approach the development of their management capability.

A survey of more than 5,000 employees across the service found that APS managers are generally confident in undertaking most management-related tasks (Figure 4.3). Some, however, report a lack of confidence in their ability to deal with difficult conversations, underperformance and managing hybrid and remote teams.

Figure 4.3: Confidence in completing management tasks (2023)

A stacked bar graph displaying 2023 APS Management Survey results associated with managers’ confidence in completing their management tasks. Most positive responses are that 88.8% of managers feel confident or fairly confident in reviewing and providing timely feedback on completed work and 88.1% feel confident or fairly confident in delegating work. Least positive responses are that 61.8% of managers are confident or fairly confident in having difficult conversations and 52.2% are confident or fairly confident in managing underperformance.

Source: APS Management Survey

The areas APS managers find challenging commonly require highly-developed interpersonal and communication skills to build healthy manager-employee relationships based on trust.

Other management survey findings are that:

  • managers most commonly developed their managerial capabilities by seeking advice and feedback from others – more than half of respondents (62%) had completed formal leadership training and another 59% had received mentoring and coaching
  • those completing formal leadership training most commonly accessed training provided by their agency, and just under one-quarter (23%) had completed a course offered by the APS Academy or APSC
  • more than half (51%) who had completed a form of formal leadership training said it was extremely or very helpful in improving their managerial capabilities
  • just under two-thirds (63%) thought their most recent period of mentoring/coaching was extremely or very helpful in improving their managerial capabilities
  • most managers (80%) indicated they would take up opportunities to develop their managerial capabilities
  • around half of managers were interested in developing their ability to manage underperformance (50%) and resolve conflict and mediate (46%)
  • managers indicated they would like to continue to develop their managerial capability through formal leadership training (58%), mentoring or coaching (56%) and applying their skills in new and challenging opportunities (56%).

To help build management skills, the APS Academy offers a range of leadership and management courses including the Working Effectively series for APS Executive Level employees and Management in Action for APS 5 to EL 1 officers.

A new approach to developing manager capability at the EL 2 level is being implemented. The APS Leadership Edge program is designed and delivered by APS practitioners and subject matter experts. It is based on a cross-agency, cohort-based social learning model which offers participants flexibility to learn in the flow of their work without interrupting agency operations.

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