Ways of working
Updated guidance on Optimal Management Structures, giving agencies fresh advice on ways of working in a modern Australian Public Service, has been published by the Australian Public Service Commission. The guidance provides for flatter and more responsive structures that empower employees and more effectively use available capability.
Small changes can be transformative, such as examining who is authorised to make decisions in an agency. Proposed changes to the Public Service Act 1999 introduced to Parliament on 14 June 2023 include the requirement that agency heads create an environment in which decisions can be made at the lowest appropriate classification. This will assist the APS to respond quickly to new challenges and ensure decisions are made by those closest to the issues.
Agencies will use the Optimal Management Structures guidance and other workforce planning resources developed by the APSC to adjust their management structures and business practices, as part of workforce transformation and organisational reform. This will look different for each agency based on their work and operating environment, and recognises no 2 APS agencies are the same.
Progress will be tracked through the APS Agency Survey and Employee Census, to ensure agencies are taking steps towards more modern structures and ways of working.
The Optimal Management Structures guidance addresses findings of the 2022 Hierarchy and Classification Review. The review encouraged a shift to more modern management structures with fewer layers and larger spans of supervision, and acknowledged culture and ways of working must evolve accordingly.
The Optimal Management Structures update is complemented by other work arising from the review. The APSC has developed guidance on better recognising and using specialists in the APS workforce. The APS Academy will offer a new EL2 Leadership Edge program to build management capability in 2023–24.
See also
Australian Government (n.d.) Optimal Management Structures Guidance 2023, APSC website, https://www.apsc.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/aps-workforce-strategy-2025/workforce-planning-resources/optimal-management-structures-guidance-2023, accessed 23 October 2023.
Australian Government (n.d.) Independent hierarchy and classification report, APSC website, https://www.apsc.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/workforce-information/aps-hierarchy-and-classification-review-report, accessed 5 October 2023.