'Risk averse' culture highlighted in ACT public service review

Interviews with senior staff revealed this cautious approach had led to micro-managing and had created a blame culture.

Some staff also expressed concern people were promoted to the senior executive service level who did not show "genuine leadership" and were instead promoted due to their "technical and subject matter knowledge".

The internal review heard senior executive service level staff were expected to be across too much detail, to the detriment of other senior staff who were unable to gain experience needed to progress.

The review was prompted after concerns were raised by director-generals around a lack of strategy, direction and information about senior executive service staff.

One of those key concerns was around a "potential overuse" of certain SES staff during the Black Summer bushfires, COVID-19 pandemic and the major January 2020 hailstorm.

The review said the pandemic had "surfaced potential capability and experience gaps in the SES pipeline".

Respondents said the risk-averse culture had stifled innovation within the territory's public service. Respondents expressed concern this had resulted in more control and compliance which had held back the public service and disempowered staff.

"We work within a terribly risk-averse culture. This at times creates a blame culture, stifling trust, innovation and creativity and at the same time creating micro-managing and an overvaluing of technical knowledge, not leadership. It shows up in how we respond when things go wrong," one respondent said.

Another said: "We are teaching people to follow rules and comply, not to think or challenge."

Concerns around management were also highlighted in the review, with suggestions some people were being promoted who did not have good leadership skills.

"Technical and subject matter knowledge is valued and rewarded to the detriment of true leadership capability. Some SES observed that many SES seem much more comfortable operating in the technical world, rather than the genuine leadership world," the discussion paper said.

"There is a gap in 'management 101' skills and practice across both middle management and the SES, and no common view of what good management and leadership looks like. There is a real need to induct people into the SES and the unique operating environment of SES within the ACTPS."

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The review recommended the ACT public service introduce a strategic approach across the whole of the territory's public sectors.

There were three discussion papers in the review which took place in late 2020. The first of those papers outlined issues with some senior executive service staff and contained interviews.

The internal review was undertaken by Workforce Capability and Governance, which is a part of the Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate. It was released as part of a question on notice.

The purpose of the review was to answer the overarching questions of: "What do we need to do now to position the SES to successfully lead the ACTPS now and in five to 10 years' time?"

An ACT government spokeswoman said a range of programs had been developed to respond to the review. The first of these started in December 2021.

"These [programs] include a large focus on building leadership capabilities which respond to contemporary workforce challenges - both what the ACTPS may face now, and those we will face in the future," the spokeswoman said.

"This includes developing the ability to lead in the face of uncertain, complex and ambiguous challenges, and to create environments to foster creativity, agility and innovation."

Improvements had also been made within leadership positions as people took on different roles due to the pandemic, the spokeswoman said.

"As the ACTPS workforce responded to the pandemic through 2020, 2021 and in 2022, a significant number of staff have stepped out of their everyday roles to support the ACTPS in its pandemic response," she said.

"This has seen people across the ACTPS applying both their specific expertise and their generalist leadership skills to problems not faced by the ACTPS before."

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