Reinventing performance management in the public sector

Abstract

It is increasingly evident that performance management practices prevalent in the public sector are underpinned by assumptions that do not serve a contemporary public service. Since performance management was introduced into the public sector, the requirements on public servants have changed markedly and continue to change rapidly. The need for greater agility, innovation and new thinking about service delivery and the achievement of policy outcomes for Australia and its citizens is clear and no longer contentious. Fundamentally, this is an evolving definition of high performance that arguably sits uncomfortably beside requirements for transparency and adherence to due process in a highly scrutinised (and rightly so) context. We argue that performance management can play an important role in supporting public servants and leaders, in particular to navigate these inherent tensions in defining what ‘good’ looks like as they embrace the shift required and re-imagine a new form of public sector performance. Clearly there are structural aspects to the changes needed to embed new ways of working in the Australian Public Service (APS). We argue that the current performance management frameworks play a role in holding the APS back with tools and assumptions that are no longer fit for purpose and were developed for another time. We propose a new purpose, principles and practical strategies for evolving to a new more contemporary and fit-for-now approach. Our intent is this chapter contributes to the ongoing academic and practitioner debate regarding high performance public service in a complex and evolving context. It is our hope that these ideas provide a framework against which public sector agencies might compare and evolve their current practices.