Performance management of Public Service chief executives
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A high performing Public Service is dependent on high performing chief executives. The State Services Commissioner appoints and develops Public Service leaders who can contribute toward the leadership of the State Services, in addition to the leadership of a single agency.
Lifting chief executive performance is a priority. The State Services Commission is working to ensure chief executives continue to improve service delivery in a challenging environment, where expectations are rising and the financial forecast is one of restraint.
Driving performance excellence
The SSC works with chief executives to deliver performance excellence in three ways: by setting expectations for chief executives, by providing support to chief executives, and by holding chief executives to account for their achievement of performance expectations.
Setting expectations
The priority results for an agency are set by the Responsible Minister, and outlined in a Statement of Intent that is agreed between the Minister and the chief executive. Working with Ministers, the SSC ensures clarity for chief executives around Ministerial expectations of service delivery and improvement.
The SSC is leading and requiring a focus on delivering results across the State Services. It works with chief executives to identify the priority results for their agencies and sectors, sets challenging expectations and assesses progress in achieving those results.
Providing high quality advice and support
The State Services Commission is committed to providing high quality advice and support to improve performance - leveraging off our experience and expert networks. We work closely with Ministers, helping to provide additional clarity to chief executives around Ministerial expectations of service delivery.
A particular focus over the medium term will be to better equip agencies and their chief executives to deal with the current challenging operating environment. The Government has signalled its commitment to reforming the State sector, with a focus on enhanced services to the public, value for money, less complexity and less duplication. The State Services Commission will continue to offer advice to Government on how to achieve this.
Not all agencies require high levels of support and advice. The State Services Commission focuses on priority agencies that need to lift their performance, on agencies where warning signs are identified and where rapid involvement will reduce the risk of poor performance and in strategically important larger agencies that deliver critical services to the public.
Advice will focus on:
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improving quality of services to New Zealanders and stakeholders, responsiveness to Ministers and better alignment of functions to achieve government priorities
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reducing cost in the short to medium term by eliminating duplication, achieving economies of scale and disestablishing lower priority functions
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improving leadership and governance.
In this way we work with chief executives to embed a culture of performance excellence.
Assessing the effectiveness of agency, sector and system performance
The State Services Commissioner reviews the performance of each chief executive in terms of their achievement of results and investment in the capability of their organisations, and reports on their performance to the Responsible Minister.
The State Services Commissioner holds chief executives to account to provide evidence of the results they are achieving for New Zealanders. He uses a number of tools to measure and understand how well agencies are performing (for example the Better Administration and Support Service programme (BASS) and the Performance Improvement Framework. Making an assessment of performance helps us deliver advice on how to make improvements to areas like cost-effectiveness and service delivery.
Role of Deputy Commissioners and their team
The Commission’s Deputy Commissioners and their team ensure that agencies’ work aligns with Ministerial expectations, providing support at two different levels:
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With chief executives, through regular contact on management and leadership issues. SSC staff work alongside chief executives, supporting them to capitalise on opportunities, assisting with problem solving, and developing future leaders.
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Across the public management system as a whole. SSC staff identify and work to remove barriers to good performance, and encourage relevant parts of the State Services to work together to achieve results for New Zealand.
