Guest blog: The road ahead

The report rightly states that the pace of change has been rapid and that the civil service still has significant barriers to overcome. As the report identifies we have already reduced the size of the civil service to its lowest point since the end of the Second World War and it is our task to make sure that we continue to provide excellent public services in this context. I think it also worth noting that the civil service is one of the few organisations I can think of that welcomes such a full scale review of its change agenda. This demonstrates our commitment to openness and transparency which can sometimes be overlooked. Three key risks are identified in the report and I would like to respond to each of these in turn. First, the risk that departments work in isolation. It is clear that without collaboration the big changes that need to be made will not be possible. There is recognition of this from senior leaders across the board and I am encouraged by practical progress in this area. For instance, the recent release of gov.uk is a good example of departments working together to produce a product that is simpler, clearer and faster for users. This is a considerable feat in light of the reputation that government IT projects have had in the past. The Red Tape Challenge run by BIS and Cabinet Office has delivered significant deregulation and is another example of where boundaries between departments have been broken down. Nevertheless I think we need to go much further in creating a genuinely unified civil service which has moved beyond the historic federal model. Second, the risk of a fragile leadership coalition. The IfG are absolutely right to identify the crucial importance of strong leadership. Francis Maude and I are fully focused on delivering the reform plan and we have empowered a coalition of senior leaders within departments to ensure that the reform plan becomes a reality. This week, for example, the Top 200 civil servants are meeting to discuss how we take forward the next stage of reform. But we recognise that as an organisation we should continue to strive for excellence in change management. That is why as part of our focus on improving skills within the Civil Service there will be an emphasis on ensuring that senior leaders are equipped with the capabilities to lead large-scale change. Finally, the risk of falling staff engagement. We want to continue to attract the best staff and to remain a modern and attractive employer. This is why we have just completed our annual staff engagement survey. Last year’s survey showed some key strengths; for example: 89% are interested in their work, 81% have clear understanding of how their work contributes to their organisation’s objectives and 79% feel their manager is open to their ideas. From the centre we have put in place a number of mechanisms to make senior leaders accountable for the morale of their staff. For example organisations now publish their results online so that they are publically accountable for their staff engagement. We have also ensured that people survey results are included in Permanent Secretary appraisals, with some organisations incorporating them into appraisals of other senior managers. We will continue to focus on this area as we move forward with reform. Transforming Whitehall provides a good analysis of the challenges that we face on this journey and I see many of these as great opportunities. If we grasp these opportunities, which I strongly believe we can, we can deliver a civil service which excels throughout.