Developing a culture of success: Reflections from New Zealand experience
| Author | Rob Laking |
| Published date | 01 November 2006 |
| Date | 01 November 2006 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230150318 |
PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION AND
DEVELOPMENT, VOL.
15,283-294 (1995)
Developing a culture of success:
Reflections from New Zealand experience
ROB
LAKING
Minktry
of
Housing,
New
Zealand
INTRODUCTION
The theme
of
this article is the effects of public management reforms on the way
departmental managers
go
about their business.
This
article is addressed mainly to
civil servants like myself who would like to understand how reform of government
process can affect their lives as advisors, administrators and managers.
The article argues that the reforms to public management
in
New Zealand have
simultaneously provided departmental managers with a much sharper focus for their
activities and the ability and incentives to work more efficiently and effectively to
achieve government goals. They have not, however, fundamentally altered the basic
constitutional relationship between the government and its public service. The main
features and documents of the New Zealand reforms are summarized at the end of
the article.
Necessary conditions of success
Success is defined as the achievement of the outcomes desired by government from
public service activity. There are three necessary conditions for
a
culture of success:
knowledge
of
what success is, the ability to achieve success and the incentive to
achieve success.
Defining success:
build
organizations
with
clear purposes
In New Zealand, good performance in the public sector has been significantly
impeded by mixed and muddled objectives for public agencies. There were many
cases in New Zealand where major trading activities, delivery of social services,
sector regulation and policy advice
to
the government were all combined in the same
organization.
~
Robert Laking
is
Chief
Executive, Ministry
of
Housing,
P.O.
Box
10729,
Wellington, New Zealand.
CCC
0271-2075195jO30283-12
0
1995
by
John
Wiley
&
Sons,
Ltd.
To continue reading
Request your trial