Heads of Corporate Forum

1. Heads of Corporate Forum 4 September 2013

2. Progressing Core Skills in the APS Liz Quinn Group Manager Strategic Centre for Leadership, Learning and Development 02 6202 3760 Liz.Quinn@apsc.gov.au

3. In this presentation • Background • Approach – pilot projects • Results of pilot tests • Next steps and future priorities

4. Management Skills Leadership dimensions • Decision making & judgement • Public sector accountability • Creating public value • Financial mgt & budgeting • Project, program & risk mgt in a complex environment • Procurement essentials • Developing a business case • Working with Government • Briefing & responding to APS decision makers, ministers & parliament • Working with the minister • Developing Cab subs • Appearing beforeParliamentary committees • People & organisational development • Coaching & developing others • Building & leading high performing teams • Workforce planning • Business planning • Professional public service skills • Policy development & implementation • Delivery management • Regulatory frameworks & practices • Political • Scanning the political, cultural & social environment • Diagnosing situations / systems / challenges • Analysing stakeholders, issues, concerns, perspectives • Thinking & acting politically APS Leadership and Core Skills Strategy 2012-13: priorities framework • Strategic • Generating options & possibilities • Gathering evidence • Weighing up alternatives • Balancing competing interests & values • Developing & implementing plans for strategic action EL-SES Knowing & Doing Leaders at all levels • Change • Working collaboratively & facilitating interaction • Engaging in dialogue • Buildings alliances & partnerships • Brokering solutions & commitment to action • People • Creating a culture in which people thrive • Working with others to create a vision • Mobilising the capacity, strengths and leadership of others Core public service skills • Applying ethical & legal frameworks • APS ethics and values • APS frameworks • APS decision making • Procurement essentials • Contract management • Understanding government • The role of the APS • Understanding parliamentary processes • Understanding legislative processes • Responding to the Minister’s office • Working within & across teams • APS people management • Performance management • Cross-agency working • Dealing with change • Working in teams • Getting the most out of diversity • Professional public service skills • Policy • Delivery • Regulation APS - EL • Being a leader: the self in context • Ways of understanding self and others in the world • Emotional intelligence • Positive psychological capital • Learning agility & change ability • Complexity of mind: socialised, self-authoring, self-transforming Being Foundation skills • Building relationships & engagement • Analytical thinking • Structuring work • Compelling communication

5. Where to begin?

6. We took four bites: Structuring Work APS Ethics and Values Performance Management Coaching and Developing Others

7. Management Skills Leadership dimensions • Decision making & judgement • Public sector accountability • Creating public value • Financial mgt & budgeting • Project, program & risk mgt in a complex environment • Procurement essentials • Developing a business case • Working with Government • Briefing & responding to APS decision makers, ministers & parliament • Working with the minister • Developing Cab subs • Appearing beforeParliamentary committees • People & organisational development • Coaching & developing others • Building & leading high performing teams • Workforce planning • Business planning • Professional public service skills • Policy development & implementation • Delivery management • Regulatory frameworks & practices • Political • Scanning the political, cultural & social environment • Diagnosing situations / systems / challenges • Analysing stakeholders, issues, concerns, perspectives • Thinking & acting politically APS Leadership and Core Skills Strategy 2012-13: priorities framework • Strategic • Generating options & possibilities • Gathering evidence • Weighing up alternatives • Balancing competing interests & values • Developing & implementing plans for strategic action EL-SES Knowing & Doing Leaders at all levels • Change • Working collaboratively & facilitating interaction • Engaging in dialogue • Buildings alliances & partnerships • Brokering solutions & commitment to action • People • Creating a culture in which people thrive • Working with others to create a vision • Mobilising the capacity, strengths and leadership of others Core public service skills • Applying ethical & legal frameworks • APS ethics and values • APS frameworks • APS decision making • Procurement essentials • Contract management • Understanding government • The role of the APS • Understanding parliamentary processes • Understanding legislative processes • Responding to the Minister’s office • Working within & across teams • APS people management • Performance management • Cross-agency working • Dealing with change • Working in teams • Getting the most out of diversity • Professional public service skills • Policy • Delivery • Regulation APS - EL • Being a leader: the self in context • Ways of understanding self and others in the world • Emotional intelligence • Positive psychological capital • Learning agility & change ability • Complexity of mind: socialised, self-authoring, self-transforming Being Foundation skills • Building relationships & engagement • Analytical thinking • Structuring work • Compelling communication

8. …and we tested an approach “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

9. Testing an approach Agency Reference Group: ABS, AGD, ATO, AusAID, Austrade, Clean Energy Regulator, DAFF, DEEWR, Defence, DHS, DIAC, DOHA, DVA, FAHCSIA, Finance, Regional, RET, and Treasury.

10. Learning Design Standards…what are they?

11. Learning Design Standard

12. “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” Steve Jobs The tests………… The process for developing a learning design standard Application in procuring and developing a new APS learning program Usefulness for quality assuring an existing program The value of a centrally developed program for agencies to deliver in-house or access through the APSC Endorsement of an agency program for whole-of-APS use (including IP issues)

13. Results so far……. “Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work.” Thomas. A. Edison

14. Foundation skills: Structuring work • Progress: Learning design standard developed > new APS learning program developed > Pilot delivery > Evaluation Foundation skills • Results and learning: • 92% of participants who completed the program believed their work would be more productive as a result of the learning • Some tightening in the structure and content of the learning materials - addressed in a subsequent refinement. • Key content: • Scoping • Planning • Implementing • Monitoring • Finalising

15. Management and core skills: Performance management • Progress: Learning design standard developed > new APS learning program developed > Pilot delivery > Evaluation Management and core skills • Results and learning • 100% agreed they now have the appropriate performance management and organisational tools to assist with the performance management process, with 64% strongly agreeing • Some participants would like even more practice activities • Key content: • Framework and principles • Developing effective agreements • Performance management conversations & feedback • Getting the best out of your team – a high performing team

16. Core skills: APS ethics and values • Progress: Learning design standard developed > QA and refinement of an existing APS learning program > Pilot delivery> Evaluation Core skills • Key content: • APS Values and Employment Principles • Code of Conduct • Non-compliance • Role of PS Commissioner, Agency Heads and SES • Results and learning: • 5 pilot programs delivered • 89% - 100% agreed that the program equipped them with the knowledge and skills needed to perform their role more effectively.

17. Management skills: Coaching and developing others • Progress: Learning design standard developed > QA of existing APS learning programs > Planned pilot delivery of an agency program for possible APS use Management skills • Key content: • Business case for manager as coach • Framework and models for manager as coach • Building your coaching skills • Expanding your repertoire • Learnings to date: • Six agencies volunteered their coaching programs to QA against the standard: AGD, ATO, DHS, DIAC, DVA, and Defence. • The Strategic Centre is partnering with Defence & DIAC to pilot whole-of-APS program on 30-31 October 2013.

18. Testing the approach

19. Next steps and future priorities

20. Pilot projects • The Strategic Centre will continue to test the approach in collaboration with agencies • Reporting to Advisory Board in September and Secretaries’ Board in December • Release programs and products to agencies

21. Future priorities

22. Get involved • Encourage your L&D representatives to join the Reference Group • review the APS Learning Design Standards and products – Govdex • Contribute to the new Learning Design Standards • Nominate subject-matter expertise • Participate in program testing: • Coaching & Developing Others pilot 30-31 October 2013 • Agency in-house pilot testing for programs

23. Discussion • Any comments/suggestions on the approach so far? • Delivery considerations: • What delivery options do agencies have for core skills programs? • How can we value-add in delivery? (e.g. QA providers, in-house delivery, QA programs, provide products, central delivery )

24. Contact Karen Dahlstrom Director – Learning Design, Core Skills Strategic Centre for Leadership, Learning and Development 02 6202 3943 Karen.dahlstrom@apsc.gov.au

25. Heads of Corporate Forum 4 September 2013

26. RecruitAbility: an As One initiative

27. The context A steady decline in representation • 1999 – 5% disclosing disability, 17% unknown • 2012 – 2.9% disclosing disability, 30% unknown • Workforce growth approx. 50k while actual number of people disclosing disability reduced by 593 • Obvious challenges with recruitment and retention • Confidential employee census 6.9% of workforce disclose disability • ABS approx 15% of working age population have a disability

28. As One Overview Aims • strengthening the APS as a progressive and sustainable employer of people with disability, and • improving the experience of people with disability in APS employment. Themes 19 initiatives under the integrating themes of: • fostering inclusive cultures; • improving leadership across the APS; • increasing agency demand for candidates with disability; and • improving recruitment processes to enable more candidates with disability to enter the APS.

29. RecruitAbility Primary aims • Develop the capability and confidence of the candidate pool through increased exposure to the recruitment process • Increase awareness and build skills and confidence in hiring managers to assess the merits of candidates with disability • Improve employment outcomes for PWD

30. How it works • Opt in scheme • Meeting ‘minimum requirements’ in application = progression to next phase of assessment • No displacement • Ensure ‘level playing field’ – reasonable adjustment • Selection based on merit

31. Pilot • 15 Agencies participating • Commenced June 2013 • Agencies choose scope • Policy framework, guidance material • Flexibility - Adaptation for business context • Evaluation over 12 months • Next steps – Grad recruitment

32. The guide