Agency Health: Monitoring agency health and improving performance

Commissioner’s foreword

Over the years, the Australian Public Service (APS) has invested heavily in improving the performance of the public service and public institutions. This has provided enormous benefits to the country and increased the effectiveness of government, with the APS now widely recognised as one of the best in the world.

From time to time, however, we have experienced serious agency performance lapses which have given rise to concerns about the quality of our agencies, their ability to manage in a rapidly changing environment, and their effectiveness.

This publication seeks to tackle this issue head on. It provides a resource for all agencies to use in monitoring their corporate health and, in particular, to detect signs of failing health. A rigorous approach to monitoring corporate health allows agencies to take corrective action to deal with problems before they develop into serious performance issues.

The publication identifies key indicators of corporate health, and of failing corporate health, in a range of governance-related areas. These include organisational direction, leadership, organisational capability, corporate governance processes, relationships and integrity, and agency culture. It also identifies some indicators of particular relevance to the public sector, and looks at strategies for agencies to use in assessing their corporate health. Corporate health indicators are illustrated through a number of case studies.

The publication includes a two-part checklist for use in agency discussions. The first part is comprised of corporate health indicators for agencies that perform well, and the second is comprised of corporate health indicators associated with agencies at risk of poor performance.

This publication will be of use to all APS managers, but will be particularly relevant to agency heads and Senior Executive Service employees. I hope that the publication and its accompanying checklist will assist agencies to put a strong focus on corporate health in their organisations, and to identify any corporate health issues well before they affect agency performance.

Lynelle Briggs
Australian Public Service Commissioner

Commissioner’s foreword

Introduction

Corporate Health and Agency Performance

Assessing Corporate Health

Conclusion

Attachment A: Checklist for Agency Discussions on Corporate Health

References

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Agency Health: Monitoring agency health and improving performance

Commissioner’s foreword

Contents