A "lean" public service

Voltex

Im currently completing a course with UCC that has backing and funding from EI. The main point of the programe is to develop managers and company execs in potential growth sectors of the economy. The overall theme of the programme is based around the tools, techniques and practises of "lean". There has been contributions from irish academia of the highest level.
In my case this has resulted in me applying what iv learned to my company and seeing real, tangible results.
Its something that works and will do very well within bureaucratic organisations like the CS and wider PS.

I suppose my question is that when the state has access to such expertise in how to do things for "Quicker, Better ,Cheaper" (Keegan, 1997), why can it not manage to get its own house in order?

There almost seems to be an ironey in the fact EI has a World Expert within its ranks on the area of lean.

GSF

Voltex wrote: »

I suppose my question is that when the state has access to such expertise in how to do things for "Quicker, Better ,Cheaper" (Keegan, 1997), why can it not manage to get its own house in order?

What change management skills does the PS have? Is there a culture of embracing change or of resisting it?

"Quicker, Better, Cheaper" is not something the PS unions want to hear. So long as the unions are at the very least joint-managers of the PS workforce, you have a 2 headed management pullng in opposite directions. The best you can achieve from that is the status quo.

Dannyboy83

A good question and one I cannot get my around either.
One of my colleagues who is French says that you see almost the exact same thing in France so it's not just the Irish public service.

What I don't understand is why some sections of the public service are extremely efficient, forward looking, up to date - e.g. Revenue.

and others are soul destroying-ly inefficient, backward and hopeless - e.g. Department of Social Welfare.

ei.sdraob

@OP I sure hope you are not holding EI as a good example, I dealt with them before and they are anything but efficient, I am personally aware of one example of utter waste and mal investment in a cowboy company, whats worse is they are hiding this mistake by throwing more money at it to "save face"

EI should be scrapped along with FAS, asap

sollar

Dannyboy83 wrote: »

A good question and one I cannot get my around either.
One of my colleagues who is French says that you see almost the exact same thing in France so it's not just the Irish public service.

What I don't understand is why some sections of the public service are extremely efficient, forward looking, up to date - e.g. Revenue.

and others are soul destroying-ly inefficient, backward and hopeless - e.g. Department of Social Welfare.

One takes money in for the state the other gives out the states money. I'm not surprised the former works better.

Welease

Dannyboy83 wrote: »

A good question and one I cannot get my around either.
One of my colleagues who is French says that you see almost the exact same thing in France so it's not just the Irish public service.

What I don't understand is why some sections of the public service are extremely efficient, forward looking, up to date - e.g. Revenue.

and others are soul destroying-ly inefficient, backward and hopeless - e.g. Department of Social Welfare.

Sadly Revenue are not extremely efficient.. maybe better than other areas, but a long way short of efficient..

A good example being stock/benefits given to staff by companies (and declared to the revenue by the company).. If you don't bother to fill in the correct forms and pay the outstanding tax yourself you will not be chased or billed for the outstanding tax unless you are one of the few people audited. If you ring the revenue to discuss the amounts and process, they can't tell you anything becuase it's not visible on their system (even though it has been declared)...

We must lose millions in taxes through the lack of x-reffing done by Revenue.. Even a simple check of if your PPS appears on company declared benefits and no form 11 is received, should force a follow up from revenue.

I can't imagine a companies finance dept not chasing up customers who are known to owe money, but Revenue seem content to allow it to happen.