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PRB 98-7E
FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE RENEWAL
–
THE LA RELÈVE INITIATIVE
Prepared by Jack Stilborn
Political and Social Affairs Division
November 1998
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW
– PUBLIC SERVICE RENEWAL
A.
The Issue
B.
Background
C. Key Initiatives
D.
Analysis
E.
Parliamentary Profile
F. Public
Awareness
PUBLIC
SERVICE RENEWAL IN OTHER COUNTRIES
PUBLIC
SERVICE 2000
LA
RELÈVE – RATIONALE
LA
RELÈVE – DETAILED ACTION PLAN
LA
RELÈVE – STATUS REPORTS ON KEY INITIATIVES
A.
Recruitment, Employment Equity and Retention Strategy
B.
Compensation
C.
Universal Classification Standard
D.
Staffing Reform
E. Pride
and Recognition
F. Labour
Relations
G.
Corporate Development Programs
H. Values
and Ethics
I.
Supplementary Service-wide Initiatives
J.
Departmental Initiatives
LA
RELÈVE – ANALYSIS
A.
Conceptual Issues
1.
Problems and Symptoms
2.
Focus and Boundaries
3.
People and Structures
B.
Strategic Issues
1.
Political Will
2.
Handling Mistakes
3.
Internal Equity
4.
Administrative Logic
5.
Accountability and Performance Measurement
Concluding
Overview
PARLIAMENTARY
ACTION
INFORMATION
SOURCES
FEDERAL
PUBLIC SERVICE RENEWAL
–
THE LA RELÈVE
INITIATIVE
OVERVIEW
– PUBLIC SERVICE RENEWAL
A.
The Issue
In her 1997 annual report
on the public service, the Clerk of the Privy Council advised the Prime
Minister that a "quiet crisis" was growing within the ranks
of government employees. For a variety of reasons, the public service
has come to be perceived by a growing number of employees, and by potential
employees as well, as a relatively unattractive place to work.
According to the Report,
this problem threatens to reduce the ability of the public service to
attract, retain and motivate the people who will be needed in coming years,
and could eventually erode the capacity of the public service to meet
the expectations of political decision-makers and the general public.
In response, a series of
public service human resources initiatives were announced, under the general
title of La Relève. The central objective was to build "a modern
and vibrant institution able to use fully the talents of its people,"
and possessing the skill sets and motivation needed to respond to the
challenges of the future.
B.
Background
In most industrialized countries,
fiscal pressures (supplemented to a greater or lesser degree by ideological
and other factors) propelled significant public sector re-structuring
and downsizing during the 1980s, with resulting problems in labour relations
and internal morale.
In Canada’s public
service, even by the early 1980s, there was growing frustration at the
middle management level over excessive centralized regulation and unresponsive
common service agencies. The Public Service 2000 process, launched in
1989, aimed at a wide-ranging transformation of the public service culture,
involving the devolution of authority in order to "let the managers
manage," improve service to the public, and meet standards of efficiency
and effectiveness associated with the private sector. By the mid-1990s,
however, this program was widely seen as having raised expectations which
it had then failed to meet, partly because of the effects of deficit-reduction
and downsizing during this period.
In her 1997 Fourth Annual
Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada, the
Clerk of the Privy Council argued that a decade of downsizing and relative
inattention to human resources management issues had resulted in a "quiet
crisis" in the public service. Central elements of this problem were
diminished morale, job satisfaction and levels of motivation among current
public servants, increased levels of defection among groups with key technical
and managerial skills, and growing concerns about the capacity of the
public service to attract and retain people with the skill sets that would
be needed in the future.
C.
Key Initiatives
A group of early initiatives,
focusing primarily on public service executives, were announced in the
Clerk’s 1997 Report. These included an accelerated development
program for existing executives, creation of a pool of prequalified potential
assistant deputy ministers, appointment of assistant deputy ministers
to level rather than function (to facilitate mobility and development),
and the establishment of a task force to study executive compensation.
A focus on the policy, communications and other functional communities
was also announced, as was a review of external recruitment programs.
The 1997 Report also
announced a process of service-wide consultations for identifying needs
and launching initiatives within individual departments, and broadening
corporate initiatives where required. This process fed into the development
of a detailed action plan that was endorsed by deputy ministers in July
1997. The plan detailed the central La Relève initiatives that have proceeded
since that time.
The corporate (i.e. centrally managed) initiatives
are as follows:
These projects were described
as including both immediate priorities, with respect to which significant
progress could be achieved in a matter of months, and also long-term commitments.
In addition to them, La Relève consists of:
D.
Analysis
The central issue for La
Relève is not so much whether its projects will be carried out, as whether
they will make a difference. It would be premature to reach conclusions
about global impacts, however, since the initiative has been underway
for less than two years. This is a relatively short time, given the complexity
of La Relève and the nature of its objectives.
It remains possible to identify
a number of potential strengths and weaknesses whose relative impacts
will play a central role in determining the outcomes of La Relève.
-
The focus of La Relève
on immediate action has enabled initiatives to be undertaken without
delay, and thus heightened its symbolic impact. However, the absence
of a convincing exploration of the underlying causes of problems in
the public service opens the door to potentially serious limitations,
including the dissipation of energy on symptoms rather than causes,
and the avoidance of attention to the possible need for change to
existing structures and leadership.
-
Strong political support
for the initiative has been apparent. Long-term success will depend
on sustained political will, however, and it is not clear that the
public service can significantly affect public opinion about public
servants, or that political support can persist unless it is bolstered
by public approval.
-
In certain cases, the
multiple initiatives of La Relève could work against one another.
On the other hand, a less comprehensive approach could omit the wrong
initiatives, or compromise the attempt to generally change the public
service culture.
-
It remains unclear whether
accountability, which is a La Relève commitment, will involve accountability
for actually addressing the problems at which La Relève is targeted,
or merely for implementing plans and projects.
For a more detailed discussion,
see "La Relève – Analysis."
E.
Parliamentary Profile
During the last Parliament,
the Standing Committee on Government Operations held hearings on La Relève
as it was being launched, and tabled a brief report calling for continued
parliamentary attention to the issue. Subsequent parliamentary attention
to La Relève has been limited, however, although a number of individual
parliamentarians continue to pursue the issue.
F.
Public Awareness
La Relève has not received
significant attention from academics or policy specialists. However, the
initiative has released a substantial volume of information in government-wide
reports and departmental publications and on its dedicated website.
PUBLIC
SERVICE RENEWAL IN OTHER COUNTRIES
During the past 20 years,
governments in most of the industrialized countries have had to respond
to burgeoning public sector deficits and increasing public scepticism
about the effectiveness of government programs. As well, widespread private
sector lay-offs and high levels of unemployment have exacerbated popular
resentments; public servants have been increasingly portrayed in the media
and by politicians as phlegmatic, overpaid and unresponsive.
In most industrialized countries,
fiscal pressures (supplemented to a degree by other factors) have propelled
significant public sector reductions.
-
In the U.K., the government
reduced the number of public sector employees by 28% between 1978
and 1995, in the context of a significant restructuring (the "Next
Steps" program) whereby approximately three-quarters of the civil
service were moved to agencies having tightly defined functions and
performance targets.
-
In New Zealand, a currency
crisis in 1984 prompted the most radical public service restructuring
program yet to be implemented, with a 60% reduction in the size of
the official public service between 1984 and 1995 due to early retirements,
lay-offs, privatizations, increased use of contract employees (including
five-year performance contracts for deputy-minister equivalents),
and the creation of commercialized agencies (State-Owned Enterprises).
-
In Australia, between
1986 and 1995, the size of the public service was reduced by 17%,
in the context of a government-wide program (the Financial Management
Improvement Program) which emphasized operational efficiencies, the
devolution of authority and heightened accountability for results
primarily within a (reformed) departmental structure. (See Public
Service Commission, listed in Information Sources)
Particularly in the U.K.
and New Zealand, structural reforms and downsizing were initially imposed
over strong resistance from public service unions and created broader
problems of morale. As the reform process proceeded, however, increased
attention to human resource management, greater clarity of organizational
objectives, performance targets, and a sense of contributing to improved
service to clients appear to have led in some cases to increased job satisfaction.
PUBLIC
SERVICE 2000
By the early 1980s, government
initiatives of the 1970s for strengthening central agency controls over
departments had produced growing frustration and morale problems at the
middle management level focusing on excessive administrative regulation,
inflexible contracting rules, too many requests for information from central
agencies, unresponsive and costly common service agencies that managers
were required to use, and time-consuming classification, staffing and
other personnel procedures. The result was a series of renewal initiatives
aimed at "letting the managers manage" and shifting authority
back to ministers and departments and away from central agencies.
These initiatives culminated
in December 1989 in the Prime Minister’s announcement of Public Service
2000. This government-wide reform process, led by the Clerk of the Privy
Council, had as its central purposes the renewal of the public service
so as to "equip public servants for the 21st century"
and improve service to the public. Removing central controls in order
to increase managerial freedom and finding "innovative ways to encourage
efficiency and improve program delivery" emerged as key themes, both
in the delivery of services to citizens and in internal reforms (e.g.,
simplifying the employment and personnel management regime). [See Clark,
p. 217, listed in Information Sources]
The result was an extensive
reform program for central agencies and line departments, including:
-
Improved co-ordination
of human resource management, stressing values such as continuous
learning, empowerment of employees, and employee participation;
-
Lowering barriers to
employee mobility, through combining executive (EX) and senior management
(SM) groups, and launching the process of reclassifying non-executives
into broader, more flexible, groups;
In addition to its administrative
reform agenda, Public Service 2000 sought cultural change in the public
service. It sought to persuade public servants to focus on the quality
of the services they were providing to citizens, rather than on rules
and procedures. It undertook, furthermore, to promote a spirit of entrepreneurship
within the public service; executives were exhorted to foster innovation
and experimentation, and "encourage constructive questioning of policies
and practices" within their departments. [See Roberts, in Information
Sources]
Although the process led
to a number of worthwhile administrative reforms, by 1992-93 there was
a growing perception that Public Service 2000 had failed in its fundamental
objectives, notably those relating to improved services and underlying
cultural change. Within the public service itself this perception appears
to have been largely due to the fact that Public Service 2000 coincided
with a progressively more difficult fiscal environment and government-wide
measures that were perceived to be in conflict with the goals of better
quality service and improved management of human resources. These measures
included wage restraints, cutbacks, agency mergers and eliminations from
1989 onwards, culminating in a major government reorganization in 1993
which produced widespread uncertainty and concerns about the excessive
haste of change within departments. As well, observers (among whom the
Auditor General was prominent) were critical of a series of incidents
that seemed to validate general concerns about how managers would use
their increased discretionary powers; the result was increasingly sharp
criticism in Parliament and its committees, and in the media. Furthermore,
Public Service 2000 was criticized for being an essentially top-down initiative,
lacking the effective participation and "ownership" on the part
of middle managers, employees and unions that were required by its own
themes of good human resource management and empowerment. Finally, observers
have argued that, unlike the Next Steps initiative in the U.K. or the
reshaping of the public service in New Zealand, Public Service 2000 did
not emerge as a consistent government priority and was not actively championed
by the Prime Minister or cabinet ministers. [See, for example, Seidle,
p. 82, in Information Sources.]
Following the 1993 election,
the profile of Public Service 2000 declined rapidly, as the newly elected
Liberal government made deficit reduction an urgent priority and proceeded
with the program review. It was announced in February 1995 that this exercise
would achieve net expenditure reductions of some $9.8 billion by 1997-98,
which translated into spending cuts of 20% or more for some departments
and cross-government workforce reductions of some 45,000. Phase 2 of Program
Review in the fall of 1995 added further savings of $2 billion by 1998-99,
and additional workforce reductions of as many as 10,000. Between 1993
and 1997, human resource issues in the public service were relegated to
the backburner, as senior managers focused on the immediate challenges
of implementing the program cuts, meeting spending reduction targets and
responding to the day-to-day operational challenges of "doing more
with less."
LA
RELÈVE – RATIONALE
As presented in the 1997
Fourth Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of
Canada, La Relève is intended to address two interrelated problems.
The first is diminished morale, job satisfaction and levels of motivation
within the current universe of public servants, as specifically reflected
in growing defections of employees with key technical and managerial skills.
The second is concern about the capacity of the public service to attract,
or develop and subsequently retain, people with the skill sets for performing
the kinds of work that will be required of the federal government as its
roles in society and the federation evolve.
According to the report,
key contributors to the core problems in the public service are:
-
The cumulative effects
of public service downsizing, which dates from the early 1980s. The
Program Review process, launched in 1995, will ultimately result in
workforce reductions of approximately 55,000 full-time staff (from
a base of 225,000 in 1995), and the major reductions already made
have left unresolved issues of stress, job uncertainty, and (in some
areas) unsustainably high workloads;
-
Exit interviews suggest
that increasing numbers of public servants, including some of the
most talented potential executives, are opting to leave before retirement
age because they feel that their talents are underused, that needed
internal reform is unlikely, and that the public service environment
frustrates attempts to serve the public interest;
-
Public service demographics
reflect drastically limited external hiring in recent years, which,
superimposed on broader imbalances created by the baby boom, is resulting
in shortages of qualified people in some areas requiring new or non-traditional
skills, and reduced levels of creativity;
-
Retirements will have
a major impact, including the loss of critically important experience
and knowledge, on some groups in the immediate future: up to 30% of
existing executives and some scientific and professional groups (as
of the end of 1996) could retire by the year 2,000, and fully 70%
by year 2005;
-
Increasingly prevalent
media images of public servants as slothful, rule-bound, unimaginative
and overpaid, while positive qualities are ascribed only to the private
sector, have affected the way public servants view their work, conveyed
the impression that they are not appreciated by political leaders
and the general public, and led recent university graduates to favour
other careers;
-
The protracted salary
freeze in the public service has exacerbated anomalies between the
pay of some public servants and their private sector counterparts.
While the Report claims that public servants do not seek private sector
levels of remuneration, it declares that (solution not problem) salaries
need to be sufficient to enable family responsibilities, such as sending
a child to university, to be undertaken; and
-
Insufficient internal
attention to emerging morale and skills development issues in the
past has rendered ineffective low-cost internal measures such as interdepartmental
secondment or transfer initiatives, and combined with strategic promotions
and external recruitment, exacerbated the problems outlined above.
It was in response to some
of these concerns, and their current and potential impacts, that the Clerk
announced a group of renewal initiatives under the title of "La Relève."
LA
RELÈVE – DETAILED ACTION PLAN
The 1997 Fourth Annual
Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada announced
a series of early initiatives, consisting of:
-
Initiatives for the
purpose of strengthening professional communities (policy, communications,
scientific professionals, human resources, informatics, and information
management);
-
Reviews by individual
departments of their human resources situations, leading to the preparation
of action plans for review by the Clerk, and further initiatives both
by individual departments and, as appropriate, on a corporate basis.
Shortly before the release
of the Report, a task force of senior officials was established
to co-ordinate the initiatives announced therein, and a committee of deputy
ministers, the Plans and Review Committee, was established to review the
submissions by individual departments and agencies received during April
and May 1997. Results of the consultation process, which embraced all
federal departments and central agencies, the six functional communities,
and councils of senior federal officials in the regions, were subsequently
reviewed, and an action plan was developed which was endorsed by deputy
ministers in July 1997. Summary consultation findings and the action plan
were released in October 1997, in a report entitled La Relève: A Commitment
to Action.
An introductory section
to the report, under the title "An Emerging Consensus," implied
that the range of concerns had been substantially broadened from those
outlined in the Clerk of the Privy Council’s report at the beginning
of the year. The section referred to the need for, among other things:
Reflecting the broadened
scope of needs and problems, the Report set out eight general projects
to be managed by the central agencies – Privy Council Office, Public
Service Commission, and Treasury Board Secretariat. This project framework
continues to define the core corporate initiatives of La Relève:
These projects were described
as both immediate priorities, with respect to which significant progress
could be achieved in a matter of months, and long-term commitments. In
addition to them, La Relève consists of:
LA
RELÈVE – STATUS REPORTS ON KEY INITIATIVES
The following sections provide
brief descriptions of each project as initially conceived and progress
updates based on the First Progress Report on La Relève, released
in March 1998 (see Information Sources).
A.
Recruitment, Employment Equity and Retention Strategy
Focused on the demographic
issues and prospective skill shortages noted in the Clerk’s 1997
Report, this project undertakes to establish what is described as a comprehensive
recruitment and retention strategy which will simultaneously address anticipated
skill and knowledge requirements and make the public service representative
of the broader population by responding to employment equity concerns.
In order to meet the objective
of replenishing and retaining a competent and representative workforce,
a two-phase action strategy was mapped out:
-
Phase I, consisting
of a survey of departmental and corporate needs, an analysis of the
labour market, the identification of areas requiring targeted recruitment
or retention efforts, and the development of cost estimates. Time
frames: Fall 1997 for presentation to the Committee
of Senior Officials, followed by Public Service Commission approval
of outside recruitment (no date);
-
Phase II, consisting
of designing, costing and implementing a hiring/retention strategy,
tailored to departmental needs and corporate objectives, "particularly
employment equity." Time frames: presentation
to ministers during first quarter 1998.
Status March 1998:
The Progress Report indicates that:
-
demographic analyses
of three "at risk" groups (executives, inspection/regulation
groups, and scientists/technologists) in order to support development
of recruitment action plans, are underway;
B.
Compensation
Noting the importance attached
to compensation in the consultations with public servants and the need
for compensation levels sufficient to enable the government to attract,
retain and motivate employees, the report indicated that Treasury Board
Secretariat would:
-
negotiate collective
agreements (Time frame: by end of 1998),
-
develop an executive
compensation package (Time frame: Fall 1997,
interim report to the President of Treasury Board by an advisory committee,
followed by proposals to the Treasury Board),
-
resolve outstanding
non-executive compensation issues (Time frame:
not stated)
Status March 1998:
The Progress Report indicates that:
-
For unionized employees:
six collective agreements have been completed, reflecting a general
pattern of annual increases in the 2.5% range; 12 are under negotiation,
and eight are at the "third party assistance" (conciliation/mediation/arbitration)
stage. Among this last group are negotiations with the Public Service
Alliance of Canada, the largest public sector union, which on 20 September
1998 rejected an offer combining an immediate pay equity settlement
with an annual wage increase of less than 2%.
-
For executives, on 20
February 1998 the government accepted the recommendations of a mixed
public sector/private sector advisory committee which had been submitted
eight days earlier, and which included salary increases ranging from
4% (EX1s) to 19% (senior level deputy ministers),
C.
Universal Classification Standard (UCS)
Work on the replacement
of multiple public service job classifications with a simplified set of
categories has been underway for some time. The La Relève report elevates
this to one of the eight central projects, claiming that there is widespread
agreement that the current classification system is complex, costly, and
creates barriers to employees seeking new experience, and especially to
women.
Under this project head,
Treasury Board Secretariat is committed to implementing a single, gender-neutral
job evaluation system that enhances mobility opportunities, and links
human resources requirements more closely to organizational requirements.
Further work on the business case for this change and implementation costs
will be undertaken and an implementation plan (in which officials in each
department will provide local leadership) will be developed. Time
frames: Fall 1997, presentations to Treasury Board officials
and ministers; implementation during 1998.
Status March 1998:
The Progress Report indicates that the UCS was endorsed by Treasury Board
ministers on 6 November 1997; writing of work descriptions and evaluation
is continuing; the first two of a series of guides for use by departments
have been completed by Treasury Board Secretariat, and conversion to the
UCS on "on track for 1999."
D.
Staffing Reform
The devolution of greater
staffing authority to departments and greater use of existing flexibilities
by managers are described as key initiatives in removing the lengthy time-frames,
inflexibility and micro-rules orientation ascribed to the present staffing
process.
With respect to the project
of streamlining the staffing process, and devolving authority so that
the business requirements of the public service can be better met, the
Public Service Commission will work with departments to fully exploit
the potential of the current legislative framework for flexibility, responsiveness,
and mobility both within, and into and out of, the public service, and
to better reflect public service values. Time frames:
Implementation to begin fall 1997.
Status March 1998:
The Progress Report indicates that, as of July 1997, the Public Service
Commission terminated its prohibition on shifting employees from their
existing occupational group to another, a move that will enhance opportunities
for mobility and learning.
More broadly, departments
will now be responsible for internal staffing up to the EX level. An initial
phase of reform, focusing on stakeholder consultations and removing restrictions
from staffing authorities delegated to departments, was to be fully implemented
by October 1998. A second phase, involving forums for publicizing best
practices, was to be implemented during 1998, as was a third phase, involving
the development of a streamlined regulatory framework planned to be in
effect by April 1999.
E.
Pride and Recognition
Concerns within the public
service about its negative public image and self-perception, and the possibility
that these may work against recruiting and retention objectives, are singled
out for priority attention.
To serve the objective of
"renew(ing) pride in the public service as a world-class institution,"
a designated deputy minister and an extensive group of political and public
service leaders are committed to maximizing the potential of annual public
service events, revamping service-wide and departmental award programs,
communicating the contribution of the public service to Canadians, obtaining
private-sector support, and tracking public service pride levels against
benchmarks drawn from other institutions. Time frame:
Fall 1997 for a presentation to senior officials on initial implementation
results, and continuing work thereafter.
Status March 1998:
The Progress Report indicates that in July 1997 a committee of deputy
ministers recommended a framework incorporating three elements: enhanced
pride among public servants; improved outside awareness of public service
accomplishments; and more effective departmental awards and recognition
programs. As well, deputies pointed to more active, and public, championship
of the public service by ministers and senior officials.
Departmental initiatives
include showcase displays of programs and services, broader revitalization
of internal recognition programs, and (in progress) Treasury Board revision
of service-wide awards and recognition policy.
F.
Labour Relations
The project list reflects
a recognition of the importance of employee involvement across the range
of La Relève initiatives, and the potential contribution of positive outcomes
in current negotiations of collective agreements.
With the objectives of broadly
improving employee participation, and successfully negotiating collective
agreements with the public service unions, the labour relations project
designates Treasury Board Secretariat as the lead agency for working with
departments to create a general framework for effective labour relations,
and complete contract negotiations. Time frame:
negotiations to be concluded during 1998.
Status:
According to the March 1998 Progress Report,
Not all negotiations have
been concluded without acrimony. For example, the largest public sector
union (the Public Service Alliance of Canada) withdrew from talks on 20
September 1998, following advice from the conciliator that differences
between the two sides were insurmountable. The union negotiator declared
that "to say we are angry is an understatement," and a subsequent
strike vote obtained 68% support for rotating strikes. However, a tentative
agreement was achieved on 13 November 1998 – the first time in 10
years that the government and the Alliance have reached agreement without
a major labour disruption.
G.
Corporate Development Programs
Responding to arguments
made in the 1997 Report of the Clerk of the Privy Council about the prospective
impact of demographics and retirements on the executive pool, the corporate
development program consists substantially of the list of initiatives
set out in that document. Individual initiatives, and target dates, include:
-
Establishing a pool
of officials pre-qualified to the assistant deputy minister (ADM)
level, who can be available for appointment as the need arises and
can more readily be given diverse experience, and evaluate selection
processes (target date: fall 1997);
– the Management
Training Program, which recruits people into the management stream (target
date: fall 1997), and
– the Career Assignment
Program, which provides non-management employees assignments which develop
management skills and potential (target date:
spring 1998).
Status
March 1998: The Progress Report indicates that:
-
over 15% of the EX group
applied for the acceleration and pre-qualification programs, and that
more than half of the accepted pre-qualification candidates were placed
within six months, while most of the acceleration candidates had begun
developmental assignments;
H.
Values and Ethics
The Report states that the
scope and magnitude of change experienced by the public service in recent
years has highlighted issues of accountability, ethical challenges, leadership
and people management.
In order to examine the
relationship between existing and evolving values, develop recommendations
for ensuring consistency between operations and values, and foster clarity
and commitment to core values among public servants, a designated deputy-minister
will co-ordinate a dialogue within the public service and the development
of recommendations (target date: ongoing work,
with presentation to the Committee of Senior Officials in late 1997/early
1998).
Status March 1998:
The Progress Report indicates that:
-
Values and ethics have
been incorporated into core programs at the Canadian Centre for Management
Development (CCMD) and the Public Service Commission, and Treasury
Board initiatives such as alternative service delivery are benefiting
from conscious attention to the balance between traditional values
and management values such as efficiency and results.
I.
Supplementary Service-wide Initiatives
Reflecting the broadened
focus that La Relève appears to have acquired in the course of consultations
across the public service during 1997, the Report sets out eight additional
action areas. These are, for the most part, placed under Treasury Board
Secretariat and Public Service Commission leadership, and consist of multi-pronged
initiatives with time frames that vary from the immediate to 1999. They
are:
-
Workplace
Health: actions include departmental surveys, development
of organizational health indicators to permit monitoring of progress,
development of learning opportunities with respect to corporate citizenship
and values, and simplification of reporting processes;
-
Employment
Equity: actions include implementation of a framework
and strategic plan, surveys, action and outreach strategies for designated
groups, and interdepartmental sharing of best practices;
-
Classification
and Staffing: actions include continuing adjustments
contributing to the evolution of the classification system and competitions,
the adaptation of practices to the implementation of the Universal
Classification Standard, and pilot projects in four departments involving
the appointment of assistant deputy ministers to level;
-
Learning,
Training and Development: actions to foster a learning
culture include interdepartmental pilots, sharing of facilities, best
practices and information on management learning needs, establishing
senior level networks and redesigning core programs of the Canadian
Centre for Management Development;
Status March 1998: The
Progress Report provides general comments relating to those initiatives,
above, that differ from the corporate initiatives already discussed.
Workplace
Health: Progress has consisted of surveys (or planned surveys)
of employees, a planned Treasury Board cross-government survey of employee
attitudes to the workplace, and a planned consideration by deputy ministers
of further government-wide surveys.
Mobility:
In addition to measures already mentioned, such as intergroup deployments,
progress has involved measures to facilitate interdepartmental mobility
within functional communities, the signing of agreements with five governments
to facilitate mobility between them, more active promotion of a program
to enable federal executives to serve as visiting fellows at Canadian
universities, and attention to expanding a program of interchanges between
the federal government and other governments, the private sector, and
the parapublic sector.
Competency-Based
Human Resource Management: No specific developments are
mentioned, but it is indicated that the Public Service Commission plans
to examine a new definition of promotion based on competencies rather
than salary, along with new standards for employee assessment and selection.
Learning
and Training: Progress has involved giving departments access
to training resource centres in seven of ten regions, the launching of
an Internet-based Learning Resource Network by the Public Service Commission,
and the establishment of a range of seminars and discussion groups targeted
to specific communities within the public service.
Administrative
Support Staff: Consultations were held in all regions and
departments, and a report presenting 75 recommendations was produced.
The Progress Report indicates that the resulting report, Valuing Our
People, has contributed to the identification of follow-up actions
still needed; however, specific examples are not provided.
J.
Departmental Initiatives
In addition to initiatives
applying across the public service, the Report announced a range of projects
applying within specific departments.
At this level, with certain
exceptions, the initiatives appear to reflect the ongoing work of human
resource management, and are not easily distinguishable from those that
departmental human resource managers were initiating in the years before
La Relève. The fundamental message is that human resource management,
considered globally, will be given increased attention.
Examples of initiatives
akin to those listed in departmental Part IIIs (Main Estimates) in recent
years are: health-related analysis, surveys and counselling; use of awards,
overtime and corporate events to reward successes; surveys, strategic
management efforts, and marketing initiatives to advance employment equity;
increased use of generic job descriptions; training strategies, programs
and processes; special strategies to address recruitment needs; and a
heightened emphasis on performance measurement in the area of human resource
initiatives.
Other types of initiative
more directly reflect original La Relève priorities. These include: heightened
attention to workforce demographics, and its strategic management; a new
emphasis on secondments and other internal developmental programs, which
have languished in recent years; and departmental communications initiatives
to highlight La Relève.
Status March 1998: A
supplementary volume to the Progress Report provides department-by-department
reports, along with reports from the major functional communities.
The reports provide summary
information on an extensive range of activities undertaken by departments
and groups, typically including:
-
learning
and training (in most cases, more spending on training,
more closely targeted to specific functions, with career management
emerging as a new focus);
-
internal
communications initiatives, in some cases frankly acknowledged
to be needed in order to overcome persisting scepticism about La Relève,
and the commitment to better human resources management; and
In general, the departmental
and functional reports reflect the fact that La Relève is conceived as
an orientation and an action commitment rather than a clearly bounded
program. The reports provide overviews of departmental human resources
activities, many of which are routine and have no specific relation to
La Relève, and in some cases include initiatives that were launched before
La Relève was announced. Overall, however, they testify to the heightened
profile being given to human resources management as a result of La Relève.
LA
RELÈVE – ANALYSIS
The public service is fundamentally
an organization that implements plans. The conscientious implementation
of the commitments and programs formulated under La Relève can thus generally
be taken for granted, assuming sufficient resources are available.
The central issue for La
Relève is not so much whether its projects will be carried out, as whether
they will make a difference. If they do not, its ultimate impact could
be to raise expectations and set the stage for subsequent disillusionment
and the possible worsening of the morale problems La Relève was intended
to address.
The following analysis identifies
and examines a number of the factors that will help to determine whether
the La Relève initiatives make a difference. Among these are:
-
strategic issues, which
relate to the management and coordination of a range of factors, both
internal and external, so as to maximise the likelihood of La Relève’s
success.
A.
Conceptual Issues
The impact upon the public
service of the factors emphasized in the Clerk’s 1997 Report –
downsizing and increased levels of criticism in the media and from politicians
– is incontestable. However, it is important to recognize that many
of the central problems on which La Relève is focused, such as diminished
morale, weak strategic capacity and a lack of creativity, preceded the
major downsizing initiatives of the 1990s, were anticipated within the
public service before their arrival, and were in some cases the subject
of earlier renewal initiatives [See Public Service 2000]. Although they
may have been exacerbated by developments in the 1990s, they cannot have
been caused by them.
The action orientation of
La Relève has ensured that concrete initiatives have not been diverted
by abstruse considerations about underlying causes and that efforts have
been directed to a wide range of human resource-related problems and issues.
The central advantage of this approach is that it has enabled action to
proceed, and avoided potentially endless discussion. There are potential
drawbacks, however.
1.
Problems and Symptoms
First, La Relève does not
clearly distinguish between the causes of problems and symptoms of problems,
and therefore risks the diversion of resources and energy from the former
to the latter.
For example, the vision
of public service career satisfactions expressed in the Clerk of the Privy
Council’s 1997 report emphasises the opportunity to "contribute
to the public good and to make a difference," as well as opportunities
for personal development and career progress. However, in the initiatives
announced in the Report, the primary focus appears to be on career-building
objectives, compensation and other personal benefits, giving specific
attention to the needs of the executive group and implying that frustrations
in these areas are the primary causes of malaise in the public service.
The diagnosis implied by
the 1997 initiatives may be correct. There are, however, at least two
alternative possibilities. It is possible that the malaise of public servants
arises centrally from the existence of organizational or other barriers
that prevent them from experiencing the satisfactions of serving the public.
Alternatively, it is possible that the real problem may be the values
and expectations of (at least some) public servants, which, if successfully
met in the short term, will merely reinforce the conditions in which current
morale and other problems are rooted.
This latter possibility
may be supported by at least one major study of central agency executives
in the late 1970s (See Readings, Campbell and Szablowski). This found
that most senior officials were motivated primarily by careerist objectives
(e.g. challenge and advancement), rather than by service to the public
or broader humanitarian principles. Reflecting the rapid growth of the
public service (and thus of career opportunities) during this period,
the portrait of the satisfactions available through a public service career
provided by these officials was extremely positive. However, the career-focused
expectations that contributed to satisfaction in the 1970s would have
become increasingly out of synch with reality in the restraint environment
of the 1980s and 1990s. If expectations based on the realities of the
1960s and 1970s continue to be present in the culture of public sector
executives, or the broader public service, they are almost certain to
lead to frustrations under foreseeable conditions. The measures announced
in the 1997 Report will not restore the conditions that underlay the government
growth environment of the 1960s, nor do contemporary trends in society
and governance make its reappearance likely.
Regardless of whether the
central problem is the expectations of public servants, the existing public
service culture and structures, the impact of recent downsizing and fiscal
constraint, or a combination of these, it is unlikely to be addressed
successfully unless its sources are fully understood and explained. Investigation
might find support for the implication in Campbell and Szablowski’s
study of an earlier generation of senior officials: that the central problem
may be the values of public servants. Alternatively, it could take us
back to the possibility that the values of public servants remain grounded
in the ideals of public service, and that the problem stems from the culture
and structures within which public servants work. Or, it might validate
the apparent focus of the early La Relève initiatives. Questions that
need to be asked, in order to explore these possibilities, include:
-
If the priorities of
public servants have changed, does this merely mirror a shift occurring
throughout society, or is it indicative of more specific developments
within the public sector? In either case, can anything be done about
it, or should the focus be on adapting public service organizations
to it?
-
Might public servants
have come to feel genuinely uncertain about whether much of what they
do actually does serve the public, rather than the more personal ambitions
of senior officials and ministers, and might they have reverted to
personal career objectives by default? If so, what can be done about
it?
-
Do public servants perceive
traditional public service values as a foundation for enhanced performance
and satisfaction in the workplace, or might they be experienced as
a personal liability in organizations where success is perceived to
be based on career management skills? If the latter, how can internal
review processes detect this problem, and how can it be addressed?
-
More fundamentally still,
is it possible that increasing proportions of broadly comparable professional
or quasi-professional "knowledge worker" functions within
organizations that still remain strongly hierarchical, and involve
marked differences of status and benefits, create an organizational
source of malaise (including cynicism about values) which recent downsizing
merely exacerbated? If so, how can public service organizations be
redesigned in order to address this?
The 1996 deputy-ministerial
task force on values and ethics, which significantly shaped the approach
of La Relève to public service values, illustrates the explanatory deficiencies
just suggested. It argues that values-related problems are an important
dimension of the malaise currently affecting the public service. Moreover,
it contains some extremely frank statements about feelings of alienation
among middle managers, and employees’ perceptions that some managers
do not "walk the talk" with respect to valuing employees, but
rather are narrowly self-serving and concerned about turf protection (Report,
p. 52; see Readings for full title). However, the report does not
explain why these problems exist, other than by invoking the pressures
of downsizing and day-to-day work. As a result, the recommendations are
somewhat insubstantial, focusing heavily on the importance of better communications,
leadership, and a very general proposal for closer attention to values
in the executive culture and in selection processes.
This approach is directly
reflected in La Relève, which treats public service values as merely one
of a series of parallel initiatives, and stresses better communications
from existing senior officials as the primary means of strengthening values.
If, however, values issues pose a more fundamental challenge, important
cultural, functional and structural changes may be required before employees
feel that their organizations are "walking the talk."
2.
Focus and Boundaries
The fact that an extensive
range of human resources issues (possibly including both symptoms and
causes) are being addressed simultaneously, in the absence of a fully
developed discussion of fundamental causes, opens the door to potential
uncertainty about priorities. There appears to be no clear basis within
the La Relève initiative for distinguishing between high priority actions
and actions of marginal importance.
On the positive side, this
reflects the open-ended and experimental character of La Relève, and its
conscious attempt to foster "bottom-up" participation and initiatives
from within functional communities and departments. The extensive list
of these initiatives provided in the March 1998 Progress Report may testify
to the success of this approach, which deliberately avoids a centrally
pre-determined, and limited, agenda ("La Relève is not a destination,
but an attitude and a perspective. It is a bias for action in human resources
management…").
More problematically, the
absence of a conceptual basis for determining priorities could allow them
to be determined by other means, including the capacity of relatively
influential groups to ensure special attention to their needs. The fact
that the early stages of La Relève involved a series of initiatives directed
at the senior management (Assistant Deputy Minister) level and its feeder
groups may illustrate this possibility, as may the fact that compensation
issues relating to the executive groups seem to have been addressed more
expeditiously than similar negotiations with unionized employees. A convincing
demonstration that these initiatives responded to distinctively urgent
needs within the public service would require them to be linked to a vision
of fundamental problems.
A second potential issue
is the absence of a conceptual basis for establishing boundaries to La
Rèleve in order to distinguish human resources activities belonging to
this initiative from those that do not. This possibility is illustrated
by a number of the departmental reports included in the March 1998 Progress
Report, which include seemingly routine training programs, anti-harassment
programs and the like. In several cases, reports include information of
only distant relevance to human resources management, let alone La Relève
specifically (e.g., the fact that a pilot training program was reviewed
because of an Appeal Board decision upholding a series of allegations,
p. 30 of Detailed Reports).
The potential benefit of
loosely defined boundaries, like the potential benefit of having no centrally
determined priorities, is that they create a more receptive atmosphere
for "bottom-up" participation and innovation at the departmental
level. On the negative side, however, ill-defined boundaries may make
it more difficult to distinguish initiatives actually prompted by La Relève
from existing activities re-packaged for reporting purposes. Thus, attainment
of the accountability objectives announced in the early stages of La Relève
could be impeded by the difficulty of determining whether La Relève commitments
are being met with genuinely new (or significantly modified) activities,
or merely with newly labelled but essentially traditional human resource
initiatives.
3.
People and Structures
The Clerk’s 1997 report
indicates that one cause of the problems addressed by La Relève has been
the failure of public service managers to "pay sufficient attention
to the combined effects of downsizing and demographic trends in the public
service." It goes on to remark that the public service has generally
had a poor track record for human resource and career planning (p. 2 and
7).
Concerns about the adequacy
of past strategic human resource planning are supported by the fact that
important dimensions of the current problem had been predicted for some
time. Indeed, the morale and other problems created by the existence of
a baby-boom "bulge" of public servants, hired during the late
1960s and 1970s, were the subject of a widely publicized study as long
ago as 1981, which predicted that "…the decision makers of the
public service will age unhappily because of a serious blockage
in future promotions"(Nicole Morgan, p. 25; see Selected Readings)
The concerns suggested by
the Clerk may raise questions as to whether the human resource management
establishment of the public service, which presided over the arrangements
that have come to be recognized as in need of reform, can now meet the
two-fold challenge posed by La Relève: to simultaneously re-invent itself
and implement the recruitment initiatives and other programs intended
to bring new skills and capacities into the public service, at the same
time as recognizing and making better use of skills and capacities already
there.
The assumption that reform
can come from within, and can be achieved by existing leaders working
within existing organizational structures, is more broadly characteristic
of La Relève. It remains to be seen whether its central objectives, or
the expectations of public servants, can be met through initiatives that
appear to assume that present leadership and structures have not contributed
to the current malaise.
B.
Strategic Issues
In addition to its problematical
assumptions about current problems and their causes, La Relève raises
questions about whether broader requirements for ensuring the success
of individual activities and projects can be met. These strategic issues
include the following:
1.
Political Will
The Clerk’s 1997 report
and the Commitment to Action report recognize the contribution
of external factors to the human resource problems to which La Relève
responds. Specific reference is made to negative images in recent public
debates about the role of government and to some management theorists’
promotion of the private sector as a model of efficiency, effectiveness
and dynamism.
Read literally, these comments
could imply a degree of hypersensitivity on the part of public servants.
More likely, the comments tactfully reflect the reality that negative
representations of the public service in the media are almost certain
to be acted upon at the political level, especially when shared by the
general public. Political discourse in Canada during the 1990s and before
illustrates this reality, as may some of the government initiatives of
that period.
Viewed from this perspective,
La Relève may be seen as a necessary public relations exercise. If it
is effective in this sense, it might help to pre-empt a vicious circle,
in which negative images of the public service could feed political decisions
that in turn could exacerbate morale problems within the public service
and further deter potential recruits, thereby fostering organizational
behaviour that reinforces negative public images.
The contribution that successful
marketing can make to the public service is reflected in several of La
Relève initiatives, notably the identification of the Prime Minister of
Canada, ministers, and all parliamentarians and senior officials as partners
in the project of fostering pride and recognition.
It remains to be seen whether
this dimension of La Relève will have the desired impact, and whether
early public championship of the initiative by politicians and senior
executives will establish the longer-term pattern needed to influence
public opinion. This is a strategically important component of the overall
initiative which, if successful, would significantly differentiate La
Relève from the earlier Public Service 2000. On the other hand, if it
fails, then the broader project of public service renewal could be seriously
constrained by a continuing adverse environment, and its direct and indirect
effects on the public service.
2.
Handling Mistakes
The La Relève initiative
provides a model of some types of cultural change it is attempting to
promote. It explicitly rejects the traditional public service culture,
where conformity to rules and the avoidance of mistakes are widely seen
to have too often taken precedence over the need for initiative and action.
Instead, the Clerk’s 1997 Report boldly declares that "we need
a bias for action," and that the initiative needs to be frankly experimental,
open-ended, and based on learning "as we go" (p. 6).
The test of this culture
will lie in the response of senior officials and political leaders when
mistakes actually occur. The central danger is that it may create expectations
that cannot be met at the management level of the public service. The
traditional caution of public organizations may reflect public intolerance
of mistakes, and consequent punitive reactions on the part of the media
and politicians. If so, it will not be possible for the public sector,
on its own, to create a different culture.
This concern is supported
by the fate of Public Service 2000. As discussed elsewhere, media criticism
of how some managers used newly delegated authorities was a significant
factor in the erosion of political support for the initiative which was
subsequently mirrored in the behaviour of some senior officials.
3.
Internal Equity
Since La Relève is in part
directed to deep-seated morale problems within the public service, it
would be ironic if its implementation were to exacerbate these problems.
Yet the fact that the immediate benefits of early changes were substantially
limited to the executive category (which had also very recently benefited
from the restoration of performance pay) is unlikely to have raised morale
among employees in other categories. Indeed, the possibility that the
timing of the restoration of performance pay may have conflicted with
the larger objectives of La Relève was (somewhat obliquely) acknowledged
by a senior official appearing before the House of Commons Standing Committee
on Natural Resources and Government Operations, on 28 October 1997 (Minutes
of Proceedings, p. 21).
Morale problems arising
from perceptions of differential treatment may also accompany the implementation
of other compensation decisions. Recommendations that executive pay be
increased by up to 19% were accepted by the government mere days after
it was presented with task force recommendations on executive compensation;
however, raises in the order of 2.5% for unionized employees have been
the norm in the current round of collective bargaining. As this is written,
negotiations with the Public Service Alliance of Canada, during which
union representatives frequently referred to the magnitude of executive
pay increases in justifying their own refusal to accept government proposals,
have just been concluded. (See, for example, "PSAC Talks Collapse,"
The Ottawa Citizen, 21 September 1998, p. A1,2.)
4.
Administrative Logic
The apparently broadened
scope of La Relève means that a multitude of simultaneous or overlapping
actions will be going forward over the next few years. In certain cases,
this could raise problems.
For example, early initiatives
simultaneously accelerated the development of a pool of potential assistant
deputy ministers (ADMs), broadened this pool by pre-qualifying executives,
and increased the likelihood of retaining existing ADMs by enriching their
experience through enhanced corporate support and compensation. If the
retention of existing ADMs is significantly improved, the enlarged pool
of potential ADMs may prove to be redundant, at least for a time, resulting
in attendant morale and other problems.
The early data provided
in the March 1998 Progress Report suggest that this problem has not yet
arisen. Of the initial group of pre-qualified ADMs, one half received
placements within six months. The pattern followed by the remaining half
of this group, and the group established through the second pre-qualification
cycle of January 1998, remains to be seen, however.
More broadly, if those not
selected for the pool perceive themselves as having missed the decisive
moment after years of patience, and their career paths as being blocked
by a newly created priority group, problems of morale and early departure
within the executive group could actually increase.
5.
Accountability and Performance Measurement
The 1997 Commitment to
Action report recognized that the successful implementation of La
Relève requires clear lines of accountability. The report thus indicates
that managers at all levels within departments will be held accountable
for both achieving results and their management of people; deputy-ministers
will be accountable for "implementation of their departmental La
Relève plans," and heads of central agencies for "achieving
their La Relève commitments" (p. 33).
While this affirmation of
the accountability principle is important, it is unclear how the principle
will be applied. Will senior officials will be accountable merely for
the implementation of the various specific projects and actions set out
in the departmental plans, or for achieving the broader results targeted
by those projects or actions.
The specific reference to
the need for performance indicators, both at the departmental level and
the public service-wide levels, may answer some questions about the scope
of accountability. Commitment to Action indicates that departments
are expected to develop performance indicators for use beginning in November
1997 and that central agencies will develop indicators for application
on a service-wide basis. However, the association of performance indicators
with monitoring and reporting progress may imply that performance will
focus on the implementation of plans rather than the achievement of intended
results.
Concerns about the effectiveness
of performance measurement and evaluation are not dispelled by the March
1998 Progress Report, including the overview report dealing with corporate
initiatives, and the volume of departmental reports. These reports typically
include numbers of participants in programs or initiatives without providing
base-line data on the groups to which the programs are targeted. Readers
therefore cannot determine take-up rates or participation levels, let
alone broader levels of effectiveness.
The character of the reports
reflects the fact that La Relève has been underway for less than two years
and is thus at an early stage for an initiative of such breadth. The reports
recount individual programs launched and activities undertaken, but do
not attempt to link these outputs to the fundamental targeted outcomes
of the initiative.
There is thus no concrete
discussion of how to determine levels of malaise in the public service,
or whether there has been progress in reducing them. Nor is evidence provided
to demonstrate that the La Relève activities are achieving progress in
the creation of "a modern and vibrant institution able to use fully
the talents of its people," and possessing the skills and motivation
needed to respond to new challenges.
On the positive side, the
formal presentation of annual progress reports focuses the attention of
participants on the need to demonstrate progress. It is probable that,
as La Relève evolves beyond its early stages and as its impacts become
more discernible, these will be reflected in the progress reports.
C.
Concluding Overview
Although a number of its
components have been underway for several years, as this is written the
La Relève initiative is formally less than two years old. During
this period an extensive array of individual initiatives have been undertaken,
testifying to public service effectiveness in implementing plans.
Given the relatively short
time since the formal launch of the initiative in February 1997, it is
still too early to determine whether potential problems explored in this
paper are having practical impacts. It thus remains to be seen whether
La Relève will raise expectations only to lead to subsequent disillusionment,
or will succeed in substantially improving the public service culture
and the morale and capacities of its employees.
PARLIAMENTARY
ACTION
During the Thirty-Fifth
Parliament (1993-1997), the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government
Operations heard public service officials from several departments on
current and planned renewal initiatives. On 24 April the Committee tabled
its Third Report, which:
Reflecting the Committee’s
recognition that its examination was taking place at an early stage of
a long-term process, the Report contained only one formal recommendation:
Aside from this early effort,
parliamentary attention to La Relève has been limited, although a number
of individual parliamentarians have continued to pursue the issue in parliamentary
committees and in the House.
INFORMATION
SOURCES
Key Sources
-
Clerk of the Privy Council
and Secretary to the Cabinet. Fourth Annual Report to the Prime
Minister on the Public Service of Canada, Canada. Privy
Council Office, 3 February 1997.[http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/4rept96/Cover_e.htm]
-
La Relève Task Force.
La Relève – Departmental Plans, Functional Plans, Regional
Submissions and Corporate Initiatives. CD-Rom released
by the Government of Canada, 1 July 1997.
Supplementary Sources
A. Governmental
-
Advisory Committee on
Senior Level Retention and Compensation. First Report. Prepared
for the President of the Treasury Board, January 1998. Treasury Board
of Canada, Ottawa [http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pub%5Fpol/partners/acslr%5Fe.html].
-
Clerk of the Privy Council
and Secretary to the Cabinet. Fifth Annual Report to the Prime
Minister on the Public Service of Canada. Canada,
Privy Council Office, 31 March 1998 [http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/5rept97/cover_e.htm].
-
Deputy Ministerial Task
Force Reports, 1996 (including the Discussion Paper on Values and
Ethics in the Public Service, cited in Analysis, above): [http://www.ccmd-ccg.gc.ca/documents/dmtf/introdmtf.htm]
B. Other
La Relève has received remarkably
little attention from specialists in public administration and governance
issues, given its profile within the Public service. Some relevant international
comparisons are available, however. See:
-
Peters, B. Guy and Donald
J. Savoie, Taking Stock – Assessing Public Sector Reforms,
Canadian Centre for Management Development, McGill-Queen’s
University Press, Montreal and Kingston, 1998.
Media attention has been
equally limited. Articles in the Ottawa Citizen have, however,
provided coverage of major developments and some commentary. See, for
example:
-
-----, "Public
Servants Deserve Praise, Recruiters Say." Ottawa Citizen,
20 October 1997, p. A3.
Background Sources
Auditor General of Canada.
Report to the House of Commons – April 1998. Chapter
1 (Expenditure and Work Force Reductions in the Public Service). Minister
of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 1998.
Campbell, Colin and Szablowski,
George J. The Superbureaucrats: Structure and Behavior in Central
Agencies. Macmillan of Canada, Toronto, 1979.
Clark, Ian D. "Restraint, Renewal,
and the Treasury Board Secretariat." Canadian Public Administration,
37, 2, Summer 1994, pp. 209-248.
Morgan, Nicole, S. Nowhere
To Go? – Possible Consequences of the Demographic Imbalance in
the Decision-Making Groups of the Federal Public Service. Institute
for Research on Public Policy, Montréal, 1981.
O’Neal, Brian. Reorganizing
Government: New Approaches to Public Service Reform. Library of
Parliament BP-375, January 1994.
Public Service Commission
of Canada. Work Force Adjustment – A Comparison of the United
Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. February 1997. [http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/prcb/compar3e.htm].
Roberts, Alasdair. "The
Control Lobby and the PS 2000 Reforms." Canadian Public Administration,
Volume 39, No. 4, Winter 1996, pp. 489-523.
Seidle, F. Leslie. Rethinking
the Delivery of Public Services to Citizens. Institute for
Research on Public Policy, Montreal, 1995.
Wileman, Tom. Public Service 2000.
Library of Parliament BP-263. August 1991.
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