Capability Reviews: Progress and Next Steps - The Civil Service

or hinder it:‘lack of leadership from the top’‘lack of continuity and commitment from departmental leaders’.Capability Reviews: research with Senior Civil Servants byOpinion Leader Research (OLR)The Tranche 3 report identified the ability to set a clear direction for the organisationand to demonstrate pace and passion as strengths for the Civil Service. This remainsthe case, with 13 out of 17 departments having at least a ‘well placed’ score inone or both of these elements. As positive scores in both of these elements havebeen demonstrated as positive drivers of overall performance, this is encouraging.These capabilities have been tested during the significant changes in machineryof government, the transition to a new Prime Minister with new and different strategicgoals, and the CSR with its cross-cutting PSAs setting 30 key priorities acrossgovernment – from tackling climate change to making communities safer.Consequently, the areas of focus suggested by the Tranche 3 report were as follows:Collective leadershipChallengeLeading changeBuilding leadershipBoards acting as role models to exhibit an effectivecorporate culture of teamworkEffective challenge on boards, including externalchallenge, to support them in their role of managingperformanceManaging change effectively; in particular, boards drivingthrough and sustaining change in the long termEngaging the wider SCS in the business of departmentalleadershipHigh-level view of progress on leadershipEffective departmental leadership is the key to unlocking capability throughout theorganisation; consequently, departments rightly look to make early progress in thisarea, where capability gaps have been identified.Of the four common capability gaps identified in the Tranche 3 report, this is thearea against which there has been the most progress in departments. Permanentsecretaries and boards have taken this area seriously and many departments areimproving well.Executive teams are working hard on their own development and are makinggood progress. We are seeing good use of coaches and a willingness by boardsCAPABILITY REVIEWS: PROGRESS AND NEXT STEPS25