Capability Reviews: Progress and Next Steps - The Civil Service

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Skills, capacity and capabilityWhy does this matter?The skills, capacity and capability of the Civil Service have been under scrutinyfor some time. Over recent years the way government delivers has evolvedconsiderably. Changes include:• increased commissioning and contracting for service delivery in a wide rangeof areas, working with the wider public sector, private sector and third sector;• an increased emphasis on ‘horizontal’ challenges, either through a move tointegrated service delivery to customers or the development of integratedstrategic and policy solutions to challenges such as climate change or socialexclusion; and• challenging targets for efficiency, tough outcomes through the new PSAs andmore focus on open and transparent performance management.All of these trends require an emphasis on building a strong, capable and skilledCivil Service.The Public Administration Select Committee recently published a report on Skills forGovernment (August 2007). In response, the Government stated that:‘The Government, the Cabinet Secretary and all permanent secretaries arecommitted to developing a culture of excellence that continually improves skillsand capability.’And that:‘The Government and senior leaders are very clear that there is much more tobe done and agree that collective action is critical if the Civil Service is todeliver the services the public expect now and into the future.’Skills for Government: Government Response to the Committee’s NinthReport of Session 2006–07 (November 2007)In terms of the Capability Reviews model, this area sits within L4 – Build capability.This focuses on areas such as talent and leadership development, managing poorperformance, and diversity. Whilst there have been some examples of excellent workin these areas, such as the achievements of the CPS in building and harnessing thetalents of an increasingly diverse organisation, this is not generally the case. After17 reviews, only one department has scored ‘well placed’ in this area (the formerDepartment for Constitutional Affairs), suggesting that it remains a key developmentarea for the Civil Service.34 COMMON CAPABILITY GAPS: PROGRESS AND NEXT STEPS
Consequently, the areas of focus suggested by the Tranche 3 report were asfollows:Better peoplemanagementBetter HR and othercorporate servicesSkills gapsEnsuring that people are managed effectively, poorperformance is tackled rigorously and people at all levelsare stretched, challenged and motivated to performBuilding more effective and professional corporateservices in government departments so that they cancontribute effectively to raising business performanceUnderstanding the skills required to deliver againsttomorrow’s challenges and systematically developingstaff to meet themHigh-level view of progress on skills, capacity and capabilityEffective progress in this area is a mix of system changes and deeper culturalchange, often in the face of deep-seated assumptions and ways of behaving. Whilstthe 18 months since the first Capability Reviews were published have seen a largenumber of new appointments into HR departments, new appraisal systems andskills audits, outcomes in terms of changed behaviours and perceptions are harderto identify. This is the Capability Review area for action that departments are findingmost challenging.Positive progress we are seeing in departments includes:At three months after the review:• Specific capability objectives for all senior managers; plans for new appointmentsto strengthen finance; and the development of a new Integrated PeopleStrategy (CPS).At six months after the review:• A focus on driving up analytical skills throughout the department, with staff havinga clearer understanding of the analytical tools and resources available to themand how to use them effectively. Training, workshops and events led by the chiefanalyst (Communities and Local Government (CLG)).CAPABILITY REVIEWS: PROGRESS AND NEXT STEPS35
Page 1 and 2: Capability Reviews:Progress and Nex
Page 3 and 4: This has been an excellent example
Page 5 and 6: 1. Tranche 1 departments: a year on
Page 7 and 8: Department for Children, Schools an
Page 9 and 10: This will act as an innovative and
Page 11 and 12: • ‘Managing for improvement’:
Page 13 and 14: Home OfficeStarting from a low base
Page 15 and 16: Department’s wider agenda. Develo
Page 17 and 18: Ministry of JusticeThe MoJ was crea
Page 19 and 20: A number of significant programmes
Page 21 and 22: 2. Common capability gaps: progress
Page 23 and 24: later tranches have not been able t
Page 25 and 26: or hinder it:‘lack of leadership
Page 27 and 28: All of these aspects came together
Page 29 and 30: Case study: Collective leadership i
Page 31 and 32: • Engaging the wider SCS. This is
Page 33: Participants’ comments included:
Page 37 and 38: Building up the supply and demand s
Page 39 and 40: Case study: Development work with d
Page 41 and 42: Case study: A skills strategy for g
Page 43 and 44: The recent CSR has emphasised the i
Page 45 and 46: At six months after the review:•
Page 47 and 48: Our challenge now is to ensure that
Page 49 and 50: • a more comprehensive approach t
Page 51 and 52: The Tranche 3 report identified the
Page 53 and 54: Case study: The Home Office Strateg
Page 55 and 56: The group is expanding to include l
Page 57 and 58: • The Sunningdale Institute facil
Page 59 and 60: Exhibit 3: Change trajectoriesCapab
Page 61 and 62: original reviews. The re-review wil
Page 63 and 64: Departments increasingly have to wo
Page 65 and 66: LeadershipKey questions that test c
Page 67 and 68: DeliveryKey questions that test cur
Page 69: Capability Reviews TeamCabinet Offi

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