PHILOSOPHY FOR PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM Government's ...

White Paper on Public Sector Reformdelivery of services; but they permit the entrenchment of patterns ofmanagement which make systems modification or innovation difficult. Thepublic sector must now see rules asdynamic and not as an ‘end’ in themselves, but as a ‘means’ in the total contextof "ends-means" relationships. Indeed, rules and procedures for the efficientoperation of the public service in a competitive context, must be flexibleenough to respond to the needs of the changing environment.2:3:3 Standards of Performance and AccountabilityThe difficulty in this area stems from the situation that few or no set standardsof performance exist as a general rule in the public service or that thosestandards previously observed, have generally fallen into disuse.The Government recognises that the deficiencies which help to undermine theattainment of organisational goals must be addressed. In this regard, experiencehas shown that -• the roles of many agencies are not clearly defined, occurring through adhoc growth and mix in the mandates of agencies;• the objectives are not specific, and the planning and control mechanismsare generally weak; and• training is not undertaken or is inadequate for the circumstances.The impact and persistence of these deficiencies directly contribute to poorperformance and accountability, negatively affect the proper functioning of thepublic service and erode public confidence in the operations and performance