To keep on being a leader in its field, DEST must continue to build on the high quality service it gives to Ministers and strengthen relationships with stakeholders. At the same time it’s important we improve the way we all work together across the organisation – we need to continually look at our internal structures and operations and find ways to do things better.
To achieve this we need to:
- collaborate within the Department, with other Commonwealth, State/Territory government agencies and with external stakeholders;
- understand our environment, and the views of our customers and stakeholders;
anticipate policy and programme issues;
- develop creative solutions and collaborative ways of working;
influence the policy agenda; and
- implement the Government’s policies and programmes with commitment.
The following illustration shows that strong leadership is the key to driving new ways of developing the capabilities – these will grow when there is an open workplace culture that supports its people to use their knowledge and skills to improve individual and business performance. We all need to think about and understand how the organisational capabilities relate to what we do -- how they affect our work -- and how they can help us achieve better results.
Collaborate includes:
- working together to maximize the benefits of the other five capabilities;
- establishing organisational forums that support and drive creativity and innovation;
- working in teams to share knowledge and information;
- working across sectors to anticipate and implement effective policy and programme solutions;
- creating positive relationships with external stakeholders to understand and influence policy directions;
- working together to develop a shared strategic direction for DEST that will achieve stronger outcomes;
- strengthening our skills by working with other teams and agencies; and
- understanding that contract management is based fundamentally on relationship management.
Understand includes:
- appreciating and focusing on the needs and viewpoints of our clients and stakeholders, including in particular our Ministers;
- comprehending our priorities and objectives – what our policies and programmes set out to do, the environment they operate in, and the impacts they have;
- being aware of, and able to analyse and interpret, what is going on outside the organisation – the political environment, what stakeholders and clients think, emerging issues in education, science and training, applying foresight to possible futures;
- drawing on international policy approaches and experiences; and
transforming specialist information and technical expertise into knowledge.
Anticipate includes:
- staying ahead of the game;
- thinking about the future and acting proactively;
- scanning the environment and foreseeing opportunities and problems;
taking a strategic and long-term view;
- identifying uncertainties and risks and taking them into account in planning;
considering the “what if …?” so we can be confident that our policy proposals are robust; and
- informing the Minister about risks before they become problems.
Create includes:
- finding new approaches to solving problems;
- thinking laterally about issues;
- collaborating, coordinating and communicating;
- welcoming a diversity of views; and
- developing solutions that work now but are informed by a long-term, strategic perspective.
Influence includes:
- being known for innovative, excellent thinking, based on high quality research and analysis;
- adopting a national leadership role in promoting a learning society;
- building and supporting relationships of trust with our Ministers and their offices;
- developing relationship of openness and confidence with stakeholders;
- establishing, maintaining and using nation-wide intelligence gathering networks; and
- being open to influence from others.
Implement includes:
- showing a bias for action in the delivery of Government services;
- ensuring that policy is informed by the experience of those delivering programmes on the ground;
- using a framework of tools including for project planning and management, financial management, evaluation, relationship / contract management, risk management and continuous improvement;
- working within DEST and with other agencies and contracted service-providers to achieve better outcomes; and
- having a well informed view about which the best delivery mechanism for its purpose.
DEST supports the development of organisational capabilities through a range of strategies. We all use some – or many – of these strategies in our day-to-day work to become more capable as individuals, as well as creating a more capable organisation.
Some of the ways you can develop and use capabilities are:
- developing and implementing a work or business plan for your work unit;
- providing feedback to your manager or colleagues through the Performance Management System, Multi Source Feedback or the Staff Survey;
- taking part in departmental seminars;
- identifying and addressing your training and career development needs with your manager; and
- brainstorming ideas with your colleagues about how to improve business relationships with service providers.
The capabilities don’t offer a “one size fits all” approach. Different capabilities are important in different contexts and work areas of the Department. The challenge for all of us is to use Capable Practices deliberately and strategically so that DEST keeps on being recognised as a forward looking and high performing organisation.