How tough, outcomes-based public sector reforms can transform public service delivery and unite the Government
· In spite of consuming ever more resources, the public sector is not delivering when it comes to core outcomes. Public Sector reform is required.
· Given the urgency and the scale of the problem, the most effective approach is to employ a handful of radical reforms that are: Simple, Universally Applicable and Outcomes-Based.
· Outcomes-focused measures force public sector organisations and workers to focus on delivery of core tasks. That requires tough targets, external oversight and full accountability.
· Outcomes-based measures employ a wide variety of motivators to drive teams and individuals towards better results. These include: financial incentives, innate motivations, self-esteem and identity, recruitment, and clarity of purpose.
· The success of this approach was demonstrated when Kate Bingham (a civil service outsider with a private equity background) was put in charge of Britain’s vaccine roll-out.
· Refocusing the public sector on its core tasks will deal a fatal bow to woke-ism, identity politics and the pervasive problem of mission creep. When every employee and organisation is made accountable for tough, externally monitored targets, they simply will not have the time or resources for anything else. In fact, they are likely to face serious public censure if they fail to deliver core tasks while expending resources elsewhere.
· With the Conservative Party fractured, Outcomes-based Reforms can unite the entire party in a common purpose by appealing to every single faction. This includes: those who want a smaller state, those wanting tax cuts, those concerned about public service delivery for the vulnerable, those wanting to take on woke movements, and those who are concerned about policing and immigration failures.
· A set of six of outcomes-based reforms are proposed hereinafter. All of these are designed to achieve quick results and could be applied across the entire public sector. They are: Zero-Based Budgeting, Social Impact Bonds, Explicit Job Titles and Job Descriptions, Splitting High-Level Executive and Operational Functions, Skills-based Hiring and Ideological Passporting.
Meaningful ad effective public sector reform can be controversial. Thus, messaging is crucial. It should not emphasise notions of cuts and austerity. Instead, it should focus on cultural change, greater autonomy, greater accountability, simplification, cutting waste and better delivery of the things that matter. These are focused reforms, not blanket ‘Cuts.’ Adopting Marie Kondo’s de-cluttering philosophy may be a universally appealing way to get the message across.
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