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Last updated: 24 November 2008
Dusty corridors and stiff suits are a far cry from today's Civil Service. The Civil Service of the 21st century is a dynamic, increasingly streamlined organisation with employees who are working to make a difference to people’s lives.
Transforming Civil Service skills and capability
Delegates inputting feedback at Civil Service Live
The work of civil servants touches the lives of everyone in the UK, from advising job–seekers to formulating climate change policy. the Cabinet office has a special role at the centre of government and supports Gus O'Donnell in driving the Civil service forward.
To deliver the challenging results that the Government and the public expect, the Civil Service needs strong, effective leaders. In 2008 the Civil Service Capability Group incorporated leadership skills into the annual performance assessments of all 4,000 members of the Senior Civil Service. This extends up to, and includes, Permanent Secretaries.
As a result, leadership is now a key competency for the Senior Civil Service. These skills, set out in the Leadership Framework element of Professional Skills for Government (PSG) [External website], define the expectations the Civil Service has of its leaders both individually and collectively, in four areas:
Jacquie Heany, Deputy Director for Government HR Professionalism at the Cabinet Office, is a new entrant to the Senior Civil Service. She commends the new arrangements:
“Knowing that there is real commitment to assessing my leadership style is very reassuring – it means that there is an absolute link between what I deliver in my job and how I deliver it as a leader. In this way, there is real clarity for me and the people I lead that all aspects of my performance are taken into account.”
This new development is just one part of a wider set of tools, including PSG, which have been introduced to build and strengthen capability in the Senior Civil Service.
Another key development over the past year has been Base Camp, our corporate leadership induction course for new entrants to the Senior Civil Service. Shaped by the Civil Service Capability Group in partnership with the National School of Government [External website], the programme ran for the first time in November 2007 and again in February 2008.
Jeremy Heywood. Permanent Secretary, No.10, addresses Senior Civil Servants
These initial three–day courses brought together some 150 new Senior Civil Servants from across government, and set out to explain the corporate Civil Service leadership behaviours expected of them all. The events also offered delegates an opportunity to participate in workshops, network, and hear from some of the foremost leaders in the Civil Service.
BBC broadcaster Jeremy Vine, who attended the first event to host a Q&A session, was positively impressed by the participants:
“My listeners are the ones who are queuing at the Post Office or the hospital, and what impressed me about today's session was that the participants knew that.”
Inspiring innovation across the whole Civil Service was the aim of Civil Service Live [External website] – the first event of its kind dedicated to UK civil servants. More than 6,000 civil servants from across government came together at Westminster's QEII Conference Centre to share best practice and learn from interactive events. The event was organised by the Cabinet Office in tandem with the National School of Government [External website] and fortnightly publication Whitehall & Westminster World.
Opening the event, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that the British Civil Service had long been recognised worldwide for its impartiality, independence and record of service. But it was important to focus on the challenges of the future, which would demand a high degree of collaboration and interaction.
“Increasingly your job will be not just to talk to each other across departments but to consult the public, involve them, and engage them in the process of change.”
“The very title of this conference, and the focus on innovation, versatility, enterprise and learning from each other, shows that we are ready to make the changes that are necessary.”
The event gave participants the opportunity to explore innovation in a range of areas, from sustainability to skills, with many of the free sessions available offering key insights into government working. One of the many highlights was Lion's Lair, an adaptation for civil servants of the BBC programme Dragon's Den.
The RT Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime MinisterIncreasingly your job will be not just to talk to each other across departments but to consult the public, involve them, and engage them in the process of change.
The RT Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister at Civil Service Live
The event challenged civil servants to put ideas for making government work better before a panel of experts including Peter Jones, a star entrepreneur on Dragon's Den. It also took inspiration from Angels and Dragons, a similar staff suggestion scheme already up and running within the Cabinet Office.
One winning Lion's Lair proposal was from Rupert Cryer of the Cabinet Office Capability Review team. His idea is to gather success stories from the Civil Service, and to celebrate the best of these by sharing them with colleagues across government departments in a regular headlines bulletin. These ideas will be taken forward over the next 12 months.
Celebrating success is also the driving force behind the Civil Service Awards, launched in 2006 by the Cabinet Office, the Office of Government Commerce and the National Audit Office with backing from sponsors including Whitehall & Westminster World.
The awards, which showcase examples of good practice across government, are open to any civil servant who has made a difference to the way government works. Over the past two years the awards have helped civil servants share examples of innovation, leadership, operational delivery, transformational government and joined–up working.
The RT Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime MinisterThank you for the dedication you show, the commitment you give, for the expertise you have, for the professionalism that is always there and for the service that is appreciated by citizens in every part of the United Kingdom.
Delegates at Civil Service Live
Kevin Doherty, Head of Corporate Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), (and his team) scooped an award at the November 2007 awards for their work on Flex, an ICT outsourcing project. The initiative is set to create shared ICT services across the public sector, potentially saving £2.5 million a year as well as over 300 tonnes of carbon for the Cabinet Office. In addition to the Cabinet Office, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Office for National Statistics have also opted to adopt the service.
“Flex means more value for money for the public purse,” says Kevin.
“As well as improving efficiency and reducing costs, it will enable us to collaborate more effectively and to join up government.”