Doing vs. Delivering

Whither public administrators? Many have attempted to look at what ails them in providing a variety of solutions. My aim is somewhat different. Having witnessed the commencement of a Master of Public Administration (MPA) programme at the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), I thought of reflecting on the value addition an MPA would have on a public administrator. Today’s column will shed light on this.

 

Doing and delivering

We may do a lot of things, in getting occupied all the time. Yet, do such activities produce the required results? That’s why we need to deliver. For me delivering results is far more important than doing routine tasks. Of course, there is a nexus. You need both. In the context of public administrators in Sri Lanka, delivering results is critical than doing things.

The inauguration of the MPA at PIM witnessed an interesting thought sharing on the growth of the nation. Prof. Uditha Liyanage, Director of PIM stressed the need to strengthen the private sector which is the Engine of Growth by providing the required direction and facilitation by the public administrators. Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawarathne, the Sectary to the Ministry of Higher Education, who was the chief guest, referred to the public sector as the gearbox of the engine of growth. Dr. Lloyd Fernando, Programme Director, added that the political leadership should be the driver.

In such a context, public administrators as a well-oiled gearbox should guide the vibrancy of the private sector. Keeping this need in mind, the MPA programme is designed to offer a multitude of knowledge requirements of executive level officers of the public service. Most public servants belong to a transferable service. They have to; therefore, acquire “transversal” knowledge, which could hold them in good stead in any assignment. MPA programme aptly caters for that.

MPA in general

Let me highlight key features of the MPA, as its prospectus clearly elaborates. The course content flows from the concept of the new public service worldview (paradigm), which has development promotion as its principal function. The other aspect, which is the service delivery function, is mostly subsumed in the development function; yet a few course modules have been introduced to address separately some of its specific issues.

The focus of the course structure, one might observe, is heavily weighted in favour of planning: macro, sectoral and project. As Dr. Lloyd Fernando, the Programme Director observes, “That is because the principal instrument of performing the development function is planning, which also includes progress monitoring and impact assessment”.

Blended learning in action

A novel course delivery system is adopted employing techniques of blended learning, combining distance education with the traditional ‘face-to- face’ method. The main reason is that busy public servants cannot be away from their work desks too long, and must be able to

follow lessons when time permits. They also work in different geographical locations. As a result, the traditional classroom lecture based method becomes very restrictive. Yet, group learning has many advantages, since it allows cross-fertilisation of ideas and promotes creative learning. This is the rationale of the blended learning methodology that is adopted in the course delivery system under the MPA programme.

Specific contents

The MPA course consists of 18 core modules, 2 elective courses, comprehensive examinations and a skill/policy paper. It involves comprehension, reflection and application. It is worthwhile looking at specific details of the core courses on offer.  

Concepts of development

The primary role of the public service is to promote development in its many forms. The much talked about service delivery function is subsumed to a large extent in the concept of development. It is, therefore, extremely important that participants of the course are adequately oriented at the very outset, and on the concepts of development.

The role of the public service

All public servants will have to acquire a clear appreciation of the vision and mission of public administration – the role of the public service in the new management paradigm. Public servants need to understand that their role is to ‘steer’ rather than ‘row’, for which the principles of good governance need adherence, not so much for their ethical values, but crucially, as a technical requirement.

Macroeconomic framework

Development promotion and impact assessment require a good understanding of macro-economic variables. Indicators such as GDP growth, balance of payments position, budgetary outturn, inflationary trends, as well as exchange rate and interest rate changes reflect public policy and management.

Development planning

Development planning has been used as a principal instrument of policy implementation by various governments in Sri Lanka. In an examination of the concepts and methods of planning, this module focuses on the nexus of macro, sectoral and project plans, laying the foundation, thereby, for more detailed analysis in the subsequent modules.

Sectoral planning

Almost every ministry and department, as well as regional authorities such as provincial councils, local authorities and the district and divisional secretariats, have to deal with sectoral planning as the backdrop, to more detailed intervention at the project level. The module, therefore, takes the concepts and methods examined under development planning, a step further.

Cross-cutting issues of development

The sectoral approach often leaves out of focus certain fundamental objectives of development. This module examines the causes and consequences of such concerns and how they could be dealt with.

The Government Budget and fiscal policy

The Government Budget is the principal instrument of government intervention in the economy – ‘the mother of all instruments’. It is formulated and implemented within the fiscal policy objectives that have been defined in terms of the overall development objectives. In this module, course participants are introduced to fiscal policy analysis with a view to providing a good appreciation of the economic ramifications of each budgetary component.

Managing organisations

Management is all about achieving results. This module focuses on decision-making processes, time management, delegation of authority and managing change.

Human resource management

Human resource is the most precious resource in any organisation. The tradition in the public service however has not been fully appreciative of HRM. This module examines the best practices in the private sector with regard to HRM that could be appropriately adopted in the public service.

Service chain management

A lot could be learnt from private sector practices of logistics management, which are based on service chain management techniques and methods. These techniques and methods help look at service delivery functions from the different perspectives of service providers and users.

Effective communication

Effective communication helps mobilisation of effort at various levels of the hierarchy, to perform vertically and horizontally in a collective effort to produce and deliver goods and services, efficiently and effectively. Thus, the module examines effective oral and written methods, as well as listening skills and the conduct of productive meetings.

Management information systems

Management information supports administrators to make objective decisions in pursuit of organisational goals. The study of this area has become timely in view of the current and planned initiatives by the government in its e-Government Programme.

Project preparation and appraisal

Project Preparation is one of the most important planning functions of a government institution – Ministry, Department, District and Divisional Administration, Provincial Council or a local authority. Each activity, in fact, could be viewed as a project, for it involves a cost (resource use) and a benefit (not always in monetary terms).

Project management and evaluation

One could discern three types of projects that need effective management – major projects involving foreign funding managed by professional consultants under contract, medium sized projects which rely almost exclusively on local financing and smaller areas of spending with a time horizon, which have all the characteristics of a project. In all these areas of activity there is a common requirement of mobilisation and deployment of resources — human, material and financial — for cost effective and timely achievement of project objectives.

Management for development results

The aim here is to assist the participants of the course to grasp the essential features of the Government’s initiatives in plan, programme and project monitoring and post evaluation.

The essence of the module is to discuss institutionalisation of “Managing for Development Results” (MfDR) in the government institutions to track the “results”, rather than the “efforts”.

Public accounting and cost management

The intention here is to impart necessary knowledge to non-financial managers on public sector accounting and cost management systems and procedures. Senior executives of the government are appointed to Boards of Public Corporations, where Balance Sheets, Profit and Loss accounts and allied financial statements are discussed.

Managerial leadership

This module prepares the participants to perform leadership roles at different levels of the administrative hierarchy, utilising the knowledge and analytical skills gained from the preceding course modules. It explains the role of leadership in achieving the vision and mission of government institutions, through proactive approaches, involving inspirational teamwork, staff development as well as effective communication with the political authorities.

Law relating to public administration

The Public Service is built and guided by a plethora of laws, regulations and procedure. All decisions and action must comply with these. They are, however, built on the Constitution of the Republic, general principles of law, the legal system in the country, and the Courts of Law. These laws not only deal with external relations but also with relationships within the service.

The module covers topics such as fundamental concepts relating to law, different categories of law, the Legal System of Sri Lanka, the Constitution of the Republic, Fundamental Rights, the Establishment Code and Financial regulations.

Way forward

In summing up, public administrators should deliver rather than just do. They should be pivotal catalysts for the growth and well-being of a country. Professor Uditha Liyanage further emphasised the intent of PIM with regard to the MPA, as follows:

 “PIM’s central intent is to transform mere practitioners into professional managers.

 The former depends almost entirely on past experience and anecdotal evidence. The latter, the professional manager does fuse personal experience with a body of knowledge based on the formal learning of concepts, frameworks, and theories.

This results in the professional manager seeing that which (s)he encounters differently, and then doing things in a way that is different to the actions of a manager who can only boast of the years behind him/her. The outstanding results the professional manager will get, as a consequence, are the ultimate reward.”

It is always better to light a candle rather than cursing the darkness. It seems that MPA will be a step towards the direction of mastering public administration, in delivering right results in moving beyond just doing routine tasks.

(Dr. Ajantha Dharmasiri is a learner, teacher, trainer, researcher, writer and a thinker in the areas of Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour.  He can be reached on [email protected].)