Globally-renowned HR Guru Dave Ulrich offer insights on education reform, training and public servi

Monday, 27 April 2015 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Q: For our labour to become more and more productive, we need to improve the delivery of knowledge and also successfully move our young people from education to employment. In your view, what talent interventions would work well and how can these interventions be scaled up for maximum impact? A: Firstly, employment starts by being explicit about the types of employment opportunities that would be most beneficial for the country and generally should reflect the mood of the economy as seen in the table. With the stage(s) of economic development identified, government policy may then encourage both education and employment in those targeted industries.

Secondly, the talent interventions in my view would include: a.Government subsidising (through direct grants, tax abatements, or investments) targeted industries to encourage their growth. b.Government learning about key success factors in targeted industry groups through best practice studies or industry forums. c.Sponsored education with student scholarship, faculty research grants, and degrees focused on targeted industries. Student scholarships may include education opportunities in the world’s top academic institutions to gain insight about the targeted area. d.Government co-sponsored education to employment transitions, e.g., government paying a portion of one to three years of salary for targeted industries for qualified employees e.Government and industry cosponsoring training initiatives where employees may attend consortia or focused events to acquire skills to participate in targeted industry Q: The other challenge we have as a country is reforming the school-system and the higher education system to meet the needs of the economy. How should we address that? A: As noted above, higher education becomes more effective when focused on targeted industries. Higher education success is often tied to investments in both physical facilities (campus, technology, infrastructure) and faculty resources. In many ways physical education investments are easier, requiring money and space. Acquiring faculty resources becomes more difficult, but higher qualified faculty are key to higher qualified students. Increasing faculty quality may come from alliances with top universities in other countries and/or from sponsoring faculty to gain credibility and reputation through research. However, broader school system reform is more complex, difficult, and prolonged. It requires investing in education through:

Physical facilities: making sure that primary schools have excellent locations, up to date technology (students with access to internet), and teaching materials
Career opportunities: making sure teachers are respected and paid to attract more qualified teachers.
Differentiating students: identifying and investing in more academically oriented students to encourage their development while simultaneously investing in students who may go into trades
Family support: helping families and extended families recognise and invest in the development of the next generation. Much of the commitment to learning comes within the home.
nSchool standards: creating objective and global standards for school performance and establishing incentives for school to meet those standards e.g., student test scores
School governance: establishing clear processes for decision making and accountability for school governance. My leaning is generally to reduce bureaucracy you need to invest more authority in local school leaders (e.g., principals). But, this should start with a government commission to establish a framework for governance (roles, rules, responsibilities)

Q: In my view there are four key stakeholders in our journey to become a middle income country. How do we ensure these four stakeholders work together? A: Yes, I see four stakeholders who each bring key expertise to the table and they need to work together to ensure economic prosperity:

1.Government: set policy, establish regulation, acts as a role model, target investment in infrastructure; initiate initiatives 2.Education: develop talent, build future knowledge workers 3.Labour: ensure competence and commitment of work force and ensure they continually learn 4.Industry: create global competitiveness and leverage organisation successes to create new opportunities However, these four groups have different agendas and aspirations, but they need to share a common agenda for building Sri Lanka’s economic future. Creating this cooperation among these groups may come from: 1.Established councils (e.g., council of economic advisors or council of education thought leaders) who monitor particular areas of the economy 2.Joint task forces across the four groups targeting specific problems or questions that might arise (e.g., selecting an economic target for the country) 3.Cooperation ventures across the groups, e.g., industry internships for education opportunities. 4.Find common ground with simple pilots and successes, e.g., an industry targeted magnet school where government, industry and education work together to grow future workforce Q: How do we build leadership capacity in the public sector/service? A: There are two parts to this question, general Civil Service reform and specific leadership training for the Public Service. Civil Service transformation helps to ensure that Sri Lanka Government services are designed to deliver value to citizens and residents of the country. The Sri Lanka Government should operate both efficiently and effectively. It should be an institution that has a clear sense of purpose, vision and values. It should be an institution whose purpose, vision and values are formulated to enhance the wellbeing of its collective internal and external stakeholders. It should also be an institution that translates its purpose, vision and values into reality through effective leadership and HR development policies and practices. At another level, the ability of civil service to reform helps shape an overall identity for Sri Lanka. Government becomes an example of not only how government works, but also how the broader society can and should function including the private sector and social institutions (NGOs). A company and a nation may have an identity or “brand” that infuses itself throughout a society. This brand defines what the country is known for; how it builds on its past to prepare for its future; how it innovates; how it governs, makes decisions, and allocates resources; how it develops human capability; and how it turns values and beliefs into actions and practices through people and organisation. When the Sri Lanka Civil Service defines and models the broader Sri Lanka brand, many stakeholders who comprise the fabric of the society are benefited. The stakeholders of the Sri Lanka identify include:

Industry: within large and small, public and private corporations, values and actions are demonstrated that reflect an identity
Education: in an increasingly knowledge economy, education of both children and adults becomes a critical piece of a successful society
Regulatory bodies: the ways in which legislation is created and enforced ensures political and societal stability
Partners: in a border-less global society, any country forms partnerships with others. These partnerships enable the country to grow and influence beyond its borders
Family: much, if not most, of a society’s values are defined, communicated, and transferred within a family. Parents who accept the responsibility and obligation of investing in future generations improve on the past.
Community: a community exists through investments in infrastructure (roads, communication, etc.), cultural investments (museums, arts, leisure activities), and moral expectations (beliefs and values).

When these stakeholders understand and embody the Sri Lanka identity, they create a strong society that is able to succeed not only in the present, but also in the future. The ultimate outcome of all this is the creation of a society that has the ability to create opportunities for future generations. Sri Lanka leaders need to prepare their country for the present as well as for the future generations; it must define its economic future and create human capital that can accomplish that future. Singapore has done this so well. There is so much to learn from them. Q: The next challenge is building leadership within the Sri Lanka Public Service? A: I would suggest four key steps that the Sri Lanka public sector could follow to make the Public Service more skilled, digital and unified 1.Create a business case: establish the rational for why improved leadership matters for the Sri Lanka public sector (to meet goals, to be a trend setter, to serve employees, to meet citizen expectations, etc.) 2.Define leadership brand: based on above discussion, define the standards and criteria (competencies) for an effective Sri Lanka public servant. These should include what we call the Code (leadership basics) and the differentiators (the unique qualities of Sri Lanka Civil Service) 3.Assess leaders: find out how leaders are doing and living these standards 4.Develop leaders: create leadership development opportunities: a.On the job: assignments, projects, task forces, public presentations, career mobility b.Leadership academy: create a Sri Lanka leadership academy that invests in future leaders with courses, experiences, and other training c.Off the job experience: help current leaders become mentors to others and other groups to learn from non-work activities 5.Follow up and track results: measure leadership growth for both individual leaders and for overall leadership So in conclusion, by building on and strengthening these two pillars, the Government can build and grow a strong public service.