EP#130: On a journey of continuous reform with Dr Rachel Bacon and Professor Janine O’Flynn – part 2
Returning for part 2 of our new ‘APS Reform in Action’ series, Dr Rachel Bacon and Professor Janine O’Flynn discuss how Australia is learning from other countries’ public service best practice – and vice versa.
Wanting to do things better doesn’t always mean you have to re-invent the wheel. In this episode, Dr Rachel Bacon from the Australian Public Service Commission and Professor Janine O’Flynn from ANU Crawford School reveal lessons from overseas and introduce the concept of ‘radical incrementalism’ – making small improvements to achieve a larger goal.
Host David Pembroke, CEO of contentgroup, also speaks to our guests about why effective collaboration will remain a key tool to responding to increasingly complex challenges.
This series is produced in partnership with the Australian Public Service Commission.
Key tips:
- Instead of aiming for radical change, look for small changes over time.
- If you want people to collaborate, you need to make it part of their performance assessment.
- Foster purpose and pride by looking at what works well.
Guests:
Dr Rachel Bacon
Dr Rachel Bacon is currently the deputy commissioner, Integrity, Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission. Rachel serves the IPAA ACT Council where she works to promote excellence in public administration.
Prior to this Rachel worked at the Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet (PM&C), as deputy secretary, Public Sector Reform, helping to shape and deliver a suite of reform initiatives to make people’s interactions with government simpler, easier – and make life inside the public service understood and valued. Strengthen integrity, capability and culture within the public service.
Professor Janine O’Flynn
Professor Janine O’Flynn is the Director of the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy, the leading Public Policy school in the region. She is an expert in public administration and management, having advised governments around the world on issues ranging from the design of effective performance management systems through to collaborative approaches to policy design and implementation.
She is a Fellow of the US National Academy of Public Administration and the Institute of Public Administration Australia, and she sits on several advisory boards.