Accountability

Of course-lah all the productivity improvements and modernizations have been attempted before with varying degrees of success. I believe that it's our model of accountability in the public sector that needs a critical look, to help maximize the probability of success of such improvement initiatives.

In the end, who is held accountable for the success of a systems implementation or productivity improvement of an agency? How is this person held accountable? Is he going to be rewarded for performance gains? Who owns the outcomes?

I would suggest that Government agencies take the step of making available to the public their top-line KPIs (again, make sure it makes sense-lah, really be focused on outcomes that either affect the citizens or the country directly) ala  the Khazanah-led GLC KPIs.

The various Ministers would be held accountable to meet these KPIs, and to have regular updates to the citizens on their progress. Eventually with the help of technology the updates would be continuously available for all citizen-activists to look at and either cheer or jeer at the facts.

The definition of these KPIs would also help to clarify overlaps and areas of responsibilities between government agencies, helping drive efficiency gains (see previous post).

The good leaders will have an opportunity to make their accomplishments well known and this will lead the public to make better informed decisions as to who they want to hold high office.

This will also help justify any salary increases or even bonuses that may come their way - after all, Ministers do play an important role in Government, and we do want to tempt enough high-caliber CEO types from the private sector to provide leadership and energy in the public sector. Well, at least I think so.