FOR MANY YEARS NOW, there has been a lot of discussion about public sector efficiency. Some commentators have suggested that the infusion of a businesslike approach into public sector operations is likely to improve overall efficiency.
While I am inclined to agree with that idea to some degree, we should consider some of the fundamental differences between the private and public sectors.
Our private sector is seen to be primarily focused on profitability and return of investment. Fair enough, I guess. Why do people open a business if not to make money?
In stark contrast, though, is the public sector, which many argue is mandated to create and facilitate an enabling environment for the private sector to flourish, while maintaining a delicate balance between regulation and compliance. The sector is also charged with the responsibility of delivering a wide range of services to the citizenry as it strives to improve our overall lot.
By its shear vastness, complexity and interconnectivity, it is clear that the public sector has more than one tentacle and hence the infusion of a particular type of private sector approach to certain operations could inadvertently affect the entire system.
The great point I wish to make is that we need to appreciate that the animal we call the public sector is extraordinarily complicated.
Efficiency
I like to look at our public sector much like I view our road network and infrastructure. Just one single blockage on any of our main roads and we immediately begin to feel the congestion ripple effects on other roads.
Perhaps in much the same way we may choose to widen the roads, reduce the number of vehicles, retrain our drivers, or implement a mechanism to quickly remove blockages for greater efficiency, then we may need to consider similar out-of-the-box strategies to make our public sector more efficient. That is the hurdle that we have been struggling to overcome for far too long.
In the private sector, a manager is appointed based on his skills set, training, qualification and expertise. He is also given the autonomy and the resources to get the job done and, if he fails, he is relieved of his command.
Can we imagine a public sector, from top to bottom, where our leaders are actually trained and qualified for the job that they have been appointed to, much like what obtains in the private sector?
Can we imagine a public sector leader being held accountable for the efficiency of his unit, just as he would be in the private sector? Can we imagine a public sector manager who is shielded from political nepotism, but who we fire because he fails to meet the targets we set?
For what some may purport only to be a dream in Barbados, I submit that to infuse a private sector approach to public sector operations, we will first need to appoint a team that we believe is capable of achieving the targets that we set. Afterwards, we will also need to be particularly vigilant, but more importantly, we will need to ensure that if they fail to meet our expectations, that the first order of business would be to find other managers who we believe are capable of delivering the return of our trust and investment in them.
– SEAN ST CLAIR FIELDS