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The people necessary to bring about transformation

The people necessary to bring about transformation

To create the ideal environment in which transformation may take place, state and local civil service systems must be redesigned in ways that encourage and provide the freedom to:

Find, hire or promote, and organize people who will become leaders in transforming state and local government – leaders who are skilled in managing and adapting to change, analyzing work, managing projects, decision-making, leading, communicating, and resolving conflict.
Efficiently secure experts when they are needed to address complex problems.
Provide training to supply the tools for making transformation happen.

Leaders must task human resources systems with reviewing and revising the hiring procedures for key positions, to better reflect the skills and requirements of transformative leaders. Those systems also must serve as consulting and supporting resources for the selection of those leaders.

While it is important to create flexible government through actions such as civil service changes, such actions will not be sufficient by themselves. We believe that the transformation of the workings of government will not occur without two additional ingredients being added to the mix:

A culture of teamwork and respect must be created in which political leaders and civil servants believe that each is pursuing the common good.
Leaders in both the legislative and executive branches of government must personally embrace initiatives to transform the machinery of government and work to sustain the efforts for change.