Organisational health and capability
Competency and capability improvement
To fulfil our roles, the Ministry must be efficient and continually improving. The Ministry‘s current capability development initiatives are being refocused to align with the Ministry’s Fisheries 2030 project and the Organisation Design Review which began in 2009.
The overarching goal of our People Strategy is to attract, engage and keep good people. In support of continual learning and improvement, competency-based capability development has been adopted throughout the Ministry. Organisational management and leadership development programmes, designed in association with the Leadership Development Centre, are progressing to ensure the Ministry maintains a critical mass of management and leadership capability. Following the development of leadership skills and knowledge in the 2008/09 foundation year, the focus in 2009/10 will be on the establishment of a mentoring programme, Māori skills development activities, and making online development tools available through the Performance and Development module of our Human Resources Information System (HRIS).
The Ministry started using its new HRIS in 2009 to enable improved resource management and utilisation. The roll-out began with reporting tools and the Performance and Development module (including integrated Lominger and in-house resources). Providing managers with up-to-date tools and information will support our focus on building capability and the required competency within the Ministry. This will also help us with succession planning and workforce planning.
All Ministry staff are expected to make an ongoing investment in their skill development and capability growth and they each have a target of at least five days formal training per year. In 2007/08 this investment totalled an average of twelve days per staff member.
The Ministry completed its first Gallup Q12 Engagement Survey with staff in 2008, which has proven to be a useful vehicle for identifying and addressing fundamental issues at the team level. Information from this State Services Development Goal initiative has also been used to improve the level of staff engagement, as defined by Gallup, within the Ministry and the wider public services. The Ministry is scheduled to undertake its second Gallup Survey in September 2009.
Improved internal communications with staff across the wide range of services and locations is a priority and technology solutions will be used that are cost effective and efficient. The Ministry has given transparent communication with staff a high priority in its 2009 Organisation Design Review.
Equal Employment Opportunities
The Ministry completed its Pay and Employment Equity Review in 2008. The review initiated the development of policies on flexible work arrangements and bullying which are scheduled for completion in 2009. The Ministry continues to address issues around disability on the basis of individual needs and actively promotes Māori participation.
How will we demonstrate success?
During 2009/10 the Ministry will continue to monitor its performance in achieving State Sector development goals through the use of the following indicators.
| Goal and goal description |
Employer of Choice
Ensure the State Services is an employer of choice attractive to high performers, who are committed to service and the achievement of results | |
| Indicators |
Ministry Intention |
| Reputation: Perceptions of the State Services as a place to work |
Improved internal staff communications, fair and equitable terms and conditions of employment maintained, enhanced induction processes and investment in infrastructure, work tools and staff development. |
| Staff engagement: Engagement levels of staff in State Services agencies, including perceptions about the effectiveness of development plans, processes and opportunities |
Gallup engagement survey work, performance and development processes supported by an HRIS, a leadership development programme emphasising visible leadership and communication, development of capability to meet obligations to Māori. |
| Chief executive/agency: The extent to which agencies are specifying the competencies they require of their people to meet current and future organisational needs |
Extensive use of competency frameworks and competencies in performance and development, and recruitment processes. The Ministry is providing greater clarity of role to staff and increasing the accountability requirements of managers. |
| Sector: The extent to which a learning and development framework is used across the sector to improve agencies performance |
Competency frameworks, needs analysis-driven competency selection, common performance and development processes, leadership and management development programmes to be applied across the Ministry. |
| Goal and goal description |
Value-for-Money State Services
Uses resources and powers in efficient, appropriate and effective ways | |
| Indicators |
Ministry Intention |
| The extent to which decision makers are taking account of longer-term economic and fiscal impacts of government activities |
Maintain the current annual expenditure review approach as part of the development of the Ministry’s annual fisheries services plan. Develop strategies for engaging with tangata whenua and stakeholders with an emphasis on ensuring value for money for all New Zealanders. Complete the Observer Services Strategy and Research Services Strategy reviews to deliver cost-effective services in each of these areas. |
The extent to which agencies use and publish
value-for-money indicators and benchmarks |
The Ministry is developing value-for-money indicators and benchmarks. |
| Goal and goal description |
Networked State Services
Use technology to transform the provision of services for New Zealanders | |
| Indicators |
Ministry Intention |
Grouping of services/transactions that apply technology to allow an individual – from one place at the same time – to access multiple programmes
Channel synchronisation of government transactions – within an agency or across government
The extent to which technology supports a user having to give the same information to government only once |
The Ministry has a project underway to amalgamate data from multiple sources and make this available, via the Internet, using a wide range of user-selectable viewing tools. A simple concept demonstrator is currently operational, and it is anticipated that the production system will become operational in late 2010. |
| Goal and goal description |
Coordinated State Agencies
Ensure the total contribution of government agencies is greater than the sum of its parts | |
| Indicators |
Ministry Intention |
| The extent to which the three dimensions of successful coordination – mandate, systems and behaviours – are present and their use is impacting on results |
The Ministry will continue to achieve this through its work with:
- the Department of Conservation on a range of fisheries-related issues such as observer coverage, marine reserves, marine protected areas and protection of marine mammals and seabirds
- the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on international fisheries issues and access to international markets
- the National Maritime Coordination Centre for fisheries compliance activities
- the Natural Resource Management Network to reduce adverse impacts on the marine environment and protected species caused by activities other than fishing.
|
| Goal and goal description |
Accessible State Services
Enhance access, responsiveness and effectiveness, and improve New Zealanders’ experience of State Services | |
| Indicators |
Ministry Intention |
Uptake of services
Service user’s individual circumstances are taken into account
User’s experience and expectations inform service design and improvement |
The Ministry is developing websites with improved interface design and navigation that will more readily enable users to access Ministry information.
The Ministry’s online web mapping system incorporates options which allow the user to customise the display to meet their needs. |