Reforming the bureaucracy

In an earlier article, I discussed the weaknesses within the government and its structure. First things first, bureaucracy should stop pretending that there isn’t a problem with it. There is. A serious one, in fact. What we need to do is, come to terms with the deterioration and take instant action. If we don’t, we will become redundant. With political bosses looking at the private sector to man key positions and outsource functions of public institutions, this process has auspiciously begun. Tough decisions are immediately required to curb the rot. Better remuneration is just one of the dynamics but not the deciding factor in improving service delivery in public institutions. Neither is improving the balance of power within the bureaucratic hierarchy through better Annual Confidential Report forms. The bureaucracy needs well-equipped and motivated officers to make up its workforce.

The most crucial step for restoring service delivery is modernisation of our processes. While this has been an upcoming trend, we need it in every office. We need to get rid of the cumbersome processes which are more of an impediment to decision-making, than a support. We need smart systems, and quick and reliable ways of information collection, accessing and sharing. We need to get rid of precedents and procedures that are no longer required or relevant. This includes not only digitisation but an overhaul of our procedures and rules.

The second most crucial aspect that we need to achieve, to the ire of some, is a leaner bureaucracy and fewer positions. Bureaucracy has a way of perpetuating itself. However, more tiers are actually an impediment to better service delivery. We need to reorganise the structure of organisations and reduce our numbers, especially in the secretariats. Fewer tiers will upsurge efficiency and enable the government to compensate more, in turn promoting a competitive spirit amongst officers. Also, we need to modify the concept of a government job being a way to get paid regularly without accomplishing much work.

The third crucial step involves training proficiently — not only our officers but also our junior staff so that precious time isn’t consumed by higher-ups, fixing the mistakes of lower tiers and neglecting their own work. This is one of the biggest operational issues at the service delivery level and often leads to a comedy of errors, which makes the workplace reminiscent of the comical Yes Minister. A well-trained subordinate staff is tremendously central for effectiveness. That being said, strict capacity building measures are required at every tier, which should be mandatory, not optional. The fourth vital step is delinking promotion with years of service and associating it with performance. While this might be thought to lead to favouritism, speedy promotions must be considered as a route to boost performance and healthy competition.

The fifth step, and in some cases most important, is creating a work environment comfortable for employees and providing them logistic facilities at every level so that they can be free of stress and concentrate on their work. This is a recipe for a content and motivated workforce. We need to inspire our workforce to take pride in being a part of the government for the right reasons, not for how much corruption it can manage at a given position. The final step is to create systems of accountability, transparency and responsiveness in each organisation, whether it deals with the public or not. The citizens who come into contact with any organisation should have access to lodging complaints, to which they should get viable responses.

The above-mentioned ideas are simple and doable. However, the current managements of our organisations have failed miserably at heightening efficiency. It’s time we replaced them with champions. If the bureaucracy doesn’t initiate these reforms, it cannot hope to acquire a better image and cannot expect to work effectively.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2016.

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