Talent, Retention and Change Management in the Public Sector

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When discussing new mobility, public-private partnerships, and ways that the public sector can harness innovation, I wonder what can the public sector do to prepare as an organization for change. Some of the stereotypes of working in the public sector is that it is slow, not nimble, has a lot of red tape, and highly political. In addition, the talent structure can be extremely hierarchical. While many of these things are necessary or unavoidable for a local agency (especially politics), the lack of innovation, lack of investment in talent and career growth, and short timelines of leadership can really dissuade professionals to work in the sector. Today, salaries and benefits in the private sector, including the start-ups who have not been profitable, are higher than the public sector. While the public sector does have obligations to it's taxpayers, the private sector has obligations to shareholders and investors; therefore, why is there such a discrepancy in work culture? 

A few strategies to build up the public sector to boost talent, hiring, and innovation can start with building a new public sector. Public-private partnerships as described in this article could help drive that change. As both sectors learn from each other and their best practices, more and more innovative ideas are fostered and developed. In addition, the private sector has done pro-bono work or civic engagement as a way to develop their employees further (or perhaps as a way to develop talent); similarly the public sector can develop their own internal culture of innovation with exchanges to various departments, to the private sector, etc.  This will also help with creating a more flat system that makes each individual feel welcome and part of the team. The public sector can also have a more rewarding viewpoint towards risk-taking. Calculated risks will help the agency grow and empowers more junior staff to take initiative.

It is important to invest in your people's growth and in building a community, which the public sector already has but can harness further. Employees already are mission-driven, so I argue that additional investment in talent similar to the private sector, can see huge benefits to drawing top talent. When other countries are recruiting their best talent into government (e.g. Singapore), why can't we?






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