THE NEW executive agency status that is aimed at improving service delivery and recently conferred on eight government departments is apparently reaping rewards. Last Saturday the agencies' performance came up for review at a symposium hosted by the University of the West Indies (UWI). Consensus emerged that overall the agencies have resulted in improved operational costs with some agencies already recovering half of these costs.
Regrettably, not all agencies have delivered to the same degree and frequent complaints of lapses in service at the Registrar-General's Department still stand out like a sore thumb. In the main however the message of the need to change from the old bureaucratic style that dogs government departments into service-oriented organisations is getting home.
At a deeper level however, there are some important lessons that the move towards executive agencies has taught us about initiating fundamental organisational change. Dr. Edwin Jones, Professor of Administration at UWI, sees a major lesson as the benefits of introducing gradual change. Thus rather than going 'the whole hog', implementation started with four agencies.
This allowed time for review and feedback; and in March after the pitfalls of the first phase were corrected, another four agencies were added.
Another important lesson learnt about public sector reform was that the executive agency model had to be adjusted to reflect the realities of the Jamaican situation. Additionally, while there must be stable macro-economic policies in place to complement organisational change, we believe that ultimately the success of the executive agency model will depend on the continued vigilance of the public in demanding improved customer service. This, after all, is a basic premise of our market economy, that can never be overstated.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.
