Organisational health and capability

In the last year, we looked at our systems and processes, our culture, the way we invest our resources, the way we gather and use our information, and our brand. Steady progress during the year means that we are well placed to explore the development of an integrated operating model to support us into the future.

Our culture

In 2013, we launched our new purpose and principles to guide the way we work, to form the foundation for the culture needed to achieve our goals of delivering tailored services to New Zealanders. Establishing these shared principles ensures we will build a culture where we can be constructive, collaborative and innovative, and focused on making a real difference to people’s lives.

Leadership style is the most significant driver of organisational culture and this was the main theme of our most recent leadership summit. We have identified ‘culture champions’ from across the organisation to ensure culture building becomes a widespread capability throughout the organisation. We will continue to work with staff to create an environment that encourages them to be innovative, open and responsive, and think independently.

Developing our leaders

Leadership capability is critical to developing a more integrated way of working, and we rely on leaders and managers to drive change across the organisation. During the year, we continued to invest in leadership and talent management to underpin the development of a strong organisational culture.

We launched our Talent Management and Succession Planning project in March 2014. This is a comprehensive approach to identifying and managing organisational talent and planning for our future capability needs. The plan links the design and implementation of a range of other strategies focused on areas such as organisational culture, employee engagement, and performance within the context of our future strategic direction. This project will also inform the development of a Talent Strategy for the Ministry.

We provided a range of development opportunities to build our leadership capability and succession planning, including:

Emerging Leaders, a programme designed for high-performing individuals who have the potential and aspiration to move into their first management or leadership role. Since its launch, 170 employees have participated

Te Aratiatia, which supports Māori and Pacific high-performing individuals to move into their first management or leadership role. More than 140 Māori and Pacific staff have graduated from Te Aratiatia since its launch in 2002

Te Aka Matua, which supports five Māori and Pacific managers who will complete their masters degrees in Public Management from Victoria University of Wellington every three years. The latest intake took place in late 2013 and the next is scheduled for 2016

MSD Study Awards, which are an opportunity for our employees to pursue a significant learning and development programme of their choice that will benefit both themselves and the Ministry. Up to 10 of these awards are available each year

The Team Leader Programme, a suite of five workshops providing first-time team leaders with core management and leadership skills. Since its introduction in 2011, a total of 68 participants have completed the programme

The Leadership in Action Programme, which we recently launched for experienced frontline managers from across the Ministry. Much of the learning comes from watching simulated situations that a manager typically faces. Just over 320 managers are taking part in the programme.

Improving business processes and enhancing the use of data

Simplification Project

During the year, we initiated a review of the way we deliver transactional services to New Zealanders. Simplification is about removing transactional clutter to allow more time to focus on delivering better outcomes for our clients. It involves simplifying the way we do business by streamlining processes and updating policy and systems.

In 2013/2014, we prepared an indicative business case for Government that identified potential changes to the way we deliver transactional services. This was informed by insights and potential improvements gathered from clients and staff. We examined data to identify opportunity areas and spoke to other organisations that have responded to similar challenges. Government approved the business case in June 2014.

We are involving staff and clients throughout this project. Staff have submitted more than 500 ideas for change, some of which have been implemented as ‘quick wins’, while others have informed concepts for the next phase business case.

These concepts will be tested, researched and discussed with the supplier market to develop prototypes to help us understand what is possible.

Data Hub

Data and information are integral to all we do. We have undertaken a comprehensive review of our business processes and systems to identify the most effective structure to manage and analyse data in a single, central data hub.

This will help ensure we have consistent, integrated information that provides the view of the client’s experience, a critical mass of specialist expertise, and faster more efficient provision of high-value insights.

As a result, we established a centralised Data Hub which consolidates all our data analytic functions and expertise in a single area. Through the Hub, we can have real-time, comprehensive information about our clients that allows us to make informed decisions to deliver the right services at the right time to meet our clients’ needs.

Over the next year, we will continue to test new ways of working by expanding secure data links with other agencies. This will further enhance the information that informs our decision-making.

Modernising the ICT platform

Investing in technology now will position us to meet the challenges we face in the immediate future. Better technology that supports a changing mix of services will tell us more about who we are working with and how we can deliver more effective services.

Our current ICT systems have been built up over the last 20 years to support individual service lines and adapted at each separate policy change. We have started a programme of work to move off fragmented legacy platforms and towards a more integrated operating model.

We have an ICT Strategy and Action Plan (ISAP) that sets out a technology response to the challenges we face, and supports our vision and goals. The response is a shift to self-service, systems simplification, process automation, data-assisted decision-making, information sharing and mobility.

The findings of the Simplification Project will inform the future ISAP.

Developing specialist expertise

Social workers

All Child, Youth and Family social workers undertake professional development through our in-house Practice Curriculum, social worker registration requirements, or advanced specialist development.

In 2013/2014, Child, Youth and Family provided 305 in-house workshops for staff, which included the Safe Strong Practice and the Advanced Safe Strong Practice programmes for frontline social workers, the Practice Leadership Curriculum for new supervisors, and the Residential Curriculum programme for new residential workers. Additional professional development was undertaken by the 1,263 social workers who were registered with the Social Workers Registration Board as at 30 June 2014, an increase of 101 from last year.

We also provided study awards and other assistance to 53 social workers undertaking formal tertiary qualifications in social work and child-centred practice, including masters degrees and post-graduate diplomas.

Case management

At 30 June 2014, 394 Work and Income staff members were enrolled in a qualification programme, including

68 Customer Services Representatives and Central Processing Unit staff. This also included 65 candidates on the Level 5 Public Sector qualification and 139 candidates on the Level 4 Public Sector qualification.

There were also 22 new cadets in Work and Income sites.

Our people

Diversity

Our Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) policy demonstrates our commitment to supporting and promoting equality and diversity within a positive work culture based on respect, fairness and valuing individual difference. The following graphs show our demographic background.

By gender

Source: State Services Commission Public Services Report 2013 and Ministry of Social Development statistics.

By ethnicity

Source: State Services Commission Public Services Report 2013 and Ministry of Social Development statistics.

Note: ‘MELAA’ refers to Middle Eastern, Latin American, African ethnicities. The percentages above do not add up to 100 per cent because each ethnic group includes all those who identify with the group. An employee may identify with two or more ethnic groups.

The 2013 Human Rights Commission EEO Survey identified that our policies and practices have led to positive outcomes for Māori employees.

In 2013, we began work to remove barriers, and ensure appropriate accommodation is available for current disabled employees. We have improved the recruitment process to enable more disabled people to apply for jobs within the Ministry and be accommodated if employed. The disability community has given us positive feedback about the changes we have made.

Positive and stable industrial relations

The Ministry’s relationship with the Public Service Association (PSA) through the Modern, Innovative and Productive Public Services Agreement (MIPPS) continues to provide a vibrant and stable industrial relations platform. Over 6,000 of our 10,000 staff are PSA members.

In 2013/2014, we worked alongside the PSA on a range of significant initiatives that impact our work environment and workforce. This included the Child, Youth and Family qualitative review of social worker caseload and casework, strategic reviews of pay, and our new performance management process.

During the year, we also successfully settled the remaining two of our five collective agreements, which gives us a stable platform as we embed government initiatives for better public services and other programmes that will change the way we work.

Diversity statistics 

In 2013/2014:

• in our senior management team
  • 58 per cent were female
  • 13 per cent were Māori
  • 3 per cent were Pacific peoples
  • 1 per cent was Asian
• the average age of Ministry staff was 44 years
• the average length of service was 10 years.