Modern Management

1. Modern Management Controller’s Conference November 23, 2010

2. What is Modern Management • “Modern Management” is a set of management functions that ensures: • Ethical behaviour • Conscious management of risks • Clear lines of accountability • Stewardship of resources, and • Reporting and evaluation of results against stated objectives. • “Modern Management” is not an end-state but rather an on-going process that adjusts to changes in the business environment and adopts emerging management practices

3. Our Changing Management Environment • The environment that we manage has been impacted by a variety of changes: • Technological advances • Information/Knowledge access & sharing • Increasing public expectations w.r.t. transparency and accountability • Increasingly complex business relationships and partnerships • These changes are having a profound impact on how we: • Make decisions • Evaluate our programs and services, and • Monitor and control the programs we deliver.

4. The Changing Paradigms of Management:Impacts on our Control Processes NEW WORLD OLD WORLD Managers design their own controls within the framework Controls imposed from the centre Controls to achieve compliance with rules Controls based on risk assessment Managers focus on compliance Managers focus on accountability & learning

5. The Changing Paradigms of Management:Impacts on our Evaluation Processes NEWWORLD OLD WORLD Focus on outcomes achieved with resources Focus on resource utilization Measurement of financial results Balanced performance measurements

6. The Changing Paradigms of Management: Impacts on our Decision Making Processes NEW WORLD OLD WORLD Authority delegated to all managers Authority retained by a few Isolated functional specialist advice to decision-makers Integrated expert advice to decision makers Department-specific thinking Enterprise-wide thinking

7. Fundamental Enablers of Modern Management • Championship by Senior Management • Leadership from the top-down • Clear statements of roles and responsibilities • Well trained and capable staff • Adequate staffing levels • Time to do a good job • Tools & Information to support staff and decision making • Flexible approach that allows change as situations require

8. GNWT Management Assessment 2006/07 • We looked at practices of other jurisdictions • Treasury Board Canada developed an assessment tool called “Comptrollership Capacity Check” • Government of Ontario adapted the Treasury Board tool and developed a web-based self-assessment survey that they called “Controllership Capacity Check” • Government of Ontario offered the GNWT the use of their tool and the rights to alter it to suit our needs. • A consultant experienced with the Ontario tool was engaged to assist the GNWT in adapting the tool and implementing it within the GNWT.

9. GNWT Management Assessment Objectives were: • The use of the Modern Management Capacity Assessment in GNWT was designed to: • Build awareness for modern management practices across the organization • Assist in the identification of corporate and departmental initiatives that support a Modern Management framework • Assist the FMBS in identifying how it can support modern management practices across the GNWT • What were the objectives of the assessment: • Education & awareness • Improvement of our modern management practices • Compare current management practices against industry best practices • Identify weaknesses with our current state in support of corporate current/future corporate Modern Management initiatives, such as: FIS Replacement, development of a risk management policy framework, Re-writes of the FAA and FAM, etc.

10. What we did… • Undertook departmental workshops with Senior Management Teams • Undertook broad-based web survey with all levels of management, program/policy analysts, and financial staff • Review & compilation of results for departmental and government-wide planning purposes

11. Ranking by Importance – Top 10 Identified in Departmental Workshops Identified in Web Survey Half of the Top 10 priorities identified through departmental workshops and through web survey are the same.

12. Comparison of Greatest Gaps and Departmental Priorities As identified in departmental senior management workshops Top 10 Gaps Top 10 Priorities • The size of the gap between the current and desired states is not a predictor of the perceived importance of the criterion. Only 4 criteria are on both lists: • Leadership Commitment • Resource Allocation • Modern Management Competencies • Employee Satisfaction

13. Department Recommendations -Major Themes from Workshops • GNWT needs to define management competencies and develop training/ orientation for managers • Departments need improved service from some shared services, which so far have not all delivered anticipated results or savings • Widespread support for new FIS

14. Observations from Web Survey • Lack of understanding of the term “Modern Management”, although strong interest in many concepts, e.g. performance agreements, valuing people, managers’ sense of ownership/ control of results and resources, process improvement, management training • Relevance of business plan to front line staff could be improved • Staff recommend willingness to shift resources to meet priorities – not simply the same as last year • Recognition that while good efforts have been made, progress in many areas can still be made, e.g. ethics statements, staff surveys, performance measurement • Generally complimentary about financial staff but not about the current financial system (poor cost management info, financial information is “late, confusing”) • Recommend more client surveys to understand service issues and service standards

15. 2006/07 Recommended Next Steps • GNWT needs to be proactive in maintaining a focus on modern management practices • Use Modern Management practices as framework for corporate initiatives that promote good management, e.g.: • FIS, FAA and FAM rewrites • Increasing capacity for evaluation • Improving business planning and resource allocation • Maintain commitment to promoting modern management practices: • Encourage all managers to take web survey to improve awareness, begin change process • Redefine role of Directors of Finance and Administration Committee to champion modern management across the GNWT and within departments • Continue DM level Committee oversight to guide implementation and ongoing review

16. 2006/07 Recommended Next Steps • Develop corporate action plan to tackle top priorities such as: • Corporate management training program based on key competencies, beginning with financial competencies • New FIS • FAA, FAM rewrites • Communicate with GNWT staff about survey results and corporate action plan

17. Benefits we expect to see • Increased awareness and implementation of good management practices • Supports leadership role of Senior Financial Officers in good management practices and leads to better implementation of corporate initiatives such as SAM, Shared Services, risk management • Focus on top priorities to demonstrate progress

18. So where are we with Modern Management? • Further actions were set aside in February 2007 while the GNWT focused its resources on SAM and FSSCs • SAM is now in service • FSSCs plans are moving towards implementation

19. So where are we with Modern Management? • Information gathered in 2007 dated but have things changed with respect to the areas we should focus on? • Logical focus following the implementation of Financial Shared Services Centers (FSSCs) is to continue to focus on the capacity building that was identified previously • Supports both the success of FSSCs and Department Program/Financial Advisory staff

20. Next Steps • Implement FSSCs – with Governance in place that supports continuous improvement • Research opportunities to build risk and financial analysis capacity • Research opportunities to build budgeting capacity

21. Appendix • Detailed Survey findings

22. Departmental Priorities Priorities as identified by each depart-mental workshop

23. Departmental Recommendations

24. Departmental Recommendations

25. Departmental Recommendations

26. Departmental Recommendations

27. Comparison of Web Survey Results (Senior vs. Non-Senior Management)

28. Web Survey Results(Gap/Priority Relationship)