From Machinery to Executive Density: Time for Structural Reforms?

The Canadian public service has adapted to many forces of change in recent years. What has not changed is the core structural software of how it is constructed and organized. Two dimensions of structural change are available to the next government, and they could choose to pursue both. One is the do...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian public administration 2024-12, Vol.67 (4), p.459-469
Main Author: Wernick, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Changes
Government
Legislation
Machinery
Occupations
Professions
Reforms
Structural change
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Summary:The Canadian public service has adapted to many forces of change in recent years. What has not changed is the core structural software of how it is constructed and organized. Two dimensions of structural change are available to the next government, and they could choose to pursue both. One is the domain of "machinery of government" and the other is in the layered hierarchical pyramid of occupations and management. These are areas where change would involve rewiring of core legislation and would face considerable internal resistance. They are also areas where change can bring unintended consequences and generate new issues and tradeoffs. Nevertheless, it won't be possible to get to a public service fit for purpose on its current foundations and scaffolding. Sommaire La fonction publique canadienne s'est adaptée à de nombreuses forces de changement au cours des dernières années. Ce qui n'a pas changé, c'est le logiciel structurel de base de sa construction et de son organisation. Deux dimensions de la réforme structurelle s'offrent au prochain gouvernement, qui pourrait choisir de les poursuivre toutes les deux. L'une concerne l'« appareil gouvernemental » et l'autre la pyramide hiérarchique des professions et de la gestion. Il s'agit de domaines où le changement impliquerait une refonte de la législation de base et se heurterait à une résistance interne considérable. Ce sont également des domaines où le changement peut avoir des conséquences inattendues et générer de nouvelles questions et de nouveaux compromis. Néanmoins, il ne sera pas possible de parvenir à un service public adapté à ses objectifs sur les fondations et les échafaudages actuels.
ISSN:0008-4840
1754-7121
DOI:10.1111/capa.12593