Renewing canada's federal public service

Abstract

As the traditional policy levers of the nation state are shaped by the forces of globalization, the proper role of government is increasingly being questioned. Governments at all levels are struggling to respond to the burgeoning demands for more effective policies and programs. In 1989, the federal government of Canada launched Public Service 2000 (PS 2000), a major organizational renewal cffort of the federal public service, aimed at revitalizing the institution in preparation for the challenges of the year 2000.

This article contends that despite the profile associated with its inception, PS 2000 has lacked an overriding implementation focus toward fundamental behavioral change. This deficiency has thwarted the progress of the initiative, and the transformation desired has not been achieved to this point in time. It is recommended that Total Quality Management (TQM) is a more suitable strategy for refurbishing departments and agencies as it directly focuses on continuous quality improvement. This approach is a significant shift in emphasis from PS 2000, and is more likely to encourage the immense management and organizational culture changes sought by renewal.