Seema Hafeez Developing capacities for innovative service delivery 2016

1
U N I T E D N A T I O N S N A T I O N S U N I E S
Developing capacities for innovative
service delivery
Seema Hafeez
Senior Governance and Public Administration Officer
Department of Economic & Social Affairs
United Nations headquarters
New York
2016

2
I. Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................3
II. Challenges in capacity development: reviewing the landscape ...............................................................4
2.1. Need for comprehensive, systemic, holistic and all-inclusive capacity development.......................4
2.2 Weak human resources capacity .......................................................................................................6
2.3. The need for transformational leadership.........................................................................................9
2.4. Weak partnerships impact capacity building.....................................................................................9
2.5. Monitoring and evaluations systems remain weak .......................................................................10
III. Framework for innovative capacity development.................................................................................10
3.1. An integrated framework for capacity development ......................................................................12
3.2. Building human resource capacity...................................................................................................18
3.3 Leadership for innovation in service delivery ................................................................................25
3.4 Leveraging partnerships for public service delivery capacity development...................................29
3.5. Developing capacities for monitoring and evaluation of service delivery.......................................35
3.5. International perspectives in developing capacities for public service delivery .............................38
IV. Lessons learned and to do checklist......................................................................................................39

3
I. Introduction
Better service delivery outcomes are inextricably linked to the capacity of the various
institutions, processes and actors involved in dispensing services. Since the public sector is the
main designer and provider of public services, at the institutional and organizational levels, a
fundamental requirement is that public administration possesses the necessary structures,
policies, strategies, legal/regulatory instruments and human resources to deliver high quality
user-centric services. Effective public service delivery requires that public administrations
possess institutional capacity, value systems, norms, structures, policies, strategies,
legal/regulatory instruments and competent human resources to deliver high-quality people-
centred services.
The public sector will need transformation through innovation in order to spearhead the effective
implementation of the 2030 Agenda and achieve the SDGs. Member States meeting in Addis
Ababa to decide on a plan of action for financing sustainable development emphasized that
‘capacity development will be integral to achieving the post 2015 development agenda’ Calling
for capacity development to be country-driven, and reflecting national sustainable
development strategies and priorities, Member States reiterated the importance of
‘strengthening institutional capacity and human resource development.1
In 2013, the United
Nations Economic and Social Council encouraged Member States “to continue to support
capacity-building in public governance and institution-building at all levels by, inter alia,
encouraging innovation in the public service.”2
However, despite good progress, the delivery of basic services in many parts of the world lags.
The capacity weaknesses at the national policy and strategy making levels are compounded by
weaknesses at sectoral levels, making SDG-related services (such as health, education, water,
energy, information, gender insufficient. Likewise, addressing cross-cutting challenges to
gender equality and women’s empowerment, such as services to people living with disabilities,
youth unemployment, children, indigenous people and the environment, among others, remains
inadequate owing to institutional and human resource capacity weaknesses.
This report discusses some of the innovative approaches taken to address challenges in
developing capacity to support better public service delivery. Although it is recognized that to
develop capacities fully civil society and private sector actors must be included in the efforts, the
report will mainly focus on public sector institutions.
1
The Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development
http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/ffd3/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/Addis-Ababa-Action-Agenda-Draft-
Outcome-Document-7-July-2015.pdf
2
E/RES/2013/23, p. 3, para 7c. http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/RES/2013/23

4
II. Challenges in capacity development: reviewing the landscape
Despite the significant progress that has been made in developing public service delivery
capacities in many countries, specific challenges remain. Countries at different levels of
development face different capacity challenges for service delivery and therefore need different
capacity development responses. First, there is often a lack of an integrated, systemic approach
to capacity development. In the absence of such an integrated approach, capacity development
problems may emerge at the organizational, institutional, or individual levels – thus underscoring
the importance of approaching capacity development at the systemic level.
Second, challenges to capacity development may differ dramatically between the national and
local levels. The issues facing local governments in developing their capacities are likely to be
different from the problems facing national governments, and the inability to make this
distinction can lead to insufficient prioritization in development initiatives.
Third, weak human resources, which derive from a lack of education, can result in the lack of a
capable, cohesive public administration cadre to develop capacities and delivery public services.
Fourth, the lack of available resources for many countries and programmes can affect
implementation trajectories and inhibit capacity development.
Fourth, inadequate mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating programmes can lead to weak
public service delivery and slower capacity development. Sixth, the lack of strong leadership to
undertake difficult decisions and ensure that the right governance architecture is in place for
public service delivery can result in slower capacity development and less effective outcomes.
Finally, weak partnerships can lead to less learning and information sharing necessary to develop
capacities for effective public service delivery. This section highlights these fundamental
challenges that present barriers for many public administrations in developing their capacities for
public service delivery.
2.1. Need for comprehensive, systemic, holistic and all-inclusive capacity
development
Capacity development can be inhibited in the absence of an integrated, systemic approach. When
initiatives focus on developing specific levels while ignoring the development of other levels in
the system, capacities can become skewed or ineffective.3
For instance, even if the head of a
government department has strong capacities to run her/his department effectively, he/she may
3
UNDP, “Capacity Development: Practice Note,” October 2008, p. 5. Available at:
http://www.unpcdc.org/media/8651/pn_capacity_development.pdf.

5
still face weak public service delivery and fail to achieve targeted outputs if the processes for
coordinating with other departments are weak.4
Secondly, developing capacities requires a comprehensive view of what is needed. A piecemeal
approach to capacity development yields limited results. In a survey of what was most important
for governments to focus on to improve public services, people in 8 out of 10 countries rated
‘Understand better the priorities of citizens and communities’ as their first (Brazil, Singapore) or
second priority (Germany, UK, India and Saudi Arabia). In several countries, citizens also cited
planning for the long term and providing services in a more cost-effective way among top
priorities (see Table 6.1).
Table 6.1 Citizen priorities for their government, selected countries
Country First priority Second priority Third priority
Brazil Understand better the priorities of
citizens and communities (54%)
Improve the skills of people
who work in public services
(34%)
Involve people in how public
services should work (34%)
Germany Make sure that services are more
tailored to the needs of the people
using them (43%)
Understand better the
priorities of people and
communities (43%)
Be flexible to respond to changes
around them (25%)
United Kingdom Plan for the long term, not just the
next few years (45%)
communities (35% )
Provide services in a more cost
effective way (34%)
India Plan for the long term, not just the
communities (33%)
Involve people in deciding how
public services should work
(31%)
Saudi Arabia Plan for the long term, not just the
communities (36%)
effective way (33%)
South Korea Publish information so that people
can hold public services to account
(33%)
Plan for the long term, not
just the next few years (28%)
effective way (26%)
Singapore Understand better the priorities of
citizens and communities (45%)
Make sure that services are
more tailored to the needs of
the people using them (34%)
effective way (29%)
UAE Provide services in a more cost
effective way (39%)
Plan for the long term not
Understand better the priorities
of people and communities
(35%)
Norway Make sure that services are more
tailored to the needs of the people
using them (47%)
Improve the skills of people who
work in public services (36%)
United States Provide services in a more cost
effective way (45%)
Understand better the priorities
of people and communities
(33%)
Source: Accenture. Digital Government: Pathways to Delivering Public Services for the Future. A comparative study of digital
government performance across 10 countries. January 2014, p. 17.
https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/Accenture/Conversion-Assets/DotCom/Documents/Global/PDF/Industries_7/Accenture-
Digital-Government-Pathways-to-Delivering-Public-Services-for-the-Future.pdf
4
Ibid.

6
Third, capacity development tends to be undertaken only in the form of training and related
activities geared toward enhancing knowledge and building the skills of people and
communities. This is a limited understanding of capacity development, and even where
successful in enhancing knowledge and building skills, such capacity development activities may
yield limited results when confronted with the limitations of other interlinked elements such as
institutional set up, policies and strategies, structures, facilities and logistics, financial resources
availability, peace and security and the overall governance environment. Unless capacity
development takes an integrated approach and focuses on developing all of the necessary parts
for effective public service delivery, outcomes may still come up short.
2.2 Weak human resources capacity
Services are delivered by public servants who require the appropriate knowledge, skills and
mindset. Along with focus on processes and institutions to improve public service delivery it is
important to remember that programs may be constrained by the skills of the human practitioners
tasked with service delivery.
In many developing countries the quality of human resources in the public service has slipped in
recent years. See Figure 6.2 below with regard to the decline of public service professionalism in
African countries.
Figure 6.2 Tracing the decline of professionalism in the public service
Source: “Towards Professionalism in Africa’s Public Service: Professionalizing Human Resource Management in the Public Sector” in
Argyriádīs, D., Timsit, G., Kim, P. S., & Loretan, R. (2013). Moving beyond the crisis: Reclaiming and reaffirming our common
administrative space. Bruxelles: Bruylant; p. 197.
Lapse in HR practices: selection,
recruitment, induction, training,
motivation, discipline, etc
Slippage in public service
leadership and control
Deviation from good
public governance and
administration
Decline in professionalism: conduct,
ethics, respect for laws, rules, regulations,
competence and pursuit of excellence,
self-image of public service
Decline in the
delivery of services

7
In some countries, deviation from good public governance and administration progressively may
lead to slippages in public service leadership and control, which in turn cause lapses in human
resource management practices such as selection, recruitment, induction, training, motivation,
discipline and performance evaluation, among others. The result of this is a decline in
professionalism in public sector institutions and ultimately a decline in the delivery of public
services.
Limited human resource capacities may also be the result of a lack of clear organizational
arrangements or structures between national and local governments. Capacity building
programmes for human resource development need to be embedded within the overall integrated
approach to institutional development. This has not always been the case. In Pakistan, for
example, failure to link project inputs, outputs and outcomes of a huge US$ 61 million public
sector capacity building project from 2004-2009 involving several institutions could not build
sufficient capacities to address the nature and scale of problems besetting the civil service.5
Scarcity of resources can also translate into reductions in workforce or benefits, which is also
likely to alter the commitment of civil servants. In a recent study of public sector employees in
Ghana, 83 percent cited dissatisfaction with pay and 64 percent cited working conditions among
the leading factors for an unmotivated and unproductive public workforce in Sub-Saharan
Africa.6
Low public service morale can undermine motivation for creativity and innovative
solutions to public service delivery and undermine SDGs. For instance, in Zimbabwe, gains in
public health due to increased availability of medical equipment and drugs was eroded by the
low morale of public workers caused by poor salaries and inadequate infrastructure.7
This, in
turn, has resulted in absenteeism and moonlighting, and in more extreme cases, corruption and
unauthorized sales of free medicine. The phenomenon is not limited to developing countries
alone. In OECD countries where budgetary cuts are reducing salaries and promotion
opportunities, lower job satisfaction in public servants may set in. A recent study showed that 83
percent of OECD ‘austerity’ countries are faced with lower job satisfaction among public
officials and 58 percent reported a decrease in workplace commitment in public service.8
In countries with a less educated and skilled work force, the competition between the public and
private sectors for skills is acute. The traditional “bargain” of public service – lower
5
World Bank. Implementation Completion and Results Report No: ICR00001582. March 2011. http://www-
wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2013/10/15/000442464_20131015095558/Rendered/PDF/IC
R15820Box37984700PUBLIC0.pdf
6
James Baba Abugre, (2014), “Job Satisfaction of Public Sector Employees in Sub-Saharan Africa: Testing the Minnesota
Satisfaction Questionnaire in Ghana,” International Journal of Public Administration 37, no. 10 (2014): 655-665.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274177806_Job_Satisfaction_of_Public_Sector_Employees_in_Sub-
Saharan_Africa_Testing_the_Minnesota_Satisfaction_Questionnaire_in_Ghana
7
Global Center for Public Service Excellence and UNDP. “Public Service Motivation and the SDGs: An unacknowledged
crisis?” http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/capacity-development/English/Singapore%20Centre/NotesPSE2_PSM-
SDGs.pdf
8
Global Center for Public Service Excellence and UNDP. “The Unacknowledged Crisis Facing the SDGs.” The Raffles Review.
Issue 17. 4 Sep 2015. http://www.unas.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/RR017_4Sep2015.pdf

8
compensation than the private sector in return for job security – becomes less realistic if it
provides only limited, repetitive and predictable tasks rather than allowing job seekers to
innovate, develop new skills and reach their potential.9
If governments fail to staff the public
service with such public servants, the capacity of the public workforce may weaken, thus
impacting the quality of services. Some countries are also faced with the brain drain
phenomenon which further erodes their capacity to deliver services.
Figure 6.3 Brain drain and service deliver capacity erosion
Share of a country’s nationals with a university degree living in another OECD country10
Less than 2 % Less than 5 % Less than 10 %
Less than 20 % Over 20 % Not included
* The depiction and use of boundaries shown on maps does not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the
OECD.
The brain drain phenomenon is defined as “the physical movement of highly skilled and
educated people, human capital, from one country to another in search of better opportunities,
principally in the area of employment, with the consequent loss to their country of their
knowledge, intellectual richness and diverse innovative skills required for that country’s
economic development”11
In many instances, the needed workers leave their countries either
because they are pushed by an unfavorable environment and/or because they are pulled by
attractive conditions elsewhere, such as better pay.
9
Jocelyne Bourgon, “Challenges and Trends in Human Capital Management” in “Human Resources for Effective Public
Administration in a Globalized World,” UNDESA, 2005, p. 18.
10
OECD: Migration and the Brain Drain Phenomenon (www.oecd.org/dev/poverty/migrationandthebraindrainphenomenon)
11
Angela Chimboza: “From Brain Drain to Brain Gain: Addressing Human Capital Needs for Post Crisis Zimbabwe’s Capacity
Building” (University of Pennsylvania, Penn Libraries) United States, 2012.

9
2.3. The need for transformational leadership
Transformational leadership is critical for the effective, inclusive and equitable delivery of public
services and plays a significant role in the capacity development process. Leaders are an
important aspect of building organizational capacity and often act as change agents by impacting
capacity development at the individual, institutional and societal levels. Successful
transformational leaders can promote values and norms that emphasize understanding, set the
right development policy priorities, improve relationships, facilitate greater working
effectiveness of teams and partners, build upon relationships and trust, mobilize energy and
generate commitment.12
Conversely, the lack of effective leadership may lead to distortions in
the ownership of capacity development projects and create detrimental cultures of entitlement
that lead to less than desirable outcomes. The importance of leadership boils down to one lesson:
“high capacity with poor leadership can make an organization or country stumble, but even with
low capacities, sound leadership can move a country forward.”13
National ownership of capacity development strategies and processes depends upon leadership.
However, cultivating ownership and commitment from political leadership, public service
leaders, and public servants remains a key challenge.
2.4. Weak partnerships impact capacity building
Though it remains the primary function of government, the provision of public services – as well
as the development of necessary capacities to do so effectively – often relies on important
partnerships between the public and private sectors and civil society as well as national, regional
and international development actors. Although governments do have the primary stake in
service delivery, they do not maintain a monopoly on resources, innovative capacity, or service
provision.14
Rather, public service outcomes and the co-creation of capacities depend on the
interplay between government, the private sector, civil society and the people.15
12
Lopes, Carlos and Thomas Theisohn, Ownership, Leadership, and Transformation: Can We Do Better for Capacity
Development (London Sterling, VA: Earthscan Publications, 2003): p. 40.
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/aplaws/publication/en/publications/capacity-development/drivers-of-
change/leadership/ownership-leadership-and-transformation-executive-summary/Ownership-Leadership-Transformation-Can-
We-Do-Better_executive%20summary_.pdf
13
Ibid.
14
UNDESA. “Innovative Public Service Delivery: Learning from Best Practices,” Report of the WPSR 2016
preparatory Ad Hoc Expert Group Meeting on Innovating Public Service Delivery for Sustainable Development, 24-
25 June, 2015, Medellin, Colombia, p. 66.
http://workspace.unpan.org/sites/Internet/Documents/EGM%20Report%20on%20Innovative%20Public%20Service
%20Delivery%20Learning%20from%20Best%20Practices.docx.pdf
15
Ibid.

10
When governments do not maintain strong partnerships with the private sector or fail to include
them in the service delivery process altogether, they miss important opportunities to leverage the
private sector’s innovation, technical expertise and organizational efficiencies for improved
delivery of services.
In some other countries, inadequate capacities are not a feature of the public service alone. In
such countries, the public sector is weak, the private sector is weak and civil society is also weak.
This triple weakness phenomenon poses a big challenge to developing public service delivery
capacities through partnerships mainly because the public sector is not fully able to draw upon
the private sector and civil society to supplement public service delivery. In such contexts
developing public service delivery capacities may aim at a collaborative PPP approach in
capacity building to include the development of the private and civil society agents for enhancing
service delivery.
2.5. Monitoring and evaluations systems remain weak
In addition to the aforementioned challenges that inhibit capacity development, the inability to
monitor and evaluate programs after implementation – a key component for achieving
sustainable development, as well as strengthening accountability – remains a significant
problem.
Some countries have inadequate monitoring and evaluation capacities characterized by, among
other things, weakness in planning systems coupled with inadequate or even absence of qualified
planners; inadequate data and information, and inadequate analytical capacity for quality
statistics to measure the actual impact of development programs. In such situations capacity
development for service delivery needs to include developing capacities for planning,
monitoring, and evaluation including building information systems and statistics units. Lack of
data and information feeds into a lack of transparency and can result in diminished accountability
of service providers. Whether it is in the health, education infrastructure, or any other service
delivery sectors, if capacity development has to be effective and sustainable it must include
developing the capacity to monitor and evaluate including monitoring and evaluation of the
capacity development itself.
III. Framework for innovative capacity development
One of the prerequisites for achieving SDGs is a capable public administration in terms of both
institutional and human resources capacity. Lessons of experience indicate that inadequate

11
public administration institutional, leadership and human resources capacities translate into
insufficiency or even absence of policies, strategies and weak implementation at national and
local levels resulting in poor delivery of public services.
At the institutional level, central government agencies responsible for planning, policy and
strategy formulation, legislatures and local councils that put in place legal frameworks that guide
pursuing SDGs including resource allocation, service delivery Ministries and agencies that
directly deliver SDG-related services to the population, control agencies that ensure ethical,
transparent, accountable, efficient and effective use of resources need to be strengthened in terms
of their institutional set up, leadership and capability of human resources to support the efforts of
achieving the SDGs.
An innovative public sector capacity development framework for the achievement of the SDGs
must be primarily focused on three basic elements of public service: the people who are the
beneficiaries of the services; the nature, quality and quantity of the services delivered; and the
public servants who deliver the services along with the facilitators of these elements (finances,
information, materials, facilities, logistics, processes, etc.) complete the picture of the delivery of
public services.
Resolving the challenge of definitions
A discussion on developing capacities for innovation in public service delivery inter alia calls
for an understanding of the terms ‘capacity building’ and ‘capacity development’ and the
nuanced differences between them. Although the two are related and often used interchangeably
they have slightly different connotations in the context of public service delivery. “Capacity
development commonly refers to the process of creating and building capacities and their
(subsequent) use, management and retention.”16
Capacity development presupposes that some
capacity existed in the national system. On the other hand, capacity building commonly refers to
a process that supports only the initial stages of building or creating capacities assuming that
there are no existing capacities to start from. It is therefore less comprehensive than capacity
development. Given this distinction between capacity building and capacity development, this
Report discusses capacity development and capacity building based on the supposition that all
governments possess some capacity to begin with.17
Some other definitions of capacity development used worldwide are given below:
16
UNDP Capacity development practice note, p. 6, 2008. New York.
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/capacity-building/capacity-development-practice-note.html
17
However as per general practice, the report may use the terms capacity development and capacity building interchangeably.

12
Organization Capacity Development Perspective
CIDA Capacity development refers to the approaches, strategies and methodologies used by
developing countries, and/or external stakeholders, to improve performance at the individual,
organizational, network/sector or broader system level. 18
DFID Capacity development refers to the capacity of individuals, organizations and the broader
institutional frameworks within which individuals and organizations operate to deliver
specific tasks and mandates. 19
OECD The process by which individuals, groups and organizations, institutions and countries
develop, enhance and organize their systems, resources and knowledge; all reflected in their
abilities, individually and collectively, to perform functions, solve problems and achieve
objectives. 20
UNDP The process through which individuals, organizations and societies obtain, strengthen and
maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time.21
World Bank A locally driven process of transformational learning by leaders, coalitions and other agents
that leads to actions that support changes in institutional capacity areas—ownership, policy,
and organizational—to advance development goals. 22
3.1. An integrated framework for capacity development
Capacity development will need to cut across all sectors of the 2030 Agenda. Successful
achievement of the SDGs requires a holistic and integrated approach to capacity development at
all levels of public service delivery. While various capacities exist at the different yet interrelated
levels of governance, capacity development needs to be considered at the environmental,
institutional and individual levels. This implies reorienting strategic policies and programmes
from selective capacity building to an integrated and systemic approach so that the public
institutions can lend itself to innovation across the public sector for better service delivery.
Innovative approaches need to be set within the enabling and facilitating governance and public
administration system comprising institutional arrangements, laws, regulations, rules, practices
and policies. Central government agencies responsible for planning, policy and strategy
formulation, legislatures and local councils that put in place legal frameworks and resource
allocation, service delivery Ministries and agencies that directly deliver services to the
population, overseeing agencies that ensure use of resources must come together in terms of an
integrated effort at capacity building of their institutional set up, leadership and capability of
human resources to support the efforts.
18
CIDA (2000). Capacity – Why, what and why? P. 2.
http://www.hiproweb.org/fileadmin/cdroms/Biblio_Renforcement/documents/Chapter-1/Chap1Doc1.pdf.
19
DFID (2013). DFID How to note capacity development.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/224810/How-to-note-capacity-development.pdf
20
OECD, 2006, DAC Guidelines and Reference Series Applying Strategic Environmental Assessment: Good Practice Guidance
for Development Co-operation, OECD, Paris. https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=7230
21
UNDP. Capacity development – a UNDP primer. United Nations Development Programme, New York. 2009. P. 54.
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/aplaws/publication/en/publications/capacity-development/capacity-development-a-undp-
primer/CDG_PrimerReport_final_web.pdf.
22
The World Bank. Capacity development Resource Center.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTCDRC/0,,contentMDK:20295295~menuPK:645091~pagePK:64
169212~piPK:64169110~theSitePK:489952,00.html

13
As shown in the schema below capacity development for public service delivery would require
taking a holistic view of policies, strategies, programmes and activities aimed at improving and
increasing the delivery of public services. It needs to target individuals, institutions and
communities in public, private and civil society sectors at the local and national levels. With this
wide array of horizontally and vertically placed stakeholders and agents of capacity development
the whole task of developing capacities for public service delivery is multi-faceted, interlinked
and complex.

14
Figure 6.4 A framework for holistic capacity development
Source: Shabbir Cheema and Dennis Londineri, 2007 and in George K Scott and Malcolm Wallis, 2013
Activities
 Advocacy
 Leadership development
 Recruitment
 Training
 Coaching
 Study tours
 Staff exchanges etc
 Designing systems
 Designing organizational
structures
 Describing and specifying jobs
 Designing rules, regulations,
procedures and processes
 Specifying institutional values
and norms
 Formulating policies
 Legislation
 Construction
 Procurement of logistics and
equipment (or maintainance)
 Building infrastructure
 Financial resource mobilisation
Strategic
actions
 Identifying champions and
creating, political, bureaucratic,
and civic will
 Knowledge enhancement
 Skills building
 Attitude change and motivation
 Team building and networking
 Recruitment of adequate numbers
 Creating and developing
institutions
 Designing and developing
systems
 Organizational structuring
 Job design
 Establishing Procedures and
processes
 Making Institutional rules and
regulations
 Networking institutions
 Providing the needed materials
 Equipment
 Facilities
 Logistics
 Infrastructure
 Financial resources
Areas of focus
Individuals and
Teams
Institutions
Environment
 Improving the overall
governance
 Developing Legal frameworks
 Formulating support policy
frameworks
Facilitation

15
The above capacity development planning framework was developed with stakeholders as a tool
for the implementation of decentralization in Rwanda. It provided an innovative approach to
capacity development beyond simply training to include institutions, the governance
environment, facilities and logistics and planning for the mobilization of resources. The
framework also included components of leadership and the will to implement policy.
Innovative interventions for capacity development need to be multi-dimensional and applied at
several levels – individual, organizational or at institutional level forming a chain of
complementarities. The Box below presents a few of the policy considerations for capacity
building.
Box Pointers on Strategic design of Capacity development
The policy and strategic design, its contextual specificity, and the specific legal and regulatory jurisdiction,
whether this is local, municipal, regional or national provides the overall setting, direction and provision of
capacity building.
A starting point is identification of strategic priorities, determination of focus areas, in line with country’s
development needs, and formulation of action plan comprising of activities. At the institutional level strategic
action demands creating and developing organizational systems, structures, policies and rules and regulations.
A viable strategic policy framework for capacity development needs to bridge the gap between the top-down,
macro governance approach and the bottom-up, micro management approach, for example, through global
and national norms, standards, policies and institutions, on the one hand, and the use of ICT, local
champions, service charters, diagnostic and monitoring tools and enhanced governance, on the other.
Notwithstanding, the extent of capacity building required will vary according to local context.
Kenya was among the first countries to institutionalize inter-governmental relationships with the
objectives of improving services in local governments; sharing information on performance with
the goal of learning and promoting best practices; and facilitating capacity building for deputy
governors.23
Kenya also successfully adopted an integrated approach to multi-level capacity
development. (See Box 6.1 below.) The same approach was adopted in Rwanda’s Ministry of
Local Government which helped improve the ability of local officials and leaders to help poor
families raise their incomes in the impoverished north of Rwanda.24
23
Kenya Intergovernmental Relations Act 2012. Government of Kenya.
http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/document/Africa/Kenya/Kenay%20Devolution/Intergovernmental%20Relati
ons%20Act%20(2012).pdf
24
Rushda Majeed. Enhancing Capacity, Changing Behaviors: Rapid Results in Gashaki, Rwanda, 2008. Innovations for
Successful Societies, Princeton University. https://successfulsocieties.princeton.edu/publications/enhancing-capacity-changing-
behaviors-rapid-results-gashaki-rwanda-2008 Accessed 7 April 2016.

16
Box 6.1 Kenya bolstering capacity through an integrated approach to capacity building
Under its economic recovery program in 2004 Kenya embarked on a program of capacity building to institute
a results-oriented culture in ministries and other government institutions unaccustomed to providing quality
public services or delivering on medium and long-term targets. Regular reporting built accountability and
linked civil servants at the lower levels to the
organization’s top leadership. Capacity building
measures aimed at civil servants were part of an
overall comprehensive recovery programme
comprising reform in regulation, investments and
broader capacity building measures. The
comprehensive multi layered program
strengthened reform in regulation, investments,
and broader capacity building measures achieving
improvement in public services across 25
ministries, boosted the government's
capacity to implement projects; and helped
improve the performance of 175 local authorities,
45 state corporations, and three public
universities.
Source: Rushda Majeed. Building a Culture of Results:
Institutionalizing Rapid Results Initiatives in Kenya, 2005 – 2009. Innovations for Successful Societies, Princeton University.
http://www.princeton.edu/successfulsocieties. Accessed 7 April 2018.
Several countries have successfully adopted other innovative integrated approaches for
enhancing capacity building. In Zambia, the water and sanitation sector faced major challenges
due to inadequate human and institutional capacity, inadequate financing and low infrastructure
development. The reasons for this situation were mainly due to the absence of water
management regulations and the lack of capacity to enforce existing water rights, regulations and
fees. The government tackled the issue at the institutional, organizational and individual levels
by streamlining organizational structures, training and investments. The integrated approach
successfully resulted in access to safe drinking water for 800,000 people in low-income urban
and peri-urban communities.
Box 6.2 Multi-dimensional capacity development – Zambia water sector
To improve clean water and sanitation the Government of Zambia undertook a holistic approach. At the
organizational and individual levels, training enabled ministries, local authorities and utilities to identify their
needs and plan for their organizational and infrastructure priorities. Capacity was developed through a
combination of participatory organizational development and policy advice and through formal training
courses, workshops and exchanges of information. The introduction of a robust monitoring and evaluation
system helped employees look toward greater client satisfaction and service orientation. Capacity building

17
training enabled ministries, local governments, and utilities to identify their needs and plan for their
organizational and infrastructure priorities while investments in infrastructure and capacity development
helped bring clean drinking water to more than 77 percent of urban dwellers
Source: Tom Woodhatch et al. Capacity –Results Learning Network on Capacity Development. 2011. P. 40.
http://www.lencd.org/files/group/busan/document/2011/Capacity_Results:_Case_stories_on_capacity_development
_and_sustainable_results/Capacity-Results-web.pdf
The Role of ICT in capacity building
ICT and other technology innovations are necessary enablers and can be game changers in
providing innovative solutions to human resource capacity building, especially for those in
frontline service-interface positions.
ICT continues to play an important role in building the capacities of both national and local
governments in support of more efficient and effective delivery of public services. Most
government agencies have adopted innovative approaches and modern technologies to build their
capacities. This is done by shifting from paper-based, manual processes to electronic and
automated systems as well as by building human and institutional capacity, developing new
skills and enabling a sustainable regulatory environment to better design and implement public
sector policies and reforms. Governments have deployed ICT to make sectoral processes more
efficient and effective and to further build their capacities to provide better public services.
ICT has supported government modernization and created more efficient back office systems,
thereby improving the overall infrastructure of governments.25
Innovations in public
administrations such as re-engineering processes, synthesizing back office channels for online
services, and creating platforms for integrated service delivery have led to greater effectiveness
of institutions and processes. At the same time, ICT has supported individual capacity by
providing better tools, guidelines and improved processes to civil servants, which in turn has
allowed them to dispense public services more efficiently and with greater accountability. It has
led public servants to learn, train, think and apply new and innovative solutions to creating
learning opportunities, extending healthcare to remote areas, and providing access opportunities
for various marginalized groups. For instance, government authorities in Africa, Latin America
and the Caribbean developed training on the use of ICT to improve local governance among
public institutions. The aim of the training project was to promote the use of ICT by public
institutions to help governments improve their capacity building with the democratic processes
of accountability, equity, transparency and popular participation.26
Enhanced capacity building of governments through ICT has offered new possibilities for
improved governance efficiency and new methods of citizens’ engagement in policy making and
25
Information and Communications Technology in government Landscape Review. (2011). Retrieved 25 April 2016 from
https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/1011757.pdf
26
Guchteneire, P. D., & Mlikota, K. (2013). ICTs for Good Governance – Experiences from Africa, Latin America and the
Caribbean. UNESCO. P-4 Retrieved April 25, 2016, from
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/25676/11969497169IST_Africa_paperrev.pdf/IST+Africa+paperrev.pdf

18
implementation.27
For example, government agencies in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay have
successfully used ICT for literacy campaigns in government offices; expanded the use of
telephone, radio and TV networks; increased the number of personal computers for government
staff; and increased interactivity between society and constituted powers.28
In Ukraine the
Improving Health Project focuses on improving the quality of health services by building
capacity of the healthcare system. ICT has been utilized to garner benefits through improvements
to the payments system and the eHealth information system. A designated Project Consultancy
Support Unit at the national level helps to build the capacities of public sector institutions in
project implementation support and monitoring and evaluation.29
The private sector in collaboration with civil society has also teamed up with national
governments and international development organizations in many countries to support capacity
building efforts with good results. Since the use of ICT is important in almost every aspect of
governance, its impact and advantages are not highlighted separately but throughout this Report
as relevant.
3.2. Building human resource capacity
Developing capable cadres of public servants at the international, regional, national and local
community levels is key to effective public service delivery. To develop human resource
capacities, governments should aim to create a professional merit-based public service whose
ethos is service to the public. This requires strengthening capacities and competences to develop
a mix of resources, processes and value systems that facilitate sustainable innovation, change and
transformation.
The challenge of public sector leadership and human resource development has been
preoccupying capacity development actors for quite some time. A variety of skill sets are needed
by civil servants at different levels to manage and support policy design and institutional change
processes to enable them to think ‘outside the box’ for innovative solutions to the delivery of
services. Approaches for human resources development are recruiting educated, creative and
innovative people; training and developing staff with appropriate skill sets; rewarding efforts and
results of innovation; and designing and operating a system of performance evaluation that
values innovation.30
27
Guchteneire, P. D., & Mlikota, K. (2013). ICTs for Good Governance – Experiences from Africa, Latin America and the
Caribbean. UNESCO. Retrieved April 25, 2016, from
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/25676/11969497169IST_Africa_paperrev.pdf/IST+Africa+paperrev.pdf
28
Batista, C. (2003). ICTs for Good Governance: The Contribution of Information and Communication Technologies to Local
Governance in Latin America. U NP³ - Núcleo de Pesquisa em Políticas Públicas
Universidade de Brasilia. P- 6. Retrieved April 28, 2016, from
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/11316/10547335250Report_on_e-governance_in_Latin_America.pdf/Report%2Bon%2Be-
governance%2Bin%2BLatin%2BAmerica.pdf
29
The World Bank. Serving People Improving Health for Ukraine.
http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P144893/?lang=en&tab=overview.
30
Human resource management in African public service – Current state and future direction. African Public Sector Human
Resource Managers’ Network (APS-HRMnet). http://workspace.unpan.org/sites/Internet/Documents/UNPAN94251.pdf

19
Since delivery of public services is inextricably linked to the achievement of the SDGs,
governments need to pay particular attention to the human resource capacities of their public
services, which have to be well endowed with administrative, operational, integrative and
entrepreneurial competences to have the needed impact.
Figure 6.5 Framework for analyzing the human resource capacities
Impact
Policies &
strategies
Inclusion &
Equity
PerformanceComplianceOutput
EntrepreneurialIntegrativeOperationalAdministrativeCompetence
Innovation &
better future
Even, shared
development
Services
delivered
Professionalism
and Ethics in
Public Service

20
The following are key points for consideration:
 Public service must be able to anticipate the future needs of the country. This calls for
entrepreneurial competences to conceive policies and strategies that can predict future
development needs and find solutions to the problems of the future today.
 Public sector service providers must be open and willing to collaborate with private and civil
society organizations in delivering public services equitably and minimizing social
inequality. Collaborative governance, networked leadership and mitigation of social
inequality require competencies of an integrative nature.
 The freedom that releases the creativity and innovativeness of entrepreneurs works best
within the context and framework of the rule of law, ethical conduct, administrative
professionalism and leadership integrity. When respect for laws, rules, regulations,
procedures and processes is not assured, accountability is disturbed, giving way to corruption
and other forms of maladministration.
 The public service must have sufficient numbers and adequate knowledge and skills to carry
out its mandate.
Human capacity building is essential for both routine service delivery but also for promoting
creativity, experimentation and innovation in a continuous search for improvement. Recognizing
that the human element is key, human and organizational capacity building is also given top
priority in Portugal through the development of tools for better recruitment and training of public
servants, especially to strengthen leadership and management through ICT. 31
Prizes and bonuses
are given on performance to the best ideas to stimulate creativity and innovation.
Integrated programs of capacity development, which address multivariate objectives of skill
development, have been successful in some countries. For instance the Government of Ethiopia,
with the help of the World Bank, has undertaken a large Public Sector Capacity Building
Program Support Project (PSCAP) across several tiers of government to improve the scale,
efficiency and responsiveness of public service delivery at the federal, regional, and local level;
empower people to participate more effectively in shaping their own development; and promote
good governance and accountability. Under the Civil Service Reform component of the project
the Amhara region in Ethiopia been able to enhance its business process reengineering plans,
which includes hospitals, government institutions allowing ‘many of these government
institutions to reassess working procedures, redefine objectives and ways to enhance the quality
of the services provided to people. This is particularly evident in the main regional hospital,
where waiting lists have been reduced, public spaces are more user-friendly, services are
31
UNDESA. “Innovative Public Service Delivery: Learning from Best Practices,” Report of the WPSR 2016
preparatory Ad Hoc Expert Group Meeting on Innovating Public Service Delivery for Sustainable Development, 24-
25 June, 2015, Medellin, Colombia, p. 36.
http://workspace.unpan.org/sites/Internet/Documents/EGM%20Report%20on%20Innovative%20Public%20Service
%20Delivery%20Learning%20from%20Best%20Practices.docx.pdf

21
provided in an integrated way and staff have been moved between departments to ensure quality
services.’ 32
Many governments have also sought to institutionalize human resources capacity development
through the establishment of local service commissions. Nigeria and Mauritius were among the
vanguard countries in 197833
and 198334
to establish service commission under provincial/state
local government jurisdiction. Though the scope of work varies most of the commissions are
setting professional standards, discipline, appointments, transfers, training, appeals and
regulatory policy making. The Public Sector Commission of the Government of Western
Australia aims at a ‘ public sector that works efficiently and with integrity can provide the public
with better results, and better public value. 35
It has set standards of human resources
management; supported accountable and ethical decision making; and developed and
implemented new processes for recruitment to provide additional flexibility to public sector
employers, among other.
Box 6.3. Human Resources Capacity Building in Timor Leste
Some countries have undertaken a holistic approach to human resource development. For instance, in 2011,
the government of Timor-Leste constituted the multi-year Human Capital Development Fund (HCDF) to
support human capital development. As the principal means to build the human resources, the Fund covers
the costs of training and professional development for civil servants, including a Vocational Training
Program for auditors, judges, notaries, private lawyers, translators and inspectors, among other. Other
training includes covering training programs for young teachers in higher education and polytechnic
education in health, training of national police, officers of the Anti-Corruption agency and others.36
Source: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1506Timor-Leste-Strategic-Plan-2011-20301.pdf
The role of public sector human resource manager
Human resources, which are the most important resource in the development process, must not
only be developed but also effectively managed. This calls for human resource managers in the
public sector who possess the requisite knowledge, skills, mindset and networks to manage
public servants in such a way that they maximize their creativity, innovation and productivity to
32
The World Bank.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/0,,contentMDK:21082643~menuPK:180411
0~pagePK:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:258644,00.html
33
http://www.oyostate.gov.ng/ministries-departments-and-agencies/departments-and-agencies/oyo-state-
local-government-commission-2/
34 http://lgsc.govmu.org/English/Pages/default.aspx
35 Public Service Commission, Government of Western Australia website.
https://publicsector.wa.gov.au/about-us/public-sector-commission/our-role
36
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1506Timor-Leste-Strategic-Plan-2011-20301.pdf

22
improve the delivery of public services. For example, African countries have created the Africa
Public Sector Human Resource Managers Network (APS-HRMnet) to champion, among other
things, the development of the capacity of these managers to strategically and effectively direct
human resources. The basic roles of human resource managers as envisaged by the APS-
HRMnet are presented in the diagram below.
Figure 6.6 Basic roles of public sector human resource managers
As change agents, human resource managers manage the public servants in such a way that they
embrace transformation. As strategy experts they are expected to advise the public service on
future human resource needs that are aligned with the needs of implementing the 2030 Agenda.
As work organization experts they ought to plan the work of public servants in an integrated way
to promote collaboration and partnerships. And as employee champions they need to manage
human resources in a way that motivates public servants into more productive work while at the
same time ensuring an optimum work life balance. Currently in many countries, human resource
managers are focusing on managing compliance and transactions. They need to put at the core of
their functions strategic human resources planning and management, performance management,
organizational change management and cultural change management (changing the attitudes,
mindsets and behaviors of public servants).
The challenge of public sector leadership and human resource development has been
preoccupying capacity development actors for quite sometime. UNDESA and the International
Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) put together an international
Task force to develop standards of excellence in public administration education and training to
Employee
champions
HR
Managers
Work
organization
Experts
Strategy
experts
Agents of
change

23
guide the development of leadership and human resource capacities in public sector institutions.
The Taskforce in their report in 2008 developed 8 standards which have been translated in more
than seven languages and are being used in a number of countries to strengthen capacity
development.
Box 6.4 Standards of Excellence for Public Administration Education and Training37
.
For public administration education and training institutions the Task Force suggested the following.
1. Public Service Commitment: The faculty and administration of the program are defined by their
fundamental commitment to public service. They are in all of their activities (teaching, training, research,
technical assistance and other service activities) at all times absolutely committed to the advancement of
the public interest and the building of democratic institutions. This is true within all facets of the program
including internal organizational arrangements as well as programmatic activities at local, regional,
national and international levels.
2. Advocacy of Public Interest Values: The program's faculty and administration reflect their
commitment to the advancement of public service by both their advocacy for, and their efforts to create, a
culture of participation, commitment, responsiveness and accountability in all of those organizations and
institutions with which they come into contact. In so doing, both by pedagogy and example, they prepare
students and trainees to provide the highest quality of public service.
3. Combining Scholarship, Practice and Community Service: Because public administration is an
applied science, the faculty and administration of the program are committed to the integration of theory
and practice and as such the program draws upon knowledge and understanding generated both by the
highest quality of research and the most outstanding practical experience. Consequently, the faculty,
administration and students of the program are actively engaged through its teaching, training, research
and service activities with all of their stake holder communities from the smallest village or city
neighborhood to the global community at large.
4. The Faculty are Central: The commitment and quality of the faculty (and/or trainers) is central to the
achievement of program goals in all areas of activities. Consequently, there must be, especially in degree
granting programs, a full time core faculty committed to the highest standards of teaching, training and
research and possessing the authority and responsibility appropriate to accepted standards of faculty
program governance. This faculty must be paid at a level that allows them to devote the totality of their
professional activities to the achievements of the goals and purposes of the program and must be available
in adequate numbers consistent with the mission of the program. In that regard, a ratio of 1 faculty
member per 20 graduate level students and at least 4 full time faculty would represent typical minimum
requirements. Faculty teaching responsibilities should not be greater than two academic courses (or their
equivalent in a training institution) at any time in the calendar year in order to allow for necessary
involvement in research, training, service and technical assistance activities.
5. Inclusiveness is at the Heart of the Program: A critical element in the achievement of excellence in
public administration education and training is an unwavering commitment on the part of faculty and
administration to diversity of ideas and of participation. The people who participate in programs,
including students, trainees, administrators and faculty, should come from all the different racial, ethnic,
and demographic communities of the society. The ideas, concepts, theories and practices addressed in the

24
program should represent a broad variety of intellectual interests and approaches. Inclusiveness in terms
of individual involvement (including sensitivity to issues of ethnicity, nationality, race, gender orientation
and accessibility to all) within a program serves also to encourage inclusiveness in terms of ideas. Both
forms of inclusiveness, intellectual and participatory, are the hallmarks of excellent programs.
6. A Curriculum that is Purposeful and Responsive: A principal goal of public administration
education and training is the development of public administrators who will make strong, positive
contributions to the public service generally and, in particular, to the organizations they join, or to which
they return. This requires public administration education and training programs to have coherent
missions which drive program organization and curriculum development. In addition, it is critical that
those who educate and train public administrators communicate and work with and, as appropriate, be
responsive to the organizations for which they are preparing students and trainees. It also requires that the
student and/or trainee be inculcated with a commitment to making a difference and that their education
and training prepare them to effectively communicate (both verbally and in writing) with those with
whom they work.
7. Adequate Resources are Critical: An important prerequisite to creating a program of excellence in
public administration education and training is the availability of adequate resources. Many different
kinds of resources are required including facilities, technology, library resources and student services (in
terms of assistance with meeting such basic needs as housing, health care, etc.). The availability of these
resources is obviously a function of the availability of adequate financial resources. Those financial
resources must be such as to sustain full time faculty and/or trainers, provide needed assistance to
students and faculty (such as funding to participate in international conferences, etc) and insure the
availability of adequate classroom, research, training and meeting space as well as individual offices for
each faculty member and as needed for students.
8. Balancing Collaboration and Competition: Finally, and most importantly, their must be among the
program faculty, trainers, administrators and students or trainees a sense of common purpose and mission
deriving from the program's commitment to the advancing of the public interest. There must also be a
sense of determination, indeed even competitiveness, that drives the program to be the best and creates a
desire to meet and exceed world class standards of excellence.
In order to assess the achievement of these standards of excellence it is necessary to have appropriate
criteria against which to measure program progress. The criteria for assessing standards presented below
are inspired by the chapters by Wooldridge and others in Excellence and Leadership in the Public Sector
and the standards used by NASPAA4
, EAPAA5
ENQA6
, and EFMD/EPAS7
and various discussions
within the Task Force and with other colleagues at the several open meetings organized by the Task Force
during international conferences.
Source: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1506Timor-Leste-Strategic-Plan-2011-20301.pdf
Public servant morale and motivation is also linked to the achievement of the SDGs. A culture of
open innovation among civil servants is required to support a mindset that is flexible, adaptable
and responsive to user feedback. Innovative efforts in this regard need to be supplemented by
personnel management practices to include a system of rewards and sanctions corresponding to
performance. Some countries have invested in changing the mindset in public service.
Box 6.5 Changing mindsets in public service

25
One of the challenges facing governments is re-orienting the mindset of public servants to focus more on
service provision. With increasing demand for services from governments, civil servants need to respond
more adequately and effectively to the needs of the people by developing a ‘client-orientation’ in public
service delivery. The table presents a few of the changes that need to be made.
Commitment To civil service To public service
Core Value Integrity and neutrality Integrity, impartiality and delivery
Precedent Follower Creator
Aims To lead the development of a
major policy area
To deliver the outcomes of
a major policy area
Orientation Status Quo Change
Monopolistic Competitive
Source: Based on Centre for Good Governance, Civil Service Reforms, 2004,
http://www.cgg.gov.in/workingpapers/CivilServicesReform.pdf, p. 12.
Some countries are already investing in changing mindsets. In Egypt, the Administrative Development
Department has focused on changing the mindset of civil servants so that they accept reforms, revise the
structure of the civil service system and improve the efficacy of service delivery systems in a manner that
enhances efficiency and reduces corruption.38 The Korea Customs Service developed the Internet-based
“Client-oriented Logistics Information System” to boost operational efficiency and service quality, revamp
the way services are delivered and encourage public e-participation.39
3.3 Leadership for innovation in service delivery
Leadership is an important aspect of innovation and remains key to achievement of SDGs
Creativity and innovation are unlikely to take place, let alone succeed in a context where top
leadership does not encourage and support it, where there are no or little incentive or rewards for
individuals who are creative and who come up with useful innovations, where experimentation
and evaluation are discouraged, where learning from outside is not encouraged and where the
value in diversity of the human resource is not tapped. Effective leadership nurtures innovation
in public service delivery through leading-by-example, providing political support for
institutional change and mobilizing human and financial resources for sustaining the capacity
development effort. As illustrated in the diagram bellow, the leadership in the public service
needs to undertake the move from being autocratic, through being transactional to being
transformational.
38
Systems, mindsets top civil service reform priorities in Egypt,
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/MENAEXT/EXTMNAREGTOPPOVRED/0,,contentMDK:224
75170~pagePK:34004173~piPK:34003707~theSitePK:497110,00.html
39
UN DESA, Korea Customs Service, Public Service Award, 2014,
http://unpan3.un.org/unpsa/Public_NominationProfile.aspx?id=106

26
• Rules based
• Hierarchical in nature and practice
• Inflexible
From traditional public
administration bureaucracies
(needing autocratic
leadership)
• Efficiency
• Effectiveness
• Economy
Through public management
internal reforms (needs
transactional L]leadership
• Integration,collaboration,
partnerships
• People centred and public value
focused
• Openess & transparency
• Creativiy & innovation
• ICT based
• Empowering & Learning
• Embracing diversity
To bureacracies based on
outcomes and values (needs
transformational leadership)
Figure 6.7 Leadership transformation needed in the public service
Leaders are de facto change agents and need to implement change by building capacities.
Transformational leadership, also known as visionary or charismatic leadership, is future-
oriented and concerned with risk taking while transactional leadership involves stability and
order, the preservation of the existing order40
and the handling of short-term day-to-day
activities.41
Transformational public sector leadership for sustainable development is about three things:
transforming individuals, transforming organizations and transforming societies.
Transformational leadership will devise the means to forecast coming problems and challenges
and find solutions to them before they emerge. Transformational leadership is critical because it
values the moral courage and human dignity of individuals, collective goals and values of
organizations, and social justice and democracy.
Uganda’s relative success in combating HIV/AIDs in the country since 1986 illustrates the
importance of leadership resolve, policy and focused strategy in achieving development goals.
In August 2002 Uganda was one of the first parliaments to create a specific parliamentary
committee on HIV/AIDS. This committee has been instrumental in the development of strong
HIV/AIDS legislation and policies in the country. The Chair of the Committee undertook a
strategic leadership approach to combatting HIV infections which led to a fall in HIV prevalence
40
Goonasagree Naidoo, Thani Xollie. The Critical Need for an Integrated Leadership Approach to Improve Service Delivery by
the South African Public Service. University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa. Journal of US-China Public Administration,
ISSN 1548-6591. January 2011, Vol. 8, No. 1, 1-15, p. 10.
http://www.davidpublishing.com/davidpublishing/Upfile/7/7/2012/2012070704820120.pdf.
41
W. Glenn Rowe. The University of Western Ontario. Creating wealth in organizations: The role of strategic leadership.
Academy of Management Review, 15(1), p. 82. 2001.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239487590_Creating_Wealth_in_Organizations_The_Role_of_Strategic_Leadership

27
from the peak of 15 percent among all adults in 1991 to around 5 percent in 2001. The Chair has
since then become role model for other parliamentarians and is involved in several programmes
to raise awareness about the role of parliament in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Similarly, the political leadership in Rwanda showed clear vision and commitment to national
development with the primary objectives of transforming Rwanda into a middle-income country
with a knowledge-based economy. The Government of Rwanda adopted the Vision 2020
strategy with a strong focus on innovation and sustainable development. Backed by a Prime
Ministerial Order in 2009 and drawing upon cultural traditions, the leadership mobilized the
country for community public service. It declared the last Saturday of each month as Umuganda,
a national day of community service, during which most normal services would close down for
collective work on community projects. Some 80 percent of Rwandans take part in monthly
community work. Successful projects have included the building of schools, medical centres and
hydroelectric plants as well as rehabilitating wetlands and creating highly productive agricultural
plots. The value of Umuganda to the country’s development since 2007 has been estimated at
more than US$ 60 million.42
Innovating capacity development can be optimized at the organizational level if the managerial
leaders’ direction is rooted in a broader development objective, e.g. in a national development
strategy, a plan for economic or social empowerment, or national public service agenda. At the
organizational level such a strategic plan or a mission statement would present a blueprint of
how the given agency or organization is to progress, aimed at achieving the sectoral goals and
targets within the broader framework of development. Managerial or administrative leaders also
garner collaboration, ultimately mobilise people, talent, resources, and ideas to collaborate on
attaining shared objectives.
Recognizing the importance of leadership many countries have put in place leadership capacity
building programs. For instance the South African public service has a robust system whereby
management needs to demonstrate managerial and leadership by means of core competencies
such as strategic capability and leadership, change management, service delivery innovation,
people management and empowerment, and client orientation and customer focus, among
other.43
While both forms of leadership are important in their own right, the SDGs will require a strategic
approach to leadership that blends multiple approaches. “Managerial leaders maintain the
existing order but may not invest in innovations that will change the organization and enhance
long-term organizational effectiveness. However, transformational leaders may enhance the
42
http://www.rwandapedia.rw/explore/umuganda#sthash.JSa6IYMj.dpuf
43
Goonasagree Naidoo, Thani Xollie. The Critical Need for an Integrated Leadership Approach to Improve Service
Delivery by the South African Public Service. University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa. Journal of US-China
Public Administration, ISSN 1548-6591. January 2011, Vol. 8, No. 1, 1-15. P 8.

28
long-term viability of the organization. Their goal is to change and be innovative in order to
enhance long-term organizational effectiveness. Combining these two leadership approaches to
provide strategic leadership will promote long-term organizational effectiveness and above-
average performance, as well as help to maintain short-term stability.”44
A strategic leadership approach is multifaceted and multidimensional, with its own unique
characteristics, diverse perspectives, approaches and strategies. The approach caters to
sensitivities of culture, gender, religion, ethnic origin and socioeconomic and political
differences. In other words it is integrative.
Box 6.6 Strategic Leadership Skills
Anticipate: Strategic leaders, in contrast, are constantly vigilant, honing their ability to anticipate by scanning
the environment for signals of change.
Challenge: Strategic thinkers challenge their own and others’ assumptions and encourage divergent points of
view. Only after careful reflection and examination of a problem through many lenses do they take decisive
action. This requires patience, courage, and an open mind.
Interpret : Strategic leaders are also able to interpret and synthesize all the input to recognize patterns, push
through ambiguity, and seek new insights
Decide: In uncertain times, decision makers may have to make tough calls with incomplete information, and
often they must do so quickly. Strategic thinkers insist on multiple options and follow a disciplined process
that balances rigor with speed, considers the trade-offs involved, and takes both short- and long-term goals
into account.
Align : Strategic leaders must be adept at finding common ground and achieving buy-in among stakeholders
who have disparate views and agendas. This requires active outreach. Success depends on proactive
communication, trust building, and frequent engagement.
Learn: Strategic leaders are the focal point for organizational learning. They promote a culture of inquiry, and
they search for the lessons in both successful and unsuccessful outcomes.
Source: Strategic Leadership: The Essential Skills. Paul J. H. Schoemaker, Steve Krupp, Samantha Howland.
Harvard Business Review. January–February 2013 Issue. https://hbr.org/2013/01/strategic-leadership-the-
esssential-skills
A strategic leader can instil institutional change by acting as an ‘entrepreneur’ in his/her own
right, as well as through the formation of alliances and coalitions between different champions of
change from diverse backgrounds, sharing knowledge and negotiating strategically.
44
Goonasagree Naidoo, Thani Xollie. The Critical Need for an Integrated Leadership Approach to Improve Service Delivery by
the South African Public Service. University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa. Journal of US-China Public Administration,
ISSN 1548-6591. January 2011, Vol. 8, No. 1, 1-15, p. 8-9.

29
Blending both the transformational and transactional leadership, strategic leadership will be
critical to achieving SDGs, not only because it lends a drive for innovation but also its emphasis
on moral courage and human dignity of individuals, collective goals and values of organizations,
and social justice and democracy of society.
3.4 Leveraging partnerships for public service delivery capacity development
One of the most effective ways of developing capacities, especially in situations of severe public
service capacity constraints, is to leverage the power of partnerships and collaboration. Agenda
2030 in 17.9 calls to ‘Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted
capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the
Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular
cooperation’.45
Leveraging partnerships has also been stated by the United Nations System Chief Executives
Board for Coordination as a common principle to be followed in the implementation of the 2030
Agenda. “The implementation of the 2030 Agenda requires broad-based multi-stakeholder
coalitions and inclusive and participatory approaches by which communities; civil society and
the private sector actively and systematically participate in the process of promoting sustainable
development and sustaining peace. The United Nations system will work more proactively with
partners at the regional, sub regional, national and local levels to capitalize on synergies for the
effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda.”46
45
A/RES/70/1. http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E
46
United Nations CEB common principles to guide the United Nations System’s support to the implementation of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development.

30
Figure 6.8. Stakeholders and partnerships
Source: Derived from ‘Local Governance Capacity-Building for Full-Range Participation: Concepts,
Frameworks and Experiences in African Countries’ in Vries, M. S., & Bouckaert, G. (2013). Training for
leadership. Bruxelles: Bruylant. P 181.
The first step to ascertaining capacity-building for local governance should be an analysis and
diagnosis of the full range of stakeholders and actors at the community, local, national, regional
and international levels. Second, effective capacity building requires a regulatory framework at
the central and local government level to enable a conducive environment. For example, it is not
sufficient to create and strengthen local governments’ councils if they are not supported by
national legal frameworks that guide and facilitate their work. Capacity building programs need
to strengthen institutions of central government and local government to work in partnership for
better service delivery. Third, the appropriate degree of decentralization and local empowerment
in capacity development needs to be context specific.
Institutions of central
Government
Achieving SDGs
Institutions of Local
Government
Institutions / of Civil
Society Private sector
Businesses
MultinationalPrivateSector
InternationalCivilSocietyOrganizations
International and Regional Bodies
International and Regional Local Government
Organizations and Twinning

31
Recognizing the important linkage many countries have undertaken capacity building
programmes for local authorities. In the mid-2000, the Government of Sierra Leone embarked
on a nationwide decentralization reform programme which identified a planned approach for
capacity building of the local councils to enhance their abilities to identify and address
development challenges. Capacity building focused on participatory planning processes,
coaching for senior officers, and technical and managerial training, and the introduction of a
competition-based incentive system for strengthening local councils administrative performance.
The effort was a notable success with substantial improvements in the delivery of health and
education services. 47
Partnership as a critical part of capacity development efforts has already been recognized in
African and else where. The “Partnership for Capacity Building in Africa (PACT) recognizes the
centrality of “capacity” in the development process in Africa and that African countries
themselves need to create a conducive policy and operational environment for capacity building
by laying out practical steps to capacity building actions, and building partnerships within
countries (among government, civil society, and the private sector), and with national, multi-
national and bilateral donors, international business and trade interests, foundations, and non-
governmental organizations.
To provide a frame work for capacity development many governments have put in place
institutions responsible for spearheading capacity development, at local, national, regional and
even global levels. A prominent example of a Regional Capacity Development Institution in
Africa with Global Partners is the Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) based in Harare,
Zimbabwe. “The establishment of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) was in
response to the severity of Africa's capacity needs, and the challenges of investing in indigenous
human capital and institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. The African Capacity Building Foundation
interventions are premised on four principles: the centrality of capacity to the development
process in Africa; the critical role of a partnership and demand driven approach in tackling
capacity challenges; African ownership and leadership in the capacity development process; and
a systematic, sequenced and coordinated approach to the capacity development process”48
.
Another way through which governments have engineered creativity and innovation is through
innovation centres where ideas and innovations are nurtured, experimented, shared and eventually
implemented to support improvement and transformation in Public service delivery. Such centres are in
many countries such as The Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) in South Africa, The
47
Sierra Leone – The improvement of service delivery through decentralization and capacity building in Tom
Woodhatch et al. Edited. Capacity Results: Case stories on capacity development and sustainable results. LenCD.
Learning Network on Capacity Development. p 34-36.
http://www.lencd.org/files/group/busan/document/2011/Capacity_Results:_Case_stories_on_capacity_developm
ent_and_sustainable_results/Capacity-Results-web.pdf
48
Africa Capacity building Foundation (http://allafrica.com/infocenter/acbf/)

32
National Innovation Council and State Innovation Councils of India and the Colombia Centre for
Social innovation in Colombia.
Building capacity for Public-Private Partnerships for service delivery
Partnerships for building capacity are not only about delivery of service but also facilitate
creating shared interests and responsibility. Partnership at any level is about relationship, and in
order to forge better relations the public sector needs to create and harness a set of capacities.
Many basic services such as education, health and water, which were traditionally delivered by
the public sector are now being leveraged via public-private partnerships (PPPs). PPPs are also
being used to deliver electronic services that can be personalized and made available to anyone
with Internet access.
Several countries entered into institutional arrangements enabling local authorities to forge
public private partnerships for service delivery. For example, Fiji Islands promulgated a PPP
law49
enabling local governments to contract out local services where municipal level partnered
on road and rubbish cleaning. In Sri Lanka PPP is incorporated in the National Policy on Local
Government to “strengthen local development planning for rapid transformation of human
settlements into livable human habitats with modern infrastructure facilities and public
amenities”.50
In case of Pakistan, PPP was in-built into the provincial local government laws
enacted in 2001. 51
Box 6.7. Financing capacity building
An important aspect to develop capacities for better service delivery is to ensure adequate financing. Resource
availability is of critical importance especially at the sub-national levels where local authorities in many
countries may be dependent on national budgets. Where local governments can exploit the local revenue base
such as property tax, tax on goods and services, fees, fines and user charges, among other revenue sources,
funds for capacity building may be more readily available.
The agenda for public sector capacity development is expansive and cuts across all sectors such as universal
healthcare and education, infrastructure, security, environmental issues, economic regulation and justice.
However, the resources available to solve these problems have not kept pace with this comprehensive
development agenda. According to a study by the OECD, while some countries have sufficient resources to
address these capacity development goals, others have much smaller budgets. In 2010, for example, the
governments of Ethiopia, Rwanda, Vietnam and Zambia each had fewer than US$ 100 per capita to spend on
49
Fiji Islands Public Private Partnerships Act 2006. http://ppp.worldbank.org/public-private-
partnership/sites/ppp.worldbank.org/files/documents/fiji_concessions_act_2006_english.pdf
50
National Policy on Local Government – Action Plan 2012-2014. http://www.lgpc.gov.lk/eng/wp-
content/uploads/2013/10/NPLG-ACTION-PLAN.pdf
51
Punjab Public Private Partnership Act 2014.
https://www.google.com/?ion=1&espv=2#q=punjab%20ppp%20act%202014

33
these initiatives.52 Compare this, however, with countries such as the United States and Denmark that spend
over US$ 7,000 and US$ 17,000 per capita, respectively.53 Lack of budgets for capacity development gets
translated into lack of sectoral training programmes on the ground. For example considerable disparities
were observed in induction programmes for new teachers which ranged from 80% in Portugal to 4% in
Malaysia. 54
Governments need to ensure the availability of resources before embarking on comprehensive capacity
building. In cases where they are funded by central governments, frameworks for fund availability in terms of
timeliness, predictability and based on agreed formulas, need to be put in place.
An innovative way of financing public service delivery is through the participation of the private sector. The
Addis Ababa Action Agenda adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 recognizes that “both
public and private investment have key roles to play in infrastructure financing, including through (…) public
private partnerships.”55 To cope with the financial constraints many countries are attempting innovating
through non-conventional modes of financing public service delivery such as PPPs, municipal bonds and
pooled financing, among others.56 It is estimated that from 2004-2012, investments in PPPs increased from
US$ 22.7 billion to US$ 134.2 billion.57
However, challenges remain especially in infrastructure financing through PPPs. For instance financing for
water supply, sanitation, sewerage and solid waste management in urban areas is difficult due to low returns
on investment, long project gestation and high risks, and because few municipal governments in developing
countries can provide the financial backing and guarantees required for borrowing.58 In cases requiring fewer
financial investments, such as for rural areas where the customer base is low, local private providers have
been able to meet people’s basic water needs. For instance, Benin, Cambodia and Senegal have outsourced
the delivery of water services in small towns and rural areas to the local private sector.59
Furthermore, the impact assessment of such PPPs is mixed. According to one study “the
evidence suggests that PPPs have often tended to be more expensive than the alternative of
public procurement while in a number of instances they have failed to deliver the envisaged
gains in quality of service provision, including its efficiency, coverage and development impact.
Their impact moreover varies across sectors. Most research findings indicate that PPPs are better
suited for economic infrastructures such as transport and electricity, where better quality
infrastructure can reduce cost at the operational stage and impact on the level of service and
where demand is relatively stable and easy to forecast. They are however less likely to deliver
52 Ibid.
53
Ibid.
54
OECD, TALIS 2013 Database. http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/talis.htm (Accessed on 16 April 2016)
55
A/RES/69/313 p 16/37 and Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for
Development. Outcome Document. 2015. paragraph 48, pp. 24-25. http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/wp-
content/uploads/2015/08/AAAA_Outcome.pdf
56
Commonwealth (2010). Municipal infrastructure financing – innovating practices from developing countries, p.
10. http://books.thecommonwealth.org/municipal-infrastructure-financing-paperback
57
Romero, María José (2015). “What lies beneath? A critical assessment of PPPs and their impact on sustainable
development, Eurodad” p.4. http://www.eurodad.org/files/pdf/559da257b02ed.pdf
58
Ibid.
59
https://pppknowledgelab.org/sectors/small-scale-water-sanitation

34
efficiency gains in the social sector such as hospitals and schools, where service quality is mainly
determined by human capital investment, and demand evolves quickly over time.”60
Though PPPs can potentially support public services there remains a need to focus on the design
and delivery of such arrangements, whether local or central government, to: (i) correctly identify
and select projects where PPPs would be viable; (ii) structure contracts to ensure an appropriate
pricing and transfer of risks to private partners; (iii) establish a comprehensive and transparent
fiscal accounting and reporting standard for PPPs; and (iv) establish legal, regulatory and
monitoring frameworks that ensure appropriate pricing and quality of service. In other words, it
is necessary that countries have in place the institutional capacity to create, manage, evaluate and
monitor PPPs.61
Building capacity for Triangular Public-Private-Civil Society Partnerships for service
delivery
Increasingly innovative approaches, especially at the local level, have focused on building
capacity of people whose voice and are important in framing the contours of any public service
delivery system. In such approaches, the national or local government is viewed as only one
player in the effectiveness of the public service delivery system. Effectiveness of service
delivery in this system is governed, on the one hand, by functional relationships within the
government which determine the transfer of power, authority, functions and resources from
higher tiers of government to the lower tier, and on the other by inclusion of communities at
grass-roots level to enable them to participate in delivery of services for which they are the
users.62
The trends towards participatory governance mechanisms and decentralized structures have
taken into account the capacity of the civil society to contribute to building better services. For
instance in the Kukës Region of Albania the Area Based Development programme focused on
building participatory governance capacities of both local leadership and officials on the one
hand and community users on the other. Acceptance of local governments to people’s
involvement in decision making can support more efficient and collaborative local service
delivery and development. (See Box)
60
UNDESA Working Paper 148, DESA Working Paper No. 148 Public-Private Partnerships and the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development: Fit for purpose? ST/ESA/2016/DWP/148. February 2016, pp. 15-16.
http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2016/wp148_2016.pdf.
61
UNDESA Working Paper 148, DESA Working Paper No. 148 Public-Private Partnerships and the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development: Fit for purpose? ST/ESA/2016/DWP/148. February 2016, p.16.
http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2016/wp148_2016.pdf.
62
John-Mary Kauzya (2003). Local governance capacity building for full range participation: Concepts, frameworks and
experience in African countries. 2003. UNDESA Discussion Paper No: 33.
http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2003/esa03dp33.pdf

35
Box 6.8. Strengthening participatory governance capacities in Kukës region of Albania
To promote participatory governance, in 2005 Albania undertook an Area Based Development programme in
the Kukës region which focused on developing the capacities of the regional, municipal, and commune levels
in participatory forms of governance. The capacity development initiatives focused on investments,
introduction of organizational mechanisms, introduction of participatory practices, development of individual
skills and the establishment of 185 community based organizations. ‘A ‘Terms of Partnership’ document
clarified the roles and responsibilities, and underpinned the participatory relationship between local
governments and local communities. Public access centres were created to empower people to participate in
local governments’ decision making process along with building the leadership and project management
capacity of the members of community based organizations and local government staff.
Source: Tom Woodhatch et al.Capacity Results : Case stories on capacity development and sustainable results.
2011. LenCD Learning Network on Capacity Development. p 1.
http://www.lencd.org/files/group/busan/document/2011/Capacity_Results:_Case_stories_on_capacity_development
_and_sustainable_results/Capacity-Results-web.pdf
3.5. Developing capacities for monitoring and evaluation of service delivery
In order to ensure their effectiveness and sustainability, capacity development programmes and
activities need to follow-up their implementation trajectories and determine whether the
interventions contribute to bringing about any changes in institutional, organizational, individual,
community and societal capacities and to what extent.
Developing capacities for monitoring and evaluation of service delivery, in terms of quality,
quantity, accessibility, relevance, timeliness and equity of the services delivered is key to
creativity and innovation for sustained improvement of public services. In the context of
implementing the 2030 Agenda and achieving the SDGs, the capacity to monitor and evaluate
service delivery is critical for enabling governments and other key actors to continuously assess
progress towards achievement. Policies, strategies, action plans and implementation programmes
for the 2030 Agenda must be supported by elaborate and well-managed information systems
with appropriate roles, standards, data and information with clear and measurable indicators that
will permit the quick, accurate and timely assessment of progress. Training and other capacity
development activities (including peer-to-peer learning, mentoring, study tours, etc.) need to be
accessible to as many stakeholders as possible to ensure that all involved in the monitoring and
evaluation process have the same understanding of what is at stake and what the expected results
are.
For any successful capacity development intervention an effective system of monitoring and
evaluation is critical. The innovations created as a result of conscious capacity development

36
efforts and the learning outcomes need to match the intended goals of development. Since the
innovations in capacity development process are expected to catalyze changes in institutional,
organizational and individual capacities periodic reviews of the development activity is
important.
Active monitoring and evaluation through monitoring of learning, outputs, outcomes and
capacity indicators can help to adjust the program as needed during the capacity development
trajectory. As capacity development can vary from country to country, requirements and
elements of a monitoring and evaluation regimen will depend to a large extent on the scale of the
program, level of uncertainties, risk factors and mitigating strategies.
Box 6.9. Standards of Excellence for Public Administration Education and Training63
.
UNDESA and the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) put
together an international Task force to develop standards of excellence in public administration education and
training. In 2008 the Taskforce developed 8 standards to guide the development of leadership and human
resource capacities in public sector institutions. The standards have been translated in more than seven
languages and are being used in a number of countries to strengthen capacity development. The eight guiding
standards in public administration education and training are:
1. Public Service Commitment: The faculty and administration of the program are defined by their
fundamental commitment to public service. They are in all of their activities (teaching, training, research,
technical assistance and other service activities) at all times absolutely committed to the advancement of the
public interest and the building of democratic institutions. This is true within all facets of the program
including internal organizational arrangements as well as programmatic activities at local, regional, national
and international levels.
2. Advocacy of Public Interest Values: The program's faculty and administration reflect their commitment
to the advancement of public service by both their advocacy for, and their efforts to create, a culture of
participation, commitment, responsiveness and accountability in all of those organizations and institutions
with which they come into contact. In so doing, both by pedagogy and example, they prepare students and
trainees to provide the highest quality of public service.
3. Combining Scholarship, Practice and Community Service: Because public administration is an applied
science, the faculty and administration of the program are committed to the integration of theory and practice
and as such the program draws upon knowledge and understanding generated both by the highest quality of
research and the most outstanding practical experience. Consequently, the faculty, administration and
students of the program are actively engaged through its teaching, training, research and service activities with
all of their stake holder communities from the smallest village or city neighborhood to the global community
at large.
4. The Faculty are Central: The commitment and quality of the faculty (and/or trainers) is central to the
achievement of program goals in all areas of activities. Consequently, there must be, especially in degree
granting programs, a full time core faculty committed to the highest standards of teaching, training and
research and possessing the authority and responsibility appropriate to accepted standards of faculty program
governance. This faculty must be paid at a level that allows them to devote the totality of their professional

Seema Hafeez Developing capacities for innovative service delivery 2016

Seema Hafeez Developing capacities for innovative service delivery 2016

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (11)

Similar to Seema Hafeez Developing capacities for innovative service delivery 2016

Similar to Seema Hafeez Developing capacities for innovative service delivery 2016 (20)

More from SEEMA HAFEEZ

More from SEEMA HAFEEZ (17)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Seema Hafeez Developing capacities for innovative service delivery 2016