The Chief of the Defence Force, Admiral Chris Barrie, and the Secretary, Dr Allan Hawke, are pursuing an agenda of continuous organisational renewal for Defence. This agenda is driven by the need to make fundamental linkages between Government policy and the Department's corporate strategy.
Ultimately the performance measures for every person in Defence will be linked to what Government requires of the organisation. The direction Defence was taking this year was discussed by the Defence senior leadership group, including the Minister for Defence and all SES officers and their military equivalents, at a meeting in Wollongong earlier this week.
"The Minister has made it clear that we have to demonstrate that our departmental processes can be as effective as our excellent operational performance. This is crucial if we are to continue to meet the challenges facing us," Admiral Barrie said. "We will also be working on better defining the roles and responsibilities of the Service Chiefs to reflect their corporate strategic role, as well as the relationships between our various headquarters."
Dr Allan Hawke outlined that the priority areas that he and the Chief were concentrating on this year were a continuation of the Minister's ongoing reform agenda. "We will be improving Defence's acquisition arrangements, embedding accrual accounting, making sure the right people with the right skills are in the right jobs, and putting in place a comprehensive performance framework," Dr Hawke said.
"Our agenda will revolve around a 'results through people' approach. A simpler performance framework will be introduced from the end of March that will spell out expectations, roles and the development needs of all our people, so that we can improve performance, accountability and communication across the whole organisation.
"An important aspect of this activity is satisfying the Minister and ourselves that we are improving our management and leadership. This will build on the profound change program that has been going on for the last ten years," he said.
The following measures will be implemented shortly:
* commissioning letters for the Service Chiefs and their civilian equivalents which will define key relationships in more detail;
* increased focus on succession planning in the senior leadership group; and
* introducing the 'Plan on a Page' concept for all Defence people, to ensure that what they do is firmly linked to broad organisational goals.
There will be a recall day for Defence's senior leadership group on June 23, 2000 to report progress on these issues, many of which will be in place by July this year.
Background Key items on the Defence renewal agenda include:
* making sure there is an overarching corporate plan derived from Government policy, and objectives that cascade all the way down to a clear articulation of what each person is expected to contribute;
* expanding the performance framework so that people can take greater responsibility for the work they do and their careers;
* refining corporate management information so the leaders are better able to take critical decisions;
* improving acquisition arrangements - including through the possibility of amalgamating SCA and DAO;
* aligning the structural arrangements at the top of the organisation with an appropriate accountability and responsibility chain;
* taking a keen interest in the vital issue of senior succession planning - the ADF has made important improvements in this area and these will be matched on the civilian side of the house; and
* improving Defence's communications, both externally and internally.
