6. Overseeing Operations, Projects and Resources in the Victorian Public Sector
Most managers will have had experience in managing individual projects or particular operational functions in their pre-management roles. So the focus here is not on day-to-day project or operational management skills, but on aspects of project or operational management that managers may not have experienced in their pre-management work.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice | Expert | |||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Building and championing a business case including outlining an initiative, the rationale for it, benefits (direct and indirect) and costs (direct and indirect) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Undertaking accountabilities related to the management of public funds including fulfilling reporting requirements | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Developing strategies for getting work done including the design of work tasks and management of resources | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Ensuring compliance with Victorian public sector procurement and contract management requirements | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Identifying, analysing, evaluating and treating risks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Managing succession and workforce planning risks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Evaluating operations or projects | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Capturing, storing and transferring explicit and tacit knowledge | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking support to develop effective operational and project management practices | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
7. Managing and Developing People in the Victorian Public Sector
Good people management is one of the key contributions that a manager makes to an organisation’s productivity, culture, staff retention and attractiveness to potential employees. Good people management is also one of the key factors contributing to a manager’s ability to deliver outcomes.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice | Expert | |||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Establishing a workplace culture that enables individual and team performance | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Building and maintaining high performing teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Assigning work to individuals appropriate to their skills, aspirations and potential | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Empowering individuals and teams to work with authority and autonomy while avoiding micro-managing or under-managing staff | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Helping build and maintain staff motivation and engagement | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Providing feedback to help staff achieve performance and personal growth | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Assisting staff to identify and address their development needs | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Constructing opportunities for staff to develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours in the workplace | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Assisting staff to identify opportunities to advance their careers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Negotiating working arrangements to meet the needs of work and individual staff | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Managing staff and teams with differing working hours or locations | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking support to assist with managing individuals and teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
8. Managing Difficult Situations Involving the People You Manage
Some of the most stressful situations that a manager has to face are difficult situations involving the people they manage. These are situations that are difficult partly because they can involve strong emotions and partly because most managers will not experience these situations very often. So they will not have had the opportunity to develop and refine their ability to address these situations with confidence.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice | Expert | |||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Undertaking difficult conversations to achieve positive outcomes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Identifying and addressing, in line with appropriate processes:
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Reassigning, re-classifying or dismissing a staff member in line with appropriate processes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Participating in formal grievance and dispute resolution processes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking support to manage difficult situations involving the people you manage | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
9. Managing Attraction and Recruitment Activity in the Victorian Public Sector
The foundations for strong staff performance and a manager’s ability to succeed in their role is enhanced significantly through the manager’s ability to attract and recruit the right people; that is, people who will be able to contribute to the current and evolving needs of the work and the organisation.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice | Expert | |||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Planning for the attraction and recruitment process | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Identifying the knowledge, skills and behaviours the organisation requires now and in the future | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Writing position descriptions to attract and inform high quality candidates | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Creating a candidate short list | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Conducting behaviour-based interviews and other forms of assessment | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Ensuring evidence- and merit-based decision making | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Communicating outcomes of the selection process to:
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Setting the appointee up for strong performance in their new role | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Ensuring effective use of the probation processes (where appropriate) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Capturing, sharing and using intelligence arising from the recruitment process | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking support with attraction and recruitment processes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
10. Collaborating Across and Beyond the Victorian Public Sector
Collaboration—working with others to achieve particular goals—occurs in many different forms across the Victorian public sector. It ranges from ad hoc one-to-one arrangements and informal networks, to project groups within or across departments, to multi-jurisdictional or multi-sector arrangements framed by formal agreements and documented protocols. Victorian public sector managers often find themselves either participating in, or establishing and leading, some form of collaboration.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice | Expert | |||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Identifying when a collaboration with individuals or organisations outside your own is necessary | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Identifying the type of engagement approaches and collaboration that will be appropriate | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Setting up a collaboration to ensure it is successful | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Maintaining the value and momentum of a collaboration | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Addressing the differences that arise because of the different types of accountabilities, governance structures, ways of operating and cultures existing in:
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking assistance to support collaborateive work | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
11. Working with Diversity in the Victorian Public Sector
Ensuring effective engagement with and between people whose identities, perspectives and interests differ significantly is a key factor in delivering outcomes in the Victorian public sector.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice | Expert | |||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Applying general principles for achieving meaningful engagement with and between people with significantly different identities, perspectives and/or interests | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Acting in accordance with legislation relevant to diversity | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Appreciating and working productively with different:
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking support to assist in working with people who have different identities or perspectives | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
12. Managing During Organisational Change
At some stage in a management career, a manager is likely to be involved in an organisational change initiative. The change could be large or small, evolutionary or revolutionary, or be driven externally or internally. While change initiatives are initiated (or at least framed) by senior organisational leaders, managers have a key role to play in making the changes happen across the organisation and in managing the impacts.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice | Expert | |||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Planning for change, including framing goals, milestones, timeframes, key actions and progress evaluations in light of different types of change | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Addressing typical employee responses to change | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Helping people:
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Communicating effectively in a change environment, including conveying information or decisions that people may find upsetting | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Managing the impacts of change on:
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Monitoring and reporting on aspects of change effectiveness | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking support for the change process and its impacts, especially those relating to staff wellbeing | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
13. Contributing to Public Policy
Public policy refers to a set of actions the government is implementing to address a particular problem impacting on the community. A key role for the public sector is to shape, draft and implement public policy through active engagement with the wider community.Not all managers in the Victorian public sector are directly involved with the development of public policy. However, a considerable number of managers are involved with public policy either through contributing to policy formation consultations or in implementing the actions identified as part of a policy response. So a good understanding of how policy is developed and how to implement and review public policy is valuable for a management career in public service.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice | Expert | |||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Identifying a problem for which a public policy response may be appropriate | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Collecting evidence in a public policy context | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Formulating policy options | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Involving, in the research, analysis, formation and assessment stages:
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Using decision making frameworks within a public policy context | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Drafting public policy to ensure adoption and impact | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Evaluating the effectiveness of public policy in terms of the original issue and of changing circumstances | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking support to assist with the development or implementation of public policy | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
What now?
Scores of 3 or below indicate an area where focused development is likely to be of value.Where you have scored 4 or 5, how did you gain your expertise? Was it mostly theory or mostly practice?
If it was predominantly one or the other, you might consider undertaking a practically (or theoretically) based development activity to round out your expertise. You might also consider using your expertise to help others (for example, your colleagues or your staff) develop their strengths in these areas by, for example, offering to mentor them.
If you and your supervisor are happy with your level of expertise in these areas, you should now move to the next self-assessment.