Thesis
Plausible futures for the Queensland Public Service: exploring the changing nature of government bureaucracies and generational change
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Master of Arts, University of the Sunshine Coast
2006
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25907/00329
Abstract
Queensland Government bureaucracies are being forced to change due to several major social, economic, environmental, technological and political influences. These include changes brought about by an ageing population, globalisation and generational change, changing public service demographics and diversity within perceptions of the time and space in which we live as Queenslanders. A better educated, more politically aware and technologically literate society is expecting, not only open and accountable government run by knowledgeable staff working effectively and efficiently, but a public service that works in partnership with private enterprise and other levels of government to provide sustainable services into the future. The chaos and complexity of the changes required to meet society's needs for the public sector of the future, working within historical structures and characteristics of government bureaucracies, and the resultant contradictions within everyday working life for public servants, have been identified as the source of a sense of anxiety, currently evident in the Queensland Public Service. This research discovered, through anticipatory action learning workshops, issues identified by the Strategic Management Network of the Queensland Public Service (QPS) as contributing to this anxiety. These issues include: differences in the skills base required for the future QPS; a broad range of emerging and future issues involved with the changing nature of work in the QPS; generational change issues; and requirements for structural change. They were identified using metaphors of the future, near and distant future emerging issues analysis, and the participants' tacit knowledge. These issues were then tested by surveying 500 Queensland public servants and posing four plausible futures for the sector. The survey found that these issues and plausible futures generated from them were acknowledged as being of importance and relevance, and that there were response differences relevant to the age and gender of the respondent.
Details
- Title
- Plausible futures for the Queensland Public Service: exploring the changing nature of government bureaucracies and generational change
- Authors
- Kate Teske
- Contributors
- Robert Elliot (Supervisor)
- Awarding institution
- University of the Sunshine Coast
- Degree awarded
- Master of Arts
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- DOI
- 10.25907/00329
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; USC International - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450485102621
- Output Type
- Thesis
Metrics
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