What does it mean to be a 21st Century Public Servant? We asked this question in 2014 and now, ten years later we have returned to it again. So,read on, if you want to find out more about our latest research and scroll down for additional resources including the original report.
The themes we identified in our first report still resonate in public life: citizen expectations of public servants continue to evolve; technology brings new opportunities and risks; public service skills, roles and careers are more fluid than a generation ago. But our new research has also identified distinctive challenges from the past decade: perma-austerity, communities are in distress, incivility in public life, EDI issues and remote working. This led us to identify 10 new characteristics for the 21st Century Public Servant which we have themed into three areas: working with complexity, developing and valuing new ways of working, and thriving in the new environment. We see these as important elements in developing the next generation of local government managers and leaders.