Self-motivation strategy for public servants:

Towards a creative and innovative Public Service

Dr. K. Kuhathasan-CEO: Cenlead

With the introduction of the "Citizen's charter" principles and practices in Government institutions, the efficiency and effectiveness of the District Secretariats, Divisional Secretariats and other Government institutions including the Provincial Councils have improved beyond imagination.

There are a few more areas that need further reforms and one such area is the present personal file system.

This system has to be replaced by "Self-motivation file" or "professional development file," "Career development file" or "Self-development file" to boost the productivity of public servants through the self motivation process.

The present "Personal Files" are mostly a demotivating factor in human resources development in the Public Sector. This system has to be replaced with "Career development files "or" Self-development plans."

At the start of a new year, Public Officers must be called upon to develop a "Career Development Plan" or a"Self-development Plan."

These files or plans can be used for the present "Personal Files" as well as for the performance appraisal system.

Self-achievement self-assurance, and self-accomplishment are among the more satisfying pleasures. "Climbing the success ladder" motivates people to work, inspire creativity, solves problems and stimulates inventiveness. No accomplishment or achievement occurs accidentally. It is always the outcome of a success pattern.

Careful planning, thoughtful strategy, and faithful execution are the factors of this pattern and these factors exist only when a clear target has been identified by the people themselves.

Personal development

A key objective for the "Personal files" and performance appraisal is the personal development of public officers.

* A successfully operated improved system of performance appraisal and career development file will benefit both individuals and the public sector.

* The public sector should create a culture that will value achievement. An appraisal or review system that is result-oriented, helps to create and maintain such a culture.

* Achievements of such personal commitment system demands commitment by the Public Officers.

* It brings about individual performance improvement and development of the Public Sector in several directions.

This system has the following advantages

* It's based on "Public Servants" - unique individuals.

* It's tailored to what Public Servants are performing now and what they are going to achieve in the future.

* It motivates them to focus on things they are good at and enjoy doing.

* It encourages Public Officers to do what's possible, instead taking chances on hypothetical estimates.

* It lets Public Servants to figure out what they personally need to perform and achieve short-term and long-term goals.

* It calls for a lot of self-appraisal, which makes the process more reliable, because the qualities that describe them as an individual are more substantial and last longer.

* Public Servants will feel far greater ownership of goals when they have played a part in setting them.

* This greatly facilitates their commitment to enhanced achievement. Public Servants will see some benefit to themselves from a performance appraisal system

Advantages of self-planning

Self-planning for performance measurement and development of professional development files can benefit them in many ways.

Here are some that stand out above the rest.

* Give directions: Self-planning stimulates Public Servants to think about the promise of the future rather than failures of the past.

* Coordinates: Self-planning ties all the efforts and aspirations together in a simple, easily understood, well-balanced program.

* Provides standards: Self-planning helps Public Servants size up their performance, measure the progress and figure out how well they are doing.

* Clarifies: Self-planning helps them to figure out what they really want out of work by cutting through all the unwanted matters that clutters their mind.

* Prepares: Self-planning gives them the tools they need to deal with sudden and unexpected problems.

* Reveals: Self-planning gives them a clear picture of how different tasks and activities interact to ensure success in their overall quest.

* Stimulates: Self-planning leads them to look upward by providing the stimulations they need to avoid dead-ends and blind alleys in their work.

All these new approaches in personal performance filing system and management is based on self-commitment, self-improvement, self-motivation, self-discovery, self-enhancement, self-development and self-performance.`

Introduction of daily performance contract system

Performance agreement or contract is a written agreement between a public servant and the head of the department, that identifies goals or targets to be achieved within a specific period of time. Generally the specific period is for one year.

When such a mutual agreement is reached the employee and the Head of the Department signs the agreement in good faith for implementation. The appraisal, is done towards the end of the year.

 To be continued