Building safety and integrity capability across the APS
Comcare and the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) have secured funding from the APS Capability Reinvestment Fund to design and deliver a leadership capability uplift project over the 2024-25 financial year.
Project update – EL2 Leadership Edge Sprint
A total of 360 EL1s and EL2s from 63 APS agencies have taken part in the inaugural Good Work Design Sprint—an exciting new addition to the APSC’s highly regarded EL2 Leadership Edge program.
Upon completion of the two-week sprint, most participants improved their understanding of SMART work design and how to embed it within their work, strengthening their leadership capability. 95% of participants indicated that they were satisfied with the new sprint.
Find out more about the APS Leadership Edge course.
Initiative overview
Comcare, in collaboration with the APSC, is leading the delivery of an initiative to support building safety and integrity capability across the APS, with funding received from the APS Capability Reinvestment Fund.
Background
In the evolving hybrid work landscape, it is now more important than ever for leaders at all levels to focus on supporting psychosocial and psychological safety. Building psychological safety in the APS contributes to a culture of integrity and more effective governance, service delivery and trust in Government.
Work design is an overlooked but effective way to build safer work environments, improving worker motivation, engagement and stress levels. The CRF builds on Comcare’s existing Good Work Design resources, with a particular focus on strengthening leadership capabilities.
Projects
There are 3 projects funded under this initiative.
Project 1 – SES Skills Lab and Mentoring Program
Psychologists from the APS Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Unit (MHSPU) are helping SES staff to hone their relational leadership behaviours through interactive skills labs and mentoring sessions focused on the 6R Relational Leadership Capabilities model. The pilot program aims to foster psychological and psycho-social safety, leading to a pro-integrity culture of stewardship and high performance.
Project 2 – EL2 Leadership Edge Program Good Work Design sprint
The Good Work Design sprint is designed to help EL2 and high-performing EL1 leaders create psychologically and psychosocially safe work environments using Curtin University’s SMART work design model.
The new sprint is a key component of the APS Leadership Edge Program, a cohort based social-learning program aiming to develop desired leadership and management capabilities in executive level staff.
Project 3 – SMART work design for teams
Comcare is inviting participants from the first Leadership Edge Good Work Design sprint to take part in pilot workshops intended to enhance their ability to apply work design processes within teams. An important component of the pilot will be the co-design of a SMART Teams Toolkit to help teams across the APS apply SMART work design.
Project participants
Comcare is leading this initiative, in partnership with the APSC and Curtin University.
Other advisory partners involved
- APSC
- Department of Education
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
- Department of Defence
- Department of Health
- Commonwealth Ombudsman
- National Indigenous Australians Agency
- National Emergency Management Agency of Australia
- Scyne Advisory.
Resources
Go to Good Work Design
