Using human resources management strategies to support strategic agility

Resource flexibility, one of the key elements of strategic agility, is not only about budgets, but also about ensuring that the right human resources can be acquired, developed, and deployed in line with shifting priorities. Recent reforms to downsize the public service workforce, coupled with constant pressures to contain costs and increase value for money, are leading countries to strive for leaner, more strategic public services. At the same time, it is important to ensure that budget cuts do not unduly compromise the quality of public services. This chapter looks at the various tools and strategies countries have been using to make the public sector more agile, including strategic workforce planning, skills and competency management, promoting greater mobility in the public service, targeted recruitment and hiring, using performance management and compensation as incentives, fostering diversity, and changing the public service culture.