Robertas Šerėnas, partner of "LEANERS", consultant of public sector organisations. Organizations often face challenges in achieving their goals. In our experience, there are usually several reasons for this: There are simply no goals. Without clearly defined goals, organizations cannot measure progress or success. Goals are the map to success, without them the organization wanders without direction. There are too many of them. When organizations set too many goals, employees can feel overwhelmed. This can cause stress and reduce motivation, as employees do not know where to start or what to prioritize. Employees don't know what they are or don't understand them. Clear communication is vital. If employees do not know what the organization's goals are, if they are complex and difficult to understand, employees will not be able to achieve these goals effectively. Employees are not committed to achieving them and are not responsible for progress. Important factors that motivate employees to achieve goals are Commitment and Responsibility. Without them, the goals remain only on paper and there is no aim to achieve them. They don't know what to do. A clear plan of action is essential. Employees need to know the specific steps that need to be taken to achieve the organization's goals. You don't have time for them - you are drowning in everyday life. Time management and prioritization are essential. Organizations need to ensure that day-to-day tasks do not interfere with long-term goals and that there is time to pursue them. Have you wondered which of the reasons is relevant in your organization? Let's talk about where to start to achieve your goals.

In recent decades, the Lithuanian public sector has undergone a significant transformation, trying to get rid of the Soviet legacy. The understanding that the public needs services that create a comfortable life for the public in our country has become established. There are achievements, but in many areas change is not happening fast enough. We talk about what can help the Lithuanian public sector to create a new level of service quality with Antanas Dubikaičius, an international expert in organizational management and partner of "Leaners". Over the past few years, you have implemented dozens of projects in the Lithuanian public sector aimed at improving the management of organizations. What are the most common problems they face? The biggest challenge for public sector organizations is a strategic change in culture - the emergence of the awareness that improvement must be continuous. After switching to this way of thinking, questions arise on how to make activities more efficient, how to involve employees of all levels in this creative process. This is highly unusual for many public sector organisations. By improving the management of companies and institutions, they gradually learn to focus only on their main functions, and to transfer auxiliary ones to others. It is not easy. As is cutting costs when budget constraints are a challenge in themselves. At the same time, in the process of change, the collective of the organization also changes - it is natural, it renews itself, and the people who left need to be replaced by others. This presents its own difficulties. When helping clients, we often come across situations where an organization has to go beyond its boundaries in order to improve services and increase efficiency. Encountering the complex bureaucratic apparatus of the state, numerous and growing requirements, often hinders efficient operation or causes additional costs. In addition, with the ever-increasing risks arising from the environment, society demands full transparency. Communicating costs and results is a mandatory norm these days, without which people do not understand the value created by the public sector. Many organizations are still learning in this area. I think the most important thing is to look at challenges, no matter how many and what they are, as an opportunity to create something new, better - without them, evolution does not take place. What are the benefits of more efficient processes? Customer satisfaction increases The reputation of the organization improves The well-being of employees in the organization improves The adaptation time of new employees is shortened Employee knowledge is accumulated Process performance improves Processes are speeding up The quality of the service, product or result improves Accountability is improving Productivity improves Process costs are reduced Risks are reduced What problems can process improvement solve for a public sector organization? When working with our clients, we always start with the basic question of what we want to change - we try to clearly name the improvement goals, so that later we can make sure that we have achieved them. And the ideas of what to improve can be endless, because no process is perfect, they can always be refined and updated. As for the implemented projects, our clients usually aim to improve productivity, quality of services, products, performance results. Working together, we not only theoretically, but also practically train the client's team to improve the selected process and increase its speed, to find solutions to reduce costs and risks. It is important to mention that by streamlining processes, it is possible to create a positive effect in the field of human resources as well - to improve the well-being of employees and their involvement in the organization, to reduce the integration time of newcomers, and to accumulate knowledge more successfully. In addition, to improve the organization's reputation, which is primarily related to its internal culture, management practices, and efficiency. Streamlining processes is an exciting journey where everyone involved is learning. Can you share a story where a public sector organization was surprised by its own discoveries while improving processes? Such cases occur regularly not only in Lithuania, but also in other countries. For example, we advised an international public sector organization in France, helping it to improve the quality of its operations. When analyzing one of the processes, all employees were able to describe exactly how it was performed. However, when we tried to name who is the client of this process, the user and what is the purpose of this process - no one could answer. Therefore, the development group came to the conclusion that this process should be abandoned altogether, because it is not clear who needs it, nor who uses its results. After making this decision, the organization managed to save 160 thousand per year. hours, which is really quite a lot. In fact, the financial effect obtained after streamlining the processes surprises public sector institutions and inspires them to improve further - after all, by using these funds, new, good things can be done. Antanas Dubikaitis, partner of the "LEANERS" company, is an international process optimization expert who has accumulated more than 10 years of consulting experience in various public sector institutions in Lithuania and abroad. He specializes in the application of efficiency methods and conducts practical training for public sector teams. in 2018 The consultants of the organization development company "LEANERS" founded in 2015 have already helped Lithuanian organizations such as the General Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Veterinary Service, the Vilnius Public Health Office and many others to solve management efficiency problems. The geography of the company's activities includes Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Egypt, Morocco. Learn more about LEANERS services here .

Society expects competence, helpfulness, speed, efficient use of costs, and leadership in the implementation of what it regulates and communicates from public sector organizations. These expectations are growing because life in our country is compared with other advanced countries, people's citizenship is increasing and they understand that they themselves finance the state apparatus. But how can a public sector body or company improve its services if it does not have a clear idea of where it is going and what it is aiming for? LEANERS partner Robert Šerėnas comments on the importance of a quality strategy for a modern organization. What are the characteristics of an effective public sector organization? In helping public sector organizations in various countries, we see that effective are those institutions that achieve their ambitious goals and openly declare it. Such organizations do not have many goals, they are quite clear (for example, "making the civil service professional" is a vague goal). Effective organizational action plans are not limited to solving local problems, such as reducing paper consumption or complaints. It has numerically clearly defined results aimed at improving the quality of services and increasing customer satisfaction. I would also single out one common essential feature of effective organizations - it is the continuous improvement of strategic management competence and its consistent application in practice. What challenges do public sector organizations face when they want to create strategies that actually help them? The situation, which we see after implementing dozens of projects in Lithuania and abroad, is similar in many organizations: not enough time is allocated to strategic planning, the competence of conducting strategic sessions needs to be strengthened, there are not enough human resources. However, the constantly growing number of requests shows us that organizations understand these shortcomings, are looking for help from the outside, first of all, to strengthen their people with new knowledge, to "turn on" the correct processes. What should organizations pay attention to when they no longer want to create strategies "in the drawer"? For public sector organizations planning strategy renewal work, we advise them to include no more than three measurable very important (SMART) goals. It should be understood by any person within ten minutes, the document should fit on one page and respond to the main strategy of the state and the expectations of stakeholders. The important thing is to involve the employees of the organization in the development of the strategy, so that it does not remain only a matter of the "strategy department". This department should not develop strategy, but involve all stakeholders in co-creation and help agree on the essentials. This is what we talk about in strategic sessions, which we not only facilitate, but also help capture insights, but at the same time we train our clients to do it themselves.

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Our consultancy services cover key areas of organisation development - people, processes, technology. All of them create positive or negative impacts on nature and people. Therefore, by contributing to the education and implementation of change in public sector organisations, we aim to be sustainable ourselves, and at the same time to inspire our clients to become so. LEANERS Sustainability Strategy 2024-2030 Our company helps public sector organisations in Lithuania and around the world to become modern. We understand modernity in management as the ability to meet the needs of stakeholders, to use resources rationally, to innovate, and to do so with a long-term perspective in mind. We believe that the modernity of organisations is inseparable from their sustainability. Let's get in touch Aiming to be sustainable ourselves and inspire others Our consultancy services cover key areas of organisation development - people, processes, technology. All of them create impacts on nature and people. Therefore, by contributing to the education and implementation of change in public sector organisations, we aim to be sustainable ourselves, and to inspire our clients to become so. Our sustainability commitments The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which bring together the public, private and non-governmental sectors, are for everyone. That's why we have set out our sustainability commitments to 2030 and the activities we will undertake, taking into account the impact of our activities. Environment Waste SDG targets 11, 13, 16 Contributing to a cleaner environment will reduce the amount of waste generated by the company's direct activities. Measures: 1. We will minimise the use of paper or other office supplies that would generate waste in our operations. 2. We will only sign documents with electronic signatures and encourage our partners to do so. 3. We will encourage our customers to take waste reduction into account in their operations by advising them on how to optimise their processes. Environment Climate change SDG targets 7, 11, 13, 16 Contributing to halting climate change and improving air quality, we will reduce CO2 emissions from the company's direct operations. Measures: 1. We will rent office space in A+ and A++ class buildings for work in Lithuania and abroad, using energy from renewable sources. 2. We will use hybrid cars for our operations. We will continuously reduce the share of fossil fuels we use. 3. We will encourage others and ourselves to use public transport (trolleybuses and electric buses), bicycles or walking when possible. 4. We will encourage our customers to take CO2 reduction into account in their operations by advising them on how to optimise their processes. Society Employees SDG targets 3, 4, 5, 8, 16, 10 We will create an organisation that is good to work for everyone and help our client organisations to become so. Measures: 1. We will allow flexible working from anywhere in the world on an individual schedule. 2. We will provide modern and comfortable working conditions in the office, continuously improving them according to employee suggestions. 3. We will encourage the continuous development of our employees by funding training on a company-wide basis, according to individual needs. 4. We will encourage our clients to create a supportive, inclusive and developmental work environment. Society Communities SDG targets: 1, 16, 1 We will help Ukraine until the end of the war and beyond Measures 1. Participate in projects of the EU and other international organisations, transferring our competences to the Ukrainian public sector 2. Pro-bono consultancy for Ukrainian NGOs. 3. We will annually allocate a share of our profits to NGOs assisting Ukraine 4. Mentor Lithuanian university students and members of youth organisations Management Business ethics SDG Goal 16 We will adhere to the principles of ethical business and transparency. Measure: 1. We will conduct regular customer NPS surveys - we will take the results into account when improving our services and products. 2. We will apply the management methods and tools we offer to our customers in our own operations. 3. We will develop and comply with a Code of Conduct. Prosecutor's Office of Lithuania The main operational processes were identified and analysed, factors determining the workload and time norms for actions were determined, and a methodology for deciding workloads was prepared. State Tax Inspectorate of Lithuania Training has been provided to teams on simplifying processes and enhancing efficiency. In collaboration, over 20 operational processes have been reviewed and plans for their improvement have been devised. Sessions to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement have been conducted. Government Chancellery of Ukraine The employees of the Government Chancellery were trained on improving operational processes, a process improvement methodology based on LEAN principles was created, and process improvement pilot projects were implemented in the Ministry of Education and the Department of Civil Service. Ministry of Environment of Lithuania The teams of the bodies subordinate to the Ministry - the State Protected Areas Service, the two Directorates of Protected Areas, and the National Land Service - were trained on how to simplify processes and increase their efficiency. More than 15 operational processes were reviewed together with them, proposals were made, and organizational strategies were developed. Vilnius municipality We reviewed the operational processes chosen by the client, and made suggestions on how to increase their efficiency. During the project, we generated proposals to increase service delivery speed by more than 25 times. Vilnius Public Health Office The organization’s mission, vision, strategy, and values were developed, strategic projects were prepared together with the office team, an employee suggestion system was implemented, an employee engagement survey was conducted, and budget planning and asset management processes were improved. Clients and projects Find out more

Helping the public sector become modern. The public sector can and must continuously evolve to better meet the needs of society. Partner with us, adopt best practices in organisational management and achieve visible results. Helping the public sector to become modern Create an effective organization that is good to work for. Let's get in touch 1. Refine the strategy 3. Align governance 5. Communicate 2. Update knowledge 4. Engage people 6. Measure results Free of charge SWOT analysis method It helps you assess your internal and external environment, identify areas for improvement and make fully informed decisions. Download Free of charge This approach helps organisations tackle challenges in their operations and continuously improve. It encourages a comprehensive, structured approach that is suitable for solving complex problems. Download Free of charge Gemba Walks, an insight-gathering tool If you're a manager, use this approach to try out different roles and see for yourself how and what works in your organisation. Download Free of charge Problemų sprendimo įrankis „5 Kodėl?“ It helps to identify the root causes of problems and address them. If you get used to using this tool, problems will stop happening and your organisation will become more efficient. Download More tools Are you a state or municipal organization? Let's get in touch We also have experience in the public sector, so we understand your challenges well. Let's talk! Prosecutor's Office of Lithuania The main operational processes were identified and analysed, factors determining the workload and time norms for actions were determined, and a methodology for deciding workloads was prepared. State Tax Inspectorate of Lithuania Training has been provided to teams on simplifying processes and enhancing efficiency. In collaboration, over 20 operational processes have been reviewed and plans for their improvement have been devised. Sessions to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement have been conducted. Government Chancellery of Ukraine The employees of the Government Chancellery were trained on improving operational processes, a process improvement methodology based on LEAN principles was created, and process improvement pilot projects were implemented in the Ministry of Education and the Department of Civil Service. Ministry of Environment of Lithuania The teams of the bodies subordinate to the Ministry - the State Protected Areas Service, the two Directorates of Protected Areas, and the National Land Service - were trained on how to simplify processes and increase their efficiency. More than 15 operational processes were reviewed together with them, proposals were made, and organizational strategies were developed. Vilnius municipality We reviewed the operational processes chosen by the client, and made suggestions on how to increase their efficiency. During the project, we generated proposals to increase service delivery speed by more than 25 times. Vilnius Public Health Office The organization’s mission, vision, strategy, and values were developed, strategic projects were prepared together with the office team, an employee suggestion system was implemented, an employee engagement survey was conducted, and budget planning and asset management processes were improved. Clients and projects What's new at LEANERS? Why should the public sector improve its processes? Jun 6, 2024 How to develop a strategy that works? Jun 6, 2024 What should you know when starting process improvement? Jun 6, 2024 All articles 12 Countries where we have consulted organizations 26+ Public sector clients 25+ International projects 45+ Projects in Lithuania Our approach We believe that the public sector can and must constantly improve in order to better respond to the needs of society. Cooperate with us - adopt the best practices of the public sector and achieve visible results. Find out more Reviews The State Food and Veterinary Service is a project participant "The training is very informative and useful for understanding the process. The visual layout of process steps allows you to see the insignificant steps and understand what is really important. This is advanced training that changes attitudes. I would like all members of our organization to participate in such training." The State Service of Protected Areas is a project participant "The training is useful because it forces me to look at my work and the organization where I work from a new perspective, to find ways to perform tasks more efficiently in my daily activities, at work. The lecturer is patient, diplomatic, has no prejudice, 10 out of 10. One of those rare cases when the training is really useful." The State Tax Inspectorate is a project participant "It is useful when another person looks at your coordinated processes - a competent external expert. An opportunity to discuss, listen to arguments and check whether changes are being made in the right direction." Find out more