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 .