Culture Change For Productivity
Updated on: Sep 30, 2020
It takes time to infuse a certain behavior in any organization . It took some time to inculcate laxity in government organization, hence the poor results in most governments in the past years.
Repositioning of culture which means the reconstruction of the cultural concept of a society requires identification of weak areas and trying to improve them for better results, just as Laikipia has done.
Governor Ndiritu Muriithi while assuming office had to ensure a new culture was in place to cater for Laikipians needs as he had promised during the campaign period.
The impression of time wastage and absenteeism in government office were rampant. Most of the senior managers were known to come to their office late, hang their courts on the chair, open a laptop and then leave for personal businesses.
Such a behavior had taken deep roots in the county government and changing it was a process.
The governor, with the help of senior management had to set a clear way on how the county should be run; otherwise his promises to the citizens would not be effected.
Being a role model, the governor and his deputy would be in their offices by 7:30 am. Automatically the rest had to follow suit and be in their respective places of work latest 8 am.
During meetings say starting at 11:00 am, the county management would be settled fifteen minutes earlier. The trend continued and has now been adopted by all county staff members.
Time management was not only the area that needed addressing. Government-citizen relationships had also to be improved. This was done through reminding government officers that they are servants to the Mwananchi and not the other way.
Rarely, if there is any case, will you hear today that a public servant in Laikipia used a bad language to a citizen seeking government help.
The new management of the county also does not tolerate corruption. Tenders are awarded fairly, and those seeking government interventions get them with no brown envelops involved. Officers who took long to adapt to the new system were dismissed and some are to be prosecuted.
Instilling of such a new normal has seen some of the counties come to benchmark with Laikipia. Makueni County staff, for example, came in November last year on a benchmarking exercise on revenue collection.
Laikipia Countys revenue collection increased when corruption in that section was tamed. Citizens started paying taxes genuinely as there were evident results of money not being pocketed by few individuals.
According to the CECM for Administration Rose Maitai, to sum up matters instilling of a new culture, says that government officers are now adapting well.
Just as it was hard to instill the new culture of hard work without close supervision, so it will be regress. Meaning the workers who have gone through our tenure will take a long time to revert back to a bad culture whenever they will be, said Maitai.
Repositioning of culture which means the reconstruction of the cultural concept of a society requires identification of weak areas and trying to improve them for better results, just as Laikipia has done.
Governor Ndiritu Muriithi while assuming office had to ensure a new culture was in place to cater for Laikipians needs as he had promised during the campaign period.
The impression of time wastage and absenteeism in government office were rampant. Most of the senior managers were known to come to their office late, hang their courts on the chair, open a laptop and then leave for personal businesses.
Such a behavior had taken deep roots in the county government and changing it was a process.
The governor, with the help of senior management had to set a clear way on how the county should be run; otherwise his promises to the citizens would not be effected.
Being a role model, the governor and his deputy would be in their offices by 7:30 am. Automatically the rest had to follow suit and be in their respective places of work latest 8 am.
During meetings say starting at 11:00 am, the county management would be settled fifteen minutes earlier. The trend continued and has now been adopted by all county staff members.
Time management was not only the area that needed addressing. Government-citizen relationships had also to be improved. This was done through reminding government officers that they are servants to the Mwananchi and not the other way.
Rarely, if there is any case, will you hear today that a public servant in Laikipia used a bad language to a citizen seeking government help.
The new management of the county also does not tolerate corruption. Tenders are awarded fairly, and those seeking government interventions get them with no brown envelops involved. Officers who took long to adapt to the new system were dismissed and some are to be prosecuted.
Instilling of such a new normal has seen some of the counties come to benchmark with Laikipia. Makueni County staff, for example, came in November last year on a benchmarking exercise on revenue collection.
Laikipia Countys revenue collection increased when corruption in that section was tamed. Citizens started paying taxes genuinely as there were evident results of money not being pocketed by few individuals.
According to the CECM for Administration Rose Maitai, to sum up matters instilling of a new culture, says that government officers are now adapting well.
Just as it was hard to instill the new culture of hard work without close supervision, so it will be regress. Meaning the workers who have gone through our tenure will take a long time to revert back to a bad culture whenever they will be, said Maitai.
