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Report 10 - Access to Information Review Task Force
CONSTRUCTING A CULTURE OF ACCESS IN THE FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE
Access to Information and the Public Service Work Environment – A Study
Commissioned by the
Access to Information Review Task Force
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Organizational Culture and how to
Change It
A Culture of Access in the Public
Service
Options
for Consideration
Conclusion
Annexes
References
IV. Options for Consideration
During the focus groups, participants pointed to various current practices that foster a culture of access and hence bear replicating. Officers, managers and ADMs alike provided useful suggestions to facilitate the practice of a culture of access. Five major issues were identified as areas of concern, namely: legitimating Access work; empowering public servants; increasing awareness and improving education and training; improving information management tools and practices, and finally, ensuring managerial support. The fifteen proposals listed below stem from these important concerns.
1. Legitimating Access Work
The major obstacle to constructing a culture of access in the public service is the fact that much of access work is invisible. It must be redefined and legitimated as "real" work, valued work and rewarded work. As one manager noted, "Employees don't see it [access work] in their job descriptions and it's not factored in performance measurement systems." Access must become a part of public servants' routine work habits. In order to integrate Access into the public service culture it must be legitimated and sedimented as routine. It must become a part of the taken-for-grantedness of organizational life in the public service. To this end we offer the following options for consideration:
Option # 1
That the task of responding to access to information requests appear in the job descriptions of all those who will, or could be called upon to do this work.
Option # 2
That the task of responding to access to information requests be incorporated into employment measurement systems and be evaluated along with other elements found in the job description.
Option # 3
That time estimates be prepared of the average number of hours departments spend on access work over a reasonable period of time (at least one year), and these hours be incorporated into the work schedules of employees involved in access work.
Option # 4
That estimates be prepared of the resources used by departments over a reasonable period of time, and these resources be calculated into departmental budgets for the coming fiscal year.
2. Empowering Public Servants
Public servants suggests that one way to foster a culture of access is to increase their input into in the process. The result would be a reduction of the sense of powerlessness that they now experience when instructed to respond to requests. Empowering employees is an important element in constructing a culture of access, for workers need a sense of control over their work. Empowerment fosters a positive organizational identity and an attractive work environment.
Option # 5
That public servants be encouraged to find creative ways to be proactive in the provision of access to information, and to incorporate these practices into their daily routine.
Option # 6
That public servants be encouraged to generate a professional discourse on access issues, and be given the time and space to share their perspectives with colleagues and superiors.
3. Increasing Awareness and Improving Education and Training
All three groups of officers, managers and ADMs spoke of the importance of education, training and guidance for fostering a culture of access. To begin with, public servants should be better informed about the principles and values underpinning access. They need more and improved education in dealing with requests, as well as the time required to take the training! Public servants need instruction in the significance of access to information work for their organizational identity. As we were told more than once, education is an important access issue, particularly given the turnover rate in the public service.
Option # 7
That sessions on access be incorporated into all employee orientation programmes. These sessions should include:
i) the articulation of the principles and values of the Access to
Information Act;
ii) the specification of access to information work as part of the public
servant's role and organizational identity,
iii) the explication of the importance of a culture of access for public
service culture at large.
Option # 8
That sessions on access to information be available throughout the year for interested employees. These sessions should include those elements listed in the Option # 7 above.
Option # 9
That employees called upon to do access to information work be given the necessary time away from their daily routine to attend training sessions.
4. Improving Information Management Tools and Practices
As we explained earlier in this report, record-keeping is an essential feature of the bureaucracy, and the sine qua non of a culture of access. As part of the material culture of the public service, information management systems must be designed to support the provision of Access efficiently and effectively.
Option # 10
That explicit guidelines specifying what constitutes "a record under the control of an institution" be distributed to all departments and agencies in the Government of Canada.
Option # 11
That explicit guidelines for filing and managing information be distributed to all departments and agencies in the Government of Canada.
Option # 12
That resources be made available to ensure an efficient and effective information management system throughout the public service.
5. Ensuring Managerial Support
Officers, managers and ADMs agree that support from superiors is essential for constructing and maintaining a culture of access in the public service. The legitimating function of organizational culture is part of the managerial role, and without encouragement from superiors, employees can hardly be expected to do their job with enthusiasm or satisfaction. "Celebrating the proactive sharing of information" among staff and encouraging a sense of pride in releasing information is one way for managers to support public servants in their Access work. The formula is simple: To create a broad culture of access, employees must be encouraged by their superiors to generate and maintain it.
Option # 13
That managers make explicit their commitment to access to information by setting an example and getting directly involved in access work and encouraging officers to comply with the law and the spirit of the law.
Option # 14
That managers be sensitive to time constraints of employees and advise them on how to establish priorities to accommodate both access requests and their other tasks.
Option # 15
That managers openly support and help their employees with the release
of information.
