Steering senior public sector officials towards innovative thinking
Recognizing the indispensable role of a robust public sector in achieving Sri Lanka’s development objectives, Citra -Sri Lanka’s pioneering Social Innovation Lab established as a joint initiative between Prime Minister’s Office and UNDP Sri Lanka – held the Citra Fellowship on Public Service Excellence, a unique experiential learning programme tailored to fortify and invigorate the nation’s public sector.
Titled the ‘Citra Fellowship – Executive Programme’ it aims to equip skilled officials with strategic foresight, citizen-centric innovation, and Anticipatory, Adaptive and Agile Governance (AAAG) approaches and tools necessary to tackle Sri Lanka’s ambitious development targets.
This year’s programme was tailor-made specifically targeting senior government officials, including Additional Secretaries and Senior Assistant Secretaries from diverse Ministry portfolios.
The week-long experiential learning programme was designed and facilitated by Citra Lab, along with support from UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacific.
These officials, often regarded as the next generation of public sector leaders, play a pivotal role in advancing the country’s sustainable development goals.
Commenting on the shift towards innovative thinking in the public sector, Anura Dissanayake stated, “There is a pivotal role for strategic foresight and innovation in shaping our governance mechanisms. We must continually adapt and evolve to meet the changing needs of the Sri Lankan people and it is up to the public sector to transform to serve its people better. I am confident that through programmes such as these, our senior officials will be equipped with the necessary tools and mindset to become catalysts for positive change and innovation within the public sector. Therefore, I encourage them to fully engage, approach things with an open mind, learn, and apply the knowledge acquired during this learning programme to enhance their professional roles”.
Emphasising the need for transformative programmes such as this, Chandima Wickramasinghe, Additional Secretary to the President stated, “As senior officers, we recognise the importance of instilling the values of agility, adaptability, and anticipatory thinking, referred to as ‘triple A governance,’ in our upcoming leaders. Your involvement in this program is a vital step in ensuring that these qualities become ingrained in the next generation of public sector leaders, allowing you to navigate the complex challenges of governance with future-fit skills and vision”.