CS Behaviours
Working together
Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support.
Initally, Working Together can seem to be one of the easiest behaviours to write for. We've all worked in teams, and everone likes to think of themself as an effective team player. The difficulty arises in demonstrating how you actively build and maintain a network of colleagues to build progress. This goes beyond simply being agreeable and working together, and includes demonstrating flexibility, willingness to compromise and collaborate to achieve objectives. Althought each civil servant is working to deliver government objectives there are often conflicting priorities and this behaviour allows you to demonstrate how you can deliver on the priorities of the hiring manager while also supporting others to do the same.
This competency has been used to successfully apply for G7 and G6 roles.
As a Finance Manager, my role involved overseeing a network of over 300 support officers to effectively deliver with limited resources. I was accountable for ensuring compliance with financial guidelines, while also maintaining value for money. Despite my best efforts, financial errors were still being made due to a variety of technical abilities among staff. This posed a significant problem for the budget management, as these errors were being reported to Senior Leadership Team (SLT). To tackle this issue, I decided to develop a comprehensive training plan and resources that were accessible to all staff, regardless of their English language abilities. This training plan proved to be effective in resolving most of the issues.
However, I noticed that three large teams continued to make the same mistakes, despite completing the training. Upon further investigation, I discovered that their managers had not undergone the necessary training, and they were responsible for the errors. Despite my warnings, they refused to attend the training, and insisted on continuing with their current practices. I then warned them that in the worst case scenario all payments would have to be halted if they did not comply. After some negotiation, I was able to arrange a short training session to address the errors and bring them back into compliance. In one case, I even had to cut off a post that refused to comply. Eventually, all errors disappeared, and compliance was restored.
Throughout this entire process, I actively built and maintained a strong network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on shared objectives. I challenged assumptions and was willing to compromise if it was beneficial to the overall progress. I built strong interpersonal relationships and showed genuine care for my colleagues, ensuring that their wellbeing was considered and supported. I made sure that the needs of each of the teams were understood and addressed, and created an inclusive working environment where all opinions and challenges were taken into account. I was always available and approachable to my colleagues and receptive to new ideas. Through all of these efforts, I was able to effectively manage the budget, while also fostering a positive and productive work environment for my team and our colleagues.