United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

The problem for Brunei was a serious threat to the quality and effectiveness of the nation’s potable water supply.

As Brunei Darussalam continues to progress as a nation in an era of change and challenge, the Ministry of Development (MOD), in support of the aspirations of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan’s Government, strives to provide the highest quality of service and consumer satisfaction to the people of Brunei.

Water Services Department (DWS), Public Works, Ministry of Development, is the nation’s largest Water Utility, delivering safe continuous water supply to the entire population of approximately 390,000 people.

Potable water meeting World Health Organization Standards (WHO) is delivered by DWS to 99.9% of the population including in rural areas. Although an adequate water supply at these standards is assured under the Department’s Master Plan (implemented in stages every 5 years under the National Development Plan), there is an increasing public expectation that quality and reliability levels will be continuously improved.

In January 2005, DWS was faced with major issues threatening the efficiency and reliability of service delivery and water quality. Among these were late or foregone revenue through incorrect billing and a lack of transparency and accessibility in respect of services provided. In terms of water reliability, delays in operational responsiveness were a cause for concern. These issues were further exacerbated by the ineffectiveness of administrative processes in meeting the Department’s Client Charter.

Public frustration reflected in media articles, complaints from walk in customers and customer survey feedback acted as a `tipping point’ for drastic change of a holistic kind in order to regain public and other stakeholder confidence and trust.

Ineffective administrative processes included the weaknesses inherent in a traditional and hierarchical `top-down approach’ and organizational structures and management systems in which accountability and autonomy were limited and unclear, leading to conflict when problems arose. In addition, internal activities were not coordinated and integrated leading to ineffectiveness in tackling problems, issues and opportunities and in the allocation of resources.

A complacent and reactive workplace culture had developed with a lack of employee engagement and commitment leading to poor response times and a mindset of `living with the problem’ rather than adopting creative solutions.

Other factors leading to internal inefficiency included a lack of a technically skilled workforce, obsolete technology, inadequate funding and institutional limitations.

An urgent need to strengthen and align strategies, overhaul operational and administrative guidelines and procedures and implement proper performance measurement and monitoring mechanisms together with effective auditing processes, training down to the lowest level and positive teamwork and integration to create an environment more conducive to sustained and sustainable peak performance.

In short, the need was to mobilize the talents, energies and abilities of all of the Department’s people (people-power) to transform the Department level from an administrative-centered to a customer-centered enterprise, a task that called for a specifically tailored application of institutional strengthening concepts through effective change management.

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
By 2006, the people of the Department had brought about a vastly improved organizational culture through a tailored, flexible and adaptable approach to change. The implementation of an E-Billing System and Spot Billing and improved customer information meant that customer billing was better managed with Spot Billing delivering immediate water bills upon meters being read. Increases in modes of payment, increases in payment outlets and an online system of customer billing data and water service application enquiry have made significant improvements to customer accessibility, transparency and satisfaction, especially for senior citizens and long distance customers. Service timeliness and shorter service application turnaround times (from 14 days to 1 day and even same day in some cases) have promoted a positive customer experience as have modernization of the customer environment and equipping front line staff to provide customer friendly assistance. These results have been reflected in staff’s achievement in winning for the Ministry of Development 2007 Excellence Award for Frontline Customer Service and in customer survey feedback. Through this initiative, the Government of His Majesty have also benefited from a more than doubling in water service revenue collection in 2007/2008, a result never before experienced. With people ‘walking an extra mile’ in personal ‘touch’ and commitment including customers benefiting from temporary water supply through tanker delivery and the supply of potable water tanks and containers during planned and unplanned water disruption, a great deal has been achieved in social, economic and environmental terms. Additional water quality checks have been provided to individual customers upon request together with customer advice on water usage and the provision of lists of registered water contractors to assist customers rectify leakages and other problems. Public alliances involving village leaders, media and other agencies and Authorities, have significantly improved public preparedness and communication at all levels. Improvements in organizational capacity and performance have been monitored and measured through benchmarking as have improvements in service delivery. A transformational shift towards a combined horizontal and bottom-up approach in management style has been achieved through the placement of the `right people in the right place’, improved leadership, greater transparency and personal and collective accountability for outcomes and results together with active staff participation in developing a strong sense of belief and belonging within the whole organization; a genuine mobilization of the entire department. Improvements in personnel and organisational image and in workplace environment have also enhanced staff commitment toward a customer orientated service as have the achievement of ISO 9001:2000 in 2006 and ISO 17025 in 2007 and the diffusion of modernized IT and best practice knowledge, knowledge transfer and exposure through training and work attachment in other Water Utility Boards in the region. The success of the change initiative was further recognized in 2008 under the National Public Service Excellence Award for two categories, the Gold Award (first place) in the Service Delivery category and Silver (No Gold winner in this category, so effectively, first place) in the Finance category.

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The changes in the Water Services Department were implemented as a result of the need to address the serious threat to the quality and effectiveness of the nation’s potable water supply described earlier consistent with the call for change made by His Majesty some years earlier on the occasion of his 54th Birthday in 2000, when he said: `In the face of global competition in the new century, it is pertinent to examine and reevaluate our management practices, adjust and up-date out-dated regulations, change the mindset to a more positive outlook, avoid wastage and reduce the national deficit, as well as increasing the national income.’ In addition, on the occasion of His Majesty’s 57th birthday in 2003 His Majesty had emphasized the need to improve customer service and provide satisfaction, saying : `Towards Public Service, my Government will always strive to improve the service level that meets the customer’s expectation and satisfaction. Among the efforts currently introduced is the realignment program where every Ministry and Government Department needs to prepare planning strategies within their own organization that align with and support the Nation’s hope, vision and aspiration’ As well as being brought about in response to expressed public needs and an expectation for a faster and more efficient service and motivated and inspired by His Majesty’s call for action, it was realized that improved services would also strengthen the nation’s economy through local and international investors having greater confidence and assurance in the level of services provided. While implementation was the responsibility of an internal taskforce team led by the Assistant Director of Water Services ALL of the people within the entire organization played a part in bringing about intended outcomes – with support from private sector participants in the design of improvement strategies and methodologies and through alliances with the public, village leaders and media in communicating plans and results. Key stakeholders included the wider Public Works Department and other Ministry of Development organizations, other government agencies, the public at large, the commercial and industrial private sectors and, local and international investors.

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
Recognizing Albert Einstein’s injunction that you should not expect to be able to solve a problem using the same thinking that created it in the first place, the key strategy used was to change the organizational mindset and culture to support an elevation of the Department’s performance to levels not seen in the last 15 years. The success in bringing about a changed mindset and a more customer orientated culture has proven just how possible it is to mobilize people to new levels of capacity and performance in public sector organisations facing the challenges addressed by Brunei’s Water Services Department. The transition from an ‘As-Is’ to a ‘Will-Be’ mindset and to a commitment to authentic transformation aimed at addressing institutional weaknesses and enhancing actual and potential strengths was designed to meet both internal and external customer satisfaction expectations while achieving financial and other business and environmental objectives aligned to the Nation’s vision. Under the first strategy, data was analyzed from three perspectives - international and regional best practice and internal and external customer expectations and requirements. A roadmap with a framework of strategies and goals was then established to enhance organizational performance and capacity aligned to the Nation’s vision for quality living with a particular focus on Billing and Revenue Collection, Operational and Customer Service and Human Resource Development. The second strategy adopted involved formalizing the processes for transformational change and institutional strengthening including: • A review and rationalization of policies, procedures, regulations and legal and other requirements to improve efficiency and effectiveness • A customer orientated strategy • A clear communications, stakeholder relations and marketing strategy • E-Governance • A positive staff image • An enabling environment adaptable to change and continuously cultivating a positive organizational culture • Effective IT and other systems • Targets and benchmarks for operational and service performance • Standards for relevant best practice • Monitoring, regulatory and auditing mechanisms • Private sector participation in expediting performance improvement by filling gaps in expertise and knowledge • A shift of employee attitudes towards innovative ways of thinking ‘out of the box’ and developing approaches to continuous improvement • Putting the right people in right place

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
Key development and implementation steps were carried out in two phases. The first phase, creating an institutional framework towards the new vision, was targeted at transitional change in terms of building capacity and enhancing actual and potential strengths in the short to medium term. Analysis from the three perspectives referred to earlier (international and regional and internal and external customers were carried out to determine ‘where we were’. This included • Surveys on customer satisfaction • Staff perspectives on critical success performance analysis • KPI analysis • Performance comparison with other Water Utilities in the Asian Pacific Region • Analysis of service delivery performance against the organisation’s client charter • A SWOT analysis to identify the organisation’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, threats and vulnerabilities assessed against the Department’s mission, vision and objectives • Study visits to best practice utilities to learn technological and other know-how The results of these analyses and studies were used to set goals and formulate and implement strategies focused on enhancements in the three key areas of Billing/Revenue Collection, Operational/Customer Service and Human Resource Development. This involved organisational change towards a horizontal ‘bottom-up’ approach which promoted accountability, transparency and leadership qualities. To further enhance organisational performance policies, procedures and regulatory matters were reviewed and updated and performance benchmarks on operational and service levels were set to provide a performance platform for localized best practice. Other initiatives included: • Implementation of an asset management system • Private sector outsourcing of some `supporting activities’ • Diffusion of IT in analysing operational performance and servicing activities • Introduction of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) continuous improvement and performance monitoring methodology at every level • Immediate implementation of reliable (tested) and valid (proven) innovations proposed through the daily coordination of the PDCA process by way of evaluation through a unique ‘wedge of adaptability’ technique – ‘wedge’ to ensure that what existed previously is not compromised and ‘adaptability’ to ensure that enhancements can be implemented without delay The second development and implementation phase, institutional formalization, was targeted at gaining more autonomy and sustaining the organisation’s identity as a high performing Water Utility. Strategies included restructuring the organisation towards a greater customer orientation, cultivating performance against targets and benchmarks and motivating the organisational culture and mindset to be more positively focused. Strengthening customer value and service by creating an enabling environment focused on value, efficiency and effectiveness was also a high priority in this phase. To enhance organisational autonomy and to strengthen enforcement activities, the Water Act was reviewed and revised to reflect the new priorities. Certification of ISO 9001:2000 for the operational and maintenance sections and ISO 17025 for water laboratory services also promoted the organization’s image and enhanced customers’ trust and confidence in the reliability of services provided. Human resources and physical assets were continually developed in this phase to ensure continuous improvements in knowledge and water supply reliability as pledged by the organization in its mission to provide clean, safe, continuous and affordable potable water supply for the country.

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
The organisation’s strategy anticipated the constraints and limitations of the Department to achieve a successful implementation of the change project. Obstacles encountered included, but were not limited to: • High resistance to change i.e. people needing to ‘get out of their comfort zone’ • A lack of confidence and belief • Lack of sufficient autonomy for the Department to act effectively and efficiently particularly in the implementation of short and medium term strategies • Limitation of skilled and technical human resources • Technology know-how and obsolete IT • Lack of understanding of current technical water issues • Lack of public support and understanding given the public’s ‘comfort’ with high consumption levels and low tariffs • A perception of water as a `social good’ not an `economic good’. To overcome resistance to change an enormous effort went into influencing a sense of confidence and `belief’ across the organisation and in cultivating a `sense of belonging’ in working together to initiate change. Active staff participation took place at every stage with ideas implemented through a rigorous `bottom-up’ approach. Improving the Department’s image and working environment as well as being recognized through achievement of ISO 9001:2000 (2006), ISO 17025(2007) and the award of the nation’s Customer Excellence Prize for frontline service and National Public Services Award (Gold and Silver) enhanced confidence and a willingness for change. Due to limited local expertise in specific areas and the time needed to research solutions, private sector partnerships helped identify, design and recommend the appropriate management tools and strategies, tailored to the organization’s emerging culture. Focused efforts to enhance continuous HRD through technology and capacity transfer from private sector partners and other institutions, local and overseas training and on the job skills development became an established part of the initiative. A major driving force in the success of the change strategy was developing understanding of the need for change on the part of all stakeholders including, most importantly, the general public. This understanding and alignment created crucial support in terms of commitment to both the quality and financial aspects of the project’s objectives. Within the organization, communication was maintained through regular meetings and informal discussion, transparency, social activities and short religious gatherings each week to enhance the work ethic and individual and collective commitment. Communication with the public and media was achieved through public alliances that resulted in relieving public concern about and enhancing public preparedness in respect of service disruption or crisis. Recognition of the Department’s achievements were promoted to further enhance employee, public and other stakeholder awareness of necessary change, thus influencing the approval of fund applications to finance further improvements.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
Operational, Maintenance and Customer Service Expenditure (Technical Costs) No additional funds were required apart from the approved annual fund allocation of Water Supply, Operational and Maintenance Budgets involving IT refurbishment. Human Resources The project did not involve additional human resource expenditure, all of the first and second phase improvements having been achieved within the existing human resource allocations within the organization. This was achieved by optimizing the potential and capabilities of individuals in the organization within existing HRD budgets and by rationalizing expenditure to make more effective use of time and of financial and other resources. Significant elements of the change achieved were brought about by `reshuffling’ staff (putting the right people in the right place at the right time – and in the right way – carefully and sensitively) and by optimizing peoples’ potential through appropriate education and training. The cost of training and knowledge transfer relating to the development of IT and the enhancement of customer service, including private sector partnerships, study trips and associated expenses, were met from allocated yearly funds for HRD and project fund allocations. On-the-job training with other Water Utilities in the region was effected under Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Agreements with these costs too absorbed under existing yearly HRD funds allocation.

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
Embedding the concepts of `flexibility’ and `adaptability’ as key elements of the new culture and mindset have contributed positively to the initiative’s sustainability and to its transferability within and beyond the wider organization as has a continued focus on tailored institutional strengthening activities such as the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) continuous improvement methodology and similar tools and processes. Sustainability and transferability have also been enhanced through the continuous monitoring and auditing of results against appropriate International and National benchmarks and the Department’s Internal and External Client Charter. Sustainability in particular is supported through the routine application of the uniquely designed `wedge of adaptability’ process referred to earlier which allows for the early adoption of changes geared to achieving enhanced customer experience and satisfaction and other priority outcomes aligned to the national vision and goals. This fast track mechanism for implementation action helps overcome the cynicism and frustration that comes from delays in seeing necessary improvements implemented speedily without compromising quality and integrity. Institutional sustainability of improvements towards excellence is also achieved through awareness and diffusion of change outcomes and results across all stakeholder groups including within the organization itself, other sectors and departments and, most importantly, the public and the media. Media promotion, public and staff dialogue, information leaflets, educational programs and campaigns and the public recognition of achievements are also proving vital in enhancing sustainability as are strong and engaged leadership and the valuing of ideas and innovative activities and solutions from all levels of the organisation. Strong and engaged leadership is being developed through a mechanism of performance monitoring managed by a task force group with follow-up by senior managers. This has helped develop a strong awareness of both the need for dynamic change and of fast decision making in adapting to necessary changes. Continuous customer experience mapping allows for systems, procedures and policies to be improved to adapt to customer expectations and requirements. Quality performance (human and technological) is continuously upgraded in response to audit findings. In terms of financial sustainability, the value of initiative outcomes and results is actively promoted through the formal recognition of performance improvements and achievements and continuous dialogue that influences financial support from the relevant Authorities. Greater financial autonomy is now given to Heads of Departments to allow more flexibility in making sustainable improvements including the upgrading of systems and technology in adapting to changing trends of relevance to the organisation and its customers. Customer incentive programs, a strengthening of the enforcement and legislative framework, including a new Water Act and significant improvements in revenue collection are all contributing to initiative sustainability and transferability. In terms of social and economic sustainability, customer awareness of the importance of the need to conserve is enhanced through promotional campaigns and public participation, particularly during Customer Day and World Water Day activities. In order to enhance transferability, there is a continuing focus on sharing across the wider organisation and private and public sectors of the results being achieved through better technology and management approaches.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The greatest lesson learnt was, that as long as there is hope and willingness for change, almost anything can be achieved. From the seeds of hope that existed within the organization and with a major effort to change attitudes and beliefs, the organization was able to implement change with success. The change journey proved to be a learning process for everyone involved and, ultimately, an exciting adventure, though not without pain. Transforming to a better Future State brought about integrated parallel results in all key areas – physical, financial, environmental, social and economic – all geared to improvements in customer service and value. In addition, this success has contributed to major improvements in the image of the Department and Nation. From the customer’s perspective, the major impact of the change initiative is a significantly improved customer experience confirmed through customer survey feedback. Reductions in complaints from the public and other stakeholders and an increase in appreciative responses from all stakeholder groups affirm the value of the initiative in improving customer and other stakeholder value. These customer and other stakeholder benefits are also confirmed in the continuous monitoring of KPIs linked to the organisation’s internal and external Client Charter and by the extent to which the organization’s achievements have been recognized by external agencies including in competitive circumstances across the entire public service. Better technology and management, particularly in customer service and customer and stakeholder relations, operational and monitoring activities, asset management and billing, have improved the Department’s responsiveness, capacity and performance in an integrated way. The organization’s culture has shifted from an internal, somewhat negative and limited orientation to an internal and external customer and other stakeholder service orientation with a focus on the achievement of excellence in everything. Particular shifts have been evident in the quality of the workplace environment, staff image and belief and individual and collective staff achievement. Quality and financial auditors have responded positively to the results of the change initiative noting in particular the dramatic improvements in revenue collection and service delivery performance to levels not previously experienced. Department of Water Services continuously strives to make improvements in every aspect of service delivery in a sustainable manner.


Institution Name:		Department of Water Services
Institution Type:		Government Agency
Contact Person:		Nor Imtihan H.A Razak
Title:		Act.Assistant Director
Telephone/ Fax:		673-8823971 or 672-2220292 Ext 303
Institution's / Project's Website:		672-2221993
E-mail:		norimtihan.razak@gmail.com
Address:		Department of Water Services, PWD,Jalan Tasek Lama,Ministry of Development,Negara Brunei Darussalam
Postal Code:		BS 8311
City:		Bandar Seri Begawan
State/Province:		Brunei Muara
Country:		Brunei Darussalam

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information