Get the basics right to boost productivity in civil service

This past week I have spent a lot of time in Government offices in Nairobi. Things have improved a bit from the bad old days. The offices look better maintained and the staff are more efficient. That said, there is still room for improvement. Three things in particular, stand out. These are: the layout in Government offices; culture of unquestioning deference to the boss (call it the “mkubwa” culture); and the over-centralisation of office operations. Let me explain more.

If you walk into the offices of a private company, you are most likely to find an open plan layout with task-specific workstations, and mostly glass walls. In contrast, our Government offices still have walls separating staff of the same pay-grade and multiple walls separating the general staff from the senior management. This may seem benign at first but it has consequences.