To bring about change in the civil service, the time has come to manage the government like a company
Inflation in government ministries and the high number of ministers cause cumbersomeness, duplication, and managerial paralysis. The proposed solution is simple, gradual, and reversible: redistributing work so that ministers function only as policymakers and supervisors, while professional CEOs take the actual reins of management. Guest column.
The author is the head of the Tzur Hadassah local council.
"They would tell him, cheer up, son, the situation could be much worse. So he cheered up, and the situation really became worse" (Grocery Store Story, Kaveret band).
Almost six years ago, I published a column on this platform that dealt with the fundamental difficulties in the functioning of Israeli governments. I argued then that political motives, alongside the mistaken perception that a minister must head every ministry, led to an inflation of government ministries — some with duplications of ministers and deputy ministers. I pointed out the difficulties caused by this for the government's functioning: within the ministries themselves, in inter-ministerial coordination, and in the work of the plenum.
Since then, three governments have served in Israel, and "the situation really became worse." In the current government, no fewer than 31 ministries operate, and 33 ministers have served in it (in two ministries, two ministers served simultaneously) alongside deputy ministers and ministers without portfolio. Not only that: during its long tenure, 54 changes of ministers and deputies were carried out, the structure of the ministries and the division of powers were changed again and again, and for many long months, one of the most important ministries in the country has been operating without a full-time minister.
The purpose of the column is not to criticize this or that government, and therefore I will not detail its failures or achievements. But the intelligent readers of Globes will likely agree that the functioning of the 37th government was not optimal.
The new reality requires fundamental structural change
Now, on the eve of the establishment of the first government after the outbreak of the "Iron Swords" war, it seems there is no dispute about the public longing for a dramatic improvement in the government's functioning — regardless of its political composition. To achieve such an improvement, one must choose a path that, on the one hand, will constitute a fundamental conceptual change but, on the other hand, will be easily applicable and also reversible without effort.
In recent years, a plethora of ideas have been raised to improve the government's structure: from moving to a presidential regime, through decentralizing powers by region, to the routine proposals to reduce the number of ministries. Some of these proposals are not applicable, and some provide only a point-specific response that will not solve the deep problem.
Therefore, I wish to propose again a fundamental yet surprisingly simple structural change: a model that can be easily implemented (even partially), returned from without cost if required, and simultaneously achieve a significant improvement in the work of the government and its ministries.
The business management model in the service of the Israeli government
The proposal is to adopt in the Israeli government the management model of the world's largest companies. A business company is managed by professional management that includes executive arms (marketing, production, finance, etc.). Above the management stands a CEO, and above them operates the board of directors — the body appointed by the owners to determine strategy and policy, choose the CEO, supervise their activity, and terminate their role when necessary. The directors are not managerial and do not manage a specific department; they bear overall responsibility toward the owners and act through designated committees (audit, finance, etc.).
And this is how I propose to apply the model to the Israeli government: first, the political level (the board of directors) — the government will be composed of ministers according to coalition need, who will serve in the plenum and in ministerial committees. The ministers will be politicians (one can use the Norwegian Law), since only elected public officials know how to represent the public interest and maneuver between conflicting needs — unlike professional officials and regulators who see, correctly from their perspective, only their narrow area of responsibility.
As for the professional level (the executive management), government ministries will be divided into groups (economy, security, society, etc.). Each group will be under the supervision of a ministerial committee, which will be responsible for appointing the CEOs in the ministries, determining the ministry's policy on various issues, approving work plans, and supervising execution. The work of the CEOs will be coordinated horizontally by the Prime Minister's Office CEO.
The division will create a clear separation: politicians will focus on policy outlining and supervision, and the professionals they appointed will be responsible for execution.
This proposal has many other advantages that can be detailed later, but its main merit is practicality: it can be applied already in the next government as a pilot on some of the government ministries, and tested without risk or transition costs. If necessary, it is always possible to return to the old method.
The time is ripe to discuss this proposal, and the sooner the better.
