Public-sector organizations are faced with complex, multiple challenges created by the continuing changes and uncertainties of economic and social stability. A training course on Strategic Management for Public-sector Productivity Enhancement was virtually implemented by the National Productivity Secretariat, Sri Lanka, and APO Secretariat, 25–28 October, to help public-sector officials anticipate and plan for future organizational needs.

In response to these challenges, public-sector organizations are required to transform. There is a need for more effective management skills to competently guide their future course. Strategic management skills, comprising effective deployment of organizational capacity and performance management, can help organizations achieve higher productivity and meet strategic objectives and public expectations. The OECD Public Service Leadership and Capability Report (2019) stated that a good strategic orientation follows the principle of a long-term, strategic, systematic approach involving setting directions and priorities, ensuring alignment with organizational planning processes, and selecting appropriate indicators to monitor progress.

This training course was led by three resource persons from Finland, Singapore, and Sri Lanka, and attended by 41 participants from 12 APO member economies. It introduced recent approaches and models for advancing strategic management in the public sector and trained participants to apply the tools acquired through group activities.