Rodney Scott

Rodney Scott is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business at UNSW Canberra. His substantive role is as the Chief Policy Advisor for New Zealand's Public Service Commission, where he leads advice on the design and direction of New Zealand's public services. He has previously worked at senior and executive levels in management and advisory roles across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors in Australia and New Zealand. Scott also serves as the chief science advisor for the Public Service Commission and is a board member of the Institute of Public Administration of New Zealand.

Scott completed his PhD in Public Management and System Dynamics from the University of Queensland, with his dissertation "Group model building and mental model change" awarded "best doctoral thesis" by the Australia and New Zealand Academy of Management. His research interests span interagency collaboration, governance, performance management, institutional memory, social identity, public service motivation, and public service ethics. He has completed research fellowships at prestigious institutions including Cambridge University's Bennett Institute of Public Policy (2022), Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government (2018), and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government (2017).

Scott's scholarly work demonstrates a consistent focus on collaborative governance, public sector reform, and the application of systems thinking to public administration challenges. His recent publications show particular interest in New Zealand's public service reforms, interagency performance targets, and the role of institutional memory in government continuity. He has also explored the intersection between social identity and public service motivation, examining how these factors influence civil servant behavior and cooperation across government agencies.

• Adjunct Professor, School of Business, UNSW Canberra
• Chief Policy Advisor, New Zealand's Public Service Commission
• Chief Science Advisor, Public Service Commission
• Board Member, Institute of Public Administration of New Zealand
• Chair, Victoria University of Wellington School of Government Trust
• Adjunct Fellow, Australia and New Zealand School of Government

Scott has led significant research projects including work on rewriting New Zealand's State Sector Act 1988, international research on interagency performance targets in partnership with Harvard University and Brookings Institute, and collaborative research on institutional memory in public administration with Cambridge University Press. His work bridges academic scholarship with practical public sector reform initiatives, particularly in the New Zealand context.