A new study, based on a survey of 239 civil servants and roundtables held with senior officials, has found that efficiency drives risk creating new waste, with many initiatives accelerating outdated processes rather than redesigning them. One roundtable participant described the problem bluntly: “We automated a triage step that no one could justify. Now it just gets people to the wrong place faster.”
Legacy systems and siloed working remain the biggest drains on public value
The research challenges the dominant focus on tightening controls, streamlining admin, and deploying new technologies in isolation. Civil servants point instead to systemic, deeply embedded sources of waste:
- 54% cite legacy IT and systems that don’t integrate
- 52% point to siloed working and communication barriers
- 44% blame cumbersome processes and ways of working
- 49% say waste leads to routine duplication of work
- 38% report delays in implementing new policy and service improvements
Respondents described processes “designed to manage risk and spend, not enable delivery”, creating spirals of approvals, rework and delays.
Efficiency plans risk backfiring without addressing roots of waste
The study highlights that departmental efficiency plans, expected to deliver £14bn of savings by 2028–29, often focus on automation, channel shift and headcount assumptions but rarely address the organisational conditions required for success.
Many civil servants warn that without redesigning processes, empowering operational leaders and improving decision-making structures, efficiency programmes risk entrenching inefficiency rather than eliminating it.
Emma Charles, Industry Director for Government at Hitachi Solutions, explains the company’s decision to commission this research: “We work alongside departments and agencies every day and see where waste actually lives. It hides in repeated work, pointless approvals, disconnected systems, and the fatigue from navigating complexity. Waste drains both money and motivation, keeping skilled staff from what matters most. That human cost drove us to explore this issue in depth.”
Civil servants both cautious and optimistic on AI
While some teams report early productivity gains from AI tools, civil servants caution that these improvements risk distracting from the much larger sources of waste.
Many respondents say government is investing in tools that save minutes while ignoring issues that waste hours. One Grade 7 official warned: “We are not thinking about systemic change enough – too many people are just thinking about slotting AI into existing systems rather than redesigning operations and whole systems.”
Hitachi Solutions: ‘Efficiency should mean fewer barriers, not faster bureaucracy’
“This research shows the real sources of waste aren’t paperwork or a lack of automation, they’re the systems, structures and processes that make the wrong work unavoidable,” says Charles.
“Efficiency should mean fewer barriers, clearer decisions and more time for meaningful work. If government focuses on redesigning services, empowering frontline leaders and re-using what already exists, it can deliver real and lasting change for staff and citizens.”
Waste doesn’t sit where spreadsheets suggest
Jamie Watson, Commercial Director for Government at Hitachi Solutions, adds: “Civil servants are clear that waste doesn’t sit where spreadsheets suggest. The biggest opportunities lie in redesigning how services work, not in cutting corners or accelerating outdated processes.
With efficiency back on the agenda, this research offers government an opportunity to refocus efforts on the fundamentals: better systems, better processes and better use of people’s time.”
Call for a new model of efficiency
The report sets out practical recommendations for departments, including:
- Redefining efficiency around value released, not time shaved
- Empowering staff closest to the work to stop low-value activity
- Making duplication visible through cross-government registers of platforms and tools
- Aligning governance with real risk to cut unnecessary approvals
- Targeting digital and AI investment at redesigned processes, not as a sticking plaster
- Supporting communities of practice to spread reuse and service patterns
About the report
Beyond the Iron Fist: What Civil Servants Say Will Really Cut Whitehall Waste is based on a nationwide survey of civil servants and roundtables held at PublicTechnology Live 2025 and other industry forums. It was commissioned by Hitachi Solutions in partnership with Civil Service World and PublicTechnology, media brands of Total Politics.
Download the full report now