Imagine two government offices side by side. In the first, budget cuts eliminate 30% of the staff, forcing the remaining workers to process paperwork faster, yet citizens still wait hours, frustrated and unserved. In the second, a complete digital redesign allows most services to be completed online in minutes, with personalized guidance available for complex cases. Both claim “efficiency,” but only the second delivers excellence.
When Elon Musk took charge of US President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, he promised a revolution in government operations. Within weeks, over 200,000 federal employees were dismissed. “We are moving fast,” Musk admitted, “but we’ll also fix mistakes quickly.”
This bulldozer model captured global attention, including in Israel, where bureaucracy has long been a national punchline. The temptation to import this model is understandable. Yet what Israel needs is not America’s DOGE but rather to reimagine the concept entirely, where the “E” evolves from mere “Efficiency” to true “Excellence.”
This distinction isn’t semantic wordplay. Efficiency asks, “How can we do the same with less?” Excellence asks, “How can we create more value for citizens?” The first measure reduced inputs; the second focused on improved outcomes. Excellence often costs less in the long run by eliminating the hidden expenses of poor service: repeated visits, economic opportunities lost to delays, and the massive collective waste of citizens’ time.
As Israelis, we maintain a consistent expectation that our government should deliver quality services year after year. This social contract is fundamental to our society. We’re willing to contribute through taxes and military service, but we expect competent governance in return. The excellence approach recognizes that well-functioning public institutions form the foundation of this mutual commitment and our national resilience.
Excellence doesn’t mean abandoning necessary protections
The irony is that Israel, the Start-up Nation, lags dramatically behind in government innovation. The same country that pioneers cutting-edge technologies in cybersecurity, agriculture, and healthcare still processes many government services using methods from the previous century.
What the American DOGE does get right is creating a national conversation about government performance. Before DOGE, government reform was largely a technical discussion among experts. Now, it’s front-page news. This visibility creates accountability and builds the political will necessary for meaningful change – precisely what Israel’s public sector reforms have lacked.
Excellence doesn’t mean abandoning necessary protections; strong regulatory frameworks safeguard public health, safety, and essential services. The goal isn’t to eliminate these safeguards but to redesign them intelligently. Consider business licensing: smart reform maintains high standards while eliminating redundant approvals and creating clear, predictable paths for entrepreneurs.
What would an excellence-focused approach look like in practice? The solutions are largely known, and numerous committee reports have outlined necessary reforms for Israel’s public service. What’s missing isn’t ideas but rather the sustained political commitment and public support to implement them. Three key initiatives must take priority.First, government services must be fundamentally redesigned with citizens at the center of the process.
This goes beyond mere digitization to rethinking how services are structured and delivered. Estonia offers an instructive example. They’ve built an integrated digital government platform where services are designed around life events and user needs, not agency structures. Their transformation saves an estimated 2% of GDP annually while dramatically improving citizen satisfaction. The key insight isn’t just technology; it’s the citizen-centric redesign of the entire service experience.
Second, excellence demands investing strategically in our public servants. This means creating diverse entry pathways to attract top talent, ensuring competitive compensation for key positions, and establishing cultures of innovation where continuous improvement is rewarded.
Third, we need structured collaboration across sectors. Government doesn’t have to solve every problem alone; it can leverage expertise from private industry, civil society, and academia. This multi-sectoral approach enables faster adaptation to evolving challenges while ensuring public services remain relevant and effective.
The blueprints for transformation already exist in Israel. What’s needed now is the determination to implement them, not through indiscriminate cuts but through thoughtful redesign backed by a genuine political commitment to better service.
The citizens of Israel deserve a civil service that matches the excellence they demonstrate in their own fields. In a nation known worldwide for innovation, shouldn’t our governmental systems reflect the same ingenuity that powers our most successful sectors?
The question isn’t whether we can afford such a transformation but whether we can afford to continue without it.
The writer is the executive director of Tashtit, which works to promote professional and effective public service in Israel. He is also a member of the leadership team at Eco Memshal, a multi-sectoral space for organizations working to strengthen the public service in Israel.
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