How Statutory Bodies Can Use Horizon to Stay Relevant in Changing Times

Clarity, accountability, and resilience for public institutions

Introduction: The challenge of staying relevant

Statutory bodies in Malaysia and across Asia face mounting pressure. They are tasked with delivering national policy objectives while also proving they can remain efficient, accountable, and financially sustainable. Yet many operate with legacy systems, fragmented processes, and heavy dependence on government allocations.

In such an environment, relevance is not guaranteed. Without continuous reassessment, statutory bodies risk becoming slow, misaligned, or even obsolete. BizCheck Horizon provides a structured way to prevent this. By offering a transparent 0–100 score across three horizons — Start-Up, Grow, Fly — it helps statutory bodies identify weaknesses, measure progress, and adapt in a fast-changing world.

Why relevance matters for statutory bodies

• Public trust is at stake: Weak governance, inefficiency, or outdated practices erode confidence. Once lost, public trust is difficult to restore.
• Government allocations are shrinking: Ministries expect statutory bodies to demonstrate value-for-money and explore new income generation models. Remaining relevant means diversifying revenue and proving financial prudence.
• Changing economic and social landscapes: Bodies tied to construction, manufacturing, or cultural development must align with digitalisation, ESG, and global competitiveness. Staying static in a dynamic environment risks irrelevance.

How Horizon supports relevance

• Clear diagnosis of current maturity: Horizon scores statutory bodies on a 0–100 scale, categorising them as Start-Up, Grow, or Fly, with sub-levels for precision. This eliminates vague self-perceptions and gives ministries a clear, evidence-based picture of where an institution stands.
  Example: A statutory body in the construction sector assumed it was in “Fly,” but Horizon placed it in “Stable Growth” due to weak income diversification. This clarity prompted leadership to prioritise revenue-generation strategies before pursuing broader reforms.
• Evidence for accountability: Boards, ministries, and external stakeholders demand proof of progress. Horizon provides structured evidence across seven organisational pillars: leadership, planning, information, customers, people, operations, and business outcomes. Instead of anecdotal reporting, statutory bodies can show objective scores to justify budgets or defend reforms.
• Early detection of blind spots: Horizon highlights weaknesses that leaders might ignore until they cause crises. Examples include governance gaps, workforce disengagement, or stakeholder dissatisfaction.
• Strategic alignment with national priorities: Horizon ensures alignment with national initiatives like ESG adoption, digitalisation, or global competitiveness.

Practical applications for statutory bodies

• Income generation: Horizon reveals whether systems are mature enough to support new revenue streams. For example, a body overseeing cultural institutions may discover weak planning and customer tracking systems holding back monetisation of events.
• Organisational restructuring: Horizon exposes outdated structures and helps focus reforms on governance and succession planning rather than purely technical processes.
• Workforce development: Horizon identifies whether staff are engaged, trained, and aligned with new mandates, targeting interventions where they matter most.

Real-world illustration: The construction sector

A statutory body linked to the construction industry faced questions about its efficiency after decades of operation. Leaders believed they were stable, but Horizon placed them in Early Growth (52 points). The score highlighted overdependence on allocations, weak stakeholder engagement, and fragmented data systems.

Instead of launching broad reforms blindly, the body focused on:

• Developing income-generating services tied to ESG frameworks.
• Strengthening stakeholder consultation with industry players.
• Building a unified digital platform for performance tracking.

Two years later, reassessment placed them at Advanced Growth (70 points) — proving to stakeholders that relevance was being actively rebuilt.

Conclusion: Staying relevant through evidence

For statutory bodies, relevance is not automatic — it must be earned and maintained. Horizon equips them with the tools to diagnose weaknesses, build accountability, and align with changing national and global contexts.

By shifting from assumption to evidence, statutory bodies can demonstrate value, regain trust, and ensure their mandate remains meaningful in today’s environment. Horizon does not just measure survival; it measures relevance. And in changing times, relevance is the key to legitimacy.