LITHUANIAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
DISPA REPORT
Leadership, ethics and motivation in public
administration: challenges and the search for an
adequate response
Report of the Meeting of the Directors
of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration
of the European Union (DISPA)
during the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU
Vilnius, 24-25 October 2013
DISPA Meeting – Vilnius 24th & 25th October 2013
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DISPA Meeting – Vilnius 24th & 25th October 2013
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THE MEETING OF DIRECTORS OF INSTITUTES AND SCHOOLS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
(DISPA) ORGANISED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE LITHUANIAN PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF
THE EUROPEAN UNION
"Leadership, ethics and motivation in public administration: challenges and the search for an
adequate response"
The meeting was hosted by the Lithuanian Institute of Public Administration (LIVADIS). A "Troika"
preparatory meeting took place by video conference on 25 June between LIVADIS, the Italian School
of Public Administration (SNA), the Irish Institute of Public Administration (IPA), the Greek National
Centre for Public Administration and Local Government (EKDDA) and the European School of
Administration.
The theme was selected from different proposals put forward by the Troika members. As with all
recent DISPA meetings, the agenda was drawn up in such a way as to contain a mix of presentations,
discussions and workshops and to pick up a number of themes from previous meetings.
The programme can be found in annex I and a list of participants in annex II. Copies of the speakers'
PowerPoint presentations have been sent separately to participants electronically.
The meeting was chaired by Arturas Arbatauskas, Chief Consultant of the Lithuanian Institute of
Public Administration.
OPENING REMARKS
Kęstas Komskis, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
Paulius Skardžius, Director of Public Governance Policy Department, Ministry of Interior
Renata Latvėnienė, Director of Lithuanian Institute of Public Administration
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After the opening words of welcome from Mr Arbatauskas, Mr Komskis took the floor to underline
the importance he attached to the question of ethical behaviour in the public service both from a
personal point of view and in his capacity as Chair of the Anti-Corruption Committee of the
Lithuanian Parliament. But the notion of good governance goes well beyond the narrow concept of
corruption and fraud and embraces more general principles of transparency and openness to which
the citizen is entitled when dealing with public administrations.
Mr. Skardžius then briefly recalled the origins of the DISPA network and the important contribution it
has made over the years in providing information to the EUPAN network in the field of public
administration development with a particular focus on training. He underlined the influence that the
Institutes and Schools have on the positive development of public administration and governance
which is a key factor in the government-citizen relationship. Clearly, the public sector plays an
important economic role as a regulator, service provider and employer especially in times of change.
The goal to do more with less, has become an inevitable reality for public administrations across
Europe. However, the crisis has presented not only challenges, but also opportunities for public
administrations as a tool for sustainable, inclusive and equitable development. Undoubtedly, the
topic of the development of public administration is very relevant – an example of its importance is a
high-level conference to be held in Brussels the week after the DISPA meeting under the auspices of
the European Commission on the theme of business-friendly administration. Obviously, bodies like
DISPA are also very important instruments for encouraging good practices in public administrations
across Europe and helping countries learn from each other.
Ms Latvėnienė then issued a very warm welcome to all participants and expressed the hope that the
meeting would be an informative and constructive successor to the previous one in Dublin. She
encouraged participants to be as active as possible in order to gain maximum benefit from the
discussions.
Developing leadership: our experience and necessary improvements
Artūras Arbatauskas, Chief Consultant, Lithuanian Institute of Public Administration
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Mr Arbatauskas presented LIVADIS's "Olymp" training programme that targets the 3 highest civil
service grades. The main goal is to transform formal management into effective leadership. Leaders
are vital because only they can bring about fundamental change in organisations by inspiring
commitment and working with their "followers" to identify solutions that are in the public interest.
This capacity has a positive impact on followers’ motivation, one of the main themes of this meeting.
Leaders are able to lead organisations during changes and this is particularly important when it is
necessary to find new ways of working with fewer resources. Lean solutions as one possible new way
in this respect will also be discussed in depth during the meeting. Leaders can influence changes of
organisational culture and ethical values that compose that culture. The experience of 3 Member
States in dealing with ethical issue will also be discussed later in the meeting. All this suggests that
leadership is the one factor through which so many other organisational opportunities can be
opened up and implemented.
The Olymp programme takes as its starting point the vital importance of four groups of competency:
self-management (development); dealing with staff; managing the organisation; and dealing with
external stakeholders.
The programme lasts for a period of 6 to 9 months and uses a mixture of methodologies ranging
from guest speakers to tests and working on individual and group assignments. All trainers have
leadership and management experience which reinforces their credibility.
Participant reaction has been positive but some improvements are needed. Greater emphasis will
therefore be placed on personality profiling at various stages and on greater tailoring of the
programme to individual needs. This latter will also be achieved by making some parts of the
programme compulsory and others optional. Measures also need to be taken to improve attendance
and a "fast-track" residential approach is envisaged with the goal of training 170-300 people within 1
to 2 years. Policy advisors will benefit from a separate programme to take account of their different
needs.
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More ambitiously, it is intended to link the programme much more closely with the competencies
that are required in terms of recruitment, appraisal, promotion and job assignment, so as to ensure
an overall joined-up HR strategy. Of equal difficulty is to put in place evaluation techniques that
provide a measurement of the outcomes in terms of organisational performance and, furthermore,
in terms of the prosperity of a country, in addition to the development of the individuals themselves.
Mr Arbatauskas concluded his presentation with two striking views of leadership from Peter Drucker:
Leadership has little to do with" leadership features" and even less with "charisma": it is
simple, every day, and can be boring.
Leadership is not an end in itself but a means to effectiveness of performance.
The presentation provoked a lively debate about all aspects of the programme from practical issues
such as how trainers were selected through to wider issues of the indispensable link between HR, the
Ministry's policy and the political agenda. Participants were particularly interested in the fact that the
programme had been extensively benchmarked with projects in a wide range of other countries.
Case studies
Improving corruption prevention skills: different states – different solutions?
In introducing this session, Artūras Arbatauskas pointed out that it would be a great opportunity to
see how the same question has been tackled in the South and the North of Europe. And that there is
a provocative question: “Is it really so that different countries require different decisions for the
same problem?”
Greece – Tackling corruption phenomena
Fani Komseli, Deputy Secretary General of the Greek National Centre for Public Administration and
Local Government (EKDDA) /Director of Institute of Training
Dr Komseli presented a case study on how Greece and EKDDA deal with corruption phenomena.
Cases of corruption in Greece have been detected mainly in public hospitals, tax offices and bodies
issuing construction licences.
From 2011-2012 until now, EKDDA's actions to address the challenge have been the following:
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1. Organisation of a workshop on anti-corruption entitled "Reinforcing transparency and
fighting against corruption" with 3 separate working groups/ subtopics (2011):
Transparency reinforcement, prevention of corruption phenomena
Suppression of corruption phenomena, auditing mechanisms, disciplinary processes,
administration of justice
Educating, training, raising awareness, motivating citizens
A policy paper and relevant Road Map was the outcome of this workshop.
2. Co-operation with the "Task Force for Greece" for the implementation of focused training
following a Road Map on Anti-money Laundering (2012-now).
Experts form the Dutch Taxation Authority and the Greek Institute of Training delivered 3
levels of training courses, from basic to advanced, where real case studies were addressed.
861 people have followed these so far.
3. Organisation of workshop on e-Prescription, regarding the implementation of the e-Health
programme (2011). The policy paper and Road Map that were the products of this action
were followed by the Hellenic state soon afterwards.
4. Specialised interventions regarding the reform of the Hellenic Health System in the
framework of the "Health in Action" project. Four actions were supported by EKDDA:
Funding the functioning of the Reform Committees in each field
Elaboration of action plans by experts from EU Member States
Evaluation of the current situation by experts from EU Member States
Foreign study visits by Greek delegations
5. Training programmes for all civil servants of the Ministry of Finance (2012-now). By October
2013, 286 training courses had been organised with 6.159 participants.
Dr Komseli concluded her presentation with a quote from Socrates regarding the future: "The secret
of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new" meaning that
apart from fighting against the phenomena that distort the ethical public administration function, a
new public administration based on integrity should be the main purpose of our future efforts.
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Sweden- The Council on Basic Values
Robert Cloarec, Principal Secretary, Council on Basic Values, Ministry of Health and Social Affairs
Mr Cloarec explained that although the situation is not as dramatic as in Greece, it would be wrong
to think that preventing corruption is not an issue in Sweden. Accordingly, the Swedish government
has put in place a Council on Basic Values.
The reasons behind the decision to establish the Council on Basic Values are:
The high degree of autonomy enjoyed by the numerous Agencies which have almost full
responsibility for their management. In this context, the government needs to introduce a
supplementary level of governance as a framework within which the agencies operate. This is
achieved by establishing indicators (men-women recruitment for instance) or by ensuring the
enforcement of the 6 basic values referred to below.
The absence of a career civil service for the 250 000 employees at central level and all 1,5
million public employees
The absence of a school of public administration as such that could raise values' awareness.
The six basic values are:
1. democracy
2. legality
3. objectivity
4. freedom of opinion and expression
5. respect for equality, freedom, and dignity
6. efficiency and service
In this list, criteria n° 4 might be of special importance since it is linked to the policy of free access to
documents which is special for Sweden and some other countries.
The Council's mission is to:
improve knowledge of the basic values in all the agencies through training and workshops.
support transposing these values into the specific values of each agency.
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There are two specific topics to work on:
1. the treatment of citizens: for instance special attention is given to the fact that with IT tools
there can be very good or very bad treatment of citizens and the quality and level of service
to each and everyone.
2. how to instigate a corruption-preventive culture. One way is to encourage people to
talk immediately with others when facing an issue, to avoid becoming "lonely stars".
Activities of the Council also include drawing up reports, commissioning studies, and organising
workshops and discussions between management and employees at all levels.
One of its particular challenges is the constant ongoing restructuring of the central government
sector with the effect of agencies frequently being closed down, merged, or redefined.
The philosophy of the Council can be summarised as: "A culture supporting and supported by the
basic values".
Italy- Fighting corruption in the Italian Public Sector
Fabio Cintioli from the Italian National School of Public Administration
Professor Cintioli presented a new law which was introduced in Italy in November 2012 to address
the issue of corruption. This law is important to the Italian School, because it is responsible for all
training of civil servants in relation to its provisions.
Why is fighting corruption important?
It is a problem for the Administration, in terms of compliance with European and national
regulations and in terms of public bodies reaching goals that are in the national public
interest. It is about the efficiency of public administration.
It is a violation of fundamental European rights, given the citizen's right to good
administration.
It is a weakness for the institutional and economic system as a whole in an era of crisis.
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The tools of the new law are:
New criminal offences
A code of conduct for the administration and an attempt to transfer the level of
responsibility from one of procedures to the individual
Enhancing transparency
Assessing potential conflicts of interest in public bodies
Improving competition in the public procurement sector
Two new measures have been introduced: a new offence of corruption between private parties and
an increase in sanctions.
The new law emphasises the notion of transparency. Transparency is now considered as a value: the
interest of the citizens (and political parties, NGOs, etc) in having full knowledge of public actions in
order to make the public sector fully accountable. For example:
the obligation to explain the legal and factual basis of a permit
the role of the internet. Public administration should be "a room with crystal walls" and
Internet could help in achieving that
the right of access to administrative documents and information
information about officials and employees
the role of the official and his/her own disciplinary reliability
potential conflict of interest in administrative procedures
new regulation for access to parliamentary, governmental and public offices
transparency for elected members of Parliament and Regional Council
The anti-corruption programme operates at two levels:
1. a general anti-corruption programme
2. specific anti-corruption programmes per Institution. Every Institution has to appoint a person
responsible for anti-corruption issues and the Italian School is responsible for his/her
training.
Finally, there is a new regulation for transparency in public procurement aimed at increasing
transparency in the selection of contractors.
The needs for the future are to find a balance that allows implementation of the new code of
conduct, an increase in efficiency and transparency in Public administration, and dealing with
lobbying regulations.
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Lithuania- A national anti-corruption programme
Raimundas Kalesnykas, Corporate Securitus Ltd
Dr Kalesnykas explained that the global "corruption perception index" gives the following ranking for
Lithuania:
48th /176 countries
20th in the EU
The main question is not about actual cases of corruption but people's perception of corruption,
which the indicators show to be increasing, despite an improvement in the number of cases
identified between 1999 and 2012.
In order to deal with this, a national anti-corruption programme has been set up for the 2011-2014
period, with the following priority areas:
legislation
control of courts and law enforcement activities
business supervision (public procurement, health, territorial planning and construction).
In all these areas training and education are key drivers for the effectiveness of government action in
the fight against corruption.
The heart of the system consists of institutionalising the problem. The coordinated approach aims at
strengthening administrative capacity by training in the field of corruption prevention in line with the
needs of various key sectors.
The operational programme's aim is one of "fostering administrative competences and increasing
efficiency of public administration" and is planned to be implemented through the professional
development of public servants working at all levels.
The project concerns 2700 staff members, to be trained over a period of 2 years by 15 coordinators
who are also experts in the field. The target group needs to understand what the rules and measures
mean in the workplace. Their own expectations went along the same lines: the "importance of
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understanding" the rationale of the laws and rules themselves (their origins and the reasons for
them).
Quality will be achieved though:
teaching methods: working on good practice, which means that participants have to read
documents beforehand to ensure that the sessions are effective.
the development of a new unique training programme by experts with permanent
monitoring during delivery.
reduced size of groups
The training topics cover a range of 9 items such as corruption prevention and control, anti-
corruption assessment of legal acts which are either generic or linked to specific needs of sectors
(e.g. health, finance)
By way of conclusion, the project is the first of its kind in Lithuania to comprehensively address the
issue of complexity arising from the diversity of duties and missions. If successful, it would raise not
only awareness and knowledge of the rules but also the perception of a "philosophy of anti-
corruption" as a driving force.
* * * *
After the four presentations on this subject, there was an exchange of views among many
participants indicating how difficult a subject this is and of the limitations of training as a deterrent to
corrupt practice.
Lean Government initiatives in the public sector
The third session of the day was introduced by Artūras Arbatauskas as a more active part of the
meeting where some practical exercises would take place and participants would have the possibility
of expressing their wisdom and sharing opinions in working groups. The third theme of the meeting:
“How to find new ways for functioning with fewer resources and if lean solutions could help in it?".
Modestas Gelbūda, Research Director, University of Management and Economics (ISM)
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Dr Gelbūda presented his experience as an academic and business, social and public sector
entrepreneur. He paid homage to the pioneering work of Dr Rytter in Denmark and has drawn
inspiration from lean government initiatives in Denmark.1 One of these was a reform project in a
Danish hospital.
He considers that the need to streamline the public sector is particularly important in the "ex-
socialist states". One of the challenges is that public opinion has not been sufficiently critical of public
sector inefficiency in these countries, having grown accustomed to that kind of administration.
Dr. Gelbūda explained that once the research phase was finished there was an "ideas contest" in
April 2010 to identify how to make the Lithuanian public service more efficient. A community of
volunteers was also set up involving a finance and corporate government expert, a public sector
leader in process excellence, a specialised consultant in the "lean" field, the Chair of the National
Young Researchers Association, and an academic entrepreneur interested in societal change through
knowledge.
The need for certain legislative measures and the onset of the Lithuanian Presidency have led to
some delay in the "lean project" which was therefore only launched in June of this year. A high-level
forum has been held which was attended by several Ministers as well as representatives from the
President's and Prime Minister's offices. The drive for reform will be supported by a series of
roundtable discussions for top officials, the production of a guidebook to lean government,
conferences, and if necessary legislative measures. Among the aims of the project is to encourage
sharing of knowledge and knowhow at key levels in the administration and to stimulate creativity.
Workshops
Following Dr Gelbūda's presentation, participants were broken up into 5 working groups on a
random basis. Each group was asked to discuss all four questions mentioned below although not all
groups completed the task. The following is a summary of the ideas that came out of the discussions,
as presented by the four rapporteurs.
1. What are the major shared or specific problems in the public sector organisations in your
countries?
Multiple requests for data
Excessive controls
Inertia
Protection of territory
1 Readers could usefully refer to the report of proceedings at the DISPA meeting in Copenhagen in May 2012
where many lean government initiatives were presented.
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Government-citizen mistrust
"Starving the donkey" – cutting so deeply that an organisation ceases to function
Political interference in public administration
Lack of long-term concepts and therefore lack of continuity and short-term solutions
Demographic problems – declining birth-rates might result in a shortage of people willing to
work in PA in the future
Political rationale against efficiency
"Doing more with less"
The human factor and motivation.
2. How can "lean management" principles and their implementation help solve these problems?
Critical review involving all users
Breaking down organisational silos
Participative communication
Technological support
More trust in top PA managers - more power and decision-making to staff
A major driver for motivation is to have an immediate perception of what is at stake for the team but
what is missing in a growing number of organisations is how that fits into the big-picture view of the
needs of the organisation.
The importance of staying focused on the big picture was illustrated by an example where several
agencies in one member state were found to deliver individually very efficiently but the collective
outcomes were contradictory.
On the other hand, perception of overall coherence allows involvement at an organisational level by
allaying doubts about the legitimacy of the public sector which in turn is a source of motivation.
Politicians should entrust more decisive power to both top managers and those at lower levels in
public administration as this can promote greater collaboration and a sense of responsibility
throughout the organisation.
3. What are the major barriers to adopting lean measures in public sector?
Lack of motivation
Cannot see the wood for the trees
Fear of the unknown
Size of the task
Competency deficit
Divergent interests
Perception that transferring methodology from the private sector might not work
The tension between political deadlines and the speed at which bureaucracies can deliver
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Vertical thinking and thus an inability to identify horizontal solutions
Lack of trust in PA
Lack of speed
4. How can public management institutes prepare, participate and support "lean
transformation" initiatives in the public sector?
Work with core business ... (HR...)
More than "training"
Use established practice (no need to re-invent the wheel ... on every occasion)
Facilitate the change process
Break habits
Act as a "curator" bringing knowledge, tools, best practice to help PA
Innovation
Apply lean processes and management to training
By raising awareness about lean management and applying its principles to their own
organisation.
Concluding comments:
Principles used in lean management:
1. Courage. How often do public servants stop a process when they see a problem? And this is
linked to quality.
2. The 5 Whys. Ask "why" 5 times until we arrive at the root cause of our problem. In lean
organisations all processes are linked to the client's needs and satisfaction.
3. Standardisation and routines.
4. Generating and proposing ideas.
People respond to good management practices. If people do not respond in the way we would like,
it is the managers that need to reflect. Engagement/involvement of people is critical yet only 25-30%
of public employees in Europe feel engaged.
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Case studies
The motivation of Public Administration managers
Artūras Arbatauskas introduced this fourth session as very interesting because at this time of
different kinds of reductions we find ourselves still caring about the motivation of civil servants. It
will therefore be intriguing to find out what surveys in different countries and institutions reveal for
us.
Italy
Alberto Petrucci from the Italian National School of Public Administration (SNA)
Professor Petrucci presented the main results of a research project on public sector motivation
(PSM), conducted by SNA and SDA Bocconi - School of Management.
The research is part of a larger scientific project jointly developed by SNA and SDA Bocconi, involving
two lines of analysis on Italian Public Administration at a central level: a) one on PSM; and b) one on
Public Sector Performance.
The research questions are:
What is the relationship between PSM and performance?
What are the main determinants of PSM?
What is the PSM role for attracting and motivating public employee?
The aims of the research are:
Empirical analysis of PSM, extrinsic motivation as well as intrinsic motivation for the Italian
Public Administration at a central level
Consequences for Italian public management
Public Administration policy implications
From a doctrinal viewpoint, it can be stated that:
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a) Performance depends on:
Ability,
Task understanding
Motivation
Environment
b) Work motivation is related to:
Job importance
Mission validity (perceived importance of institutional goals)
Extrinsic elements (rewards, career, etc.)
Self-efficacy (capacity to organise and execute actions requited to attain a
designated performance level)
Job difficulties
c) Intrinsic motivation:
Achievement of personal goals
Job satisfaction
Compliance with ethical standards, fairness, team spirit, procedural fairness and material fairness
Conscientiousness
The research focused on HR management in the Italian Public Administration at a central level and
specifically on the number of civil servants, their profiles, recruitment and selection, career system,
training on the job, performance evaluation and payments and bonuses.
351 public sector managers responded to the survey that was sent to them in 2012.
Results of the analysis
Level of job effort is lower in senior positions, higher in senior executive positions and higher
when intrinsic motivation exists.
PSM is higher at the hierarchical level and among female managers and linked to academic
education. It is lower were extrinsic motives exist.
Intrinsic motivation is (paradoxically) lower for Directors General, higher for people from
"civil service families" and has a positive correlation with conscientiousness and job
satisfaction
Extrinsic motivation has a positive correlation with public manager seniority and a negative
correlation with PSM
Job satisfaction is higher for public managers with an academic degree and has a positive
correlation with intrinsic motivation
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Conclusions from the survey
This survey provides only a snapshot of the situation in the Italian Public Administration. It is
important to have a systematic and continuous monitoring of the motivational capital.
Individuals with different motivational profiles respond differently to the same organisational
conditions.
The managers of today need to close the motivational deficit and future managers need to
be able to select and keep those with high PSM
Public management policies need to be adjusted continuously to be more effective
Public sector performance and motivation should be analysed through a richer framework
One final striking figure which contextualises this research: general "public" happiness is only about
the same now as at the end of the Second World War despite GDP being 10 times higher!
Ireland
Dr. Richard Boyle, Head of Research and Publishing, Irish Institute of Public Administration (IPA)
Dr Boyle reminded his audience of the key points that had been presented at the previous DISPA
meeting:
the number of Irish public servants has dropped back almost to the levels of 2012 some 10%
lower its peak in 2008
In terms of the number of public servants per 1000 citizens there has been a fall from the low
seventies over the period 2002-2008 to around 65 in 2012
staff have suffered pay cuts in the region of 15-20%
on the whole the media is consistently hostile and aggressive towards the public sector that
it describes as "bloated and pampered, and bleeding the nation dry."
Studies have shown that motivation in the public service remains higher than for equivalent workers
in the private sector, although it is not clear whether that impacts positively on performance. On the
other hand, high performance in an organisation will build higher levels of motivation.
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Research also shows that action can be taken to improve public service motivation: it is not just a
question of individuals' intrinsic qualities. The main elements that contribute to public service
motivation are:
transformational leadership
a match between the individual and the organisation
effective goal-setting and seeing how you as an individual fit in
autonomy on the job
a supportive work environment (how conflicts are handled, collaborative working practices,
etc.)
clear public service values.
As extrinsic motivational factors are being eroded, it is more important than ever that leaders and
managers foster the intrinsic motivation of their staff by ensuring the abovementioned values and
tools are effectively demonstrated and implemented.
In turn, this underlines that there is a role for learning and development professionals to play but it
also throws up a number of challenges in terms of the way in which the public service is organised,
administered and the quality of its leadership. One danger is to be avoided at all costs, namely that
the HR agenda is dominated by a "bottom line" agenda.
European Commission
Norman Jardine, Head of the Commission's HR Communication Unit - Staff satisfaction survey in the
European Commission
Mr Jardine explained that the survey was conducted at a time where the EU was under attack from
member states and the public media. It was also the moment when the Staff Regulation was under
revision which was perceived as an internal threat.
Out of a total of 33 000 staff there was a 40% response rate, which makes the survey statistically
sound and highly representative. It focused on 5 main themes:
The Commission as a workplace
Current job
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Professional future
Management
Senior Management
The Commission as a workplace
70% satisfied with working in the Commission
80% can see clearly the link between their own job and the mission of their DG and/or the
Commission as a whole
80% feel proud of their job
One possible interpretation is that public criticism has reached such a level as to provoke a "fortress
mentality" which paradoxically increases staff's sense of loyalty.
Area of concern: only 49 % of staff agrees that the Commission cares about staff health and well-
being. This figure is a red light indicating an increased risk of burn out.
Current job
70% express satisfaction with their job
High ratings also for interest in their work (88%) and willingness to make an extra effort
when required (95%).
Area of concern: managers do not identify staff's training needs sufficiently well. This figure has been
low since the first staff survey in 2006.
Professional future
more than half of staff feel they can manage their own career path.
Area of concern: only 4 out 10 staff feel that general mobility in the Commission is encouraged.
Management
Almost 3 out of 4 staff feel that their manager encourages teamwork
7 out of 10 staff feel that their manager is open to their ideas
7 out of 10 staff feel that their opinion counts
These are very good results, and probably illustrate that the investment in management training, in
particular by the European School of Administration, has had a positive impact.
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Areas of concern: dealing with poor performance as only 4 out of 10 staff feel that their managers
deal effectively with poor performance. If one wanted to be cynical, one could conclude that under-
performance is practically non-existent.
Senior managers
The scores relating to perception of senior management are the least good.
It has probably to do with the simple physical distance between the average member of staff and
their senior managers. One other area of concern is that staff use social media and many assume
that senior managers should as well.
Engagement
For the first time engagement was measured among staff through "the staff engagement index".
The definition of engagement taken into consideration was: "A workplace approach designed to
ensure that employees are: committed to their organisation's goals and values; motivated to
contribute to organisational success; and able at the same time to enhance their own sense of well-
being."
Area of concern: there is an expectation that the organisation should collaborate more, that people
could collaborate with a Commission view and not only a unit, Directorate or DG view.
The key drivers for engagement that were used were taken from research conducted in both the
public and private sector in the UK.
1. Strategic narrative: do you know where the organisation is going and can you as a manager explain it very simply? 2. Engaging managers: do you have a group of managers who know how we can engage? 3. Employee voice: where can staff have their say in the organisation (in meetings, social media)? 4. Integrity: do not break the "psychological contract"
One final thought. We now have a new Staff Regulation and it will be important to avoid the risk of
becoming obsessed by the fact that its administrative implementation is the be-all and end-all of HR
policy. It is just one of the constituent elements and managers must actively bear in mind that the
full implementation of the new Staff Regulations is a major change initiative and should be managed
accordingly.
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DISPA matters
David Walker, Director of the European School of Administration
Mr Walker informed the meeting that the European School of Administration would organise three
sessions of the Erasmus for Public Administration programme in 2014. This is a two-week programme
for young national civil servants dealing with EU affairs who have never worked for any of the EU
institutions. During the programme, participants visit all the EU institutions and other bodies in
Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg with the aim of understanding how the decision-making
processes work in practice and to provide them with networking opportunities among themselves
and staff in the institutions. The School asks the Member States' Permanent Representations to the
EU to ensure wide publicity among government departments and to provide it with lists of applicants
for each session. Extra places on the scheme are given to Member States that will be running the
rotating Presidency in the next twelve months.
He also repeated his offer of providing free places from time to time on some of the School's
management training programmes and would send details to members as soon as dates were known
for 2014.
He indicated that the School was looking at the possibility of transferring the information currently
stored on the DISPA wiki to a dedicated part of its Europa website with password-only access, in an
attempt to promote greater use of this tool among members.
Finally, he announced that the School would be circulating a brief questionnaire among members in
order to gather basic information about each of the Institutes and Schools (mission, status, size,
funding, etc.) which would be made available on the website for information purposes.
DISPA Meeting – Vilnius 24th & 25th October 2013
23
European Reciprocal Training Programme (ERT)
Mariette Baptist-Fruin, from the Dutch Institute of Public Administration gave an overview of the
ERT programmes.
ERT is about the exchange of good practice between different member states regarding public sector
policies, performance and common challenges. It is also about understanding each other's
administrative systems and governance mechanisms and building networks between civil servants
across the EU.
The study visits are organised by one of the DISPA members for civil servants from other member
states and usually last three days. Some are thematic and some are general, i.e. focusing on the
administrative system of the host country including the EU coordination system. There are variations
in the fees depending on the status of each Institute.
The ERT network is comprised of members from the Institutes and Schools in the DISPA network.
However, it is mainly the older EU countries that take part at present and Ms Baptist-Fruin appealed
to other Schools to join in. Schools are encouraged to link their ERT programmes with policy, either
by organising general study visits, especially when a Member State is close to its EU presidency, or by
identifying relevant policy themes/ good practice for specific study visits.
Participants were then asked to suggest a theme/ specific topic that is good practice or of particular
interest in their country and that could be the subject of an ERT event. The list of suggestions can be
found in Annex III.
Mrs Baptist-Fruin suggested that the ERT delegates prepare a two-year plan for several study visits
based on the input of the members during the DISPA meeting (both general and thematic). The plan
will be submitted to the next DISPA meeting for discussion and approval. It is suggested that DISPA
members appoint a contact person in the ERT network if there is not one already.
The next ERT meeting is scheduled for 26 November in Berlin.
DISPA Meeting – Vilnius 24th & 25th October 2013
24
INVITATION TO NEXT MEETING
Renata Latvėnienė expressed her regret that everything that has a beginning also has an end.
Previously, she had only had the opportunity to read about such meetings. This meeting and the level
of participation in it has exceeded her and, probably, Arturas’ expectations because at the beginning
certain problems were seen and the same questions kept coming up. But today it seems as if all the
problems have disappeared, or at least that a clear way forward and clear decisions for further
developments have become evident. Also without doubt participants acquired a new level of
enthusiasm. She thanked all participants for their sincerity and that they took the opportunity of
coming together here. Before passing the floor to the representatives from Greece she presented
them with a special symbol – wooden clogs, so that their first steps would be easier.
Fani Komseli extended a warm invitation to all DISPA members to the next meeting of the network
which will take place in Athens on 5 and 6 June 2014. The Troika will meet before the end of this year
to discuss the agenda. If any members have any suggestions they will be welcomed.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Artūras Arbatauskas then thanked all participants for their active participation in the meeting and
expressed his gratitude to those who have provided invaluable support in finding relevant speakers.
Several participants took the floor to congratulate him in particular and LIVADIS in general for the
first-class organisation and good quality of the meeting.
The meeting was then declared closed.
DISPA Meeting – Vilnius 24th & 25th October 2013
25
Annex I
DISPA MEETING PROGRAMME
Leadership, ethics and motivation in public administration: challenges and search for an adequate response Meeting venue: Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva, Vilnius, Konstitucijos av. 20, LT-09308 – Vilnius.
Day 1: Thursday 24th October 2013
9.00 REGISTRATION Lobby of hall Beta
9.30 Welcoming address Kęstas Komskis, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Paulius Skardžius, Director of Public Governance Policy Department, Ministry of Interior Theme and Objectives of the Meeting Renata Latvėnienė, Director of Lithuanian Institute of Public Administration
Hall Beta
10.00 Developing leadership: our experience and needed improvements Artūras Arbatauskas, Chief Consultant, Lithuanian Institute of Public Administration
11.00 COFFEE BREAK Lobby of hall Beta
11.30 Case studies: Improving corruption prevention skills: different states – different solutions?
In Greece – Dr. Fani Komseli, Deputy Secretary General/Director of EKDDA’s Institute of Training
In Sweden – Robert Cloarec, Principal Secretary, Council on Basic Values, Ministry of Health and Social Affairs
In Italy – Prof. Fabio Cintioli, Italian National School of Public Administration
In Lithuania – Dr. Raimundas Kalesnykas, Corporate Securitus Ltd
Hall Beta
13.00 FAMILY PHOTO
13.15 LUNCH Restaurant
14.15 Lean Government initiatives in the public sector Assoc. prof. Modestas Gelbūda, Research Director, University of Management and Economics (ISM)
Hall Beta
14.35 Start of discussions and working in 3-5 parallel groups Facilitated by assoc. prof. Modestas Gelbūda
Hall Beta Halls: Gamma, Eta, Epsilon
15.30 COFFEE BREAK Lobby of hall Beta
DISPA Meeting – Vilnius 24th & 25th October 2013
26
16.00 Discussion and working in 3 parallel groups – continuation Presentation of group results, drawing conclusions
Hall Beta Halls: Gamma, Eta, Epsilon
17.00 Close
19.00 Dinner and cultural programme Hall Beta
Day 2: Friday 25th October 2013
9.30 Case studies: Surveys of civil servants‘ motivation and response of training providers
In Italy – Prof. Alberto Petrucci, Italian National School of Public Administration
In Ireland - Dr. Richard Boyle, Head of Research and Publishing, Irish Institute of Public Administration
In European Commission – Norman Jardine, Head of the Commission's Communication Unit
Hall Beta
11.00 COFFEE BREAK Lobby of hall Beta
11.30 DISPA matters
Internships in other member states/ EU institutions – areas of possible cooperation David Walker, Director, European School of Administration
European Reciprocal Training Program (ERT) Mariette Baptist-Fruin, Senior Advisor and Trainer, Dutch Institute for Public Administration
Hall Beta
12.30 Invitation to the next DISPA meeting in Greece
12.45 Concluding remarks
13.00 LUNCH Restaurant
14.30 Optional Cultural Programme
DISPA Meeting – Vilnius 24th & 25th October 2013
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Annex II
Delegate list
Nr. Representation Name, surename Institution Email
1. Austria Klaus
HARTMANN
Federal Chancellery, Unit II
Public Service and
Administrative Reform
2. Czech
Republic
Lukas JIRSA Institute of State
Administration
3. Germany Ernst WILZEK Federal Academy of Public Administration
4. Estonia Tanel OPPI Estonian Academy of
Public Service
5. Spain Carmen
GONZÁLEZ
SERRANO
Spanish School of Public
Administration
6. Finland Anneli TEMMES HAUS Finish Institute of
Public Management
7. France François LE
THEULE
National School of
Administration
8. Greece Naya
VRETTAKOU
National Centre for Public
Administration & Local
Government
9. Fani KOMSELI National Centre for Public
Administration & Local
Government
10. Italy Renato
CATALANO
National School of
Administration
11. Fabio CINTIOLI [email protected]
12. Alberto
PETRUCCI
13. Daniela SKENDAJ [email protected]
DISPA Meeting – Vilnius 24th & 25th October 2013
28
14. Hungary Péter
PRINCZINGER
Institute for Executing
Training and Continuing
Education
15. Ireland Richard BOYLE Institute of Public
Administration
16. Latvia Edite KALNINA Latvian School of Public
Administration
17. Lauma PRIEDITE [email protected]
18. Luxemburg Philippe
DIEDERICH
National Institute of Public
Administration
19. Romain KIEFFER [email protected]
20. Malta Joanna
GENOVESE
Office of the Prime
Minister
21. Netherlands Manette
BAPTIST-FRUIN
Dutch Institute of Public
Administration
22. Poland Jan PASTWA National School of Public
Administration
23. Romania Maria Rodica
PICU
National Agency of Civil
Servants
24. Alexandra
APOSTOLEANU
25. Sweden Petra
GÖRANSSON
Swedish Council in Charge
of definition and
development of skills for
officials
26. Robert CLOAREC Principal Secretary, Council
on Basic Values, Ministry of
Health and Social Affairs
robert.cloarec@regeringskansliet
.se
27. Croatia Dubravka PRELEC State School for Public
Administration
28. Switzerland Etienne FIVAT Swiss Graduate School of
Public Administration
DISPA Meeting – Vilnius 24th & 25th October 2013
29
29. Norway Gry AALDE Agency for Public
Management and
eGovernment
30.
31. EU
institutions
David WALKER European School of
Administration
32. Fay GIANNAROU [email protected]
33. Karine AURIOL [email protected]
34. Norman JARDINE European Commission [email protected]
35. EIPA Marga PRÖHL European Institute of
Public Administration
36. Ukraine Yurily
KOVBASIUK
National Academy of Public
Administration
37. Lithuania
Paulius
SKARDŽIUS
Director of Public
Governance Policy
Department, Ministry of
Interior
38. Renata
LATVĖNIENĖ
Director of Lithuanian
Institute of Public
Administration
39. Osvaldas
ŠARMAVIČIUS
Director of Civil Service
Department
40. Artūras
ARBATAUSKAS
Chief Consultant,
Lithuanian Institute of
Public Administration
41. Vigilija BRUŽAITĖ Chief Advisor of Public
Governance Policy
Department, Ministry of
Interior
42. Ingrida
TINFAVIČIENĖ
Lithuanian Institute of
Public Administration
43. Daiva URBUTIENĖ Lithuanian Institute of
Public Administration
DISPA Meeting – Vilnius 24th & 25th October 2013
30
44. Raimundas
KALESNYKAS
Corporate Securitus Ltd raimundas.kalesnykas@corporat
esecuritus.com
45. Ernestas
LIPNICKAS
Corporate Securitus Ltd ernestas.lipnickas@corporatesec
uritus.com
46. Modestas
GELBŪDA
University of Management
and Economics (ISM)
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Annex III
POSSIBLE THEMES FOR ERT EVENTS
Creative leadership
Good relations with EU Institutions
Experience of developing study programmes for PA in countries of EU
Decision-making process in the EU
How to prepare for the EU presidency for the first time
Integrity: linking individual work with EU values
Ethics and integrity
Motivation of civil servants
E-government
Public Sector Reform
Switzerland: Training for Members of Parliament, International Master of Public
Administration
EUSA: The EU narrative
Norway: E-government, strategic ITC management
Italy: Good practices; national/ cultural heritage
Sweden: Effectiveness in PA, lean management, the development of HR management, the
lack of central support to small agencies
Finland: Good governance/ administrative transparency
Latvia: Regulation of conflict of interest in public administration, training/ education to
prevent corruption, public procurement issues, sustainable training and development
system, EU citizen identity
Czech Republic: Anti-corruption measures
Estonia: E-government, e-services, e-democracy, civil service reform, anti-corruption and
ethics, top-civil servants development
DISPA Meeting – Vilnius 24th & 25th October 2013
32
EIPA EPSA Winner 2011: City of Bilbao (long-term change strategy, zero debt, co-operation of
politics, administration, citizens, business)
Hungary: Integrity: advisory role and further training programmes, e-learning methodology
centre for further training
Spain: The reform of public administration to adapt to the current context of crisis
France: The future of the European Financial Regulation- how to get the EU out of crisis/
managing European funds in the area of regional and neighbourhood policies, how to
manage selection processes in the public sector: international comparisons, managing parity
of gender in the public sector
Greece: "Diavgeia" and "Mobility" programmes
Malta: Performance management
Ireland: Public sector reform
Lithuania: EU Presidency training planning-organisation