Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 15th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview VII. Working Group on Capacity Building of Civil Servants... Author(s) Petra Goran University of Zagreb Zagreb Croatia Title From civil servants EU training programs to a human resources development strategy for civil service: combining bottom-up with top-down approach File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Abstract Objectives and scope: The amount of research on public administration (PA) reform in Central and Eastern European countries has been growing since the 1990-s and there is by now a number of analyses of the reform approaches among them, as well as comparisons with the West European and other countries. However, there is still a lack of analysis of best practices in implementing the reform measures on the organizational level. This paper aims to analyze the implementation of chosen PA reform measures in the organizational context and the impact of cultural, institutional and legal factors on the success of these measures. PA reform is seen as an exercise in change management, an important part of which is the establishment of the civil servants’ training system. Methodology: The paper will analyze two cases of implementation of civil servants’ training programs in Croatia and draw conclusions from empirical evidence on the speed and success of these cases: 1) the introduction of European integration training programs within an informal, flexible and innovative scheme, and 2) the establishment of the formal training system including new civil service legislation and budgeting framework for the entire civil service, under the competence of a central state office for administration. The relevant information on the two cases has been systematically collected through personal information sources and internal documentation, given the lack of structured data on the Croatian civil service, and training in particular. Findings: The chosen cases provide examples of influence of organizational culture and change leadership in implementing change in the PA. The key thesis of the paper is that on the one hand, organizations with new structure, staff and responsibilities, building their own organizational culture within a wider administrative culture, are successful in introducing fast change in the PA. However, long term success of this change depends largely on the adoption of a legal and financial framework, as well as a firm political support, without which the “bottom-up” induced change may not continue. On the other hand, a new legal and financial framework may not be implemented effectively in practice in a rigid, old-fashioned administrative culture, which is not inclined to accept new attitudes and values. Conclusions: The findings from the two analyzed cases show the need for a comprehensive strategy for human resources development in the PA, which must combine the “bottom-up” (civil servants’ involvement, ownership of change, development of new organizational culture) with the “top-down” approach (political support with long-term planning, new legislative framework). The paper should be of interest to the PA practitioners and policy makers who aim to produce long-lasting results in public administration reform efforts.
