Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 19th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview PA Reform Author(s) Pavlina Yamukova Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" Varna Bulgaria Poryazov Angel, Authors: Assoc.Prof. Dr. Angel Poryazov, Asst. Pavlina Yamukova Title Optimization of organizational structures in the municipal administration - a prerequisite for the implementation of administrative reform File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Abstract Two negative factors have been cultivated in public administration: highly complicated processes and lowered control functions, which greatly reduce the management capacities of the administration. The basis, on which human resources development is to develop in future, is the realization and actual implementation in practice of the idea that changes to the environment demand in turn development and changes, incl. within the territorial organizations in the public sector. The requirements of the governmental, district and municipal administrations increase continuously. Above all, the paradigm of public administration gets changed, and centre place is being allotted to the customer – a citizen, a company or an organization. That requires not only readjustment of persons employed in that sector but also a fundamental change to the organization and service quality. Changes are difficult tasks for the public sector under the organizational structures currently in effect and because of that the structural units in it are being defined as organizations of bureaucratic type. Can that be achieved via the traditional structures and management style? Obviously not. Urgent measures are needed, and new management paradigms corresponding to the changes occurred to the environment. From that point of view, administrative reform means also forming of new administrative structures. This report attempts to address a problematic not yet researched enough, namely: the need to realize changes to the organizational structure of public organizations. The thesis to be substantiated is: “Optimization of the administrative structures within the municipal administration in the period of crisis, and first steps for going out of it, are key prerequisites for realization of administrative reform”. The research subject is forming of new administrative-organizational structures. The specific subject is reorganization in public organizations as a main approach and technology for realization of the necessary structural changes, which can be used also in future. In that sense, the main objective of this report comes to that, to substantiate the need for optimization of administrative organizational structures within the municipal administration in the period of going out of the crisis, the single result of which is the competent rationalization and optimization of the administrative processes. Within the scope of that substantiation, as main trend are defined the reassessment and optimization of structural units in a functional aspect, in relation specifically to rationalization of administrative management. From the viewpoint of management in public administration, the big issue which remains is: Can organizational structure in territorial public administrations be the subject of management? Practice shows that this is a completely possible process but a process delicate enough, and very costly. The issue of implementation of competent rationalization and optimization of the administrative structures cannot be solved by cutting the number of employees alone (in view of cutting of budget expenditures). An objective like that is far from the strategy to increase the management capacities of the administration. The need of restructuring of the public administration in future is a matter of a management decision where the financial aspect of the issue is just a part of it. It is undisputable that the organizational structure of each administration affects the performance of the members of that organization in three areas: organizational values, organizational climate and management style.
