WHAT LEADERSHIP DOES LITHUANIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION NEED? COMPETENCE MODEL IN CIVIL SERVICE

1. WHAT LEADERSHIP DOES LITHUANIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION NEED? COMPETENCE MODEL IN CIVIL SERVICE Dr Virginijus Lepeška OVC Consulting International conference Public administration in Lithuania. European experience – for future challenges 12-13 May 2011, Vilnius

2. What is needed to effect changes in public sector management • Vision, strategies, objectives • Strategies are impossible to implement without adequate resources • People, their competencies and motivation represent one of the key resources • Effective leadership • Effective system of human resource management in the public sector

3. COMPETENCE MODEL Other human resources solutions (e.g. job transfers etc.) Human Resources planning recruitment and Selection Employee motivation system Employee training and development Employee career management Employee performance management Modern Human Resource Management system

4. Benefits of using the Competence Model (foreign experience) • More explicit, objective and consistent civil service Human Resources Management decisions: • Higher transparency and quality of civil servants recruitment and selection • More flexible civil servants’ career management (transfer of required competencies) • More effective training of civil servants • Both supervisors and subordinates have better understanding of performance appraisal criteria • Competence management combines into one system different human resources management processes and ensures their coherence, consistency and efficiency • Both the institution and the civil servant have to pay more attention to personal development and to meeting the requirements entailed in the position • Possibility to improve the image of civil service in the labour market • A general approach to the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for the public service is formed, a general understanding of the standards of civil servant’s conduct is created • Focus on why and how particular competencies contribute to the improvement of performance results

5. Distribution of evaluation points(by per cent) of civil servants competence model necessity Evaluation of the Competence Model necessity(Results of Lithuanian public servants survey) In the opinion of the respondents, the Competence Model is necessary The average score of the evaluation of Competence Model necessity is 7.35 (10 points scale) 1 2% 1% 3% 3% 20% 2 3 15% 4 5 6 15% 8% 7 8 11% 9 22% 10

6. Expectations of the benefit of Civil Servants Competence Model (CM) (survey results) • CM will build up the human resources management in civil service and make it more targeted • Clear criteria for employee management decisions will be set (candidate selection, training planning, career decisions etc.) • Employee management decisions will be more transparent and of higher quality • Enables to review the senior level • The standards of knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for civil service will be developed • The efficiency of civil service and performance quality will rise because competencies link the institution’s strategy with the requirements for employees and their performance

7. The importance of the Competence Model to the strengthening of senior level in civil service (survey results) • “The absence of Competence Model affects the recruitment of managers: today they are employed without any testing of their managing excellence because we do not knowwhat competencies are required” • “Leadership skills are of paramount importance in civil service. Therefore competencies should first of all be used in order to select the leaders with these competencies, who would be able to set goals or objectives required for the implementation of the political programme. If the current managers do not have such competencies, there must be a political will to replace them. Only the new team of leaders will enable to reach a breakthrough in performance methods” • “The Development of the Competence Model would bring a certain cultural change: until now many senior level civil servants are merely good specialists because such is the well-established principle of job promotion and pay raise” • “If the Competence Model is viewed as a tool that will bring order to the segment of managers and future talents in public service, then the entire public service will benefit”

8. Opinion of Lithuanian public sector representatives: Specific knowledge, skills and experience necessary to perform the job Professionalism Communication skills Opinion of academic community and other experts: Focus on results, ability to meet the set goals, initiative Communication skills Leadership skills Different opinions on the content of Civil Servant Competence Model

9. Conclusions of the survey • The main conclusion is that Competence Model is necessary for Lithuanian Civil Service • The question is what the model will be and how it will be implemented • The answers are still sought

10. Competence Model Content • Competencies are knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for successful work of a civil servant in a specific position • Competence Model is a system containing the descriptions of all competencies that a civil servant is required to have • Competence Model structure: • Groups of competencies • A list of competencies and detailed description of each competence • Descriptions of competence levels • Profile of competencies is the established obligatory (minimum) and preferable level of each competence for separate groups of positions

11. Groups of civil servants’ competencies (example) General competencies are obligatory to all civil servantsirrespective of the institution they work for and the position they hold Leadership competencies are obligatory to all higher level civil servants (having at least one subordinate)irrespective of the institution they work for Professional / special competencies are important for civil servants working for a special institution or holding a specific position • Established in a centralized manner • The same to all civil servants • Established in a centralized manner • The same to all civil servants • Institutions establish independently following given recommendations The Civil Servants Competence Model should be applied to all categories of civil service and to all groups of civil servants

12. Description of competencies (example) The description names the competence itself and describes it by the examples of conduct illustrating how this competence is realized in a public servant’s work

13. Levels of competencies (example) Each competence can be evaluated by one of several levels (each level describes different realization of the competence in civil servant’s job from inappropriate conduct to excellent/expert conduct)

14. Competence profile Competence profile is the reference level of competence realization for a civil servant holding a specific position(by job catalogue categories). References in the competence profile: a) specifies obligatory (minimum) levels of each competence required for a specific position (important in the recruitment process or making the decisions whether the person can still hold the job) b) specifies desirable levels of each competence required for a specific position (important for performance appraisal) Competence profile example

15. Prerequisites for successful Competence Model development and implementation The Competence Model must be applied to the entire Civil Service but should be implemented gradually (e.g. starting from senior management level) Involvement of professional experts and civil servants themselves in the development of the Competence Model Integration of the Competence Model into selection and recruitment, performance appraisal, civil servants training and development, and caereer managementsystems Flexibility of the Competence Model and possibility to adjust it to the particulars of the institution or the office Adequate methodology for the use of competences (especially their assessment) Raising awareness (first of all at senior management level) of the aim and benefit of the Competence Model and development of competence management skills Assurance of the support and supervision of the Competence Model and its application (responsibility should be vested in a competent institution holding the necessary authorizations) Assurance of the continuity ofapplied competence management practices Changes in mentality and ‘process-oriented’ culture