Capacity Building and Training in the German Federal Administration

1
Capacity Building and Training in the German
Federal Administration

• A General Review

By Joachim VollmuthV 1.0 - 9/29/2003
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The common framework of capacity building and
training

• Capacity building concept - Promote generalists
  (career based system) - Support mobility and
  flexibility - Enhance management capacities
  and experience
• Personnel Dialogue (annually)
• Performance evaluation (bi-annually)
• System of training modules centralised (Federal
  Academy of Public Administration) / decentralised
  (ministries)

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Personnel Dialogue

• Diagnosis of the employees performance and
  potential
• Analysis of measures for capacity building
  (training!) and career perspectives of the
  employee
• Agreement on objectives and performance
  indicators
• Carried out annually in a formalized procedure
  with feed back to the HRM section

4
Performance evaluation

• Performance evaluation (backward)
• Work results quality and usability, quantity of
  work and meeting deadlines, ratio of inputs"
  with regard to output
• Professional knowledge up-to-date and soundness
• Working method initiative, representation of
  working area, service-orientation
• Social competence readiness to accept
  responsibility, reliability, communication and
  co-operation, behaviour in conflict situations.
• Evaluation of personnel potential and adequate
  employment
• Capability to comprehend and to make sound
  judgements
• Decision-making capability and capability to
  assert oneself
• Conceptual work
• Ability to express orally and in writing
• Capacity for management tasks
• Ability to put up with stress
• Organisational skills, etc.

5
Training by the Federal Academy for Public
Administration

• Introduce and instruct new staff
• Improve effectiveness of work in cross-cutting
  functions HRM, Organisation, Budget, IT and Law
  making (Qualification programmes)
• Qualify for higher posts and management
  functions build up on competency frameworks
  (key qualifications)
• Promote competency in international and European
  skills enhance foreign languages capability.
• Project-related training specific support for
  reform projects

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Induction training of new staff

• Seminars Tasks and functioning of federal
  ministries and agencies (Orientation phase) /
  sector-specific induction training in each
  ministry
• Training programmes Framework of
  administrative tasks / Economics, Public law
  / Budget / Management skills
  (Interdisciplinary co-operation).
• Seminars Training and team work, Management
  and co-operation (Enhancement of key
  qualifications).

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Management training at the federal levelFour
phase system

• 1. Phase Competency training for future managers
• Seminars in communication (negotiations,
  rhetoric),Co-operation, Teamwork
• 2. Phase Qualification for management functions
• Set of 3 seminars (1 week each) to train future
  managers
• Basics of effective management / Management
  styles and instruments / Gender aspects of
  management / Motivation and communication as
  management tools / Performance management /
  follow up seminars.
• 3. Phase Development of advanced leadership
  skills
• Internship in the private sector / Training to
  enhance European competence and international
  co-operation / Follow-up seminars.
• 4. Phase Special knowledge, exchange of
  experience
• Forums of directors and presidents /
  Individual coaching for top and senior managers /
  Media training

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Management training at the level of Bundesländer
- Management Academy Baden-Württemberg -

• 15 month course for up to ten participants
• Modules 3 months basic course / 3 months
  internship in a private enterprise or in a public
  agency abroad / 4 month intensive studies.
• Participants are granted special leave and are
  seconded to the Management Academy.
• Condition for admission excellent performance
  evalu-ation, 3-5 years employment in public
  service in two posts.
• Participants are deemed to be future managers,
  the average age being 36 years.
• Selection of participants Proposals by superiors
  or personal application.
• Selection through assessment centres, evaluation
  by senior civil servants.

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Organisational aspects

• Basic approach
• Training centralised for overall government area
• Training decentralised by each ministry /
  attached administrative bodies
• Different institutional modalities in
  EU-countries
• Specific government institution for overall
  trainingGermany Federal Academy of Public
  AdministrationUK National School of
  Administration
• Former government institution, now
  privatisedFinland, Netherlands
• Academic institution, training attachedGerman
  College of Administrative Sciences, SpeyerÈcole
  Nationale dAdministration, France
• Training out-sourced to private institution

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Federal Academy of Public Administration in
Germany Organisation and methods

• Training programme
• No permanent curriculum flexible programme,
  following the changing needs of the federal
  administration
• Requirements identified annually by needs
  analysis in structured procedure (academy first
  draft / ministries feed-back / academy second
  draft / conference)
• Staff
• Tasks Design of programme, conception and
  organisation of courses (no permanent teaching
  staff!) assignment of lecturers evaluation of
  courses
• Exchange of staff between academy and ministries
• Methods
• Specific methods for adult-training
  (experience-learning)
• E-learning
• Network of institutions / partners
• Links to private institutions (Management, IT)
• Co-operation with European institutions and
  EU-partners