Organizational Development: A Manual for Managers and ... - FPDL

Competence requirements and evaluation
There may be many criteria used for employment of the new staff, namely education, professional
experience, political connections, family connections, unofficial payments etc. It seems hardly
possible to find out the real criteria used for selection of personnel during the interviews. Therefore
the auditor should focus on the official procedure of recruitment, and try to find supporting
evidence of functioning or not functioning of this system.
Thus, if we find out that the staff is recruited using only competence criteria, we should ask where
competence requirements are defined, who defines the competence requirements, how
competence is evaluated. Is everybody meeting these requirements, if not why? Using this
questioning technique we can find some other criteria existing, for example, somebody works
because there is only one year left until the retirement, and even if he/she does not meet official
requirements nobody even thinks about making him/her redundant.
Again it should be stressed that the auditors are not judging the system of recruitment but simply
stating the fact that there are certain criteria, which are not always employed for selection,
preferably by showing examples of it.
Training
Training and qualification improvement of the local administration staff may be regulated at several
stages:
• By laws and state programs (directed at all civil servants);
• Local administration procedures;
• Order for internal training set by the subdivisions of the local government.
During the interview the auditor should make clear that the training is understood both as in-house
training and training provided by the outside organizations.
At first the auditor should ask if the interviewee is receiving training herself/himself.
If yes, then ask to specify what kind of training, who decided that training was needed, was it
satisfactorily, how the employee herself/himself thinks what additional training he needs.
If no, then why: he does not need any training, the chief thinks that no training is needed, there is
no money for trainings, and nobody cares about training or some other reason.
The heads of departments are asked to describe how training needs of their subordinates are
identified, trainings planned and implemented and how the results of the trainings are evaluated.
Resources
Organizational structures and procedures and qualification of the personnel are the main factors
influencing the expenses part of the efficiency of the administration. In the framework of these
recommendations and at current state of their development we assume that all current expenses
are "normal" in the context of the corresponding cultural enviroment and conditions of the market.
I.e. everywhere in the world the educated people are writing their letters on their computers, but
not everywhere the educated people are working in the local governments. Expensive buildings
and rooms might be used because of tradition, even if they are not needed for the scope and
character of activities.
We assume that wages and salaries together with social security for employees are adequate and
allow employing qualified personnel; that the number of employees in each department is
adequate to the number needed; that the are enough computers – not less and not more that
needed; that heating system in the building of local administration is economical.
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