Focus: Institutional engineering & QMS Development in Local Governments
Abstract: Lack of knowledge in Institutional Engineering has been detected as a key systematic deficit with negative impact on the performance of local governments in the field of local economic development. This deficit demonstrates in lack of knowledge in building the Local Economic Development Division (LEDD) which is a component of the local government Organizational Structure, respectively the local government Quality Management System (QMS). It also links to lack of knowledge in selecting the key professions included in the LEDD.
Certified Economic Developers and Certified QMS Developers in the Local Government intellectual infrastructure: The Institutional Engineering secures the local government performance, respectively the organizational objectives accomplishment, and the quality of the final product. While most of the local governments realize that they should include economists and accountants in their QMS, very few of them go beyond this common sense and put a special emphasis on the need to have professionals who are certified in the field of QMS development, economic development, and financial engineering. The availability of these types of highly trained professionals in the modern local governments is already a “must” and not ïf”. In order to secure its competitiveness today’s local governments need not only to have these professionals included in their “intellectual infrastructure” but they also need to optimize their number in accordance with the size of the territory covered, other words in accordance with the size of the territory to be developed.
Local Government In-house training system: Well structured in-house training system allows the Local Government to plan and optimize funds aimed to secure the competence of the staff, and to secure the knowledge flow & management into the system overcoming the campaign character of training provided by external training facilities. The knowledge based governance, which represents the modern governance technologies, cannot be secured only and solely by external training. This type of training should be reserved for subjects linked to the very new tendencies in the public affairs.
Need of adjustment: Implementation of these adjustments on the very early level of building the Local Government Quality Management System provides opportunity for local governments to respond to the tendency “less administration – more management” (resulting from the increased global competition)
The New ISO Standard in the Public Sector: A new International Standard for Quality in the Public Sector is on the way to be validated in June, 2013. Formula Europa Institute proposed some updates to be considered and eventually incorporated in the new standard which updates refer to four sections of the drafted text:
Documentation in local government
Quality management system planning
Human resources in local government
Infrastructure in Local Government
In its proposal FEI suggested two certified professions to be recommended for inclusion in Local Governments’ staff in the stage of Institutional Engineering: Certified Economic Developers and Certified QMS Developers.
FEI suggested that the New International Standard recommends local government in-house system for training the staff and public officials with the following mission:
a) secures sustainable level of their required competence after specialized training on new subject is delivered by external training facility
b) secures the on-going update of the required professional qualifications, specific for job profiles and professional profiles,
c) secures the process for evaluation & correction of the performance of all officials, both elected and designated, and
d) provides evidences used to define recruitment and dismissal procedures that include transparency in the hiring of personnel for all designated official positions.
FEI suggested Intellectual Infrastructure to be built in the local government consisting of:
a) human capital: key professions presented in the staff, optimal number of professionals representing the key professions
b) in-house system for training
c) in-house system for innovation & idea-management
d) in-house library
The Certificate Program for QMS Developers which is now under construction reflects the latest tendencies in the sector of quality management.