Assessment of Civil Servants’ General Competencies while Implementing the Civil Service Competency Model in Lithuanian Municipalities

Laima Liukinevičienė,Lina Buivydienė

doi:10.21277/sr.v39i2.73

Abstract

This paper presents summarized results of a survey on the new Civil Service Competency Model implemented in the Republic of Lithuania. Mažeikiai District Municipality was chosen for this survey.This complex study using qualitative research (semi-structured individual interviews) and quantitativeresearch (questionnaire with closed questions for opinion investigation) methods confirmed scientists’ opinion about the benefits of a centralised assessment of key competencies in the selection process and showed that a general aptitude test should be continuously revised and updated. Municipal authorities emphasised that specific and so far not assessed but very important competencies, such as decision making, project development, managerial, should be assessed. 25 civil servants from MažeikiaiDistrict Municipality, who took part in the competition for a position and passed a general aptitude test, supported centralised assessment of general competencies as contributing to the objectivity and transparency of the selection process.

Highlights

There is a common understanding of and a political consensus on the implementation of a Civil Service Competency Model in Lithuania as one of the most important cross-cutting measures seeking to implement a public administration reform and make the civil service effective, open and efficient
A typical Mažeikiai District Municipality was selected for this research
Its aim was to identify a need of general competencies at municipalities, problem using the CSCM and the GAT, the role of general competencies which are the basis of conceptual thinking

Summary

Introduction

There is a common understanding of and a political consensus on the implementation of a Civil Service Competency Model (hereinafter CSCM) in Lithuania as one of the most important cross-cutting measures seeking to implement a public administration reform and make the civil service effective, open and efficient. Methods used: 1) scientific literature analysis – to provide a theoretical basis for the structure of general competencies; 2) structured individual interviews – to identify the opinion of the municipal authorities responsible for organising the second, decentralised, stage of the selection process, about general competencies assessment using the CSCM; 3) quantitative study – to identify the opinion of civil servants at Mažeikiai District Municipality who passed the GAT about the benefits of the centrally administered GAT In this survey, like in the works of the majority of contemporary foreign and Lithuanian scientists and politicians, the concept of competence is linked to the ability of a civil servant to appropriately carry out activities using gained knowledge, skills, abilities, experiences, values, behaviours.

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Findings

Conclusions