MEETING OF THE DIRECTORS OF SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Lisboa, 6 and 7 December 2008 In the context of the Portuguese Presidency, the directors of Schools and Institutes of Public Administration have gathered at INA for a fruitful exchange of ideas and experiences during which participants have also identified several seminal questions that their institutions are faced with. The programme included presentations by five guest speakers who addressed respectively the ongoing reform of the Portuguese Administration, the Lisbon Agenda and the Technological Plan, New Learning and Innovation Challenges for Public Management and Portfolio management and its impact on human resources development and training. This was an opportunity for participants to have a very open and genuine debate on several challenging ideas and questions that arose as a result of those presentations (see enclosed Proceedings). Additionally there were presentations on Portfolio management and its impact on human resources development and training, what are the potential benefits of using this tool in such context and how can this approach work successfully with the involvement of all the actors concerned. Information what also provided to participants about the activities of two additional networks where the institutes and schools are cooperating at an executive level, the European Reciprocal Training and the e-learning networks, and how they are starting to use audioconference to nurture the networks as well as to promote joint events at a distance and increase the number of potential civil servants that are reached by the programme. Finally two examples of b-learning training programmes for EU civil servants - Europe in Action and PATENT - were presented. They were the result of various levels of cooperation between Institutes and Schools of Public Administrations. Both will start at the beginning of 2008. Following the very exhaustive presentation on EUPAN, the nature of the DISPA network and its relation with EUPAN were discussed at the end of the meeting. The directors agreed that informality and reciprocity are two key words and values to characterize the DISPA network. This network creates opportunities for an informal exchange of experiences and good practices between its members who collaborate on the basis of a reciprocity level. This is so as the legal nature and the scope of activity of the members varies a great deal and thus determines to some extent the way each of the institutions participates in the DISPA network as well as in the other two networks Reciprocal Training Programme and e-learning - that gather the institutes and schools representatives. DISPA considers that there should be a closer contact with EUPAN and more cooperation between both networks. DISPA should follow more closely the works of EUPAN and the themes that this network is addressing as they are of interest for the activities of the Institutes and Schools of Public Administration and particularly for their training programme. ENA will host next DISPA meeting in France in the second semester of 2008. For additional information, please contact the acting President of INA: Mr. Rui Afonso Lucas rui.lucas@ina.pt
MEETING OF THE DIRECTORS OF SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Lisboa, 6 and 7 December 2008 Proceedings In the context of the Portuguese Presidency, the directors of Schools and Institutes of Public Administration have gathered at INA for a fruitful exchange of ideas and experiences during which participants have also identified several seminal questions that their institutions are faced with. Debate on the presentations given by guest speakers The programme included presentations by five guest speakers and was the opportunity for a very open and genuine debate on several challenging ideas and questions that arose as a result of those presentations. The Secretary of State of Public Administration, Dr. João Figueiredo, started with an overview on the ongoing reform of the Portuguese Administration. The mobility scheme has particularly called the attention of participants. Questions such as: - how are the unions reacting to this comprehensive reform? - how is the government monitoring the process? - what is the schedule for the reform? - is it having an impact on training needs? were answered by the Secretary of State and were also the opportunity for some of the participants to recall their country s own experience in the area and how they have or are managing it. The issues raised by the presentation of the Coordinator of the Lisbon Agenda and the Technological Plan, Prof. Carlos Zorrinho, were extremely meaningful for the participants as they put at stake how the institutes and schools of public administration can contribute to the processes underpinning change and innovation. Innovation should be strongly supported in the public sector as it is a powerful mean to create value for our stakeholders. The debate tackled several questions such as: - is there a specificity for innovation in the public sector? - what are the drivers and the limitations and difficulties of innovation in the public sector? - how can training contribute to help managers and other personnel to adapt to change, uncertainty and the unknown? How can it contribute to the development of a culture characterized by risk taking and inclusiveness?
- how can first line managers, key players in this process, be prepared to implement and support innovation processes? How can they create a context that encourages change and innovation in their organisations? - This last issue, according to the participants, is crucial for the success of innovation as managers can limit, block or destroy innovative measures, or encourage and nurture them. The directors agree that, besides training, there is a need for managerial incentives and a risk management policy including such aspects as performance assessment, public recognition and various types of rewards. Besides as homogeneity kills innovation, managers should look closely at the capabilities and potential of each of their team workers. Carlos Zorrinho also focused on the need to have a positive thinking about our capacities as individuals, organisations, governments and European institutions (good examples should be disseminated). Underpinning values such as active citizenship, reciprocity and the value of contamination, interdependence (success and failures are shared in a globalised world) were also part of the active debate that took place following his presentation. The presentation on New Learning and Innovation Challenges for Public Management, by Prof. Roberto Carneiro, was also followed with great attention by the group and opened the way to a much participated and inspiring debate. Fundamental issues for the Lifelong Learning and for the Lisbon Strategy agendas were discussed such as: - the synergies between learning and innovation, - the nature of knowledge in organisations (human capital and structural capital), - the relation between formal and informal learning, - the need for a generative learning as opposed to an adaptive learning, - the role of ICT and particularly Web 2.0 and 3.0, e-skills and e-learning to support flexible learning and inclusiveness, - the importance of investing in team work and collective performance to drive social knowledge. Some important and varied questions for the participants came out of this presentation: - what is the impact of implementing new teaching and new learning modes on the functioning of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration? - how to replace a low cost massified teaching model that characterizes our present average training model and reinvent a massified learning system viable from a financial point of view? - how can network externalities can contribute to achieve lower costs in training and to enhance generative learning that sustains a factory of innovation? - as new learning is a mix of continuity and innovation, what should be the proportion between continuity and innovation in a curriculum? - how can we enhance opportunities in new learning and encourage the existence of competent learners ( self regulated learners )? - how can we help learners to transfer what they have learned in the training context to their workplace?
Additionally a discussion took place on how to deal with learning in a multicultural context and the potential of diversity for innovation. The way we organise ourselves in Europe is a learning process. Preserving diversity and accepting different cultures is a source of richness. We learn because we are different. Hybridisation the combination of differences is the source of success. 2008 will be the Year of Intercultural dialogue and Europe must understand that it has a huge potential because of its differences. Two very inspiring messages were left to participants: The drivers of new learning are the driver for our society. Make your collaborators feel the joy of starting afresh learning each day. and We all need to have dreams, little dreams to move out of the ground floor of life. The exhaustive presentation of EUPAN and of its activities was followed with great interest by all participants. Questions such as how EUPAN works or if it has a permanent secretariat were put to the speaker. Other issues were also looked at such as: - the continuity of work of the EUPAN between presidencies and the important role that the Troika has played up till now, as well as the role of the presidencies themselves; - the challenging task of coordinating the working groups; - the outputs of the EUPAN working groups and the documents they produce as well as the role that the Institutes and Schools of Public Administration can play in disseminating information about these materials and the internet site of EUPAN. The presentation on Portfolio management and its impact on human resources development and training, by Norman Jardine from the European Commission, was also an opportunity for participants to discuss its use as a skills register, a competency mapping tool and a human capital database. In a context that HTM and Training are constantly being asked to add value to the organisations performance and if you can measure it, you can manage it, what are the potential benefits of such an approach and how can this approach work successfully with the involvement of all the actors concerned? The Institutes and Schools of Public Administration should contribute to teach managers HRM techniques and skills but also to change the attitude both of HR managers and other personnel regarding the use of e-portfolios. Development of DISPA network and its relation with the EUPAN network The EUPAN presentation directly questioned participants about the nature of the DISPA network and its relation with EUPAN. This issue was discussed at the end of the meeting and the directors agreed that informality and reciprocity are two key words and values to characterize the DISPA network. This network creates opportunities for an informal exchange of experiences and good practices between its members who collaborate on the basis of a reciprocity level. This is so as the legal nature and the scope of activity of the members varies a great deal and thus determines to some extent the way each of the institutions participates in the DISPA network as well as in the other two networks Reciprocal Training Programme and e-learning - that gather the institutes and schools representatives.
DISPA considers that there should be a closer contact with EUPAN and more cooperation between both networks. DISPA should follow more closely the works of EUPAN and the themes that this network is addressing as they are of interest for the activities of the Institutes and Schools of Public Administration and particularly for their training programme. European Reciprocal Training (ERT) network and e-learning network The Institutes and Schools of Public Administration are actually working together in two other networks at an executive level. Although not all of them are already part of the networks, their number is growing and the DISPA meeting was an opportunity for a speaker to provide information on the ongoing activities of the networks and the steps they are taking to achieve their goals. Besides the organisation of very successful study visits in many of the members countries (ERT) and yearly face to face meetings (ERT and e-learning), the networks have started using audioconference to improve their communication and nurture the networks. They will soon begin using them also to create more opportunities for the institutes and schools to promote joint events at a distance and increase the number of potential civil servants that are reached by the programme. Europe in Action and PATENT European training programmes Europe in Action and PATENT were presented as two examples of training programmes for EU civil servants that were the result of various levels of cooperation between Institutes and Schools of Public Administration and aim respectively at -- and enhance civil servants mobility within the European Union countries and strengthen collaboration between the EU National Public Administrations. Both will start in 2008 and will follow a blended learning model. DISPA Meeting in 2008 Next DISPA meeting will be hosted by ENA and will take place in France. The date is still to be determined. ENA considers the possibility of addressing two different specific topics: 1) Managers from EU countries and from EU institutions should attend joint training programmes to enable a better understanding of each ones difficulties. How should those training programmes be implemented? 2) Initial training and continuous play a different role. What should be the adequate balance between initial training and continuous training when we talk about top managers?