CORRELATION BETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP STYLE AND INCLINATION TOWARDS ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING IN LOCAL ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATIONS

The aim of the paper was to conduct a preliminary verification of theoretical postulates on correlation between the administrative leadership style and learning processes in local administrative organizations. The basic research hypothesis is that administrative leadership style is positively correlated with inclination to organizational learning in local administrative organizations, notwithstanding other organizational and contextual variables, such as internal organizational structure, number of employees, ruling political party and its continuity. In order to construct an empirical study, a cross-sectional study among three Croatian city governments has been applied. The main variables have been measured on the basis of civil servants’ perception of administrative leadership style and inclination to organizational learning in each organization. The results of correlation analysis between administrative leadership style, on one hand, and, each level of learning in organization and each process of learning across the levels, on the other, are presented in the paper. On the basis of the results obtained and consequent discussion, some general conclusions and recommendations for administrative organizations are provided

Public Administration and Political System in Estonia: Finding the Balance between Managerial Reforms and Good Governance

U radu1 se analizira organizacija i funkcioniranje javne uprave u Estoniji. Nakon kratkog prikaza povijesnog razvoja države i uprave koji je obilježila stalna borba za neovisnost, autorica daje pregled postojećeg sustava javne uprave i upravnih reformi koje se u Estoniji provode od njezinog osamostaljenja 1991. Analizira se pravno uređenje odnosa nositelja državne vlasti prema upravi i organizacija centra Vlade koje karakteriziraju određene specifičnosti inače klasičnog parlamentarnog sustava vlasti. U okviru poglavlja o političkoj, upravnoj i fiskalnoj decentralizaciji detaljno se opisuju: složena teritorijalna organizacija, tijela lokalnih jedinica, djelokrug poslova i propisima široko zajamčena, a u praksi slabo provedena fiskalna decentralizacija. Opisana su i pobrojena tijela državne uprave i pružatelji javnih službi te problematizirana razdioba poslova i suradnja među upravnim organizacijama, kao i koordinacija i nadzor tijela državne uprave. U pogledu službenika posebno se ističe postojanje uskog kruga zaposlenika javne uprave čiji je status uređen posebnim službeničkim zakonodavstvom, decentralizacija službeničkog sustava i široka primjena plaćanja prema učinku. Prva faza upravnih reformi provedena je na temelju menadžerskih ideja o efikasnosti putem liberalizacije i privatizacije, dok se pred ulazak u EU naglasak stavio na odnos uprave s građanima. Posljednjih desetak godina provode se reforme službeničkog sustava, dok su najmanje uspješne one u području teritorijalne organizacije i političke decentralizacije.The organisation and functioning of the public administration in Estonia are analysed. After a short overview of the historical development of the state and administration characterised by the constant fight for independence, the author has dealt with the current public administration system and administrative reforms that have been implemented in Estonia since 1991. The paper analyses legal regulation of the relationship between political bodies and public administration as well as the centre of government characterized by certain specificities of generally traditional parliamentary government system. Within the chapter on political, administrative, and fiscal decentralization, the author has described the complex territorial organization, the bodies of local units, the scope of their activities, and fiscal decentralization guaranteed by law, but weakly implemented in practice. The bodies of state administration and public service providers are described and enumerated in the paper. The main features of the civil service system relate to a narrow scope of public administration employees with special status, decentralization, and broad implementation of performance-related pay. The implementation of the first phase of administrative reforms had been based on managerial ideas of efficiency founded on liberalization and privatization, whereas the reforms conducted before the EU accession were oriented towards better relations between administration and citizens. The less successful reforms have been implemented in the field of territorial organization and political decentralization

Učinkovita implementacija politike upravljanja kvalitetom u javnoj upravi: španjolska iskustva i lekcije za Hrvatsku

The aim of the paper was to determine institutional and other mechanisms which affect the effective implementation of a particular policy, and to draw some lessons for Croatia on the basis of Spanish experience in the implementation of a quality management policy in public administration. To this end, the mechanisms of the Centre of Government which may foster a particular policy were discussed and research was carried out on the quality management policy in Spanish public administration. The study is based on desk research and an interview conducted at the Spanish Agency for the Evaluation of Public Policies and Quality of Services – AEVAL. The paper analyses Spanish experiences in quality management policies, models, and practices in public administration in order to make some proposals for the effective development and implementation of a policy on quality management in Croatian public administration. Following a brief description of Croatian practices in quality management and plans to make further improvements, four of the most frequently implemented quality management instruments in Spain are analysed; namely, citizen satisfaction surveys, public service charters, quality evaluation conducted according to specific models, and quality awards. Furthermore, the institutional and regulatory framework for quality management in Spanish public administration is presented. Taking into consideration Spanish experiences, some lessons are proposed for the successful implementation of a quality management policy in Croatian public administration.Cilj rada jest utvrditi koji institucionalni i drugi mehanizmi utječu na djelotvornu primjenu određene politike te na temelju španjolskog iskustva u primjeni politike upravljanja kvalitetom u javnoj upravi izvući određene lekcije za Hrvatsku. Stoga se u radu raspravlja o mehanizmima centra vlade koji bi mogli potaknuti implementaciju određene javne politike te se provodi istraživanje o politici upravljanja kvalitetom u španjolskoj javnoj upravi. Studija se temelji na pretrazi podataka i intervjuu provedenom u španjolskoj Agenciji za evaluaciju javnih politika i kvalitete usluga – AEVAL. Analiziraju se španjolska iskustva u politikama, modelima i praksama upravljanja kvalitetom u javnoj upravi s ciljem davanja prijedloga za uspješan razvoj i implementaciju politike upravljanja kvalitetom u hrvatskoj javnoj upravi. Nakon kratke prezentacije hrvatskih praksi upravljanja kvalitetom i planova za daljnja unaprjeđenja, analiziraju se četiri najčešće primjenjivana instrumenta upravljanja kvalitetom u Španjolskoj: istraživanja zadovoljstva građana, povelje javnih službi, vrednovanje kvalitete provedeno prema posebnim modelima i nagrade za kvalitetu. Osim toga, predstavlja se institucionalni i regulacijski okvir upravljanja kvalitetom u španjolskoj javnoj upravi. Uzimajući u obzir španjolska iskustva, predlažu se lekcije za uspješnu implementaciju politike upravljanja kvalitetom u hrvatskoj javnoj upravi