1. Decentralisation and Accountability as Focus of Public Administration Modernisation – Challenges and Consequences for HRM
Christoph Demmke, Maastricht (NL) Gerhard Hammerschmid, Vienna (A)
Vienna, EPAN HRM Meeting, 6th-7th February 2006

2. Sorry for the long questionnaire....
Two central themes (decentralisation and accountability) combined
Main study of Austrian EU presidency
So far very little knowledge regarding the topic – DG´s discussed the topic only shortly in 2001 (Bruges)
Topic was never treated in HRM-group
Our objective: to facilitate the exchange of „good practices“ and „information sharing“ and produce a successful study  requires comparable data and good information
Many closed questions with goal to reduce time exposure
Synergies with other surveys (eg. UK and LU presidency, OECD)
WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCES and THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR EFFORTS!!
Greetings Renate, Christoph and Gerhard

3. Decentralisation trends of HRM-competences
Shifting legal and administrative competences from the central governmental level to lower levels eg. regions or sectors (eg. in the field of pay, working time etc.)
Reduction of public employment on the central level as a consequence of the decentralisation of tasks, privatisation and outsourcing
Delegation of competences from a central governmental body (e.g. Department of Personnel, Agency for Personnel Matters, Zentralabteilung etc.) to different HRM-units
Delegation of responsibilities within a governmental body to individual managers at lower levels

4. Central concerns of accountability
Circumstances and forms in which political leaders / public employees are held responsible
Legal grounds for holding political leaders / public employees accountable and possible consequences
Main measures and instruments to control and monitor public sector work
Issues/objects for which public managers are held responsible (eg. compliance to procedures or achievement of performance targets). Different priorities in daily work
Addressees of accountability: higher hierarchical levels or eg. citizens/ customers
Interrelationship and relevance of formal and informal arrange-ments in administrative practice

5. Why is the topic „Decentralisation and Accountability“ of interest?
Central trend towards decentralisation and individualisation of HRM responsibilities (see OECD, 2005)
Greater individual freedom poses questions of „accountability“: How to secure responsibility, controllability and policy coherence?
Considerable impact of decentralisation on traditional accountability arrangements (eg. principle of directives, ministerial responsibility)
Reforms provoke new challenges:
More freedom but also more control?
What role do performance measurement systems play?
Changing forms of control and accountability?
Do we see the emergence of a new accountability bureaucracy?
Are public employees able to assume new responsibilities, new flexibility, fairness and equity issues etc.?
What leadership competencies are necessary in a decentralised environment?

6. What are the overall objectives of the study?
Making out the main trends in the EU Member States regarding de/centralisation of HRM policies
Finding main reasons for decentralising/centralising HRM policies
Assessing the consequences of decentralisation for traditional accountability arrangements
Finding ways how accountability and controllability can be secured or even strengthened in a decentralised public sector
What consequences does this have for HRM and leadership? Eg. what practices/working ways and professionals skills are required to adapt and to promote both decentralisation and accountability?
What is of interest for other Member States?
What „good practices“ can be learned? What should be avoided?

7. What are we talking about? Definitions
Decentralization: all arrangements that give managers and organisations greater freedom in operational decisions and remove constraints in financial and HR management; the granting of increased resource competencies (eg. HR and budgetary) and greater decision-making authority a) by central management bodies to line Ministries/departments and agencies as well as b) within Ministries/departments to lower levels of management.
Accountability the obligation of an organization/person to give an account towards a hierarchically higher governing body for its/his/her activities typically with respect to agreed upon procedural standards or performance targets

8. What is going to happen tomorrow?
intensive discussions and exchange of experiences
Morning programme in two parallel subsessions case study presentations & discussions on cases and main topic
Subsession „Yellow“:
Accountability in a decentralised environment
Facilitator: Gerhard Hammerschmid
Rapporteurs: Judita Bagon, Maja Carni, Paul Roberts
Presentation of cases from Austria (Franz Granner) and Finland (Asko Lindqvist)
Subsession „Blue“:
Decentralisation – challenges and consequences for HRM
Facilitator: Christoph Demmke
Rapporteurs: Krzysztof Banas, Bengt Eriksson, Per Stengård
Presentation of cases from Spain (José López Calvo) and Czech Republic (Roman Kuruc)

9. What is going to happen tomorrow?
Lunch offered by the Austrian Presidency ( )
Afternoon programme in plenum
Rapporteurs´ report on results from subsession „Yellow“
Rapporteurs´ report on results from subsession „Blue“
Short presentation on European Commission experiences (Hans-Georg Gerstenlauer)
Statement on IPSG experiences & activities (Michael Kallinger)
Summary and outcome of the workshop by facilitators
Closure of Meeting 15.00
Assignment to subsessions

10. What information do we ask you for in the questionnaire ?
Main modernisation trends ( section 1)
Degree of (de)centralisation related to typical decision-making situations ( qu. 2.1)
Degree of (de)centralisation related to typical decision-making situations in agencies/semi-autonomous units ( qu. 2.2)
Decentralisation initiatives and their assessment ( qu )
Accountability arrangements (understanding, extent and content, forms and types, instruments and reform initiatives, impact of decentralisation) ( section 3)
Perspectives for HRM ( section 4)
Additional information on structure of public administration ( section 5)

11. Decentralisation and Accountability as Focus of Public Administration Modernisation – Challenges and Consequences for HRM
Christoph Demmke, Maastricht (NL) Gerhard Hammerschmid, Vienna (A)
Vienna, EPAN HRM Meeting, 6th-7th February 2006