THE MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES OF CIVIL SERVANTS IN LITHUANIA

Abstract

Managerial competencies often emerge as one of the main factors that determine
the success of an organization. Scholars have noticed that the damage caused by bad
administration in the public sphere is often much more serious than that resulting
from natural disasters. According to theorists and practitioners, there have been significant
changes in the approach towards managerial competencies and the way
people are managed in the public sector over the last few decades all over the world.
The article discusses the empirical results of a study on the managerial competencies
of civil servants in Lithuania, conducted in autumn of 2008. The study examined
managerial competencies based on the skills of planning, organizing, coordinating
and controlling. Respondents were asked to identify their own managerial competencies
as well as those of their managers. On the basis of the research, the main
civil servant-manager types were identified. The study revealed that the majority of
civil servants have a rather favourable view of their own managerial competencies.