Concept for Developing Human Resources

Strategic Human resources development is an important element of any modern, efficient administration.
With its "Modern State - Modern Administration" programme, the Federal Government has laid the foundation for the comprehensive modernisation of its state and administrative structures. The main focuses of the reform include enhancing administrative efficiency via the improved assignment of available personnel, based on individual personal potential.

In order to develop its own concept for human resources development, the BMBF has established a "Steering Group for Human Resources Development", consisting of members of all career-track groups and departments, the commissioner for gender mainstreaming and representatives of the ministry's human resources area.

In its work, the Steering Group for Human Resources Development draws on the results of a staff survey conducted in 2001.
To date, the following components of the concept for human resources development have been completed:

• Guidelines for management and co-operation,
• "Recognition motivates" and
• Feedback for management and directorial staff.

The guidelines for management and co-operation set forth the BMBF's definition of these concepts. Good management and co-operation are basic elements of any good working atmosphere. These elements enhance staff motivation and satisfaction - and work effectiveness.
The best way to enhance motivation is to recognise and acknowledge staff members' work and performance. The purpose of the "recognition motivates" component is to enhance motivation in the BMBF via the development of principles and special techniques for communicating acknowledgement and recognition.

Feedback for management is an instrument for improving management behaviour and communication. Its purpose is to give management staff the opportunity to compare their own perception of their style of management with the ways that style is viewed by the staff for whom they are responsible. For a management and staff feedback project conducted in the summer of 2002, ministry staff evaluated their superiors' management style via a questionnaire. The resulting data were analysed in anonymous form and then individually reported with the help of external consultants. In addition, proposals for optimisation were prepared.

The BMBF considers human resources development to be a dynamic task in which all persons must participate step by step. The components prepared to date mark the start of this procedure. The Steering Group for Human Resources Development plans to successively develop additional instruments for human resources development. The programme's approach, via a ministry-wide steering group, requires a high level of acceptance on the part of all staff, but it facilitates tailoring the various components of the human resources-development concept flexibly to suit developments and changes within a rapidly evolving ministry administration.