Management development project : USAID Amman Jordan, project no. 278-0261 -- project assistance completion report

in health services management programs at the University of Jordan's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences (FEAS), and short-term training at the Jordan Institute of Management (JIM). Results were mixed. Outputs were expected to include 300 MBA and M.A. graduates; 13-16 FEAS staff members and 9 JIM staff members trained or their skills upgraded; 3,400 managers trained at JIM; FEAS curricula developed or upgraded; training aids installed; and research projects undertaken. Actual results were as follows. (1) Only 42 MBA degrees and 50 M.A. degrees in hospital administration (11 of the latter to women) have been awarded so far, and future projections for graduation are unknown, although with 306 students still enrolled in the two programs the final number of graduates will be greater than at present. (2) Fourteen FEAS and JIM staff members were trained or their skills upgraded. (3) The target of 3,400 managers trained by JIM was far exceeded -- 7,110 managers were trained. (4) The project was successful, to some degree, in improving FEAS curricula and in installing computer training aids, but little research was undertaken. Overall, the sustainability of project accomplishments is assured, although the quality of the programs will almost certainly suffer due to the Government of Jordan's fiscal constraints. There were six lessons learned. (1) The relatively low salaries of FEAS staff resulted in low morale and high turnover. The project agreement should have required that FEAS faculty receive salaries commensurate with those of the faculty of the engineering college. (2) Project design needs to take into account the reality that many students will be only part-time, especially in regard to estimating the numbers and timing of graduations. (3) It should be required that designated faculty and administrators be in place before the initial disbursement of funds; in the present case, FEAS was extremely thin in management areas and attempted to use already overburdened professors for administrative duties. Joint appointments with other faculties should be pursued to maximize faculty use at no additional cost to the university. (4) The University of Jordan, when developing MBA and M.A. programs, should put more emphasis on strategic management and resource allocation. However, the university did prove that, with proper TA, it is capable of developing and implementing respectable programs in new disciplines. (5) In order to maximize short-term training dollars, JIM should focus more on joint training, which provides for improved technology transfer and implementation, and should design short-term courses for several instructors at a time, in an established institution. (6) In general, the grant needed a more focused approach to training and an improved long-term relationship with established universities and training institutions.