Strengthening the Management of Local Self Government in Slovakia

The series focuses on concepts and strategies that can help local government organizations deal more effectively with the political, economic, and social changes sweeping the country and region. The target audience for this series includes public managers in Slovakia, including elected majors and deputies, city managers, department heads, and directors of public service organizations. These individuals have been thrust into a country-wide paradigm shift of political, economic, and social values and norms, creating new problems and opportunities. The series aims to help them mold their local government organization to deal more effectively with these changes. The workbook series is based on concepts from the Guide for Managing Change for Urban Managers and Trainers, a workbook written by the author for the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). The guide has been substantially altered and updated with the help of a Slovak advisory team and David Tees, a colleague of the author. The series consists of five workbooks, each focusing on a specific area of managerial practice. Workbook #1, The Evolving Roles and Responsibilities of Local Government Manager, explores the evolution of local government management roles over the last few decades, particularly in the United States and other Western countries. Workbook #2, The Manager and Organizational Culture, examines organizational cultures, how they are invented, and how they can be changed to better serve the changing mandates of local governments. Workbook #3, The Manager as Organizational Change Agent, focuses on concepts and strategies associated with the planning and management of changes within organizations and their immediate environments. This module is wrapped around another set of LSGAC-supported training materials, which focus on two phases of the organization change process: contracting and data collection and analysis. Workbook #4, The Manager as Visionary Strategist, addresses the issues and processes associated with strategic planning. Strategic planning is seen as a potentially valuable tool for planning the future of the community. Workbook #5, The Manager as Staff Developer, offers insights on the role of the manager in developing staff. The workbook series is designed to help local government managers gain managerial insights and skills in targeted areas of managerial practice, increasing the effectiveness, responsiveness, and accountability of their local government organization, as assessed by the citizens they serve.