A functional division between political leaders and the administration is essential

Within the framework of the project “Strengthening capacities for strategic municipal sectors”, supported by the MLGA, the KLGI Institute held a workshop on “Increasing cohesion among staff, interest groups and other local actors”.

The lecturers were Mr Besnik Tahiri, Executive Director of the KLGI Institute; Mr Tefik Mahmuti, Director of the Department of Civil Service Administration; and Mr Besnik Muçaj,… Programme Manager at KLGI, while the participants were directors of municipal administrations.

The discussion focused on topics related to increasing cohesion within the municipality and strengthening institutional memory. Particular emphasis was placed on the relations between elected or politically appointed officials and the administration. In this regard, it was said that efforts must be stepped up to clearly define the functional division of duties. Of particular importance here is the shift from ad hoc management to strategic and development planning.

It was stressed that, for municipal governance at the start of a new mandate, it is extremely important to address the functional division of duties between the political vision and managers or the administration. Beyond this, institutional memory must be significantly increased as part of implementing the municipalities’ strategic and development projects. In other words, the development plan, municipal strategies and political vision should be a roadmap for the body of the administration, while strictly applying the legislation and the duties the administration has towards citizens.

This requires a new approach to cooperation and interaction between political leaders and the municipal administration. For this to achieve the best possible results, the selection of heads of departments should be guided by the aim of a progressive increase in professionalism based on functional areas.

Transformational leadership beyond the framework of administration must take into account motivation, innovation, cohesion, inclusiveness and strategic communication. In this way, municipalities must move from an approach of administering staff, services and funds to the role of a high-performing organisation.

The project is supported by the Ministry of Local Government Administration.