United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

The paradigm change from the administrative body to a modern service enterprise has not yet been fully achieved. This means to act future-oriented and to change the strategy to adapt both the structure and the culture of the political-administrative system to modern requirements.
The philosophy of "Re-designing", "Re-thinking" is to be found in the roots of the concept of the new public management and also in the long-term management and enterprise concept of the Upper Austrian state administration.
Non input orientation, but orientation towards results and effects is a central component in the concept of the new public management. The change from the input to output orientation does not only mean to provide economical equipment but also an integrative management approach, which means to combine strategy, structure and human capital.
As substantial success factor in the management and enterprise concept WOV 2015 of the Upper Austrian state administration, beside custom-made planning and control processes and Controlling instruments for the administration, is the courage the readiness and the will, above all, to act in the sense of a common commitment.
The Environment Special Area Template as effect-oriented control instrument of normative management is an example of a common development process of administration and politics for the next 12 years.
The defined effect goals do not only prescribe the direction of effect-oriented administrative acting, but also offer, in further consequence, the basis for the strategy as well as the everyday work.
Process oriented working is the work form reflected in the WOV projects and can therefore be considered as the overall future work form. The stabilization of the personal responsibility of employees on all levels of hierarchy, the participative strategy and goal development and the leadership behaviour of high-level personnel are promoted in process oriented work forms. It is also a contribution to develop a new administrative culture.
Therefore, the Management and Administration Concept WOV 2015 is to be considered as a future-oriented and sustainable concept.

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
WOV 2015 is a long term concept for management and entrepreneurship of the Upper Austrian State Administration offering new administration organization which is customer and action oriented. It is an exciting challenge which began successfully. The presented case describes the Upper Austrian method on the example of template process in the special area within Environment and Plant Technology Department, Environmental Legal Department and Upper Austrian Academy for Nature and Environment. The template of the “Environment” special area forms part of the overall strategy adopted by Upper Austria for state administration, which is customer and action oriented and therefore included in the planning and control cycle on the normative level (12 years). It is a written formulation of common action objectives beyond the areas, which should show the direction for implementation of long term oriented human and environmental protection, while it means the whole natural, man-built and social environment. The important thing is that not only special departments cooperated in creation of the template processes for the “Environment” special area, but also the politics (representatives of political offices) together with the Regional Governor Offices agreed on a mandatory direction determining the action objectives in the environmental area for the next 12 years. The following 12 action objectives are included in the “Environment” special area. The objectives are intentionally expressed in the “We” form which means all people working in the Environment special area in order to better identify the action. We – colleagues active in the “Environment” special area intend to achieve the following objectives by our work - ensure long-term sensitized and careful environmental behavior on a high level - provide guarantee for safe plants, processes, machines and electrical operation devices as well as for safe transport of dangerous goods. - ensure functioning and effective power conversion, transmission, distribution and consumption as well as increase of the proportion of beneficial environment-friendly power carriers. - Minimize emissions from transport, plant, old sediments, old landfills, agriculture and households - Minimize noise and vibrations The objective is to protect children and young people from an injury of hearing during their free time activities. - Minimize environmental and human load resulting from radioactivity and electromagnetic fields. - Ensure optimum living quality in buildings as well as high safety of their utilization while respecting the ecological, economical and energy effective building technologies. - Ensure good quality building culture and support the contemporary construction forms. We want to contribute to harmonic development of housing estates and culture of landscape in cooperation with investors and building planners. - Ensure sensitive land utilization and maintenance of natural character of soil (multi-functional capability). - achieve optimum waste management structure. - ensure optimized consumer protection - Minimize consequences of serious accidents caused by dangerous substances as well as consequences of catastrophes, crises, terrorist actions and wars. The above objectives shall be achieved mainly through - counseling - preparation of alarm plans - financial support - permissions - document work (projects and studies) - information and awareness - expert opinions and achievements shall be measured on the basis of set indicators.

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
work steps results who September 8, 2004  defined project  „preparation of special area template„ propose and prepare  project team creation  performance of preparatory measures  project management „Kick-off“ October 21, 2004  introduction of project members  project design  time plan and implementation plan  create opportunity for discussion  provide information concerning the future intent  put the project to overall relevance  create acceptances  create opportunity for discussion  project management  presidium as an internal support 1. Project team meeting November 10, 2004 2. Project team meeting November 17, 2004 3. Project team meeting December 7, 2004 4. Project team meeting December 14, 2004 5. Project team meeting January 13, 2005  customer term definition and system preparation  tool introduction to customer matrix  tool training  brainstorming and first rough action objective formulation  create team working capability and work agreement for the process  the process objectives have been agreed and are known  basic data is entered and known and available to all  theoretical and practical analysis of customer term, partner in action performance, interest representatives  one term definition applicable to all and inclusion of such terms  work with customer matrix  system thinking training  consent finding  project management  project team 25.1. 2005 discuss the principles 6. Project team meeting February 9, 2005 7. Project team meeting February 24, 2005 8. Project team meeting March 10, 2005 9. Project team meeting March 17, 2005  first formulation and fine tuning of objectives  work with action matrix  common thinking about possible action objectives  discussion concerning the first special area template proposal  project management  extended project team April 5, 2005  presentation of the first concept to the extended project group  participation and acceptation improvement  getting opinion of the large work group  theoretical input  work in small groups  project management  extended project team 10. Project team meeting May 12, 2005 11. Project team meeting June 9, 2006  incorporation of first concept results  first concept distribution to partners for assessment  inclusion of various views  information for management  final response, template formulation beginning of information providing to colleagues  project management  project team final meeting with political reporters presentation of special area template template presentation distribution to all participants September 19, 2005  template  acceptance  direct feedback  acceptation assurance  document for responsibility  promote common orientation  beginning of special area template implementation  political references  reporters  project management  project team

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The individual areas were granted the authorization to prepare the special area template within discussions concerning the agreed objectives. The main objective is preparation and implementation of the environment special area template for the purpose of common multi-area orientation considering the new authority organization (NAO) and having regard to the specified place (organizational, methodic and process layout elements). A point support has been offered to the project team from the presidium. ○ Organizational structure of process template – project team creation Basic team: project manager: - Dr. Ulrike Jäger-Urban (Environment and Plant Technology Department manager) - Dr. Dieter Goppold (Environmental Legal Department manager) - 11 project team members from various professional areas, political offices and Regional Governor Offices representatives Process support: internal (presidium) and external Extended project team: representatives of important strategic partners in action preparation in addition to representatives of professional promoters from area directly affecting the action objectives. Basic team tasks  information measure  organization special area template first concept  re-work of the initial proposal  final version and related measures during implementation Tasks of the extended project team  Discussions concerning the template proposal (additions, deletions, modifications, constructive criticism)  Information sharing and discussions with colleagues from their area.

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
The special area template presents a written formulation of basic statements which normatively (12 years) determined the basis, eventually frame conditions, for constructive, strategic and operative decision making. Premises for special area template organization: - mandatory for policy and all organizational units related to the special area - must not be in conflict with the Upper Austria’s entrepreneurial template - the contents given tasks from the WOV 2015 manager and entrepreneurial concept and political concepts - defined action objectives which may be measured - Defined customer term – who it should affect? - Which partner is important in action organization? - What are the leading values? - Which essential scope of tasks / which essential areas of effect shall be used for action achievement (voting and product program control) The following principles should be respected during organization process: - involvement of all people concerned: this may be assured through sufficient information and complementary measures already during project creation. - correctly establish priorities, proclaim the template creation as the manager’s thing: When any special area decides to prepare a template then it must be done with full concentration, not as a complementary thing. This especially applies to all managers who act as a model and promoter for all colleagues who participate in the process.  To have enough time and capacity available: special areas require valuable template as an orientation help for growing complex and multi-area decision making. Therefore it is necessary to have enough time and capacity available for this process.  Objective oriented organization: In principle the templates may be organized in various ways. Nevertheless a basic rule applies: “As close and as accurate as possible” and „Does our primary group understand the contents?“  Regular update and feedback concerning the contents: Regular feedback concerning the contents (every 6 years) is the basic precondition for continuous development of the special area.

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
• Create clarity and acceptance both inwards and outwards: Whoever is interested may create his/her own clear idea about the special area ● Provide long-term (12 years) and focusing orientation: The template is an orientation help for objective oriented management and action ● Enable performance synchronization: individually and jointly respected principles enable quick decisions and make delegation easier. ● Provide orientation help: The template written form provides orientation help for decision making.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
The “Environment” special area template intentionally puts the action, which should be achieved, to the centre of attention to make it useful for the following groups: - achieve the required effect with population through tendentious costs reduction - More clearly create apparent relations at political level to make the leading processes better manageable for the required effect - Give more extensive and more meaningful tasks to the colleagues from the Upper Austria State Administration through transparent actions relations. - Develop productive and future-oriented administration in Upper Austria recognized even abroad. The administration forms present the process which needs the effort of all participants. Process-oriented work method as the future form of work has significant impact on strategy, structure, human resources and culture opening to new self-understanding within the meaning of the overall organizational development.

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
The special area template as an essential document The Environment special area template as a strategic, long-term effective essential document applicable to two departments (Environment and Plant Technology and Environmental Legal Department) as well as for the organizational unit of the Academy for Nature and Environment. Mandatory for almost 300 colleagues It should provide common orientation according to the objectives and so synchronize performance of managers and the staff through the special area. This concerns almost 300 people. Intensive management involvement All managers (department managers, task managers and group leaders) were intensively involved to joint work within the special area. Planning basis – practice related As a rule all planing within the special area – from strategic planning for 6 years period through planning units up to annual planning – is oriented to 12 agreed action content objectives. The organized planning tools are based on understanding of the special area template (action objective, customer term). This also results in contributions to further development of frame conditions (such as acts, regulations, standards, directives, taxes, fees, subsidies) as well as of strategy and sustainable development programs. All colleagues communicate The special area template has been clearly presented and provided to all staff. The sustainable effect as well as the transfer to staff seems to be successful. Possible transferability to administration units of similar contents Transferability of the “Environment” special area to other public administration depends a lot on determination of area of effect. Of course it would be possible to prepare similar special areas in other state administrations as well and implement our “Environment” special area template there including its 12 action objectives. Any special area with a similar contents would therefore achieve action objectives on similar basis.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
Create willingness / understanding of managers As a rule understanding of managers concerning necessity of special area template for structural control process needs to be created. Balanced work team composition It is necessary to ensure balance composition of the project team performing the contents work itself. The group must include the widest possible number of professional promoters from the entire special area in order to ensure special area template acceptance. Of course the work team puts special emphasis on communication capabilities. Project team work – approval of the extended project work group The work contents itself has been approved during 11 project team meetings. The large project work group met three times in order to approve the project team intermediate steps within the special area – including all group managers. “Environment” special area determination Determination and limitation of the special area in relation to other areas, which means creation of a system border, has been a challenge. Subjects like environment, energy and plant safety get together again in the federal state organizational units. In addition the different political forces had to be considered. Different views require longer approval processes The process objective was to logically harmonize different approaches of different special areas which of course resulted in longer discussion process and opinion development. Specially formulation of the action objectives (how to divide them: by material or function?) as well as customer groups identification faced absolutely different approaches and therefore were subject to longer approval processes. Approval with indirect system partners Another important aspect was to ensure interface at the system boarders as well as communication and approval of the contents. Our long-term action objectives can not be considered as separated from the partners inside the “state” in administration if we want to achieve the acceptance. Relation between administration and policy In the end a common final meeting has been convened with politically competent reporters – deputy of the state governor Franz Hiesl and the state councilor Rudi Anschober – in order to underline the relation of the special area template to policy.


Institution Name:		Amt der OÖ.Landesregierung
Institution Type:		Government Department
Contact Person:		Christiane Hager-Weißenböck
Title:		Mag. (FH)
Telephone/ Fax:
Institution's / Project's Website:
E-mail:		christiane.hager-weissenboeck@ooe.gv.at
Address:		Stockhofstraße 40
Postal Code:		4021
City:		LINZ
State/Province:		Upper Austria
Country:		Austria

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information