Interesting facts and conclusions during the 4th Public & Private Sector Day
Several proposals for improving the competitiveness of the public sector, as well as an important research study examining the degree of integration of 20 basic skills (soft skills) in the Public Sector were presented during the “Bridges for Collaboration” event that was organized by the Association of Chief Executive Officers (ACEO).
The Minister of the Interior, Mr. Makis Voridis, honoured the event.In his speech, he said: “The Public Administration now embraces new policies and there is a two-way relationship between the public sector and the good practices used by the private sector and large companies. I would like to thank the Association of Chief Executive Officers for helping in this direction.”The minister considered the change of the established, until recently, mentality and perception in the public sector through the adoption of private sector management methods quite important and he mentioned as an example the institutionalization of the new evaluation system for public servants and the implementation of the productivity bonus, practices applied in large companies around the world.
The President of the Supreme Council for Civil Personnel Selection (ASEP), Mr. Athanasios Papaioannou, addressed the challenges created by the implementation of the new institutional framework with the implementation of Law 4765/2021 on recruitment in the public sector; he also referred to the effort of the Council to reduce recruitment times while analysing the four challenges that the Public Administration is currently dealing with: the implementation of a new institutional framework, the selection of potential employees by using modern and customized criteria, the new generation of public sector executives, the adoption of new systems by the Greek society. Athanasios Papaioannou, addressed the challenges created by the implementation of the new institutional framework with the implementation of Law 4765/2021 on recruitment in the public sector; he also referred to the effort of the Council to reduce recruitment times while analysing the four challenges that the Public Administration is currently dealing with: the implementation of a new institutional framework, the selection of potential employees by using modern and customized criteria, the new generation of public sector executives, the adoption of new systems by the Greek society.
Τhe findings of the special ACEO research study on the attitudes and the perceptions in relation to the soft skills and their importance in working life presented The Managing Director of FOCUS BARI SA and member of the ACEO Board of Directors, Ms. Valeria Tsami.Being based on the responses of the private and the public sector executives, there were five (5) common skills, such as: (1) Communication, (2) Teamwork and Cooperation, (3) Management of people, (4) Citizen orientation – or Customer orientation, when referring to the Private Sector and (5) Target orientation.“That shows that executives in both the public and private sectors have largely common apperceptions, experiences and objectives”said Ms Tsami, while stating that the different hierarchy of common skills that is shown in this research study (for instance, communication comes first in the Public sector while human resources management is more important in the Private sector) indicates clearly their different needs.
«“The bridges of cooperation that could be developed between the Public and the Private sectors for the development and evolution of these skills, because skills as those in question are not a matter of character, people are not born with them but they are taught and cultivated and these issues nourish reflections giving much food for thought! In fact, all parties agree that their development should be a priority, firstly, for the executives at their own level of hierarchy and, secondarily or at a later stage, for executives at a lower level of hierarchy”.Ms Tsami pointed out .
The findings of this special survey on the role of skills at work were then discussed and commented in a panel discussion on “The day after for the Public Sector. A Key Factor in the development of the country by the General Secretary for Human Resources of the Public Sector of the Ministry of Interior, Ms Vivi Charalambogianni,who, inter alia, analysed the nine (9) skills of civil servants, based on a framework as well as the need for a new holistic approach, the ACEO Chairman, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Managing Director and General Manager of Xerox Hellas S.A., Mr. Vassilis Rabbat,as well as by Mr. Panagiotis Karkatsoulis, Councillor at Supreme Council for Civil Personnel Selection (ASEP), who raised the question of what the public sector really is and what are its values, stressing that these values should be a starting point for discussions.
The ACEO Board Chairman, Mr. Vassilis Rabbat pointed out that “it is necessary to adopt good practices that could put the human factor at the heart of the common interest. The Association of Chief Executive Officers will continue to actively contribute to the strengthening and modernization of the public sector by making the most of its expertise in professional management”.
Then, there was a panel discussion on the “Relations between the public sector and the everyday life of the citizens”, while the”. Ms. Georgia Valatsou, Permanent Secretary General at the Ministry of Interior, referred to the link of the institutional capacity with the institutional confidence, stressing the importance and significance of a Public sector that satisfies the citizens and inspires confidence in them. Mr. Yannis Papachristou, ACEO Board General Secretary, & Chipita Foods SA Partner and Board Member, pointed out that there is currently a redefinition of values in the private sector that is based on the principles of the circular economy and the contribution to society, a tendency that should lead the way in this regard in the Public sector as well. The panel discussion concluded with the presentation of Mr. Panos Livadas, Managing Director of Nova Constructions SA – Green Properties, who has demonstrated the urgent need for reforms in the Public sector.
The topic of the third panel discussion was the “Development of skills and professional effectiveness in working life”. According to Ms Paraskevi Dramalioti, President at National Centre of Public Administration & Local Governance, an employee’s character and attitude to life will be weighted at 70% in his or her evaluation. Ms. Marika Lambrou, Founder and CEO at the consulting firm CEL (Compassionate Entrepreneurial Leadership), Business Consultant and Author, addressed the issue of the career in the public sector and she referred to the necessary balance between knowledge background and soft skills while Dr. Lefteris Anastasakis, Vice President in PRIORITY Quality Consultants, focused on the specificities of each person as a competitive advantage.
“The Pentagon of Happiness” was analyzed in the context of the next part of the conference by President at the Psychology Department, Psychology professor and the current President of the Hellenic Society of Positive Psychology, Dr. Anastasios Stalikas.As he said, the strong elements of character, the values, the power of positive emotions, the relationships and the meaning that each person gives to his or her personal experience and pathway determine how this person recounts and captures what he or she is experiencing. His speech opened the way for further consideration and discussion with the audience.
The continuous effort of the Association to establish a two-way and mutually beneficial cooperation between the Private and Public Sectors was pointed out by Mr. John Anastasopoulos Advisor to the ACEO Board, at the conclusion of this event, pointing out that:“The effectiveness of the Public sector requires a qualitatively qualified human factor, able to respond to the challenges of the new era. And in order to achieve this, a key pillar is the application of the principle ‘the right person for the right job’. […]
The Public Administration of tomorrow is the one that will focus on the abilities of its executives, their development, the fostering of their skills, their training and their reward. It is about establishing a new culture of a modern, […] But this is formed not when something is strategically planned, but when it is strategically implemented.”»
The Conference was coordinated by the journalist Mr. Giorgos Kouvaras,with the participation of the journalist Ms. Katerina Douka.
For more information, please contact the ACEO’s Public Relations office at +30 2106894323 +30 2106894323/4., Ms Effie Pintzou, Communications & Events Manager. 2106894323/4, aceo@ease.gr
