Institutional Culture Key To Public Sector Modernization, Says Minister

(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency)

Amman, January 5 (Petra) – Minister of State for Public Sector Development, Khair Abu Saileik, underscored the pivotal role of institutional culture in enhancing performance, ensuring transparency, and promoting efficiency within the public sector.
This came during an awareness session held for secretaries-general, focusing on the general framework of institutional culture. The event, organized by the Public Sector Modernization Program Management and Implementation Unit in collaboration with the Governance Improvement Project to Support Jordanian Reform Projects, received support from the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Abu Saileik emphasized that the success of public sector modernization hinges on institutional culture, which constitutes one of the seven components of the roadmap for modernization approved by the government in 2022. He stressed the importance of cultivating a conducive work environment that supports team spirit, coordination, and high-quality service delivery, enabling citizens to experience tangible improvements in the public sector system.
He highlighted plans to evaluate the public sector modernization efforts undertaken from 2023 to 2025, with results expected by mid-year or by the third quarter at the latest. Furthermore, job classifications will be updated, obsolete roles will be replaced with future-oriented ones, and a part-time work system will be introduced. This will enable department heads to oversee multiple institutions within their jurisdiction on a scheduled basis, maintaining their current salaries.
Abu Saileik also announced imminent amendments to the human resources management system, highlighting the responsibility of secretaries and general managers as leaders of this transformative process, supported by institutional development departments.
Since adopting the modernization roadmap, the government has initiated several measures to foster institutional culture, designing models and programs that align with modernization goals. Abu Saileik called on government leaders to support these changes actively, inspiring their teams to embrace modernization and establish a culture that facilitates transformation.
Director General of the Institute of Public Administration, Siham Khawaldeh, emphasized the critical role of institutional culture in the success of modernization initiatives, noting that a lack of supportive culture is often a primary reason for the failure of change efforts globally. She called for abandoning traditional practices incompatible with contemporary and future needs, which risk undermining efficiency and the desired progress.
Widad Qteishat, Director of the Public Sector Modernization Program Management and Implementation Unit, provided a presentation on leadership's role in effecting change in institutional culture. She elaborated on the motivations and mechanisms for managing cultural change within public sector institutions.
Sara Khazaei, a representative from the German Development Agency, discussed the objectives of the Partner Project, emphasizing its support for administrative modernization, strategic planning, and the public sector reform agenda.
Key topics of the session included institutional values, change management, and leadership's role in fostering cultural transformation. The session concluded with participant feedback, highlighting the importance of initiatives in improving institutional efficiency and providing recommendations to ensure their sustainability.

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