W H AT D O E S A C P T D O ?

PRACTICING MASTERFUL PERFORMANCE

TECHNOLOGY: THE CASE OF THE MINISTER’S
CABINET
Steven J. Kelly, CPT Tanja Georgievska, CPT Fatmir Besimi, PhD

This contribution to the What Does a CPT Do? series is a dynamic case study from the Ministry
of Economy, Macedonia. Two certified performance technologists provide an insightful analysis
of the highlights of a complex international development human performance technology
assessment and subsequent performance interventions. Told from the personal point of view of
the consultants, with brief insights from the client minister, the focus is on key issues such as
team alignment, strong client partnerships, balancing political versus effectiveness issues, and
providing sustainable solutions with durable results.

THIS ARTICLE IS a reflection on a performance improve-
ment intervention in the country of Macedonia. Under a
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)–
funded Human and Institutional Capacity Development
(HICD) program (USAID, 2009; USAID EGAT, 2010),
the contractor World Learning started implementing
performance improvement approaches in 2005. Projects
completed had used a classic methodology within each
institution partner; however, the approach used with the
Ministry of Economy was a somewhat different story.
This is a tale of responding to the client and to the specific
situation, while keeping true to the principles of perfor-
mance dynamics.
Unlike many other institutional partners, the leader-
ship of the Ministry of Economy openly recognized its
performance challenges and requested a comprehensive
assessment of the Minister’s Office (secretariat). There
were performance problems and a need to improve min-
isterial operations quickly.
When the donor shared the Ministry request, there was
a slight problem in how to go further on behalf of the
(consulting) team. The former World Learning perfor-
mance improvement professional, Tanja Georgievska, had
worked on several HICD projects. However, this case was
different; it did not fit “the box” of the usual approach.
The Minister’s Office seemed to be only one single unit
of many within the Ministry—it became a question of
how to assess the Minister’s Office separately because it
clearly did not function in isolation. At the same time,
having implemented the human performance technol-
ogy (HPT) models in other institutions, Tanja knew that
a systems approach was required to achieve high-quality
and sustainable results.
World Learning decided to bring in a senior perfor-
mance expert to lead the assessment team. After a com-
petitive procurement process, Steven Kelly from KNO
Worldwide was contracted to lead the team. Because he
had worked intensively with government reforms in most
Eastern European countries, his profile indicated he had
the experience and skills needed to achieve the ambitious
project goals. Given the very limited budget available for
the assessment, there was a need to conduct an intensely
focused effort within a few weeks’ time. For the remainder
of the case study, the personal reflections of the two pri-
mary team members will portray some of the challenges
and successes of this fast-track assessment effort.

Performance Improvement, vol. 52, no. 1, January 2013

©2013 International Society for Performance Improvement
6 Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/pfi.21281

PFI21281.indd 6 1/10/13 6:59:45 PM

 ON THE ROAD AGAIN: STEVEN
Here I was, sitting in an airport again, on my way to an
institutional performance assessment—a new client in
a new country. My flight was delayed, so I had a 4-hour
wait. For several days I had been grappling with an issue
concerning this assignment—not how I would approach
it, but how to explain to the client the way I would
approach the task. The work I do is relatively sensitive,
as with all such contracts. In the description that fol-
lows, I have disguised the situation somewhat to fulfill
my personal commitments to confidentiality, but all the
elements are true.
FIRST, SOME BACKGROUND
This was not a business client; this was one of those “cli-
ents within a client” situations. By that I mean I was hired
by a donor agency (in the development sphere it might
be World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, or USAID,
among others). The donor pays and therefore has its
own demands and measures, but I actually work inside a
“target institution” that has been selected for “assistance.”
This, of course, creates potential conflict and added levels
to align.
My client was an organization—a governmental unit
called the Ministry of Economy—that had been selected
to receive free (to them) assistance in an effort to develop
and institutionalize its capacity. Institutionalization is the
capacity that most projects miss, having no mandate for
organizational dynamics. The effort to reinforce technical
assistance with performance improvement has focused
on governmental units, nongovernmental organizations,
or sometimes a university—on whichever the policy mak-
ers decide to invest. The end goals in all cases are Mega,
as Roger Kaufman (2009) uses the term—not code for
“really, really big” but meaning adding measurable value
to our shared society, helping to build the economy, mod-
ernizing health care systems, and promoting civil society.
Nowadays, the effort should be clearly aligned with the
donor’s security, political, or economic agenda.
With all its likely constructs, this case was a little out
of the ordinary. In many instances, the consultant might
be brought in to look at a specific service process or
processes. I use an HPT approach (ISPI, 2012) among
one of many available system tools and approaches (see
Figure 1).
At the same time, I would consider the best practices
in capacity building for transitional society institutions
(Kelly, Coughlin, & Novak, 2011; World Bank—OECD,
2004). If there were adequate budget (although there
never is), I would lead the team to complete a methodical
process audit, discover and confirm gaps, and recom-
PFI21281.indd 7
Institutionalization is the
capacity that most projects
miss, having no mandate for
organizational dynamics.
mend solutions (called intervention packages in this
world). All this was straightforward, except that it never
really is. Often the consultancy is “free” to the target
institution, and perhaps “suggested as needed” from the
funding agency without the target institution’s proactive
request. There can develop a certain reluctance from
the institution’s management, obviously, in addition
to the usual change-resistance issues (Wigboldus, Lee,
Brouwer, & Hijweege, 2010). Actually implementing sug-
gested changes with management follow-through and
embedding the changes into the organizational policies
and practices once the consultant leaves rarely happen.
The issue is one of sustainability (Novak & Kelly, 2007,
2010)—sustainability of the institution, sustainability of
the technical and process interventions, and sustainability
of the outcomes that have been solemnly agreed on.
A DIFFERENT SITUATION
This situation looked to be different. Here was the top
agency manager, who had himself approached the donor
for help. Not only that—he wasn’t asking for help deep
into the organization to solve some problem, he was
asking for help to increase performance within his own
personal secretariat. He wanted better internal secretariat
performance, improved communication between his
office and 20 departments, a look at improving the public
relations approach, and, of course, thoughts on building
better communications with the external stakeholders.
These stakeholders numbered 15 peer government min-
istries and the ultimate customer impact on businesses.
The Ministry responded to 100 large firms, 500 medium-
sized firms, and 35,000 entrepreneurs (IBRD, 2007).
It goes without saying that there were further complica-
tions. This manager, a minister, is a political appointee and is
not from the majority party controlling the Premier’s office
and the parliament. His party represents an ethnic minority
that had gained enough votes to be awarded the control of
a larger, more visible ministry. The political environment
was highly charged. Reshuffling of political appointees is a
common tactic. Everyone protects his or her own back. It
Performance Improvement • Volume 52 • Number 1 • DOI: 10.1002/pfi 7
1/10/13 6:59:45 PM
 Intervention Selection, Intervention
Performance Analysis of Need or Opportunity Design, and Development Implementation and
Interventions may include:
Maintenance

Organizational Analysis of: • Goal/Strategy Alignment Success requires:

• Vision, Mission, Values Desired Cause Analysis of: • Structure and Function • Leadership Commitment
Performance Adjustment
• Customer Demands • Environmental Factors • Stakeholder Steering
• Process Reengineering
• Goals and Strategies - Information • Partnering and Alliances
• Communication and
• Critical Success Issues - Feedback • Process Consulting
Feedback Strengthening
- Environment Supports, • Information Technology • Employee Engagement
Gap Resources, and Tools Upgrades • Focused Communication
Analysis • Financial Procedures and
-Consequences, • Change Initiatives
Audit
Incentives, or Rewards • Move from Program to
• Job Analysis/Work Design
• Individual Factors Daily Operations
• Performance Support
Environmental Analysis of: - Skills and Knowledge - training, job aids, coaching
Actual
• World (Society, - Individual Capacity
Stakeholders, and Performance
- Motivation and
Competition) Evaluation
Expectations
• Culture (Societal Ideas,
• Formative (Level 0)
Beliefs, Customs, Values) Confirmative (Level 3-5)
evaluation of inputs-process-
• Regulatory and Laws outputs evaluation of long-term
• Application
• Workplace (Resources, • Performance Analysis phase
• Selection-Design- • Sustainability
Tools, and Human Resources • Accomplishment
Development phase
Policies) • Return on investment
• Implementation-
• Work (Work Flow, Maintenance phase (as
Procedure, Responsibilities, needed) Meta Evaluation/
and Ergonomics) Validation of
• Worker (Knowledge, Skill, • Formative, Summative,
• Summative (Level 1-2)
Capacity, Motivation, and evaluation of immediate Confirmative inputs-
Expectations) processes-outputs
• Reaction;
• Knowledge/Skill • Success stories
• Attitude and Confidence • Lessons learned
• Commitment
• Adoption

Change Management

© 2004 by The International Society for Performance Improvement and Wiley. Adapted for international development purposes by S. Kelly, 2011, from Van Tiem,
D.M., Moseley, J.L., and Dessinger, J.C., Fundamentals of Performance Technology, 2nd ed., p. 3, San Francisco: ISPI/Wiley.
FIGURE 1. 2004 HPT MODEL

is the only way to survive in a country with a population of
about 2 million and numerous political parties.
And who protects the minister’s back? Of course,
the personal secretariat or cabinet. Often made up of a
combination of political fellow travelers and technical
experts, they are there to drive forward the political
agenda for the minister. It is a very private team with the
ultimate goals of protecting the minister and facilitat-
ing progress of the political program: more jobs, grow-
ing economy, foreign investment, public safety, higher
standard of living, maybe higher public office—normal
government mandates.
A LITTLE MORE INTERESTING
To make it more interesting, the Ministry of Economy
seethes with further challenges. There was an agreed-on
strategy in place; however, the minister’s top two manag-
ers (his deputy and chief administrator/state secretary) are
both appointed directly by their political party leadership
and do not belong to the same party as the minister. The
Prime Minister is the power in the country as he heads the
majority party. And in the Ministry of Economy, although
the minister leads the agency, by law all employees report
directly to the State Secretary. As mentioned, the State
Secretary is appointed from outside the organization.
Complications? Think about communications, align-
ment, and to whom success or failure accrues.
All the unit managers that conduct the work under the
State Secretary are appointed by the minister, at his dis-
cretion. Each minister creates a whole new organizational
scheme, to his or her preference. It is a time-honored tra-
dition (Lessons Learned, 2008). There can be a wholesale
purge of the previous leadership. This includes shuffling
unit heads. Of course, because there is a civil service code,
no one may be easily fired. Therefore, former unit heads
are moved into worker slots, often under their former staff.
Additional political realities confuse the performance pic-
ture; alas, we cannot consider all the interesting details. You
empathize: This is not a typical hierarchical organization.

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 And to throw in one more curve, the Ministry has about
120 employees and also includes three semi-independent
units focused on somewhat aligned missions.
Once again, here is a summary of the goals of this
assessment: work with the minister, in a highly charged
political environment, to assess performance and sev-
eral key processes. The assessment needs to be done in
such a way that there is no political fallout. Oh, and yes,
these secretariats are usually staffed with the minister’s
personal friends (whom they can trust) and various
people rewarded for political services. And if this minister
cannot get this sorted out quickly and quietly from a
highly visible political seat, he may be caught in an under-
tow and jerked under the politically turbulent waters.
Yep, looks like a typical performance assessment!
Luckily, there were excellent resources available to draw
from for assessment methods and tools.
THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE
All this became known from a few days of desk study
of relevant documents and talks with the host coun-
try support team. The timetable was already preset: a
6-week time window and the need to start in 2 weeks
once your proposal has been selected competitively.
This meant that less than a month was available for one
expert, including all preparation, travel, and report-
ing time. The budget limits were predetermined in
the master plan, not based on the situational need. In
addition, I was assigned a junior local team I had never
met, who offered local knowledge and labor, while I was
“expected”—required, contractually—to coach them
and improve their skills during the engagement. There
was the standard “final report of findings and recom-
mendations” (usually taking three or four days to write)
plus various pre-, mid-, and post-update briefings for
the donor that had to be fitted into the month. The cli-
ent did not work weekends, although I invariably had to.
The daily rate was fair.
BACK AT THE AIRPORT
Again, here I was delayed at the airport—4 hours on my
hands and a coupon for lunch. I was about to walk into
this project in a few hours. How would I bring this local
team on board quickly? I knew that they had previously
been on process assessments with other consultants. I also
knew that these jobs were more “traditional” assignments
that offered more time for research, larger analyst teams,
and longer time frames. I also knew that this assignment
would be different and even more challenging than orga-
nizations usually are in such environments.
PFI21281.indd 9
I found a table in the snack bar. I plugged in the
notebook and started pounding out what became the
first draft of my approaches to applying HPT in this
environment (Kelly, 2010). I knocked it out in about
an hour and took a close look at it. I wondered—was I
properly explaining my approach? I wrote it as a com-
mentary on the framework of my approach; it was just a
description of how I work and how I personally apply the
technology of human performance in this environment.
It would help me to get organized and to brief my new
colleagues.
I knew that the team members had workshops on
various HPT approaches—Rummler’s (2007) anatomy
of performance model, behavior engineering models
(Gilbert, 1978), the six boxes model (Binder, 1998),
and basic relationship and process mapping. They
had attended workshops focused on the USAID HICD
approach for assessments and capacity building based
on HPT principles (USAID EGAT, 2010). Likely, they
had also participated in previous assignments with
other performance experts. That might be good, or it
might serve as a distraction. My experience showed that
it can be frustrating trying to meld different consulting
styles, even if the content and results were all in accor-
dance with the same validated performance principles
and methods.
Sitting there in the airport, I collected my thoughts.
I had coffee and a sandwich. My flight was called. Three
hours later I was sitting at a conference table in Skopje
meeting my new team. We had started.
A FOUNDATION THROUGH
PREPARATION: TANJA
Deeply engaged in implementing interventions with
another target institution, I learned from the donor that
there was another public institution to be supported by
the USAID HICD program—namely, the Minister’s Office
of Economy. The news seemed challenging as the request
to conduct a performance assessment of the Minister’s
Office was a request by the top management of the insti-
tution itself, not a usual donor’s recommendation.
Quite a different starting point! A quick glance at the
organizational structure of the Ministry on the Internet
showed that the Minister’s Office is one unit within a
large complex structure of 12 departments. My first reac-
tion was that this cannot be assessed separately, given that
the office does not function in isolation within the organi-
zational structure. In addition, from an HPT perspective
my concern related to the sustainability of the project; in
that respect, taking a systems approach was inevitable for
achieving high-quality and sustainable results (Novak &
Performance Improvement • Volume 52 • Number 1 • DOI: 10.1002/pfi 9
1/10/13 6:59:46 PM

The preparation started even
before the MOU was signed.
Kelly, 2010; Pershing, 2006;). Agreeing on all this, yet with
a clear focus on the Minister’s Office, World Learning
signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with
the Ministry of Economy to conduct a comprehensive
performance assessment of the Minister’s Office.
PREPLANNING
The preparation started even before the MOU was
signed—a review of all documents and issues we could
find on the Ministry of Economy. This helped us concep-
tualize the peripheral stakeholder survey, which involved
individual interviews with seven institutions that were
cooperating with the Ministry of Economy on a daily
basis but were not direct beneficiaries of its services. This
served as an introduction before we took on the internal
assessment. It also made the project public.
As with any other assignment, this was yet another big
undertaking that required a systematic and careful approach
in its planning. Moreover, the project team that was formed
to work with the Minister’s Office was a new one.
SELECTING A PERFORMANCE
IMPROVEMENT EXPERT
Through a competitive bidding process, we contracted
an experienced performance improvement (PI) expert,
who submitted a strong proposal for this assignment with
quite a proven track record of HPT knowledge and expe-
rience, as well as experience in this political and economic
environment. Still the concern I had was whether the for-
eign PI expert would quickly grasp the local context that
overburdened the institutional integrity with politics and
political party affiliations.
As a local office, World Learning staff had been very
much exposed to HPT approaches, using various assess-
ment frameworks and implementing various perfor-
mance solutions. Still, the question was posed: How could
we apply HPT to the local context—specifically to the
public sector—and ensure sustainability?
Once the PI expert arrived, we begin immediately. It
took us a couple of days to get to know each other as
a team and to agree on the roles and responsibilities in
practice. Differing expectations at the beginning surfaced
and were brought to a common understanding. At the
10 www.ispi.org • DOI: 10.1002/pfi • JANUARY 2013
PFI21281.indd 10
same time, our working styles seemed complementary as
we moved forward. We started with a long list of meetings
with the Ministry officials, much longer than with any
other institution with which we had previously worked.
We had a very intense timetable, which required a certain
amount of independent action.
BUILDING A HYPOTHESIS AND
CONFIRMING PERFORMANCE GAPS
OBJECTIVES: FATMIR
I believed that good training and support in organizing
the cabinet would help improve the performance of the
cabinet. Therefore, I asked for external expert support
for the team. However, my concern was on the choice of
the experts—whether they would be well accepted by the
team so that there could be honest and frank discussions
to identify the bottlenecks.
The key was to create a good basis for further progress
(i.e., how to transfer challenges into opportunities).
INTENSE KICKOFF: STEVEN
The assessment kicked off well. The local consultant team
was fully engaged, and the senior member, Tanja, was well-
versed in HPT concepts. Ivana, as a junior consultant, sup-
ported logistical issues and handled structured interviews.
Although the environment was complex, the cabinet was a
quite small unit. Our point of contact, the Head of Cabinet,
was enthusiastic about our support. A key issue of concern
had been access to the minister, Fatmir Besimi. This turned
from a concern to a strength as the minister was fully avail-
able. Importantly, he was fluent in English so an interpreter
was not needed. A key element is establishing rapport,
and this is always harder to establish when a third party is
involved. The minister confirmed the focus of the assign-
ment and agreed to informal feedback sessions.
After just 2 days of intense observation and key interviews,
our hypothesis concerning the critical performance bottle-
necks was formed. We approached this using Rummler’s
anatomy of performance model (Rummler, 2007). We
sketched a preliminary relationship map and identified the
core processes (value chain) of the cabinet (see Figure 2).
There were several. An important internal one was process-
ing documents for ministerial review, approval, and dis-
tribution. The external issues focused on communication.
They were divided into two: (1) relationships and reaction
to media sources and (2) public communication to the
business community and potential investors.
Several observations were confirmed by evidence.
As we mapped the document-control process, severe
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 E N V I R ONM E N T A L
Government Economy Political Parties Culture Society

Ministry of Economy
Minister’s Cabinet

Strategic Processes RESULTS

RESOURCES
Cabinet Staff
Products Policies Accurate and
and Reviewed Timely Public
Core Processes Services and Information
Approved
Suppliers

Support Processes

MONITORING

EVALUATION

© 2010 by KNO Worldwide. Used with permission.

FIGURE 2. MINISTRY OF ECONOMY PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT:
ENVIRONMENTAL MODEL

bottlenecks appeared, including lack of comprehensive
tracking and lost papers. However, it also became appar-
ent (but called for further verification) that several of the
staff members were not performing at adequate levels.
Using the six cells of the behavior engineering model
(Gilbert, 1978), our analysis indicated that it was not
primarily an issue of environmental support (informa-
tion, resources, incentives). Rather it seemed to be an
issue of the knowledge and skills required for successful
job performance and perhaps even an individual’s capa-
bility to do the job after further coaching and training.
The team made a short list of bullet-point findings
(two pages). I met with the minister mid-afternoon in a
quiet café. As we reviewed the findings in 15 minutes, he
expressed amazement that we had discovered so much in
a few days. He suggested a few more people within the
organization to speak to, and during the next couple of
days, the team moved forward to validate our hypothesis.
An important portion of the data collection was meeting
with external stakeholders. The team developed a struc-
tured questionnaire, and the local team moved forward to
interview both media figures and local business people.
and the Ministry were facing, was very open and com-
mitted to changes.
A common characteristic for the team members was
their focus on being practical and expedient. This is what
I liked about this team. In fact, that was also what the
minister expected from each of us.
Steven and I started interviewing the Ministry staff. I
led a meeting that helped us to finalize the relationship
map of the Ministry. At the beginning the key work-
ing processes seemed not that complicated, but this
perception soon changed as we talked to staff and, with
some follow-up research, identified unnecessary steps,
bottlenecks, and duplications. We delved deeply into
an analysis of a large sample of the 150 specific cases
related to processing documents for ministerial review,
approval, and distribution. We produced a graphic of the
key working processes that displayed the gaps, areas of
underperformance, and improvement potential. At this
point, I already had a large amount of accumulated data
to analyze during the daily team debriefing sessions at the
World Learning office.

VERIFICATION AND ANALYSIS

NEXT STEP: TANJA We then proceeded with further verification and analysis
As a team, we kicked off the first meeting with the by measuring the level of the Ministry’s client’s satisfac-
Minister of Economy. The minister, being aware of the tion. The team developed structured questionnaires and
present situation and the challenges that both his office conducted a sample target audience survey with the

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 Ministry’s closest audience—the media and the business
community.
Determining client satisfaction with what and how
information is provided was a circular and iterative task
when we talked to media representatives, because they
influenced politics in their daily operations and were
reporting actions and outcomes as well. This was quite
evident. Therefore, media response to our questionnaires
required complex analysis, and their levels of satisfaction
needed to be interpreted differently. The survey revealed
a positive image of top management, recognition that
there was no communication system in place, a reactive
approach by the Ministry, little coordination with the
business community, and almost no feedback on issues
that concern the business clients.
PARTNERSHIP IN PROCESS: FATMIR
I was glad to see during the meetings with Steven, Tanja,
and others how quickly well-structured information was
presented as findings and suggestions for improvements.
Also, I found very impressive the techniques, both formal
and informal, they used with the cabinet team for data
collection. Very important were the continuous briefings
we had during this process, so I could react immediately
to maximize the benefits of this support for the cabinet.
A BRUSH WITH REALITY: STEVEN
It became clear that as we moved forward into the sec-
ond week that the minister was already taking action in
line with our briefings and suggestions—thus lending a
dynamic, continuing analysis with immediate change that
is ongoing. As well, I had to be careful not to get drawn in
beyond the scope of the engagement (especially into per-
sonnel issues). An interesting puzzle to unravel was how
to suggest potential staffing changes while being aware
of both political and trust issues. It seemed that there
was management talent available to solve several of these
problems within the Ministry. The question was how to
bring about a matching of performance role require-
ments and political realities.
As with most other performance assessments, along
with the process mapping and strict focus on job roles
and outputs, there is the element of the human placed
in the web of the system (Kelly, 2010). Broken trust and
hurt feelings, substance abuse dependencies, long-term
relationships based on loyalty, and general burnout in
such a politically charged environment all take their toll.
Part of this engagement began to involve “what-if ” nego-
tiations to rebuild confidence and reopen doors for staff
reassignments.
12 www.ispi.org • DOI: 10.1002/pfi • JANUARY 2013
PFI21281.indd 12
There was a need to shift key staff into new roles. As
well, there were important supporting processes that
had to be addressed: defining job descriptions, building
a professional public communication function, con-
sidering ways to simplify an overly complex document
tracking and processing procedure. A critical element
now came into the mix, one not previously considered a
function of the cabinet: a new focus on and resources for
internal communication. Our assessment had indicated
numerous filters in the management information flows.
Building new channels of interministry communication
flow would be highly supportive of the minister’s aggres-
sive strategic agenda.
Much of this can be done by the minister with exist-
ing resources. Other elements can be put into place only
with extra follow-up funding and specialized help. The
final few days of the assessment analysis were spent on
identifying the proper definition and sequence of inter-
ventions to address the root causes that have created the
performance gaps. And these needed to be in a form use-
ful for the minister as well as one that met the procedural
requirements of the donor.
MOVING TO ACTION: TANJA
The team provided constant briefings for the minister.
The briefings were clear and to the point. This built
an even stronger relationship with the institution and
resulted in implementation of quick wins on behalf of the
institution, long before the final report of detailed find-
ings and recommendations was produced. After an exten-
sive analysis of gaps and their root causes, we presented
the recommendations report along with an intervention
package and a performance measurement and manage-
ment plan (Kelly, Georgievska, & Strihic, 2009).
Major recommendations focused on reorganizing
the Ministry organizational structure with an emphasis
on the minister’s office, improving the communication
internally and externally by establishing a sustainable
system for communication, and streamlining the key
processes. I saw quite an ambitious intervention package
(i.e., solutions) to implement taking into consideration
the limitation in time and budget and the need for a full
participatory approach not only from the minister’s office
staff but from the Ministry of Economy staff overall.
HAND OVER: STEVEN
My role in this project was completed after the first
month assessment. The final deliverables of recommen-
dations and detailed designs for supportive interventions
were clear, politically realistic, and affordable. Tanja and
1/10/13 6:59:46 PM
 her team worked closely with the minister and his staff to
move forward to action in the following months.
SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS REQUIRES
SYSTEMIC APPROACHES OVER TIME:
TANJA
The implementation of the interventions was a year and
a half journey full of different challenges and opportu-
nities. Once the second MOU was signed, the biggest
challenge was to establish a core team in charge of com-
munication with other sectors within the Ministry and
communication with the external audience, including
the most distant one: citizens. I had established a great
rapport with the head of the Minister’s Office, when he
suddenly decided to attend a professional development
program abroad. Based on my previous experience with
other public institutions in the country, I viewed this as
taking several steps backward. I talked to the minister,
and he assigned a replacement to ensure continuity and
progress.
Yet other challenges emerged. A new person joined the
Ministry office staff, an employee who was not familiar
with the public sector and could not quickly adapt to the
organizational culture. Still, the plan was on; we formed
the team, conducted extensive training on communi-
cation management and effective public relations and
coaching for the communication team members, pro-
vided on-the-job consulting on daily media monitoring
and reporting to the minister, and developed strategy for
internal and external communication.
Then we concentrated on the workplace level and
work level; we established clear roles and responsibilities
and redesigned the organizational structure. Support was
provided to employees’ organizational skills development
across the Ministry. Shortly after, we witnessed concrete
outcomes of the communication team; they included an
all-staff event for the 115 members for the first time in the
Ministry’s history, an electronic bulletin for the Ministry,
and several team-building and motivational events.
Apart from keeping track on the performance moni-
toring plan during this journey, I conducted two surveys
at the end of the project. The internal survey measured
progress on implementation of the interventions, and the
external one measured the increase in the level of satisfac-
tion of clients from the Ministry’s Office services.
Results showed increased satisfaction by the media rep-
resentatives from the availability of the communication
team, the quality of responses provided by the Ministry,
and the increased efficiency of the Ministry communica-
tion team in its public relations activities (Georgievska &
PFI21281.indd 13
Strihic-Dojchinovska, 2011). Also, the Ministry web page
became fully functional, providing clients with current
information about the Ministry’s activities, national regu-
lation, and public procurements opportunities.
The team conducts analyses of the media cover-
age related to Ministry activities on a daily basis. The
Ministry team has developed and is implementing com-
munications strategies that help the team contribute to
a smoother flow and exchange of information across the
Ministry and improve its reputation and public image.
PROJECT IMPACT: FATMIR
The holistic approach of the Human and Institutional
Development Program contributed to the establishment
of a system that will be sustainable. The Ministry of
Economy has already made evident progress in the area
of public relations and internal communication.
Furthermore, the development of procedures for com-
munications has significantly improved the performance
of the newly established sector and the Ministry over-
all, which directly influenced the improvement of the
Ministry’s organizational structure.
Inspired by the key principles of the program—
focus on results, value, systemic solutions, and partner-
ship—we continue working to achieve the goal of the
Ministry of Economy: improving the standard of living
of Macedonian citizens and thereby creating a better eco-
nomic outlook for the Republic of Macedonia.
THE FINAL WORD: STEVEN
Several years later, I was in Skopje and met the minister
again; he had been now newly appointed as the min-
ister of defense. I asked him about what he considered
important evidence of results of our work. Smiling, he
pulled out his cell phone. As a portion of his ongoing
transparency campaign, every journalist in the city has his
number. During the early days of the assessment, it rang
seemingly nonstop, requiring him to devote valuable time
to media requests. Jubilantly he exclaimed to me, “It is
silent now, very infrequent calls—it is now fully handled
by staff! I have gained several hours a day to refocus on
the key issues of management.”
And this has carried over into his new job as sec-
retary of defense where he has implemented a similar
approach. The new Minister of Economy has continued
to work closely with the communication team that was
established and trained while Minister Besimi was in
charge of the Ministry. Specifically, four professionals
whom the minister considered key people in his cabinet
still hold the same positions under the new Minister
Performance Improvement • Volume 52 • Number 1 • DOI: 10.1002/pfi 13
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 of Economy—very unusual in this politically charged
environment. It is a great demonstration of the sus-
tainability of results and efforts made to improve
productivity.
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1/10/13 6:59:46 PM
 STEVEN J. KELLY, CPT, has 35 years’ diversified experience as a senior team leader in performance
improvement, capacity development, program evaluation, project management, and workforce
development. He has conducted numerous field assessments, defined evaluation strategies, and deliv-
ered technical assistance in 25 countries in regional and federal government reform, higher educa-
tion, SME development, finance and economics, environment, conflict resolution, and agriculture. He
has led numerous development projects funded by USAID, the World Bank, EU Leonardo, and the
Peace Corps. He has completed coursework for doctoral studies in international relations and has an
MA in human relations/management. He has been a Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) since
2003 and currently serves as a director on the board of the International Society for Performance
Improvement. He may be reached at Steven.Kelly.KNO@gmail.com

TANJA GEORGIEVSKA, CPT, currently works for Deloitte Consulting LLP. She has extensive experi-
ence in managing and implementing institutional performance projects that involve conducting com-
phehensive performance assessments using various assessment frameworks, organizational and job
design, performance monitoring and measurement systems and evaluation. She has also delivered
numerous interventions related specifically to change management, communication management,
strategic planning, and public procurement. She is currently finishing her MBA studies. She is a
Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) and is a member of the ISPI EMEA Conference Committee.
She may be reached at tgeorgievska@deloitte.com

FATMIR BESIMI, PhD, is currently Minister of Defense of the Republic of Macedonia. He served twice
as a Minister of Economy of the Republic of Macedonia. In 2010, he acquired a membership in the
elite company of the best young global leaders and is one of the three European ministers for 2010
who were distinguished by their professional achievements, exceptional leadership capabilities,
and dedication to society, on the traditional selection of the World Economic Forum. His academic
engagements include teaching graduate and post-graduate studies at universities in Macedonia and
Kosovo. He was engaged as an economist in the World Bank Office in Kosovo in 2007 and 2008.
He is author of two books and several professional and academic articles in the field of economics
and politics published in journals in Macedonia and abroad. In the framework of his public and state
functions, he led several governmental projects and activities in the area of business environment
reform, institutional strengthening, and reforms in the energy sector. His areas of interest include
economics, development, economies in transition, developing economies, international economics,
monetary economics, finance and banking, and European integration. He holds a PhD in economics.
He may be reached at f.besimi@googlemail.com

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