THE QUEST FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN ALBANIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION – THE CASE OF CAF METHOD AT TIPA

Abstract

National public administrations nowadays have to adopt to the social changes around the world. One of the main objectives of EU Lisbon Strategy is to develop and improve operations focusing on citizens needs. Instead of a unique standard, CoE recommends for public organizations a set of quality tools designed for self-estimation, such as Common Assessment Framework (CAF). In the context of European integration of Albanian public institutions, the first attempt to use CAF was employed in the case of Training Institute of Public Administration, starting from 2008. TIPA joined thus the community of around 800 CAF users across Europe. The paper describes and discusses the activities undertaken during the initial phase (Institutional Building Capacity and HRM), as well as analyses the output and possible sustainability of the initiative.