Public Sector Recruitment And Promotion At The Dutch Foreign Ministry

As of the end of 2016 the Dutch Foreign Ministry employs 4922 people. These employees are active at The Foreign Ministry in The Hague or at one of the 140 worldwide representations of The Netherlands abroad. The representations abroad include the embassies, consulates, permanent representations, special offices, economic support points and honorary consuls. The most important aims of these organizations is too promote Dutch interests abroad, for instance, supporting Dutch companies abroad by removing access barriers and providing consular services to Dutch citizens living overseas. Having such a substantial number of employees and representations all over the world, means that it is pivotal for the organization as a whole to have a moral and predictable leadership and recruit qualified and skilled employees who can rapidly adapt to the working environment and changing circumstances. Management and leadership Management is a difficult task to execute especially at a global level which is why a manager at the foreign ministry needs to acquire certain attributes to oversee staff.

First of all, a manager is required to have leadership skills, this means that people want to follow your lead by accepting your authority. Secondly, defining task definition for a manager can be challenging which is why a great deal of organizations make use of the well-known POSDCORB which stands for; planning, organizing, staffing directing, coordinating, reporting and budgeting. These characteristics are essential for running an organization as a manager, however other tasks such as motivating, facilitating, marketing, visioning and creating are important when it comes to dealing with personal. Finally, being obliged to answer to superiors from a distance when working in a representative unit abroad means that the unit manager must represent the subdivision, identify external factors that may affect the work unit, keep subordinates informed of decisions made by the head office and monitor and evaluate the results of the unit.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has multiple managerial functions at the headquarters in The Hague and across the world. The following tables will elaborate on the managerial posts and functions within the Ministry. Highest-functions divided among two Ministers: Position Function Minister of Foreign Affairs Responsible for foreign policy and management of the ministry Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Responsible for the policy in the fields of foreign trade and development Administrative council of the Ministry Secretary-general Oversees the administrative council Deputy secretary-general Assists the secretary-general Director general of: - Foreign Economic Relations - European Cooperation - International Cooperation - Political Affairs Manage and supervise certain units within the Ministry including monitoring and evaluating them and reporting directly to the Ministers. Regional management Develop and implement coherent policy in relation to regions and countries Theme management Bring together knowledge and expertise on subjects related to foreign policy Forum management Work on Dutch input in multilateral organizations Supporting management Provide support in areas such as finance, personnel, information and communication Under the administrative council are various policy and support boards that elaborate policy themes and support the administrative council. Divided into four groups: Culture and cultural dimensions (PDF introductiedossier) The organizational culture defines how an organization unconsciously functions in terms of adapting, learning how to cope in difficult situations and integrating new personnel which is considered as a sustainable purpose. The definition of organizational culture derives directly from culture which define commonalities among people through ideas, values and habits. The organizational culture within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must therefore reflect the culture of the country it represents in all representations.

First of all, masculinity and femininity which refers to the equal distribution among men and women in the workplace is 47%-53% among foreign affairs officials according to recent statistics. Second, Confucian work dynamism which alludes to whether an organization is long or short term orientated is reflected in the change agenda (verander agenda) implemented by the Ministry, change is consistent to meet targets short-term targets set by the Ministry. Third, uncertainty avoidance is also addressed in the change agenda by emphasizing the need for constant change to continue to connect with the world in motion, this means that employees must seek comfort with fluctuating rules and regulations. Fourth, the ‘One Team’ mentality seeks to incline employees to work towards set goals on behalf of the state seeking to diminish individualism and stimulating collectivism through networking. Last, power distance is prevalent at the Ministry as the less powerful are expected to obey and be loyal to the state and its goals however there is constant communication between all representations in regard to decision-making on foreign policy. Recruitment (PDF van de Sande) There are certain thresholds that need to be met depending on the position one is applying for.

To be recruited an applicant goes through five steps. First of all, they write a letter of application which is checked twice by the Ministry and assessed by awarding points from 0-3 to see if the candidate meets the criteria needed for the job, most points are obtained with; level of education (HBO or WO diploma required), work experience, knowledge and experience abroad. Second, the selected applicants are invited for a job interview is conducted by two Ministry officials, the content of the conversation focuses on the objectives of the organization while also focuses on the STAR methodology which stands for Situation, Technology, Action and Result. Through this method the interviewer wants to find out what the candidate has achieved in the past and what they have learned from it, afterwards the two Ministry officials fill in an assessment form and grade the candidate on a one to five scale. Third, if given a positive assessment the candidate goes on to the next phase which is a language test, the Ministry requires all employees to speak both English and Dutch fluently in addition to a third language relevant to the Ministry.

The examination is conducted externally and aims at assessing how the candidate uses their language skills with regard to discretion (book) which emphasizes on communicating in a certain manner to avoid causing offence. Fourth, once the candidate passes the language examination they go on to the assessment round which is also conducted externally and aims at assessing their competencies, the assessment consists of a capacity test, role play with a phycologist and writing an essay. The report is sent to the candidate and the Ministry compares the results and selects best ones to go through to the final round. Finally, the remaining candidates are evaluated by the Advisory Committee for Appointments which conducts a final interview with the candidate and decides whether they should move on to a starting position, if hired the candidate will still need to go through training programs within the Ministry. Socialization (Website) To ensure optimal performance and outcomes an organization must make sure that employees know what they’re doing therefore staff must be well integrated and able to comprehend the work processes and social rules of that organization.