Personnel management and staff development in parliamentary administrations, with reference to the German Bundestag, Berlin

Abstract

Due to the constantly changing nature of the tasks to be performed by the Administration of the German Bundestag, its staff must be extremely well-trained and flexible.

Recruitment therefore plays a key role in this context, as the German Bundestag does not train its staff itself. Selection and appointment are based on merit.

Internal advertising of vacancies facilitates a process of job rotation, so that staff are able to familiarize themselves with all the core areas of the Bundestag Administration's work and thus acquire the experience necessary to take on a management role.

Tasks should be performed by the person(s) with the appropriate skills and expertise. Delegation of tasks and competences is therefore a key element of a cooperative style of management.

Staff meetings and employee reviews are also important components of a cooperative style of management and staff development. A project to assess the performance of line managers in the Bundestag Administration is being planned for the coming years. There is a need for reform in the handling of recognition and criticism, and the guidelines on staff assessments must also be overhauled.