ABSTRACT
International institutions, particularly those that disburse financial and technical assistance, have recently taken to preaching the concept of good governance to their member states. Unfortunately the MIs themselves are not exactly shining examples of good governance in the way that they manage their own staff. There is an overall lack of transparency, processes are not always respected, accountability is poor and democratic dialogue between staff and management is sometimes conspicuous by its absence. Whether the reason is rational or not, staff commonly express fear as being a negative factor in their working environment. This chapter looks at how staff are managed (as a counterpoint to how managers manage, which was the subject of Chapter 4), and covers the concepts driving personnel management (including issues of gender and other forms of discrimination); performance appraisal and its links to both reward and career development; and management training. In that context, the relatively poor personnel management record of MIs is analysed and suggestions are proposed for future initiatives. The conclusions of this chapter and of Chapter 4 all point in the same direction, namely that a better management philosophy is needed in international organizations, in this case to release the full potential of staff.
