Leadership competencies in
China’s civil service
Yongping Wu
Tsinghua University
May 2014
From cadre to civil servant
• The establishment of civil servant system in
China is a result of political development
• The transition of China’s political system: from
totalitarian system to a post-totalitarian
system
• The transition of the party: from a revolutionary
party to a ruling party
• Cadre system: from 1949 to 1993
• Civil servant system since 1993
Civil servant under the party-state
system
• Civil servants under the management of both
the party and the government
• Dual Institutional arrangements of Civil
service
Double role of civil servants
• As part of civil servants, cadres are both
party cadres and government civil servants
Civil service under the government
• Provisional Rules of Public Servants (1993):
Recruitment, appraisal, award and punishment、
appointment and dismiss
• Code of Civil Servants (2005):
▪Three categories :
◊ Comprehensive management;
◊ Technological professionals;
◊ Administration and law enforcement
▪ Two levels:
◊ Lead positions
◊ Non-lead positions
Civil service under the government
• The Bureau of Civil Servants under the
Ministry of Human Resources and Social
Security (2008)
• Charging the management of 7 million civil
servants
Cadres under the party
• Lead positions are under the management of
the Organization Department of the party
• cadres--leadership
Cadres under the Party Organization
Department
• “Party’s management on cadres”
• The overwhelming majority of civil servants
are party members
Appointment and recruitment
• Cadres are appointed by the organization
departments of the party
• Civil servants are recruited through exams
year
Participants
of exam
People
recruited
ratio
2001
32904
4500
7.3:1
2002
55772
4800
13:1
2003
87609
5475
16:1
2004
120000
7572
15:1
2005
290000
8271
35:1
2006
500000
10282
48.6:1
2007
535000
12724
42:1
2008
640000
13787
46:1
2009
775000
13566
58:1
2010
927000
15526
59:1
2011
902000
15290
59:1
2012
970000
17941
53:1
Appraisal
• Cadres are evaluated by the Organization
Departments of the Party
• Other civil servants are evaluated by their
own departments
• Evaluate what?
Economic goals, political goals(stability),
social goals, environmental goals, etc.
Training
• Training is a major measure to enhance the leadership
competencies of civil servants in China.
• Organizational and financial guarantee.
• Party schools from the center down to prefecture level, all
ministries,.
• Chinese Academy of Governance (State Council),
Academies of Governance down from the Central
Government are combined with party schools.
• All cadres in lead positions go to party schools for training
at various length of time.
• All civil servants are required to take part in executive
education held by universities.
• Funds are guaranteed.
Reserve cadres
• The party organizations charging the
selection of non-chief cadres of its level and
chiefs of the next level
• Charging the selection of younger cadres into
reserve cadres
Civil servants’ Leadership competencies in
a rapid economic development society
• There is no a single model of civil service for
all countries.
• Chinese experience provides a case of what
leadership competences are required and
how they are shaped in a rapid growth
country.
Leadership competencies and
government’s role in economic
development
• From 1979, economic development was set
as the top priority of the country
• Local governments play as a significant role in
economic development—a unique Chinese
characteristic
• How this happened?
Competencies and economic
leadership
• Appraisal is shifted to economic growth
• Leadership competencies must be mobilized
in order to complete the mission
• What leadership competencies are required
for economic growth?
◊ Resource mobilization ability
◊ Coordination ability
◊ Learning ability
How are the competencies forged?
• Appraisal is focused on economic affairs
• Civil servants’ promotion largely depends on
economic performance of their
administrative regions
• Economic appraisal became a command stick
for cadres.
• From the center down to each level of
government, sub-contracting strategy is used
Economic appraisal and a
developmental state
• Championship contest for promotion based on
economic performance becomes a significant
phenomenon
• Civil servants are mobilized to fulfill the mission of
economic development
• After over 3 decades of economic development, focus
begins to shift to social development and
environmental protection
• The strategy taken by the Chinese government is to
change the appraisal contents, downplaying the
significance of economic data like GDP, emphasizing
the importance of social and environmental data
Lessons from China
• Leadership competences in civil service
should advance with the times.
• Leadership competencies are forged by
particular circumstances rather than by
theories.
• Institutions and mechanisms producing
leadership competencies vary from country
to country and from time to time within a
country.