Strategic changes in Lithuanian local governments

Straipsnyje pateikta strateginių pokyčių samprata, atskleista strateginių pokyčių specifika savivaldybėse. Išskirti strateginių pokyčių lygmenys pagal jų svarbą savivaldybėms (savivaldos institucijoms). Nustatyti savivaldybių strateginiai pokyčiai ir jų poreikis politiniame, organizacinio potencialo vystymo ir funkcinių veiklų lygmenyse. Atliktas savivaldybių strateginių pokyčių vertinimas jų veiklos lygmenyje. Nustatyta, kad: 1) daugiausia politinių pokyčių stokoja savivaldybiųveiklos, susijusios supiliečiųgyvenimo kokybės gerinimu ir rinkėjų aktyvumo didinimu; 2) nepakankamai savivaldybėse vykdomi pokyčiai, susiję su gyventojų skurdo mažinimu ir naujų darbo vietų kūrimo skatinimu; 3) savivaldos institucijose vykstantys organizacinio potencialo vystymo ir funkcinių veiklų pokyčiai gerokai atsilieka nuo jų poreikių.The methods for change detection and management published in the scientific literature are often of empirical nature and are not suitable for the analysis of the particular situations, whereas local governments are a specific object of analysis. Furthermore, many scholars interpret the content of a strategic change quite differently. This shows that the methodology of strategic change analysis is not fully developed. Therefore, further issues of strategic change management, which would consider the specifics of an organization, are very important. The aim of the article is to discuss the specifics of the strategic changes in local governments (local government institutions), describe their types, and evaluate the operational changes. The paper presents the concept of strategic change and distinguishes the levels of strategic changes according to their importance for the local governments. It describes strategic changes in the local governments and their need on the political, organizational potential development, and action levels. The article evaluates the strategic changes in the local governments at the level of their activities. The local governments can implement the strategic changes on the political and action levels. They are not procedural, but oriented to activity. Organizational potential development and functional changes are more common at the local government institutions. These changes are procedural and can be strategic and operational. It is not possible to draw a clear line between changes in the local governments and local government institutions, especially on the political level, and changes of the established values. On the political level, Lithuanian local governments mostly need changes related to the improvement of life quality of the citizens, economic strengthening of the local governments, and modernization of the countryside. At the activity level, the respondents give the worst evaluation to the changes in the social level. This includes reducing poverty and social isolation and stimulating creation of new jobs. The respondents are more positively rating the strategic changes in access and quality of public education, improvement of health care and environment quality, and development of engineering and communication infrastructure. The local governments especially need the change in values and organizational structures as well as in the systems of strategic planning, control, and quality management. At the functional activities level, the local government institutions mostly lack changes in selection of staff, developing systems of staff supervision, modifying job evaluation process, attracting new funding sources, changing process of privatization of the public objects, shaping social behaviour of the members of society and improving the image of the local government