Civil service reform in Tanzania : Organisation and efficiency through process consulting

This paper establishes the link between institutional development (ID) and process consulting. It does so by recognising ID’s concern for client exploration and learning and process consulting’s focus on client ownership and increased capacity. In that context, the paper outlines the modalities for generating organisation and efficiency reforms in the Tanzanian civil service. It highlights the central role of middle‐ranking civil servants in the twin process of learning and the building of capacity. It looks at the resulting impact of the organisation and efficiency reforms. Finally, it reviews the process consulting experience in terms of the often elusive states of growing ownership and commitment to the reform process. Both are prerequisites for sustainability; an enduring challenge in the developing world.