Effective functioning as a mid-career diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia necessitates honing a skillset with an outward focus. The increased responsibility that accompanies the role of mid-career diplomats includes managing junior colleagues and dealing with interdepartmental relations. This makes training in management and communication a vital precondition to success.

The training at Clingendael Academy

With the above goal firmly in mind, ten mid-career diplomats from Indonesia began their three week course at Clingendael Academy last Monday.  In devising the program, Clingendael Academy worked from the premise that the development of management and interdepartmental skills require different didactical approaches.

People and Process Management

Mid-career diplomats have to be increasingly confident communicators, also in relation to the ‘junior’ diplomats, motivating them and enabling them in making the best use of their talents. The groundwork laid in the workshop 'meeting skills' that the group had earlier this week will therefore be complemented by a practical training in trust and integrity near the end of the course. Both workshops offer participants the tools and theoretical background relevant to the topic, before engaging them in simulated exercises in which the framework given can be trialed in a realistic setting.

Interdepartmental Coordination

In addition to people management skills, engaging with various departments and Ministries within the government, as well as their counterparts and outside contacts, will become increasingly important during the next stage of their careers. Different approaches on how to effectively coordinate policies with different stakeholders will be discussed with the participants’ counterparts at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign affairs, as well as trained in simulation exercises that took place at this ministry, accompanied by post-exercise reflection by actual policy makers involved in those cases.

Tailor-made Skill Training Programmes

One of the key services of Clingendael Academy is providing training program for diplomats, tailored to the level in their careers (junior / mid-career / senior) and to their regional contexts or thematic interests. For Indonesian diplomats, for example, we also conduct a six week training program for junior diplomats, a two week training course for senior diplomats. If you are interested in opportunities to design a tailor-made course for your organisation, please contact the course coordinators.