Drawing from the above findings, this section proposes recommendations to strengthen leadership, managerial capacity, and organisational tools at the FAO, with the broader objective of enhancing the effectiveness of Xi’an’s city diplomacy.
8.1 Institutionalise Project Management Tools and SOPs
The FAO should formalise the use of basic project management tools—such as detailed timelines, responsibility matrices, and standardised briefing templates—across all major international projects. These tools should be codified in written SOPs rather than left to individual initiative.
My City Diplomacy Strategic Handbook can serve as a starting point by providing sample SOPs, checklists, and templates that can be adapted and adopted at the organisational level. Institutionalising these tools would reduce ambiguity, improve accountability, and make coordination more predictable.
8.2 Strengthen Inter-Departmental Coordination Mechanisms
To address fragmented responsibilities, coordination mechanisms should evolve beyond general meetings and verbal agreements. After each coordination meeting, a concise written summary should be circulated, specifying:
- Key decisions made;
- Tasks assigned to each department or unit;
- Clear deadlines; and
- Primary contact persons for follow-up.
Over time, the FAO could develop a simple project tracking system—such as a shared dashboard or regularly updated progress sheet—to monitor the implementation status of each task.
8.3 Develop Targeted Capacity-Building in Strategic and Cross-Cultural Skills
Many staff members possess strong language skills and protocol experience but have had limited formal training in strategic thinking, project management, and cross-cultural leadership. Targeted capacity-building programmes—possibly in collaboration with universities, think tanks, or international organisations—could significantly enhance the FAO’s human capital.
Training could cover topics such as:
- Strategic planning for city diplomacy;
- Basic project management methodologies;
- Cross-cultural communication and negotiation; and
- Monitoring and evaluation of international cooperation projects.
Such training would support the transition from a task-oriented to a strategy-oriented organisational mindset.
8.4 Enhance Digitalisation and Information Management
The FAO would benefit from adopting simple but effective digital tools for information management, such as:
- Shared digital folders with standardised naming conventions;
- Centralised archives of key documents for major projects;
- Shared calendars for major events and deadlines; and
- Internal knowledge repositories for templates, SOPs, and case examples.
Even without complex software, systematic use of existing digital tools (e.g. office suites, shared drives) can significantly improve transparency, continuity, and institutional memory.
8.5 Introduce Structured Reflection and Lessons-Learned Processes
After major events or cooperation projects, the FAO should conduct structured after-action reviews that document:
- What worked well and should be retained;
- What problems occurred and why;
- What should be done differently next time; and
- Key recommendations for future organisers.
These reviews should be written, archived, and made accessible to staff involved in similar projects later on. Over time, this would build a body of practical knowledge that improves performance and reduces the repetition of avoidable mistakes.
8.6 Support and Reward Constructive Innovation
Finally, the FAO should recognise and encourage constructive innovation from staff at all levels. This might include:
- Recognising staff who develop useful templates, tools, or new approaches;
- Encouraging pilots of new methods in select projects; and
- Allowing more flexibility in low-risk areas (e.g. format of internal briefs) to enable experimentation.
Such measures would help balance the existing culture of caution with a more dynamic, learning-oriented ethos.