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Human Resources Management

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Two Perspectives Individual: meaning, quality of worklife,

vocation Organizational: how manage people to

achieve the organization’s objectives• Personnel system: rules, regulations and

processes for hiring, firing, staffing, classifying, promoting, developing, evaluation, rewarding, etc.

• Merit based• Management and Culture: day-to-day, on-

the-job experience

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Many Terms Bureaucracy Civil Service Civil Service

System Public Service

Merit System Personnel System HRM Human Capital

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Competing Values Individual Rights

• fairness, due processSocial Equity

• fair treatment of groupsEfficiency

• merit decisions for least cost

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Emergence of Merit Principles

Pendleton Act: 1883• ends spoils system• beginning of the merit system• initially, few were in the merit system• expanded over time

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Merit System Principles: Implementation

Challenges1. Recruitment to achieve a work

force from all segments of society and selection and advancement following fair and open competition. Can’t do targeted recruitment, can’t

automatically hire the great intern, can’t do succession planning

Costly to always do open competition on a national basis

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Merit System Principles: Implementation

Challenges2. Employment without regard to nonmerit

factors. Veteran’s preference?

3. Provide for equal work based on national/local rates and the private sector and recognize good performance.

Pay varies across U.S. Determining comparability Limited public budgets

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Merit System Principles4. Federal managers should use the

workforce effectively and efficiently.

5. Federal managers should retain employees based on adequacy of performance; correct inadequate performance; separate employees who can't/won't perform.

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Merit System Principles6. Provide effective educational and

training where it would foster better individual or organizational performance.

• Limited budget, training is first thing cut, limited attention to managerial development

• Need to train for future employability• Education for work outside the agency

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Merit System Principles7. Employees shall neither be subject to

nor subject others to undue influence regarding partisan politics and elections.

Hatch Act

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Merit System Principles8. Employees shall neither be subject to

nor subject others to reprisal for disclosures reasonably believed to suggest violations of the spirit or letter of the laws that protect the public interest, public safety, or public health.

• Whistleblowers

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Merit System Principles9. Employees will be given fair and

equitable treatment that does not discriminate, recognizing privacy and constitutional rights.

• Due Process: makes it harder to fire people

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Traditional Personnel Functions

Job Analysis and Position Classification

Staffing (hiring, promotion, firing)Training and DevelopmentCompensation and BenefitsPerformance ManagementWork RedesignEmployee Relations

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Job AnalysisWhat are the responsibilities and

requirements for a specific job?Ensures that:

• job classification is valid (and pay has internal equity)

• recruitment and hiring is based on the necessary KSAs

• training programs can be designed to enhance performance of that job.

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Staffing Process of recruiting, examining and

selecting employees goal: to select the right people for the

right jobs in a fair and impartial manner. Competing objective: to be

“representative of the groups they serve” Assure recruitment and promotion: include

a broad range of women and minorities

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TrainingTraining: formal and informalClassroom, distance learning, web-

based, computer instructionAdult learning theory: pedagogyNecessary in today’s environment

to continually up-skill.

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Compensation and Benefits

To attract and retain peoplePay: tied to classification system Internal equity vs. external equity

• reform: market based pay• comparisons: are all jobs comparable?

Benefits: fixed or “cafeteria” menu?

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Performance ManagementSet expectationsAssess performance annuallyTie to pay (pay for performance

systems)

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Employee Discipline and Grievances

Process in place to protect employee

Burden of proof is with supervisorWarnings, series of punishments.Employees can appeal internallyEmployees can appeal to the

courts.

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Criticisms of Central Traditional Functions

Rigid Slow Unresponsive Silos Centralized (single employer concept) Undercuts managers Red Tape Regulatory not customer-oriented

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Criticisms of Central Traditional Functions

If there is not a rule that says you can, it means you can’t!

More likely to say “no” rather than help managers figure out “how.”

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Criticisms of Central Traditional Functions

Ingraham and Rosenbloom:“But as Alexander Hamilton noted two

centuries ago…’the true test of a good government is its aptitude and tendency to produce a good administration.”

“what kind of public service does the American national government need and deserve?”

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New DemandsCreate and Maintain a Quality,

Diverse WorkforceEmpower and Develop EmployeesBalance Work--Family

ResponsibilitiesHold managers accountable for HRCreate continuously improving

systems

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Alternative ValuesCreate an organizational culture to

support learning and growthBuild management capacity to

develop staff.Engender individual ownership for

career growth and progressionDevelop systems and partnership Develop technology tools to support

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Alternative VisionsAustralia: Alternative Principles Serving loyally and impartially Ministers

and the government; and• providing frank, honest and

comprehensive advice A close focus on results:

- ensuring equality of opportunity; and- providing fair and reasonable

rewards as an incentive to high performance

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Alternative Visions:Australia

The highest standards of probity, integrity and conduct:-acting in accordance with the letter and spirit of the law;- dealing equitably, honestly and

responsively with the public; and-avoiding real or apparent conflicts of interest.

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Alternative Visions:Australia

A strong commitment to accountability:contributing fully to the accountability of the agency to the Government, of the Government to the Parliament and of the Parliament to the people;

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Alternative Visions:Australia

Continuous improvement through teams and individuals:• striving for creativity and innovation;

and• making individual and team

performance count.

{Australia, Management Advisory Board, Building A Better Public Service, June 1993, p. 5.}

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GAO: Transforming the Civil Service

High Performance

Value People

Empower Managers

Structure

Vision

AlignmentLearning

Information

Leadership

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Empowering Employees and Managers

changing expectations: employee involvement and participation

union-management partnerships

freeing managers to manage responsible and accountable for

results--measurement challenges

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Compensation and Job Security:

The Changing Contract performance based paycompetency based paydownsizing: employability security

versus job security

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Flexible BenefitsFlex-time, Flex-placeCafeteria BenefitsOn-Sight ChildcareEldercareContinuous Education

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PartnershipsUnion--Management

• partnerships to create the new human resources systems

• changing roles, changing power

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Issues: Flat organizations:what happens to

career ladders and upward mobility? Pay for Performance: how do you

develop measurement systems that are accurate, fair, and simple.

Rewards: individual rewards in team environments?

Flexibility: how do you maintain loyalty in when “womb to tomb” contract is gone?

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Issues:Contracting out: Impact on current employees?How do you engender

organizational commitment, motivate and manage them?

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Discussion: Foundations of Merit

What purposes are intended to be served by the merit system? Are those intentions still valid today?

Should the civil service be representative of the citizens? Why or why not?

Is there a difference between administrators and managers (ss p. 11)? Why or why not?

How responsive should civil servants be to elected officials?