Human Resource Management in Public Service: Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems

by Evan M. Berman, James S. Bowman, Jonathan P. West, Montgomery R. Van Wart

Overview

Human Resource Management in Public Service: Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems offers provocative and thorough coverage of the complex issues faced by employees and managers in the public sector, including managing under tight budgets with increasing costs, hiring freezes, contracting out, and the politicization of the civil service. Continuing the award-winning tradition of previous editions, authors Evan M. Berman, James S. Bowman, Jonathan P. West, and Montgomery R. Van Wart encourage active learning through various skill-building exercises and a mixture of individual, group, and in-class tasks.  

The Seventh Edition includes new examples on how COVID-19 has disrupted the workplace, equity and racial discord, organizational diversity, employee engagement and motivation, leadership development training, work-life balance, gender-based inequities, behavioral biases in appraisal, and unionization trends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071809235
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	07/14/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	664
File size:	25 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Evan M. Berman is Professor of Public Management and Director of Internationalization at Victoria University of Wellington, School of Government. Prior, he was the Huey McElveen Distinguished Professor at Louisiana State University. His areas of expertise are human resource management, public performance, local government, and public governance in Asia. He is past Chair of the American Society for Public Administration’s Section of Personnel and Labor Relations. He has over 125 publications and 12 books, including People Skills At Work (CRC Press, 2011), Essential Statistics for Public Managers and Policy Analysts, Third Edition (CQ Press, 2012), and a trilogy of books on Public Administration in Asia (2010, 2011, 2013, CRC Press). He has published in all major journals of the discipline, is Senior Editor of Public Performance&Management Review, a Distinguished Fulbright Scholar,  past University Chair Professor at National Chengchi University (Taipei, Taiwan), and a former policy analyst with the National Science Foundation.

James S. Bowman is a professor of public administration at the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, Florida State University. Noted for this work in ethics and human resource management, Dr. Bowman is author of over 100 journal articles and book chapters, as well as editor of six anthologies. He is co-author of The Professional Edge: Competencies in Public Service (2nd ed., Sharpe, 2010) and Public Service Ethics: Individual and Institutional Responsibilities (CQ Press, 2015). For nearly two decades, he served as editor-in-chief of Public Integrity, a journal owned by the American Society for Public Administration. A past National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration Fellow, as well as a Kellogg Foundation Fellow, he has experience in the military, civil service, and business.

Jonathan P. West is a professor and chair of political science and director of the graduate public administration program at the University of Miami. His research interests include ethics, public administration, and human resource management. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters as well as nine books. He is co-author of Public Service Ethics: Individual and Institutional Perspectives (CQ Press, 2015) American Politics and the Environment (2nd. Ed., SUNY Press, 2015) and The Professional Edge: Competencies in Public Service (2nd ed., Sharpe, 2010.) For nearly two decades he has been managing editor of the  Public Integrity journal. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army as a management analyst in the Office of the Surgeon General.

Montgomery Van Wart is a professor at California State University San Bernardino and a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong. His publications include nine books and a substantial number of articles in the leading journals in his field. His most recent book is Leadership and Culture: Comparative Models of Top Civil Servant Training, with Hondeghem and Schwella (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015).  His research areas are administrative leadership, human resource management, training and development, administrative values and ethics, organization behavior, and general management. He also serves on numerous editorial boards and as the Associate Editor for Public Productivity&Management Review. As an instructor, he has spent as much time teaching and facilitating programs for executives and managers in public agencies as he has teaching graduate students. His training programs have been for individuals in all levels of government in the United States and executives and elected officials from foreign countries.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART I • CONTEXT AND CHALLENGES
CHAPTER 1 • The Public Service Heritage: People, Process, and Purpose
A Day in the Life of Maria Hernandez
Some Challenges in Getting and Managing the Right People
Some Basic Definitions
The Structure and Role of Human Resource Departments
Historical and Institutional Context
Reforming Government in the Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump Years
Human Resource Management Principles
Ethics and Moral Management
CHAPTER 2 • Legal Rights and Responsibilities: Laws Governing the Workplace
The Foundations of Employment Law
The Employment Relationship
Balancing Employer, Employee, and Societal Interests
Privacy Issues
Pre-employment Investigations: Truth, Personality, Health, Credit, and Criminal Records
Discrimination
PART II • PROCESSES AND SKILLS: FROM START TO FINISH
CHAPTER 3 • Recruitment: From Passive Posting to Social Media Networking
Factors in Recruitment: Employer and Applicant Perspectives
Recruitment Steps
Planning and Approval
Position Announcements
Recruitment Strategies
Enhancing Recruitment Prospects: The Seeker’s Perspective
Advancing From Job Seeking to Career Development
CHAPTER 4 • Selection: From Civil Service Commissions to Decentralized Decision Making
The Bases and Origin of Selection
Criteria in Selecting Selection Tests
Selection: Four Screening Phases
Initial Reviewing and Testing
Interviewing and Reference Checks: Narrowing the Pool
General Considerations for Those Conducting Interviews
Choosing and Negotiation
Post-offer and Hiring Issues
Appendix: The Professional Commitment Statement for Job Seekers
CHAPTER 5 • Position Management: Judicious Plan or Jigsaw Puzzle?
Three Types of Personnel Strategies
The Origins of Position Classification and Management
Job Design and Job Analysis
Job and Position Descriptions
From Jobs to Job Systems
Curbing, Cutting, and Eliminating Workforce
CHAPTER 6 • Employee Motivation: Possible, Probable, or Impossible?
Pull, Push, or Drive?
Human Resource Management and the Climate for Motivation
Tools of Motivation
CHAPTER 7 • Compensation: Vital, Visible, and Vicious
Equity and Expectancy Theory
Pay Determination
Philosophy: Lead, Match, or Lag
The Perennial Pay Debate
Labor Market Forces: External Competition
Job Content: Internal Consistency
Individual Considerations: Fairness and Contributions
Implications
Appendix: Compensation for Graduate Degrees in Public Affairs and Administration
CHAPTER 8 • Employee-Friendly Policies: Fashionable, Flexible, and Fickle
Workforce and Workplace Trends
Work–Family Programs
Health, Safety, and Wellness Programs
Flexible Work Arrangements
Traditional Benefits: Not-So-Employee-Friendly Trends
Implementation, Assessment, and Evaluation
Avoiding and Coping With Hostility at Work
Best Places to Work
Appendix A: Questions for Employees and Employers Regarding Telecommuting Arrangements
Appendix B: Some Questions to Answer When Considering Implementation of Employee-Friendly Policies
Appendix C: Family-Friendly Policies
CHAPTER 9 • Training and Development: Exploring New Frontiers
General Principles of Learning
Training Strategies
Organizational Training and Development
The Strategic Turn
Application: Ethics Training
Appendix: Needs Assessment and Evaluation for Training
CHAPTER 10 • Appraisal: A Process in Search of a Technique
Evolution
Appraisal Systems
Raters
Rating Errors: The Underbelly of Appraisals
Improving the Process
Disciplinary Systems
Appendix: Corrective Actions
CHAPTER 11 • Unions and the Government: Protectors, Partners, and Punishers
Background: The Context and Evolution of Employee Relations
Differing Views of Unions
Paradoxes and Contradictions
Trends and Variations
Appendix A: Tips for Managers When Dealing With Unions
Appendix B: Tips for Unions When Dealing With Managers
CHAPTER 12 • Collective Bargaining: Structures, Strategies, and Skills
Structure, Representation, and Collective Bargaining
Bargaining-Related Reforms
Hostility vs. Harmony
Appendix A: Bargaining Checklist and Observation Sheet
Appendix B: Mock Disciplinary Appeal Board Hearing
CONCLUSION • The Future as Opportunity, Not Destiny
New Technologies, Human Competencies, Failures, and Reforms
Taking Responsibility for Paradoxes
Public Service as a Calling
The Years Ahead
Envoi: Dream While Awake
Glossary
Index
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

Because it identifies the paradoxes in the public human resource management arena, Human Resource Management in Public Service provides students with a strong appreciation for the complexities of public sector employment issues.

Anna Marie Schuh

I have taught the course for over 30 years and this is the best book on the market today.

Peter J. Bergerson

This is one of the most comprehensive textbooks available on public sector human resource management.

Kurt Fenske

Highly recommended, comprehensive overview of HR, accessible to read and understand for students.

Philip F. La Porta

This text is current, topical and extremely comprehensive in its approach to the world of HR. It is an instructors dream!

Joseph C. De Laduranty

With its latest edition, Human Resources Management in Public Service offers up a text that is both comprehensive and student friendly.

Craig P. Donovan

"This thorough and up-to-date guide to the field should prove invaluable to practicing human resource managers, students, and scholars. I plan to utilize in my graduate human resource management course at the University of Georgia."

Stephen E. Condrey

[Human Resource Management in Public Service] is an excellent comprehensive choice for graduate students who require a challenging and provocative read.

John Sample

The award-winning textbook is a most exciting and comprehensive resource for teaching upper division and graduate courses in Human Resource Management in the market. While covering all appropriate issues, the new edition provides opportunities for learners to hone the skills necessary for understanding and solving paradoxical issues in the field.

Eric Otenyo

This book truly helps our students to understand democratic principle and provides a great tool for the human resource professionals.

Melvin Rogers

Human Resource Management in Public Service addresses public personnel management issue from a public manager’s perspective, not from a personnel specialist’s perspective.

Hugo Asencio

It’s a well-organized, thorough text book. I would recommend it for use.”

Karla M. Pope

Highly recommended, comprehensive overview of HR, accessible to read and understand for students.

Philip F. LaPorta

I have taught the course for over 30 years and this is the best book on the market today.

Charles E. Moreland

“The historical and philosophical dimensions are what makes a good HRM book in public administration, and these are what this book cleverly delivers.”

Jonathan Paquette

"This book is one of the most informative and comprehensive books on the market on Human Resources Management. My students totally love it, and several of them plan on keeping this book as a source of reference for years to come. The book presents a realistic view of the various challenges and opportunities employers and employees are faced with in their organizations. As an instructor, I am very glad to have found the right book for my students."

Meghna Sabharwal