Human Resource Management in Public Service

Evan M. Berman is Professor of Public Management at Fundação Getúlio Vargas, EAESP (São Paulo, Brazil), specializing in human resource management, public performance, and comparative public administration. Previously, he was Huey McElveen Distinguished Professor at Louisiana State University. Dr. Berman is ranked among the very top scholars in public administration world-wide. He has received the Outstanding Scholarship Award from the American Society for Public Administration (Section on Personnel and Labor Relations) for contributions to  research, teaching and service in public sector HRM, and many other awards, including from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), the accrediting body for public administration programs. He has authored 15 books and over 175 publications, in all of the leading journals of the discipline. Dr Berman has chaired ASPA’s Section on Personnel and Labor Relations, he is founding editor of ASPA’s Book Series in Public Administration and Public Policy, senior editor of Public Performance and Management Review, and a Distinguished Fulbright Scholar. His 2023 book, Performance and Innovation in the Public Sector (with I. Hijal-Moghrabi), won the 2024 ASPA/SPALR Outstanding Book Award. Evan is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and Visiting Professor at Fudan University (Shanghai) and University of Indonesia (Jakarta).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 R. Van Wart is a professor of public administration at California State University, San Bernardino and former dean of the College of Business and Public Administration. He is also visiting research professor at the National University of -Ireland Galway and honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong. His research areas are administrative leadership, human resource management, training and development, administrative values and ethics, organization behavior, and general management. He has over 100 publications, including 11 books and nine articles in Public Administration Review. His Dynamics of Leadership in Public Service: Theory and Practice (M. E. Sharpe, 2005) was awarded Outstanding Academic Title by Choice. His Leadership in Public Organizations: An Introduction (Routledge, 2017) is in its third edition. He serves on numerous editorial boards and as associate editor of Public Productivity & Management Review. He has received numerous research and teaching awards, including the ASPA Van Riper Award and the CSUSB Outstanding Researcher Award.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPART I • CONTEXT AND CHALLENGESCHAPTER 1 • The Public Service Heritage: People, Process, and PurposeA Day in the Life of Maria HernandezSome Challenges in Getting and Managing the Right PeopleSome Basic DefinitionsThe Structure and Role of Human Resource DepartmentsHistorical and Institutional ContextReforming Government in the Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump YearsHuman Resource Management PrinciplesEthics and Moral ManagementCHAPTER 2 • Legal Rights and Responsibilities: Laws Governing the WorkplaceThe Foundations of Employment LawThe Employment RelationshipBalancing Employer, Employee, and Societal InterestsPrivacy IssuesPre-employment Investigations: Truth, Personality, Health, Credit, and Criminal RecordsDiscriminationPART II • PROCESSES AND SKILLS: FROM START TO FINISHCHAPTER 3 • Recruitment: From Passive Posting to Social Media NetworkingFactors in Recruitment: Employer and Applicant PerspectivesRecruitment StepsPlanning and ApprovalPosition AnnouncementsRecruitment StrategiesEnhancing Recruitment Prospects: The Seeker’s PerspectiveAdvancing From Job Seeking to Career DevelopmentCHAPTER 4 • Selection: From Civil Service Commissions to Decentralized Decision MakingThe Bases and Origin of SelectionCriteria in Selecting Selection TestsSelection: Four Screening PhasesInitial Reviewing and TestingInterviewing and Reference Checks: Narrowing the PoolGeneral Considerations for Those Conducting InterviewsChoosing and NegotiationPost-offer and Hiring IssuesAppendix: The Professional Commitment Statement for Job SeekersCHAPTER 5 • Position Management: Judicious Plan or Jigsaw Puzzle?Three Types of Personnel StrategiesThe Origins of Position Classification and ManagementJob Design and Job AnalysisJob and Position DescriptionsFrom Jobs to Job SystemsCurbing, Cutting, and Eliminating WorkforceCHAPTER 6 • Employee Motivation: Possible, Probable, or Impossible?Pull, Push, or Drive?Human Resource Management and the Climate for MotivationTools of MotivationCHAPTER 7 • Compensation: Vital, Visible, and ViciousEquity and Expectancy TheoryPay DeterminationPhilosophy: Lead, Match, or LagThe Perennial Pay DebateLabor Market Forces: External CompetitionJob Content: Internal ConsistencyIndividual Considerations: Fairness and ContributionsImplicationsAppendix: Compensation for Graduate Degrees in Public Affairs and AdministrationCHAPTER 8 • Employee-Friendly Policies: Fashionable, Flexible, and FickleWorkforce and Workplace TrendsWork–Family ProgramsHealth, Safety, and Wellness ProgramsFlexible Work ArrangementsTraditional Benefits: Not-So-Employee-Friendly TrendsImplementation, Assessment, and EvaluationAvoiding and Coping With Hostility at WorkBest Places to WorkAppendix A: Questions for Employees and Employers Regarding Telecommuting ArrangementsAppendix B: Some Questions to Answer When Considering Implementation of Employee-Friendly PoliciesAppendix C: Family-Friendly PoliciesCHAPTER 9 • Training and Development: Exploring New FrontiersGeneral Principles of LearningTraining StrategiesOrganizational Training and DevelopmentThe Strategic TurnApplication: Ethics TrainingAppendix: Needs Assessment and Evaluation for TrainingCHAPTER 10 • Appraisal: A Process in Search of a TechniqueEvolutionAppraisal SystemsRatersRating Errors: The Underbelly of AppraisalsImproving the ProcessDisciplinary SystemsAppendix: Corrective ActionsCHAPTER 11 • Unions and the Government: Protectors, Partners, and PunishersBackground: The Context and Evolution of Employee RelationsDiffering Views of UnionsParadoxes and ContradictionsTrends and VariationsAppendix A: Tips for Managers When Dealing With UnionsAppendix B: Tips for Unions When Dealing With ManagersCHAPTER 12 • Collective Bargaining: Structures, Strategies, and SkillsStructure, Representation, and Collective BargainingBargaining-Related ReformsHostility vs. HarmonyAppendix A: Bargaining Checklist and Observation SheetAppendix B: Mock Disciplinary Appeal Board HearingCONCLUSION • The Future as Opportunity, Not DestinyNew Technologies, Human Competencies, Failures, and ReformsTaking Responsibility for ParadoxesPublic Service as a CallingThe Years AheadEnvoi: Dream While AwakeGlossaryIndexAbout the Authors