Solution Manual For Human Resource Management in Public Service Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems Eighth Edition Evan M. Berman,Montgomery R. Van Wart, Meghna Sabharwal Chapter 1-11 Review/Discussion Questions Chapter 1 1. What are two major schools of thought about the breakdown of government (according to Ehrenhalt)? (10) One argues that breakdown in government performance is an “incompetent people” problem, and the other argues that it is an “evil system” problem. 2. What are 3 insights from the Maria Hernandez example? Is she a good example of an HR director? What advice would you give her? (11-13) HRM deals with many areas at once. HRM managers must weigh the pros and cons of each decision as well as their impact in other areas. Long-term and short-term decisions are required of HRM managers on a daily basis. Maria Hernandez can be considered a good example of an HR director. She is involved in more than simply “managing people”; rather she is involved in human capital development and greater organizational development. Stay organized, deal with problems as they come up on an individual basis, do not wait until problems become too large to handle. 3. What are some trends that present challenges to government in getting the right people? (14-16) Trends include a changing workforce, declining confidence in government, declining budgets leading to increased use of alternative work arrangements, rightsizing and downsizing despite population growth, demands for productivity gains, emerging virtual workplaces and virtual government, and decentralization and increased managerial flexibility. 4. What are some of the reasons that young people choose public service? To make a difference in a wide variety of leadership positions in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors; different branches of local, state, regional, and federal governments; and the international arena To become engaged intellectually in the challenges facing their communities To establish career and personal development skills that they can use throughout their lives To build a better future for the world and to solve big problems To create communication links within and between different communities To gain a sense of responsibility for others and the causes they care about 5. What is the core-ring staffing model? What is its purpose? (15) It is an alternative work arrangement, noted by J.Thompson and Mastracci and Barr, in which the core is comprised of full-time workers in permanent jobs and the ring is comprised of employees in contingent or alternative arrangements (e.g., contractors, temporary workers, and part-time employees). 6. How does traditional personnel administration differ from HRM? (16, 18)
Traditional personnel training was concerned primarily with traditional internal practices- recruitment, compensation, discipline-and the applications of the rules and procedures of the civil service system. Public HRM embraces a broader, more “people-focused” definition of the management of human resources with an eye to the kind of workforce needs in government (i.e., employee and organizational development, organizational design, performance appraisal and management, reward systems and benefits, productivity improvement, staffing, employee-employer relations, and health and safety). 7. When does the term strategic human resource management apply? (18) When human resource management is most global and long-term in its perspective and includes issues such as workforce planning and overall organizational design issues. 8. What does the term civil service cover? (18) The term civil service refers to the government employees in permanent public service, excluding legislative, judicial, or uniformed military; positions typically are filled based on competitive examinations, and a professional career public service exists with protection against political influence and patronage. 9. Does your organization conform more closely to a traditional public sector system or to "public service for the 21st century"? In what ways? (19) Own Answer 10. What five models of HR does the text discuss? (20) It discusses models emphasizing a/an: centralized HR department, devolved HR, decentralized HR, specialized HR departments, and outsourced HR. 11. HR departments commonly share some functions with other individual and units. What are some examples of sharing? (21) Employment law, recruiting, selection, creating a positive work environment, compensation, benefits, training and development, appraisal, and labor relations. 12. What are the four reform tides mentioned by Paul Light? (22) Scientific management, war on waste, watchful eye, and liberation management. 13. What is scientific management? (22) A reform tide with the goal of efficiency; characterized by the use of implementation strategies such as structure, rules, and experts; and typified by laws such as the Reorganization Act of 1939. This reform sought to synthesize workflows. 14. What are its (scientific management) implications for HRM? (23) Emphasizes conformity and predictability of employees’ contributions to the organization, and it sees human relationships as subject to control by management. 15. What is the war on waste? What are its implications for HRM? (23) A reform tide with the goal of economy; characterized by use of implementation strategies such as generally accepted practices, audits, and investigations; and typified by laws such as the Inspector General Act of 1978. Preoccupation with waste leads to increases in internal controls, oversight and regulations, managerial directives, tight supervision, and concerns about accountability. Can result in proliferation of detailed rules, processes, and procedures. 16. What is the watchful eye? What are its implications for HRM? (24)
A reform tide with the goal of fairness; characterized by use of implementation strategies such as whistleblowers, interest groups, and media; and typified by laws such as the Administrative Procedure Act of 1978. Implications include greater scrutiny in the hiring process to ensure integrity as well as jobrelated competence of new recruits. It minimizes the use of illegitimate hiring criteria, such as sex, race, age, and handicap status. Would also minimize arbitrary decisions to fire employees. 17. What is liberation management? What are its implications for HRM? (24-25) A reform tide with the goal of higher performance; characterized by implementation strategies such as standards, evaluations, and outcomes.; and typified by laws such as the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. Implications for HRM include employee empowerment reengineering, work teams, continuous improvement, customer service, flattened hierarchies, and self-directed employees. 18. In what ways does CSRA reflect each of the tides of reform? (26-29) As stated in the CSRA, “ to strengthen the presidential claim of command (scientific management), a cap on total federal employment to save money (war on waste), whistleblower protection to assure truth telling from the inside (watchful eye), and pay for performance (liberation management). 19. How did the Pendleton Act alter public service? (26-20) It established the institutional framework for federal HRM. It created the Civil Service Commission (CSC) which was a protective buffer against the partisan pressures. Competitive practical exams were introduced, and a neutral (nonpartisan), competent, career civil service with legally mandated tenure was expected. Entry into the civil service was permitted at any level under this hierarchy. 20. How did CSRA of 1978 alter public service? (26-29) Created the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Merit System Protection Board. The OPM is the “doing” side of public HRM. The OPM’s director is appointed/removed by the president and functions as his principal advisor on personnel matters. The MSB is responsible for adjudications, and employee appeals. The CSRA also created the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) and established the Senior Executive Service (SES). The FLRA functions as the federal sector counterpart to the private sector’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The SES comprises top-level administrators, mostly career civil servants and a lesser number of political appointees. 21. What two writers are associated with reinventing government? What is the federal program implementing it? (29) David Osborne and Ted Gaebler. The federal program implementing it is The National Performance Review (now called the National Partnership for Reinventing Government). 22. What were the components of Clinton’s 3-part strategy for civil service reform? (31) The 3-prong strategy includes authorizing personnel demonstration projects, creating “performance based organizations, and constructing modified personnel systems for malfunctioning agencies.” 23. What are the 5 key areas emphasized in George W. Bush’s plan for reform? (31) The 5 key areas emphasized are: human capital, competitive sourcing, financial performance, Egovernment, and budge-performance integration.
24. The civil service has to try to please at least three major constituents. Who are they? (32-322) Political masters (elites), civil servants themselves and their sense of professionalism (professional standards, independence, neutrality), and taxpayers & customers.
25. Compare Germany before and after the Civil Service Reform Law of 1997. How did the civil servants react? Why? (Exhibit 1.11) (33-34)
The German civil service is based on the concept of the “rule-of-law state” that transcends divisive political divisions and acts in the name of all citizens on the basis of administrative law. After WWII, the system was decentralized to put the focus on the regional and local civil service. The German federal bureaucracy is thus relatively small, with the bulk of civil service in the 16 states and local governments. The foundations of German service are designed to make public service the most highly respected profession. After the Civil Service Reform Law (key tenets in Exhibit 1.14), there was a huge resistance to these reforms by civil servants. Civil servants used to generous salaries and benefits, as well as clear guidelines about promotion and pay, rebelled against performance-based outcomes and probationary periods, and the elimination of their traditional “thirteenth month” paycheck and reduction in pensions. Basically, these civil servants were used to a codified administrative law that did not easily adapt to reforms that emphasize autonomy and creativity. They were already receiving very generous benefits and salaries in the current system. Many felt these reforms were not advantageous to them. 26. The recommendations of the Winter Commission (National Commission on the State and Local Public Service) are remarkably relevant today and continue to be promoted. What are the major recommendations? (35)
Greater decentralization of the merit system Reduced reliance on written tests Rejection of the rule of three and other requirements that severely restrict managerial discretion in selecting from a pool of eligible applicants Reduction of the weight given to seniority and veterans’ preference Reduction in the number of job classifications Implementation of less cumbersome procedures for removing employees from positions Greater portability of pensions, enabling government-to-government mobility Greater flexibility to provide financial incentives for exemplary performance by work teams
27. What are the key criticisms of reinvention applied to HRM? (36) Criticism includes the undermining of the role of public servants, too few people with the necessary skills are attracted to the public service, performance rewards are underfunded, reduced oversight of the public service, can invite corruption, and in-service training for continuous learning and planning is frequently inadequate. Pursuit of quick successes via downsizing too often takes precedence over improving performance, ideas borrowed from elsewhere, and accepted blindly often create more problems than solutions, and empowerment initiative frequently are uneven. 28. How does your organization stack up against the values of HRM? (37) Own Answer 29. What are the four overarching principles that administrators need to be mindful of? (37-39) Understand the values inherent in the career public service. Understand and integrate non–civil service systems as appropriate. Understand that the public has rights beyond merit principles. Provide leadership for the workforce. 30. How do Level 1, 2, and 3 of value consciousness differ? What are the HRM implications of each level? (40)
Administrators at Level 1 value unconsciousness, lack understanding or basic awareness of agency values, missions, or standard operating procedures (SOPs), and they may knowingly or unconsciously take inappropriate or illegal actions. At Level 2, elementary values consciousness, managers have a basic grasp of the mission, laws, and rules, and they focus on conforming in order to avoid legal violations or inappropriate actions. Managers at level 3, advanced values consciousness, have a thorough understanding of their unit’s mission, values, and mandate, and they can take actions that reflect the ideals associated with good government, such as efficiency, economy, ethics, fairness, and the public good. At level 1, lack of awareness requires education. Ignorance can be very costly . At level 2, mere conformity to the laws, rules, and SOPs put managers in the role of compliance officers. At level 3, managers have a more expansive perspective with agency values, missions, and requirements and view human resources as a precious resource for improving governmental performance. 31. How are value conflicts resolved? (41) Balance of competing pressures by comparing issues of legality, ethics, and fairness. 32. Have you encountered any of these dilemmas? How were they resolved? (41-42) Own Answer 33. What is the paradox between ethics principles, codes, and strategies? (42) Must be able to balance the law with ethics as well as fairness to others 34. How do levels of value consciousness relate to the first and second HRM value subsystems? (41) In level 1 culture, responses are nonexistent, selective or reactive. When workers lack basic consciousness about values and appropriate ethical conduct, then ethics and integrity are often managed using fear threats, and punishment. In level 2, policies are to reward, appraise, and develop employees. There is an effort to have employees conform to work processes and comply with externally mandated standards. 35. Why are the quotes from FDR and Thomas Jefferson profound? (43)) The need to build a firm foundation of public trust, which harks back to the basic principles of reform. Shows the need to exhibit professionalism, promote merit, ensure accountability to political leaders, and avoid partisan bias. Defining core values and being guided by bedrock principals helps administrators make the critical ethical judgments often required in resolving nettlesome human resource issues. . Managers must decide when to “swim” with prevailing tides and when to “stand.”Summary/Review/Discussion Questions and Answers Chapter 2 1A. Explain the following paradox: “Managers must embrace the law to avoid the law.” (51) Managers must learn the intricacies of the law to ensure they do not spend their careers entangled in it. 2A. What are the reasons a manager should be familiar with basic legal principles? (51) a. To avoid liability. b. To anticipate and prevent problems from developing into lawsuits. c. To gain the confidence to make tough decision, such as when to discipline an employee. d. To capably assist in implementing worthy societal objectives such as equality, fairness, dignity, economic well-being, strong familiar relationship. 2. a. b. c.
What are three competing interests that need to be kept in balance? (52) The need of employers to mange their workforce and operations in efficient ways. Rights the employees have in their jobs, privacy, and other matters. The interest of governments to pursue social objectives through public policy.