HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS
1. Introduction: general introduction (4/10)
In the media coverage, a lot of articles concern HR (about leadership, the new ways of working, lifelong
learning, diversity, unsafe conditions, strike, etc.).
1.1. HRM is about …
- Burn-out and stress.
- Career management.
- Development.
- Feedback and evaluation.
- Justice.
- Leadership.
- Recruitment and selection.
- Reward.
- Training.
- Well-being.
Remarks:
- It’s a fable, employees keep the same values and haven’t changed.
- It’s important to not rely solely on first impressions and facial expressions in the assessment and
selection processes.
- Supervisors could influence our judgments: if he expresses an opinion about someone, it can
affect the perception of others even if they have not yet interacted with the person sufficiently.
1.2. History of HRM
Early 20th century 1950s - 1960s Late 20th century - present
- Mass production. - Human relations were HRM aligns human resources
- Abuse of the workers. formed: they see a person with the company’s strategy (=
- Unsafe working conditions. behind the employee. strategic HRM).
- To do one part of the whole: - The golden sixties with
to do the same thing all the revisionism.
time. - There is productivity but
- Focus on efficiency. also well-being.
- Hard work. - Empathy for well-being.
- Control.
The concept of the Hawthorne fabric:
- It refers to a phenomenon where individuals modify their behavior in response to being observed
or receiving attention.
- It emerged in the 1920s/1930s from experiments:
Experience They gave more light to some people; in another room they gave less light.
Result The working conditions (ex.: lighting) could impact the motivation/satisfaction.
Consequences - Workers are not simply performers but humans with social/psychological needs.
- It highlights the importance of human relations and attention in the workplace.
- It leads to more focus on employee well-being.
1
, 1.2.1. Evolution
HR:
- He supports to reach the organizational goals.
- His role is still changing/growing.
1.3. Worldwide rapid changes
Technological developments (ex.: robots, AI) have consequences in terms of HRM:
- A lot of benefits: it increases the productivity/efficiency. Ex.: robots can perform repetitive tasks.
- A lot of opportunities: it encourages the innovation and creativity.
BUT AI can make several mistakes (despite training).
1.3.1. Digitalization has an enormous impact on jobs and HR
Smartphone at work:
- It can have consequences at work.
- It can conduct to problems and opportunities:
Nomophobia Dopamine
It’s the fear of being separated from your The use of smartphone stimulates the release of
smartphone (addiction). dopamine in the brain.
2
, 2. Introduction: peculiarities for HRM in public sector (25/10)
2.1. Degree of publicness
Organizations may vary in their publicness depending on the answers to these three criteria:
Authority Funding Ownership
Is the organization What is the (main) source Who owns the organization?
controlled by political of financial resources for
authority? (if so, to what this organization?
extent?)
Public They are always subject They are more likely to be They are more likely to be
organizations to political control. publicly, or government government-owned or
funded. owned by the public
community.
Private They are controlled by They often rely on They are often privately
organizations market forces. customers and/or owned (by one or more
shareholders. stakeholders).
>> Some organizations meet all criteria and can be classified as public, but some organizations don’t meet
all criteria. Ex.: hospitals or schools, that are semi-public.
2.2. Model employer and new public management
There are two contrasting approaches to human resources and service management in the public sector:
Model employer New public management (NPM)
Approach HRM was seen as a separate department It’s an integrated management approach
that solely dealt with operational tasks (it’s part of the overall strategy).
(ex.: recruitment, payroll, evaluation).
Change It was historically used. It represents a shift from rule-based to
performance-based culture.
Focus Fair treatment, job security. Efficiency, effectiveness, quality of service.
System Rule-based, centralized. More flexible.
Origin Public sector. It comes from private sector.
2.2.1. McDonaldization
- Calculability: there is the tendency to calculate everything. E.g.: quantity instead of quality focus.
- Control: there are control systems through the use of technology. E.g.: automatic ordering.
- Efficiency: optimization of production in terms of speed. E.g.: the drive through.
- Predictability: uniformization of products/services/procedures. E.g.: there are the same working
procedures in each McDonald.
A difference between private sector and public sector? the customer service attitude:
Private sector Public sector
The employee: The employee:
- He considers customer as a source of income. - He considers customer as someone making a
- He thinks that providing good service will lead demand.
to more money. - He thinks that fulfilling that demand will lead
to more work.
3
, 2.3. Three categories of peculiarities of HRM in the public sector
2.3.1. Goals
Private sector Public sector
Goal clarity Straightforward, profit-oriented Ambiguous (> hard to measure)
Performance measurement Clear financial metrics Complex, conflicting goals
Management style Objective, results-driven
Example of goal in public sector: providing the public with a good quality service is an important objective.
Remarks:
- Private sector HRM practices (ex.: goal setting or performance-related pay) can’t simply be copied.
- A lack of goal clarity may present difficulties to measure/evaluate performance.
2.3.2. Constraints
- There are high levels of bureaucracy.
- Employees don’t always have the capacity to make certain (HRM-related) decisions.
- Managers have less power to manage their employees than managers in private organizations.
These constraints manifest themselves in all steps of the employment process. Ex.: hiring decisions,
(non)financial incentives, promotion opportunities, employee exit management.
2.3.3. Motivation
- Public sector employees have different values/motivations than those in the private sector.
- Public sector employees are more motivated by intrinsic factors. Ex.: reward like money.
- Public sector employees are motivated to work in this sector based on personal values.
- Public sector employees are often motivated by a desire to serve society, which is known as public
service motivation (PSM).
- Public sector employees are more motivated by intrinsic factors than in private organizations.
2.4. Extra notes about the written text
2.4.1. What is HRM?
Human resources management (HRM):
- It focuses on managing the employees within the organization.
- It consists of five main activities.
- It’s a tool that helps organizations to reach their performance goals: the performance is the
financial success and employees well-being.
- It can deliver an advantage when it’s aligned with the strategic goals of the organization.
2.4.2. The functions of HRM
The functions of HRM have continuously been reinvented:
Initially After the 1970s
Focus Operational tasks (ex.: recruitment, Strategic alignment with organizational
selection) goals
Role of HR Separate department Strategic business partner
4
1. Introduction: general introduction (4/10)
In the media coverage, a lot of articles concern HR (about leadership, the new ways of working, lifelong
learning, diversity, unsafe conditions, strike, etc.).
1.1. HRM is about …
- Burn-out and stress.
- Career management.
- Development.
- Feedback and evaluation.
- Justice.
- Leadership.
- Recruitment and selection.
- Reward.
- Training.
- Well-being.
Remarks:
- It’s a fable, employees keep the same values and haven’t changed.
- It’s important to not rely solely on first impressions and facial expressions in the assessment and
selection processes.
- Supervisors could influence our judgments: if he expresses an opinion about someone, it can
affect the perception of others even if they have not yet interacted with the person sufficiently.
1.2. History of HRM
Early 20th century 1950s - 1960s Late 20th century - present
- Mass production. - Human relations were HRM aligns human resources
- Abuse of the workers. formed: they see a person with the company’s strategy (=
- Unsafe working conditions. behind the employee. strategic HRM).
- To do one part of the whole: - The golden sixties with
to do the same thing all the revisionism.
time. - There is productivity but
- Focus on efficiency. also well-being.
- Hard work. - Empathy for well-being.
- Control.
The concept of the Hawthorne fabric:
- It refers to a phenomenon where individuals modify their behavior in response to being observed
or receiving attention.
- It emerged in the 1920s/1930s from experiments:
Experience They gave more light to some people; in another room they gave less light.
Result The working conditions (ex.: lighting) could impact the motivation/satisfaction.
Consequences - Workers are not simply performers but humans with social/psychological needs.
- It highlights the importance of human relations and attention in the workplace.
- It leads to more focus on employee well-being.
1
, 1.2.1. Evolution
HR:
- He supports to reach the organizational goals.
- His role is still changing/growing.
1.3. Worldwide rapid changes
Technological developments (ex.: robots, AI) have consequences in terms of HRM:
- A lot of benefits: it increases the productivity/efficiency. Ex.: robots can perform repetitive tasks.
- A lot of opportunities: it encourages the innovation and creativity.
BUT AI can make several mistakes (despite training).
1.3.1. Digitalization has an enormous impact on jobs and HR
Smartphone at work:
- It can have consequences at work.
- It can conduct to problems and opportunities:
Nomophobia Dopamine
It’s the fear of being separated from your The use of smartphone stimulates the release of
smartphone (addiction). dopamine in the brain.
2
, 2. Introduction: peculiarities for HRM in public sector (25/10)
2.1. Degree of publicness
Organizations may vary in their publicness depending on the answers to these three criteria:
Authority Funding Ownership
Is the organization What is the (main) source Who owns the organization?
controlled by political of financial resources for
authority? (if so, to what this organization?
extent?)
Public They are always subject They are more likely to be They are more likely to be
organizations to political control. publicly, or government government-owned or
funded. owned by the public
community.
Private They are controlled by They often rely on They are often privately
organizations market forces. customers and/or owned (by one or more
shareholders. stakeholders).
>> Some organizations meet all criteria and can be classified as public, but some organizations don’t meet
all criteria. Ex.: hospitals or schools, that are semi-public.
2.2. Model employer and new public management
There are two contrasting approaches to human resources and service management in the public sector:
Model employer New public management (NPM)
Approach HRM was seen as a separate department It’s an integrated management approach
that solely dealt with operational tasks (it’s part of the overall strategy).
(ex.: recruitment, payroll, evaluation).
Change It was historically used. It represents a shift from rule-based to
performance-based culture.
Focus Fair treatment, job security. Efficiency, effectiveness, quality of service.
System Rule-based, centralized. More flexible.
Origin Public sector. It comes from private sector.
2.2.1. McDonaldization
- Calculability: there is the tendency to calculate everything. E.g.: quantity instead of quality focus.
- Control: there are control systems through the use of technology. E.g.: automatic ordering.
- Efficiency: optimization of production in terms of speed. E.g.: the drive through.
- Predictability: uniformization of products/services/procedures. E.g.: there are the same working
procedures in each McDonald.
A difference between private sector and public sector? the customer service attitude:
Private sector Public sector
The employee: The employee:
- He considers customer as a source of income. - He considers customer as someone making a
- He thinks that providing good service will lead demand.
to more money. - He thinks that fulfilling that demand will lead
to more work.
3
, 2.3. Three categories of peculiarities of HRM in the public sector
2.3.1. Goals
Private sector Public sector
Goal clarity Straightforward, profit-oriented Ambiguous (> hard to measure)
Performance measurement Clear financial metrics Complex, conflicting goals
Management style Objective, results-driven
Example of goal in public sector: providing the public with a good quality service is an important objective.
Remarks:
- Private sector HRM practices (ex.: goal setting or performance-related pay) can’t simply be copied.
- A lack of goal clarity may present difficulties to measure/evaluate performance.
2.3.2. Constraints
- There are high levels of bureaucracy.
- Employees don’t always have the capacity to make certain (HRM-related) decisions.
- Managers have less power to manage their employees than managers in private organizations.
These constraints manifest themselves in all steps of the employment process. Ex.: hiring decisions,
(non)financial incentives, promotion opportunities, employee exit management.
2.3.3. Motivation
- Public sector employees have different values/motivations than those in the private sector.
- Public sector employees are more motivated by intrinsic factors. Ex.: reward like money.
- Public sector employees are motivated to work in this sector based on personal values.
- Public sector employees are often motivated by a desire to serve society, which is known as public
service motivation (PSM).
- Public sector employees are more motivated by intrinsic factors than in private organizations.
2.4. Extra notes about the written text
2.4.1. What is HRM?
Human resources management (HRM):
- It focuses on managing the employees within the organization.
- It consists of five main activities.
- It’s a tool that helps organizations to reach their performance goals: the performance is the
financial success and employees well-being.
- It can deliver an advantage when it’s aligned with the strategic goals of the organization.
2.4.2. The functions of HRM
The functions of HRM have continuously been reinvented:
Initially After the 1970s
Focus Operational tasks (ex.: recruitment, Strategic alignment with organizational
selection) goals
Role of HR Separate department Strategic business partner
4
