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

Seventh Edition

Evan M. Berman - Fundação Getulio Vargas, Brazil
James S. Bowman - Florida State University, USA
Jonathan P. West - University of Miami, USA
Montgomery R. Van Wart - California State University, San Bernardino, USA

Courses:
Public Personnel Administration

July 2021 | 664 pages | CQ Press

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.

Available Formats

ISBN: 9781071809266	Electronic Version	Suggested Retail Price: $104.00	Bookstore Price: $83.20
ISBN: 9781071848906	Paperback	Suggested Retail Price: $166.00	Bookstore Price: $132.80

See what’s new to this edition by selecting the Features tab on this page. Should you need additional information or have questions regarding the HEOA information provided for this title, including what is new to this edition, please email sageheoa@sagepub.com. Please include your name, contact information, and the name of the title for which you would like more information. For information on the HEOA, please go to http://ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html.

For assistance with your order: Please email us at textsales@sagepub.com or connect with your SAGE representative.

SAGE
2455 Teller Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.sagepub.com

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

This book comprehensively covers several key topics in HRM

Dr Ju-Ying Yang

Political Science, Kansas State University

July 18, 2023

Report this review

Was recommended by department.

Dr Daniela Schroeter

Public Administration Dept, Western Michigan University

September 22, 2023

Report this review

This was a great textbook. The resources were wonderful. My students enjoyed the format and the materials. I am now trying to adopt the 7th edition and having challenges accessing the instructor resources through Sage Publishing.

Ms Bethany A Behrhorst

Public Admin/Policy Analy Dept, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

July 3, 2022

Report this review

I have used the earlier edition and found it ideal for my classes in public HRM. I am going to use your publication in my class this winter and need a copy of the newer edition. I found the book's coverage of latest trends in public HRM to be most appropriate for graduate students.

Dr Charles Edward Mitchell

Political Science/Public Administration, Troy University-Troy

October 25, 2021

Report this review

Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

New examples highlight technological disruptions in civil service jobs like the ongoing automation of industrial practices, data analytics and algorithms to assess problems, and the abrupt shift to remote work due to COVID-19.
Almost all chapters note rising concerns with social justice and the growing support for LGBTQ issues in public service.
The chapter on “Compensation” has been heavily updated to reflect changes in work-life polices, access to paid sick and family leave, emergency backup staffing plans, and the importance of flexible work hours. These areas are under closer scrutiny as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated and consolidated recruiting strategies offer students a window into the most current methods used in the recruitment process and provide insight into the job seeker’s perspective.
New examples from a broad range of local, state, federal, and international settings enable students to apply key concepts to common management issues.

KEY FEATURES:

Covers all of the stages of the employment process, including recruitment, selection, training, legal rights and responsibilities, compensation, and appraisal.
Extensive skill-building exercises help readers apply the material and develop hands-on, technical skills.
Ethics case studies enable students to learn about a variety of ethical situations that come up in management.
A broad range of examples from local, state, federal, and international settings provide readers with applications in a variety of public sector contexts.
Questions at the end of each chapter, along with a mix of individual, group, and in-class exercises, encourage active learning and mastery of concepts.