Study of HRM Practices in Public Sector
Study of HRM Practices in Public Sector
A Project Submitted to
By
Prof.Zahra Dehghani
Studying at
I, KHUSHBOO ZAID MANSURI student of TYBMS, Roll no. 220 Seat no.
____________ of the academic year 2020-21 studying at RIZVI COLLEGE
OF ARTS,SCIENCE & COMMERCE , hereby declare that the work done on
the project entitled STUDY OF HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTORis
true and original to the best of my knowledge and any reference is duly
acknowledged.
__________________ _________________________
Prof.Zahra Dehghani Prof.Mohammed Gaus Ansari
(Project Guide) (BMS Co-ordinate)
_________________ ________________
External Examiner Dr.ANJUM ARA
(Principal I/c)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I express my sincere gratitude to the principal for providing the facilities and the
guidance. I extend my profound thanks to my project guide PROF. ZAHRA
DEHGHANI for giving me opportunity to undertake this project. I convey my
regards to untiring support and encouragement. I am very thankful to for
guidance and support during my project work.
Finally I give immeasurable thanks to my parents and to all those who extended
their support and co-operation in bringing out this project work successfully.
INDEX
PAGE
SR NO CHAPTER
NO
1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 34
3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 37
3.1 Introduction 37
5 FINDINGS 65
7 CONCLUSION 67
8 BIBILIOGRAPHY 68
9 ANNEXURE 69
LIST OF TABLE
PAGE
SR NO INDEX
NO
SR NO CHAPTER PAGE NO
1.1.1 Refers to HRM Reforms in Public Sector 2
1.2.1 Refers to Public Sector 3
1.3.1 Refers to Recruitment and Selection Process 5
1.11.1 Refers to E-Selection 29
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CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
This overview of Human Resource Management (HRM) in the public sector establishes that
HRM is a major influence in public sector change. The bureaucratic and the management
models of public sector operation and activity are compared to discern the ways in which
employment and organizational issues are conceptualized in each model. The manner in
which the institutional, policy and organizational changes impact public sector employment
and conditions of service is explored. While changes to the public sector over the past two
decades have had a significant impact on employees of public sector organizations and the
conditions under which people work, there has been scant attention afforded to the specific
field of Human Resource Management research and academic inquiry in relation to the public
sector. Moreover, contemporary HRM texts often disregard or give only cursory
acknowledgement of HRM within the public sector, relying instead on appropriating a
business model of firms as the general context for HRM scholarship. The article begins by
defining and detailing the scope and features of HRM. The article proceeds by describing and
examining the traditional model of public administration and then moves on to consider the
place and function of personnel within this bureaucratic model. The emergence of the
contemporary model of public management is traced to demonstrate the scope and character
of public sector reform. The articulation of HRM and public management accords with
efforts to develop a systematic response to reform and restructuring initiatives in the public
sector through achieving greater staff and operational efficiencies together with cutbacks to
government expenditure. The applicability of HRM to the public sector is examined and
discussed.
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Two decades of administrative reforms have seen governments around the world
initiating changes ranging from the bold in some nations to the rhetorical in others. New
human resource management (HRM) practices have perhaps not received the same public
attention devoted to contracted service delivery or performance-based budgeting, but the
drive to make government more business-like has had significant impacts on public-
sector employment. Bata (1997) suggests that increased attention to HRM in government can
be attributed to the large numbers of public sector employees in many nations, their resulting
impact on government budgets, and the essential role that employees must play in improving
organizational efficiency and customer service. Though these same arguments may be made
for many private sector enterprises, lower entry and departure rates for employees in the
public service place increased importance on effective HRM and the ongoing internal
renewal and upgrading of competencies and capabilities. Although government
organizations in many nations have adopted some elements of HRM “best practice” in
an attempt to improve competence-based performance, this adoption has been less than
complete (Morris and Farrell, 2007). Based on a study of ten public organizations in the UK,
these authors also argue that those reforms that have been implemented often result in
significant adverse outcomes, such as longer working hours, reduced job satisfaction and
added complexity. Perhaps more important from a strategic perspective, a focus on
borrowing technical improvements from industry may—perhaps unintentionally—shift
attention away from the need for a fundamental rethinking of how public employees are
viewed (Rasher 2003). In spite of the efforts of former US Comptroller General David
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Walker and others who have promoted a human capital approach to HRM, few
government employers treat employees as a strategic asset.
The HRM framework advocated in the report proposes a public service that is impartial,
professional and responsive, drawing where appropriate on the skills and resources of the
private sector. It argues that countries should first establish an effective institutional
framework for human resource management as an underlying infrastructure to achieve
high performance in the public sector. A strategic HRM system should then build on this base
using the fundamental values of impartiality, professionalism and responsiveness. Of course,
HRM professionals in the public sector, as well as the private, have long advocated
the need for input in the strategic decision processes of their respective organizations,
but these calls have now taken on the language of NPM. In addition to calls for the
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We turn now to changes that have taken place in both recruitment and selection practices.
Because permanence and job security are still more common in the public sector than in the
private sector (Limier and Gagnon 2004), attracting and selecting capable public
employees is all the more important. The adoption of merit-oriented, career-based civil
service systems is generally accepted as a key factor in explaining public sector
performance in both developed and less developed countries (Rauch and Evans 2000).
The WPSR (2005) defines merit as “the appointment of the best-suited person for any given
job.” Yet, governments worldwide are increasingly unable to find qualified staff.
• Recruitment -
Recruitment is the process by which an employer seeks qualified applicants for vacant
positions. Public sector recruitment in many nations has had a notorious reputation for being
slow, unresponsive, bureaucratic and passive. Perhaps recognizing the need to attract more
qualified applicants, some public organizations are trying to make their entry procedures
more user-friendly and transparent by introducing procedural, process and technological
changes intended to enhance their attractiveness to applicants (Laving and Hays 2004).
Many public organizations have introduced more flexibility in their recruitment efforts. Some
countries have eliminated arbitrary rules, adopted more appealing hiring procedures,
created flexible job descriptions (Center for the Study of Social Policy 2002), and instituted
worker-friendly personnel policies (Rauschenberg 2002). Public agencies increasingly use
internal and external recruitment methods that have long been exploited in the private sector.
Several of these techniques are discussed below. Employee referrals are generally
recognized as a highly effective internal recruitment method, in which current workers are
asked to recommend qualified candidates. In some cases, referral bonuses are paid to
employees who help recruit successful candidates for high-demand or high-skill positions.
Due to long-standing concerns about propriety and the desired neutrality of the civil
service, public organizations have only recently involved their employees in the search for
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new talent. Systematic internal and external job posting increases the quality of recruitment
practices by enlarging the pool of candidates, but it may also enhance retention rates and
employee motivation. From the manager’s perspective, electronic posting helps to
identify and track qualified candidates for different positions simultaneously. Many large
public organizations now use computer bulletin boards, toll-free automated telephone
systems, and electronic mail to publicize their job vacancies.
• Selection-
The process by which an organization chooses from a list of applicants those individuals
whom it believes best meet the selection criteria and who will be able to succeed in the
available position. Here again, some public organizations have dramatically modernized
their practices in the last decade. To some degree, these changes have been forced by the
increasing difficulty of finding qualified employees. An important advance has been rapid
applicant screening, supplanting long and often complex procedures that previously
discouraged many qualified candidates. Some jurisdictions now require applicants to
submit nothing more than a resume; qualified candidates are then promptly interviewed
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Last years, training and development (T&D) have been viewed as crucial management tools
in responding to the increased need for skills requisite to a knowledge economy and to the
need for ongoing organizational change and adaptation. T&D is also important for public
organizations in improving performance and in motivating and retaining staff. In some
highly individualized position-based systems, training is increasingly used as a way to
provide a common culture and an opportunity to meet and discuss professional issues
across the civil service (OECD 2004). In the following paragraphs, we offer some
comparative information on training practices in OECD countries, explore the major
difficulties encountered by public sector employers in the training process, and consider
the concept of competency-based development.
• Training -
Training is the systematic process of altering the behavior of employees in a direction that
will achieve organization goals. It has a current orientation related to present job skills with
the purpose of helping employees master specific abilities needed to be successful in
their existing positions. Development prepares individuals for the future and focuses on
learning and personal growth. The OECD (2004) report allows us to provide a broad picture
of training practices. In thirteen developed countries, civil servants spend between 5 and 10
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days in training per year; in four countries they spend between 11 and 15 days in training
per year; and in seven countries, they spend less than 5 days in training per year.
Training policy is defined at the level of central HRM bodies in twenty OECD
countries, and its implementation is left to line departments or even lower management
levels in all but eight countries. A number of nations with position-based systems tend
to use private-sector companies or universities for training, while most countries still insist
on the use of a specific training institute for civil servants. Some countries, such as the
US and Sweden, have set up special institutions to recruit and develop their managers and
leader.
Finally, the evaluation of training effectiveness should be an integral part of the overall
learning program. Evaluative review is essential to deciding whether training should be
continued in its current form, modified or eliminated altogether. Training outcomes to be
evaluated can be classified into four broad categories: affective (employees’ satisfaction
with trainer, training’s content and utility); cognitive (actual participant learning); skill-
based (behavior change); and results (organizational benefits, such as less absenteeism, more
productivity and return on investment). However, according to Bjorn erg (2002), results-
level training evaluation is seldom implemented in the public sector.
2009 Waxing and Bateman. “HRM Reform in the Public Sector: Is it enough?”
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practices. The formation of senior executive services in the US, UK and some other
nations may be considered in part as an effort to identify and promote high-level
managerial competencies and spread them throughout the public service . The use of
competency frameworks in managerial development has been criticized, however,
because this approach does not capture the diversity and qualitative nature of managers’
tasks and roles in public organizations. The list of competencies required to be a good public
manager might seem to be endless. However, the use of competency frameworks presents
strong advantages in that they help organizations communicate their intentions and needs,
enhance collaboration as all employees come to understand their part in the big picture,
and give the managers a common language in which to discuss training and development.
Moreover, since they are systematic, these frameworks offer a degree of sophistication and
legitimacy to practices such as succession planning and career management. They also
give T&D experts guidelines for prioritizing competencies for development purposes.
Public sector employees in many nations traditionally enjoyed some protection from
political caprice, but forms of tenure have become decidedly less secure as governments have
emphasized performance and accountability. No longer offering a job for life and often
burdened by lower pay scales, public organizations continue to experience difficulty
attracting sufficient numbers of employees, much less the best performers. This challenge is
particularly worrisome in nations where the demographic balance is shifting and a high
proportion of civil service workers will be eligible for retirement in the near term. The
question of how to reward civil servants is therefore both thorny and important for the future
delivery of public services. Compensation is obviously central to the employment
relationship and to the recruitment, motivation, satisfaction, commitment and retention of
employees. Moreover, pay is often expressive of management style and of symbolic
importance. Thus, the development of a compensation policy is an integral part of strategic
HRM in the public sector. In a political environment in which governments face significant
resource constraints, remuneration decisions must balance the twin goals of motivation and
equity with the ability of governments to pay. The goal should be to pay public servants
enough to attract and retain the most competent people (WPSR 2005). Freiberg (1997) sums
up the main features of traditional pay management in the public sector: “In the past,
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most public service systems, in spite of national and regional variations, shared certain
common features, including centrally determined pay structure, across the board increases,
pay scales based on grades rather than job content, occupational category or individual
merit, and progress up the scale according to seniority rather than performance.” In
contrast, new pay systems attempt to place value on flexibility, decentralization and
individualization of compensation, the organization’s strategy and needs, external equity, and
market compatibility. In new compensation systems, pay structure is ideally based on
individual or team performance and competence, pay determination is individual
(instead of collective), and individual employees can choose from a diverse range of
benefits.
The World Public Sector Report (WPSR) (UN/DESA 2005) offers governments a
number of HRM reform ideas and suggests guidelines for realizing continuous innovation
and recovery of trust in the public sector (Kim and Hong 2006; UN/DESA 2005). As part of
the process of evolutionary reform, many governments are currently looking for a new
synthesis of traditional and modern principles and techniques of public administration and
management. The WPSR 2005 advocates striking a balance between three broad
models/schools in public administration (PA): traditional PA, (new) public management, and
the emerging model of responsive governance. The last of these refers to an emphasis on
greater openness and the creation of partnerships with civil society and the private
sector. Each of these models has particular strengths and highlights core values that are
relevant in addressing contemporary HRM challenges in the public sector. Traditional PA
relies on the values of obedience, merit and impartiality. In contrast, NPM approaches favor
efficiency, responsiveness to the citizen as customer, and professionalism.
The introduction of New Public Management with an emphasis on transferring private sector
management techniques into the public sector shifted the emphasis in the public sector from
administration to management and was part of a broad strategy to achieve efficiency, effectiveness
and quality of service. Changes to the public sector were introduced in response to the perceived need
to reduce government expenditure, provide more efficient services and decrease the scope and reach
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of government provided public goods and services (Weller 1996:2). Elements of NPM included
managing for results, performance measurement, corporate planning, user pays, devolution of
authority, decentralization of activities and risk management.
Managerial under a NPM model involved the application of physical, financial and human resources
to realize government objectives. The new model of public management is argued to be a ‘flexible,
market-based form’ (Hughes 1994: 1). The rhetoric of New Public Management denoted it as the ‘arts
of private sector management’ extended into the public sector (Gray and Jenkins 1995: 80). These
new business practices also embraced new ways of managing public sector employees. Thus human
resource management was included in the public sector reform agenda.
Traditional notions of a career service, stable and lifelong employment and service wide employment
conditions were challenged by New Public Management principles and practices.
Public sector HRM has been characterized by the creation of more flexible structures and processes,
the removal of highly centralized agencies and service-wide consistency of rules and greater
responsibility accorded to line managers and supervisors in the management of employees through
flatter management structures and programs of decentralization and devolution (Gardner 1993;
Gardner and Palmer 1997; Shim 2001). At the job level, broader and multi-skilled jobs were
introduced. There was also a greater concentration on performance and output measures.
The new models of HRM in the public sector introduced the notion of human resources having the
capacity to achieve performance outcomes in line with the strategic direction of the public sector
organization (Gardner and Palmer 1997). With this orientation, there was an emphasis on securing
and retaining staff who could achieve desired outcomes and, along with this focus, a dismantling of
the internal labor market and little or no commitment to maintaining job security. The human resource
system relied on performance management for workforce flexibility and productivity.
The new system however, has been criticized for the resultant erosion of employment conditions and
opportunities for career development. Large-scale downsizing and contracting out has also arguably
contributed to poorer quality of service delivery. With the major changes and reforms to the public
sector under NPM, there has been a dilution of some of the practices and conditions that have
traditionally set the public sector apart from other organizations in the private and non-profit sectors.
The consequences of adopting NPM practices and principles were argued to have meant a cutting
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back of employees’ benefits and wages, staff reductions and changes in organizational culture and
structure (Black and Upchurch 1999).
It is also clear that the reforms have driven changes in the way the public sector interacts with and
shapes relations with external organizations. Contracting out and competitive tendering have
delivered new models of market-based service delivery
(Klijn 2002). Accordingly, the changing nature of government delivery of services has altered the
nature of relations between the public sector and other sectors, particularly the community sector.
Greater competition between service delivery organizations and contracting out have pressured
community sector organizations to respond to broader types of service delivery under conditions of
competitive tendering or through contractual arrangements that specify more closely the way the
human resources are deployed to deliver services. This has meant greater expectations on the part of
government funding bodies in relation to community organizations for ensuring better structural
organization and more skilled human resources to deliver services (Brown and Ryan 2003).
The changing dimensions of public sector employment indicate that HRM has had a major impact on
the operation of the public sector. The contribution of human resource management to understanding
the constituent elements of the ‘new’ public sector is significant. New Public Management has a place
on Centre stage in terms of affecting the agenda for change. Multiskilling, restructured career paths,
abolition of seniority as a basis for promotion, greater emphasis on equity considerations and the
removal of rigid employment categories have been some of the benefits of shifting from personnel
administration to HRM in the public sector (Brown 1997).
Emerging new concerns in relation to new directions and approaches for HRM in the public sector
center on the organizational effects of ever-increasing levels of technology, changes in population
patterns affecting labor markets and new demands on management leadership. Areas of emerging
concern and challenge to HRM in the public sector are the advances being made possible by highly
sophisticated information technology including human resource information systems, the importance
of understanding the implications of demographic trends such as the ageing population, the need for
additional attention to leadership and leadership development and the greater emphasis on workforce
capability and systems of knowledge management (Shim 2001). The different orientation of the
public sector from the for-profit, private sector means that while HRM has commonalities across all
sectors in its attention to workforce issues, HRM in the public sector will exhibit a range of
differences to that of private sector HRM.
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HRM refers to how employees are managed and one of the main functions of this discipline
is the role of ‘employee champion’ (Ulrich 1997), however, this role has changed
significantly in the public sector over the past two decades, especially for professionals.
Professionals differ from other types of employees because of their expertise knowledge and
skills, and consequently have more discretionary power in the workplace. The
implementation of New Public Management (NPM) reforms was not uniform, although some
similar changes have emerged in relation to the impact on professionals generally. The aim of
the special issue was to document our understanding of professionalism ‘under crisis’ and to
build on a platform of established research that highlighted some of the emerging challenges
facing public sector professionals as we move towards the 2020s. Prior to exploring the
impact of the changes in HRM on public service professionals it is important to consider the
environment/s in which they are compelled to engage with.
Therefore before introducing the papers contained within this special issue it is appropriate to
set the scene in which the policies, practices and events discussed are put into context. This
editorial briefly explores the evolution of public policy, public management and HRM in
public services, particularly those changes impacting on public service professionals given it
is 15 years since the last special issue of Public Management Review focusing on HR issues
in the public sector was published (Beattie and Osborne 2004, 2007).
The past 15 years have seen considerable change across public policy, public management
practice and HRM. In terms of public policy, particularly at the national level we have
witnessed a global drift to the political right. Such political philosophies tend to promulgate a
smaller state with less state ‘interference’ in the everyday lives of their citizens and
businesses. Therefore, we tend to see a retrenchment in the public sector workforce,
particularly with civil servants at national level. Whilst in many cases this has been
evolutionary there have been seismic changes in the public policy arena across a number of
countries. There is perhaps limited surprise at recent events in Turkey, where public servants,
including academia, the police and judiciary have been accused and in some cases even
imprisoned on the basis of being suspected of challenging the Erdogan regime. Likewise, in
Latin America the disputed election in Venezuela has brought much state activity to a
standstill affecting services to its citizens and the employment of its public servants. Whilst
acknowledging the severity of the consequences for the people and public servants of these
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countries, they have had a long history of political instability, however there were two
political events of seismic proportions in 2016 which we would not have predicted in 2004.
The first of these was the unexpected and narrow decision of the people of the UK to vote to
leave the European Union; not even the proposers of the leave campaign expected to win.
The then Cameron Government, which had supported the Remain campaign, were also
unprepared for this result to such an extent that little if any scenario planning had been
undertaken in the event of such an outcome. Consequently, the UK civil service, which had
been significantly reduced in terms of capacity and capability, as a result of previous and
ongoing government austerity measures, was put very much as a disadvantage when
negotiating with the highly skilled and well-resourced EU negotiators. In terms of impact on
HRM, whilst there has been much discussion in the media and in political circumstances
about the overall effect BREXIT may have on employment there has been little discussion on
the impact on UK staff, most of whom are in professional roles, who currently work for the
European Commission (the EU’s civil service). However, one can assume that some of their
experiences are similar to UK MEPs who have been living with the uncertainty of the actual
departure date from the EU, which impacts on their daily lives e.g. some politicians have
moved, at great expense, into hotels as it is difficult to renew leases on property when there is
no fixed date. A key question is what outplacement support is going to be in place for UK
European public servants.
The second event which would have been deemed unlikely in 2004 was the election of
Donald Trump, a Republican, following the Democratic presidency of Barack Obama which
had seen liberalization in policy areas such as healthcare and significant engagement with
foreign affairs. The Republicans, in recent times, have been seen as the small state party
aiming to reduce the influence of the federal government on citizens’ lives. Alongside this
has been Trump’s rallying call ‘to make America great again’ which has signaled a more
inward-looking USA compared to the Obama administration. A key strand of Trump’s
policy, which we also see in other center-right governments, is to reduce immigration,
particularly from bordering Mexico. It is here where there has been a significant clash
between public policy and HRM as a result of Trump’s desire to build a wall between the
USA and Mexico. As a result of a stand-off with Congress over the funding for the wall in
late 2018 President Trump took the decision to temporarily close down much of the Federal
Government, including the Department of Homeland Security potentially leaving the USA
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vulnerable to attacks. As a consequence many federal employees went unpaid over the festive
season, and some had to resort to use food banks to feed their families. Yet despite this there
were reports of federal employees, including the TSA, reporting for duty despite not
receiving pay thus exemplifying their ‘professionalism’.
Although the above two cases are not explored in depth in this special issue they have been
highlighted here to show the vulnerability and precariousness of public service employment,
which traditionally had been perceived as a job for life, can be significantly affected by
political changes, particularly where this is a change in government. It will be interesting to
see if Denmark’s newly elected center-left minority government led by Social Democrat
leader Mette Frederiksen will spark a move away from the center-right. Her government has
emphasized traditional values of the center-left e.g. increased support for social welfare.
However, to be electable she has continued with similar tough immigration policies as her
center-right predecessors and other center-right government’s elsewhere, which could have a
significant negative impact on the labor market supply, as being witnessed in the UK as a
consequence of BREXIT. The role of immigration, public policy and HRM could in itself be
a future special issue of this journal.
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negotiation and influencing. Examples of this have been seen recently in the Scottish Health
Service where patients and careers’ groups have worked alongside clinicians and
architects/designers to create several new hospital buildings. However, it should be noted that
NPG is still in its early days and many remnants of NPM remain, particularly around
performance management.
With regards to HRM in public services the first critical point to note is that HRM is significantly
under-researched compared to corporate HRM, whilst in practice center-right politicians thought
‘business’ models of HRM would ‘fix’ the public sector without taking account of the different
cultures and public service ethos of many public servants. This special issue is an attempt to address
this gap as is a forthcoming book by Beattie and Waterhouse (forthcoming) to be published by
Rutledge. Another key difference is that public service organizations tend to be more pluralistic than
corporate organizations with a wider range of stakeholders to satisfy including: national government,
elected or nominated members, professional organizations, trade unions, key client groups and the
wider public. Such a range of stakeholders is challenging for public sector leaders to manage as power
is not equal between stakeholders, power is also dynamic in particular shifting as different coalitions
emerge depending on issues. At the start of the 21st century ‘empowerment’ was one of the key HRM
buzzwords, however it has been superseded by employee engagement, a more substantial and
widespread policy, although actual practice varies. The role of employee engagement is particularly
pertinent to professionals as their ‘loyalties’ may be split between their organization, profession and
end-users, and has been extensively explored by Brunetto et al. (2015, 2018) in health and policing
(Brunetto et al. 2017), such variations in engagement can have a profound impact on organizational
commitment, job satisfaction and employee health and wellbeing. The employee engagement agenda
requires much in terms of the leadership qualities of those responsible for leading professionals who
themselves may have varied agendas.
When PMR last had a special issue on HRM the topics and countries involved were fairly
mainstream. NPM countries and topics including: a comparative analysis of corporate and
public further education in France; a comparative analysis of Strategic HRM in Australian
corporate and public sector healthcare services; NPM and the UK Police Service; the
relationship between communication and change in a large Australian public organization;
work-life balance in Scottish public and third sector organizations; and, partnership working
in the UK health and social care sector as part of the ‘Third Way’ policy. These articles
represented the topical issues of 2004 and had a significant focus on professional staff,
however the papers were limited to a small number of western-centric countries. A challenge
to our readers is whether or not this new special issue demonstrates an evolution or revolution
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of public service HRM, although of even greater importance is whether it does reflect the
reality of challenges facing HRM in the public sector, and do the respective authors offer a
way forward. We know turn to the specific challenges facing today’s public sector
professionals. A significant theme over the past two decades is that when professionals
become managers they face the ambiguous problem of having two masters – the organization
and the profession, resulting in often competing agendas at play (Noordegraaf 2015). This is
because the implementation of NPM was often underpinned by an austerity agenda which
shaped the type of reforms implemented and in some cases led to HRM being complicit in the
rise of excessive workloads, work intensification, work harassment and bullying across
countries – the exact opposite of the role of ‘employee champion’. In this special issue,
Nguyen et al. examines the issues of workplace negative acts on Vietnamese public sector
professionals and identified the negative implications of the lack of support given to
professionals. Similarly, Grima et al. examines the impact of coping measures used by French
physicians in response to excessive workloads. Additionally, Wankhade et al. examined the
impact of the issue of work intensification of English Ambulance Services. These types of
papers are increasing and suggests that HRM managers have become nothing more than the
‘long arm’ of managers chasing financial targets. It also suggests that HRM scholars have
failed to influence management practices in a positive way and instead have allowed the drive
towards austerity-led government provision of services to flourish without adequately
challenging it.
On the other hand, there have been some positive changes in HRM over the past decade.
There has been a movement away from ‘hard’ to ‘soft’ HRM, although, this transition has
been slow in relation to the management of professionals. An example of a slow, but positive
change is examined by Kravariti and Johnston who undertook an extensive analysis of the
talent management literature to identify the issues involved in transferring such practices to
the public sector. Whilst the evidence of such practices was limited, it does suggest that
positive frameworks for identifying new talent are emerging. Another positive change in
HRM is the focus on managers being effective leaders, at least in terms of research. Løkke
and Krøtel used a longitudinal study of 335 Danish municipal leaders, 94 supervisors and
4,449, employees to evaluate leadership quality and found that those leaders who over
estimate their value, also had the highest level of absenteeism. Such robust tools could give
governments more control over poor management practices. Similarly, Kruyen et al.
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identified new competencies required by public servants that span not only skills required to
negotiate the public sector of the past; but also the public sector of the future.
Trinchero et al., based on Italian research, introduces a new factor that may improve the
wellbeing and safety of public sector employees. Psychological Capital, whilst in itself not a
new construct, it is a new variable identified in Positive Organizational Behaviour that
provides a buffer for professionals in coping with the negative consequences of stress. After
two decades of reform, the evidence is mounting that when austerity has shaped NPM
changes, the outcome has been the erosion of organizational support for professionals and a
growing acceptance of chronic levels of work intensity that are simply unsustainable long
term. On the other hand, the role of HRM could be to increase training in personal resources
such as Psychological Capital so that employees can cope with stress without compromising
their wellbeing, engagement and safety, and would complement the growth of New Public
Governance.
Human Resources management has an important role to play in equipping organizations to meet the
challenges of an expanding and increasingly competitive sector. Increase in staff numbers, contractual
diversification and changes in demographic profile which compel the HR managers to reconfigure the
role and significance of human resources management. The functions are responsive to current
staffing needs, but can be proactive in reshaping organizational objectives. All the functions of HRM
are correlated with the core objectives of HRM. For example personal objectives is sought to be
realized through functions like remuneration, assessment etc.
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1. Strategic HR Management
As a part of maintaining organizational competitiveness, strategic planning for HR
effectiveness can be increased through the use of HR metrics and HR technology. Human
resource planning (HRP) function determine the number and type of employees needed to
accomplish organizational goals. HRP includes creating venture teams with a balanced skill-
mix, recruiting the right people, and voluntary team assignment. This function analyzes and
determines personnel needs in order to create effective innovation teams. The basic HRP
strategy is staffing and employee development.
3. Staffing
The aim of staffing is to provide a sufficient supply of qualified individuals to fill jobs in an
organization. Job analysis, recruitment and selection are the main functions under staffing.
Workers job design and job analysis laid the foundation for staffing by identifying what
diverse people do in their jobs and how they are affected by them.
Job analysis is the process of describing the nature of a job and specifying the human
requirements such as knowledge, skills, and experience needed to perform the job. The end
result of job analysis is job description. Job description spells out work duties and activities
of employees. Through HR planning, managers anticipate the future supply of and demand
for employees and the nature of workforce issues, including the retention of employees. So
HRP precedes the actual selection of people for organization. These factors are used when
recruiting applicants for job openings.
The selection process is concerned with choosing qualified individuals to fill those jobs. In
the selection function, the most qualified applicants are selected for hiring from among the
applicants based on the extent to which their abilities and skills are matching with the job.
employee to adjust himself to the new job and the employer. It is a method to acquaint new
employees with particular aspects of their new job, including pay and benefit programs,
working hours and company rules and expectations. Training and Development programs
provide useful means of assuring that the employees are capable of performing their jobs at
acceptable levels and also more than that. All the organizations provide training for new and
in experienced employee. In addition, organization often provide both on the job and off the
job training programs for those employees whose jobs are undergoing change.
5. Total Rewards
Compensation in the form of pay, incentives and benefits are the rewards given to the
employees for performing organizational work. Compensation management is the method for
determining how much employees should be paid for performing certain jobs. Compensation
affects staffing in that people are generally attracted to organizations offering a higher level
of pay in exchange for the work performed. To be competitive, employers develop and refine
their basic compensation systems and may use variable pay programs such as incentive
rewards, promotion from within the team, recognition rewards, balancing team and individual
rewards etc.
both legally required items and those offered at employer’s discretion. Benefits are primarily
related to the area of employee maintenance as they provide for many basic employee needs.
MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS
The Human Resource Manager is a part of the organizational management. So he must perform the
basic managerial functions of planning, organizing, directing and controlling in relation to his
department.
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specific time horizon. Finally, plans are developed to eliminate the forecast shortages and excess of
particular categories of human resources.
2. Organizing
Once the human resource manager has established objectives and developed plans and programs to
reach them, he must design and develop organization structure to carry out the various operations. The
organization structure basically includes the following:
1. Grouping of personnel activity logically into functions or positions;
3. Directing
The plans are to be pure into effect by people. But how smoothly the plans are implemented depends
on the motivation of people. The direction function of the personnel manager involves encouraging
people to work willingly and effectively for the goals of the enterprise. In other words, the direction
function is meant to guide and motivate the people to accomplish the personnel programs. The
personnel manager can motivate the employees in an organization through career planning, salary
administration, ensuring employee morale, developing cordial relationships and provision of safety
requirements and welfare of employees. The motivational function poses a great challenge for any
manager. The personnel manager must have the ability to identify the needs of employees and the
means and methods of satisfy those needs. Motivation is a continuous process as new needs and
expectations emerge among employees when old ones are satisfied.
4. Controlling
Controlling is concerned with the regulation of activities in accordance with the plans, which in turn
have been formulated on the basis of the objectives of the organization. Thus, controlling completes
the cycle and leads back to planning. It involves the observation and comparison of results with the
standards and correction of deviations that may occur. Controlling helps the personnel manager to
evaluate the control the performance of the personnel department in terms of various operative
functions. It involves performance appraisal, critical examination of personnel records and statistics
and personnel audit.
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OPERATIVE FUNCTIONS
The operative functions are those tasks or duties which are specifically entrusted to the human
resource or personnel department. These are concerned with employment, development,
compensation, integration and maintenance of personnel of the organization.
The operative functions of human resource or personnel department are discussed below:
1. Employment
The first operative function of the human resource of personnel department is the employment of
proper kind and number of persons necessary to achieve the objectives of the organization. This
involves recruitment, selection, placement, etc. of the personnel. Before these processes are
performed, it is better to determine the manpower requirements both in terms of number and quality
of the personnel. Recruitment and selection cover the sources of supply of labour and the devices
designed to select the right type of people for various jobs. Induction and placement of personnel for
their better performance also come under the employment or procurement function.
2. Development
Training and development of personnel is a follow up of the employment function. It is a duty of
management to train each employee property to develop technical skills for the job for which he has
been employed and also to develop him for the higher jobs in the organization. Proper development of
personnel is necessary to increase their skills in doing their jobs and in satisfying their growth need.
For this purpose, the personnel departments will device appropriate training programs. There are
several on- the-job and off-the-job methods available for training purposes. A good training program
should include a mixture of both types of methods. It is important to point out that personnel
department arranges for training not only of new employees but also of old employees to update their
knowledge in the use of latest techniques.
3. Compensation
This function is concerned with the determination of adequate and equitable remuneration of
the employees in the organization of their contribution to the organizational goals. The
personnel can be compensated both in terms of monetary as well as non-monetary rewards.
Factors which must be borne in mind while fixing the remuneration of personnel are their
basic needs, requirements of jobs, legal provisions regarding minimum wages, capacity of the
organization to pay, wage level afforded by competitors etc. For fixing the wage levels, the
personnel department can make use of certain techniques like job evaluation and performance
appraisal.
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5. Motivation
Employees work in the organization for the satisfaction of their needs. In many of the cases,
it is found that they do not contribute towards the organizational goals as much as they can.
This happens because employees are not adequately motivated. The human resource manager
helps the various departmental managers to design a system of financial and non-financial
rewards to motivate the employees.
6. Personnel Records
The human resource or personnel department maintains the records of the employees working
in the enterprise. It keeps full records of their training, achievements, transfer, promotion, etc.
It also preserves many other records relating to the behavior of personnel like absenteeism
and labor turnover and the personnel programs and policies of the organization.
7. Industrial Relations
These days, the responsibility of maintaining good industrial relations is mainly discharged by the
human resource manager. The human resource manager can help in collective bargaining, joint
consultation and settlement of disputes, if the need arises. This is because of the fact that he is in
possession of full information relating to personnel and has the working knowledge of various labor
enactments. The human resource manager can do a great deal in maintaining industrial peace in the
organization as he is deeply associated with various committees on discipline, labor welfare, safety,
grievance, etc. He helps in laying down the grievance procedure to redress the grievances of the
employees. He also gives authentic information to the trade union leaders and conveys their views on
various labor problems to the top management.
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8. Separation
Since the first function of human resource management is to procure the employees, it is logical that
the last should be the separation and return of that person to society. Most people do not die on the
job. The organization is responsible for meeting certain requirements of due process in separation, as
well as assuring that the returned person is in as good shape as possible. The personnel manager has to
ensure the release of retirement benefits to the retiring personnel in time.
E-HRM is the (planning, implementation and) application of information technology for both
networking and supporting at least two individual or collective actors in their shared
performing of HR activities. E-HRM is not the same as HRIS (Human resource information
system) which refers to ICT systems used within HR departments. Nor is it the same as V-
HRM or Virtual HRM - which is defined by Lepak and Snell as "...a network-based structure
built on partnerships and typically mediated by information technologies to help the
organization acquire, develop, and deploy intellectual capital."
E – HRM
E-HRM is the use of web-based technologies to provide HRM services within employing
organizations. It embraces e-recruitment and e-learning, the first fields of human resource
management to make extensive use of web-based technology. From this base e-HRM has
expanded to embrace the delivery of virtually all HR policies. Within a system of e-HRM, it
is possible for line managers to use desktop computers to arrange and conduct appraisals,
plan training and development, evaluate labor costs, and examine indicators for turnover and
absenteeism. Employees can also use a system of e-HRM to plan their personal development,
apply for promotion and new jobs, and access a range of information on HR policy. Systems f
e-HRM are increasingly supported by dedicated software produced by private suppliers.
E-HRM is in essence the devolution of HR functions to management and employees. They
access these functions typically via intranet or other web-technology channels. The
empowerment of managers and employees to perform certain chosen HR functions relieves
the HR department of these tasks, allowing HR staff to focus less on the operational and more
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on the strategic elements of HR, and allowing organizations to lower HR department staffing
levels as the administrative burden is lightened.
Types
There are three tiers of E-HRM. These are described respectively as Operational, Relational
and Transformational. Operational E-HRM is concerned with administrative functions -
payroll and employee personal data for example. Relational E-HRM is concerned with
supporting business processes by means of training, recruitment, performance management
and so forth. Transformational E-HRM is concerned with strategic HR activities such as
knowledge management, strategic re-orientation. An organization may choose to pursue E-
HRM policies from any number of these tiers to achieve their HR goals.
Goals
E-HRM is seen as offering the potential to improve services to HR department clients (both
employees and management), improve efficiency and cost effectiveness within the HR
department, and allow HR to become a strategic partner in achieving organizational goals.
HR Outsourcing
Today, organizations are looking at every possible avenue to reduce costs and increase
efficiency. The human resource (HR) department is not immune to this trend. High rates of
attrition, employee disengagement and cost reduction pressures are driving the need to
implement a Centralized Shared Services Model.
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E- HR Activity
Activity oriented research firstly refers to the question whether and to what extent HRM is
carried out electronically, i.e. addresses the diffusion of e-HRM. Besides studies that examine
the diffusion within single HR activities or functions like e-recruiting or e-selection, there are
also studies that address the diffusion of e-HRM as a whole.
Two UK based studies reveal that the general application of IT in HR has spread but remains
on an administrative level. Mainly administrative tasks like payroll are supported, while
advanced strategic or decision support orientated applications are lacking (Kinnie and
Arthurs, 1996, Lin, 1997, Ball, 2001 and Teo et al., 2001). Yet, there were also signs for the
beginning of non-administrative applications of IT (Ball, 2001 and Teo et al., 2001).
Besides this, there is broader empirical evidence for a wide spread use of e-recruiting in
North America where the Internet has become an ordinary recruiting source, however,
without displacing conventional media (Elliott and Tevavichulada, 1999, Hausdorf and
Duncan, 2004, Kuhn and Skuterud, 2000 and Pearce and Tuten, 2001). Besides corporate
web sites, primarily Internet job boards are utilized in order to realize e-recruiting (Hausdorf
& Duncan, 2004). The prevalent use of e-recruiting is also revealed for the public sector,
however at a more moderate level since the full range of available options is not realized
(West and Berman, 2001). In addition, a further survey depicts the frequent use of employee
résumé management systems within fortune 500 companies (Baker, DeTienne, & Smart,
1998).
These activities are followed by other HR activities, (in descending order: compensation
management, performance appraisal, affirmative action, HR planning, labour relations, and
job analysis) which are electronically performed (Elliot & Tevavichulada, 1999).
In brief, there is an initial body of research concerning the diffusion of e-HRM. However, the
internationally wide spread use of e-HRM commonly agreed upon in the literature is only
partly confirmed by current studies. This may be due to a lack of actual diffusion studies. The
findings presented may be out of date due to the ever-changing state of technology
application.
E-Recruitment
In terms of the organization's objectives, the primary goal of the recruitment process is to
attract potential applicants (prospects) who have the KSAOs needed to meet the requirements
of organizational roles. Thus, organizations are increasingly using the Internet to advertise
job openings and attract qualified prospects. The web-based advertisements often provide
prospects with information about (a) job vacancies, (b) job descriptions, (b) the organization's
culture and its “brand identity,” and (d) the inducements (e.g., pay, fringe benefits, learning
opportunities, promotion prospects) offered its employees. Interestingly, some estimates
indicate that 100%of large firms currently use the Internet to announce job openings, and
82% of large firms use intranet systems to post openings or identify qualified employees
within the organization (Cedar, 2002). For example, organizations have developed
sophisticated web-based recruiting systems to convey information about job opportunities
and give applicants the ability to complete applications online (Stone, Johnson, Navas, &
Stone- Romero, 2005; Stone, Lukaszewski, & Isenhour, 2005). In addition, organizational
intranet systems are often used to search employment records to determine if the KSAOs of
current employees are consistent with the requirements of vacant or soon-to-be vacant roles.
Such systemsmay automatically provide managers with lists of qualified employees, and
notify individuals about new job opportunities. In addition, the same systems may send
messages to employees that ask about their interests in job openings. Overall, e-HR-based
recruiting systems are thought to reach a much wider set of prospects than traditional
recruiting systems (Gueutal & Stone, 2005; Stone, Lukaszewski et al., 2005).
Internet-based e-HR systems are also used to provide job applicants (applicants) with virtual
previews of organizations. For instance, some organizations use “real time” cameras to give
prospects a preview of what it is like to work in the organization on a daily basis. Other
organizations (e.g., Cisco Systems) use such systems to give job applicants the opportunity to
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“make friends in the organization.” Through the resulting contacts, prospects can gather
considerable information about the benefits and challenges of working for the organization.
As a result of the availability of information about role requirements and inducements,
applicants can determine if their (a) needs can be satisfied by offered inducements, and (b)
KSAOs are likely to enable them to meet role requirements.
Though a great deal of organizations believe e-recruiting systems permit firms to cast a wide
net across a broad labor market, and is more likely than traditional recruitment sources to
uncover individuals with unique talents and skills, researches show that e-recruiting only
attracts greater numbers of candidates than other sources, but not necessarily attracts higher
quality applicants or candidates who are most suitable for the companies than traditional
sources (Chapman & Webster, 2003; Galanaki, 2002). McManus and Ferguson (2003)
discovers: given that some types of candidates may be more likely to use e-recruiting than the
others (for instance, "job hoppers" or savvy internet navigators), the use of the e-recruiting
systems may actually affect the characteristics of new hires in organizations, and influence
the overall composition of the workforce. McManus and Ferguson (2003), Galanki (2002),
Zusman and Landis (2002) further argue that there are age, gender, and ethnic differences in
reactions to and usage of online recruitment sources, therefore, organizations should not use
online recruiting as the sole recruitment sources.
E-Selection
There are three purposes for all the HR e-enablement (Kehoe, Dickter, Russell & Sacco,
2005): (1) to minimize cost, (2) to maximize the utilization of the organization's human
capital, (3) to enable sustainability which refers to the organization's willingness and ability
"not only to maintain the e-enabled system, but to progressively evolve the system to satisfy
changing requirements, and capitalize on improvements in technology and the science of
selection". The purposes for e-enabling selection are no any different from the above. While
conducting the maximizing the utilization of the organization's human capital, organizations
are required to design two measures into the e-enabled selection system: (1) the "capital"
represented by each person who goes through the process (including the set of text scores,
interview ratings, resum6 quality indices, background check results, drug test results, and any
other quantifiable evaluation of the skills, experiences, abilities.. ..etc.), and (2) "the extent to
which the process results in decisions that maximize the utilization of that capital" (for
example, ratio or difference between average test scores for selected candidates to average
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test scores for all candidates, percentage of candidates who satisfy minimum requirements
such as for drug tests or background checks, retention rates, post-hire, new hire performance
management results.. ..etc.,). Organizations also need to enable sustainability by emphasizing
on: clear ownership, funding strategy, business contribution, user satisfaction, and
professional support. As for the implementation, Kehoe, Dickter, Russell and Sacco reports
that more and more organizations nowadays prefer to acquire a vendor's e-selection system
because of the appealing features of specialized and flexible system solution products
available on the market.
How you feel when you think an application would decide about your capabilities which are
appropriate for a job or not? Believe or not it is the way that a lot of large organizations
would utilize to assess your fitness for a position (Gueutal and Stone, 2005) instead of
traditional approaches.
A sophisticated web-based application which would be executed on the data collected from
the applicants or a kind of electronic interaction among employer and potential candidates so-
called e-interview that could be vocal or video-based through which try to find the most
appropriate job seeker to take the vacancy is e-Selection. Collected information could range
from biological background like educational level, related jobs possessed before, etc. to
psychological testing like measuring honesty (Hogler et al., 1998).
Before going further it is good to be said there are two different orientations on company’s
website: recruiting-oriented which means the web site only publish information about the
vacant positions for perspective applicants and screening-oriented which means the web site
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would collect information from applicants to be used for selection process -also company’s
may use both- (Cappelli, 2001). So e-selection could be considered only when there is a set of
collected data from applicants which requires screening-oriented for company’s web site.
However as Bodea et al. (2003) indicate deciding about the decoupling point between e-
recruitment and e-selection processes is usually difficult but generally e-selection would start
when the analysis on data or candidate would start somehow to feed decision making process.
Nevertheless, for example in the multiple purposes e-recruitment process to increase
efficiency which Marić and Ilić (2012) introduce so that it consists of (1) attract candidates
(2) communicate with candidates (3) assess KSAOs (4) and Provide feedback to candidates,
based on the previousdefinition proposed the selection would start on second step since the
knowledge about the applicant would start to form whereas they call it as a pre-selection
process during e-recruitment. Chapman and Webster (2003) divide various stages of
recruitment and selection as (a) advertising positions, (b) receiving applications, (c) initial
screening, (d) and final selection. So according to the first definition selection starts on third
stage whereas according to the second one, initial screening is a pre-selection process. As a
result generally we can say e-selection process is composed by two steps as pre-selection and
the final selection which would be elaborated more by focusing on different methods of e-
selection.
E-Training
E-training resembles e-learning in many ways especially in terms of the methods of delivery
and technology used, except that it refers to much shorter time frame of learning which
usually is specifically designed to achieve a certain learning objective or skill. Typical types
of e-training are video conferencing and web-based training. These technologies purport to
permit delivery of learning which is “new, better, cheaper, and faster” (Bardach, 1997;
Taylor, 2002) than traditional classroom methods. For the purpose of this study, e-training
refers to any type of training provided in organizations via electronic media which include
self-paced learning from Intranet, learning from CD-ROM at work, training provided by
instructors live through Webcast, recorded sessions of past webcast trainings available to
employees and others.
The benefits of e-learning have been widely discussed including cost-effective, timely
content, and access flexibility (Hong, Lai, & Holton, 2003; Lorenzetti, 2005; Rosenberg,
2001). Bouhnik and Marcus (2006) have specifically stated that e-learning has four
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advantages: (1) freedom to decide when each online lesson will be learned, (2) lack of
dependence on the time constraint, (3) freedom to express thoughts and (4) accessibility to
the course’s online materials.
Despite all the perceived benefits of e-learning, research indicates that a high rate of students
who commence e- learning courses do not finish them (Dutton & Perry, 2002). Many are
dissatisfied with the e-learning experience. A study by Loh (2007) on e-learning effectiveness
in the manufacturing industry in Malaysia found that system quality, information quality, and
perceived usefulness influenced e-learning effectiveness positively. Another study by Md.
Hashim Nordin (2007) that investigates the factors contributing to continuance intention and
user satisfaction in e- training has found that information quality and system quality were
important factors leading to increase in usage and user satisfaction of e-learning in
workplace. Higher level of satisfaction was also found to increase the intention to continue
use.
E-Performance Management
E-Performance Management it is very oblivious by its name that Performance management
with the help of electronic systems. And as Performance Management is the function of
HRM, E-Performance Management is one of the functions of E-HRM. But yet what exactly
is this E-Performance Management was a BIG question to me? And as usual our dearest
“Google baba” gave me very limited an incomplete info on E-Performance Management.
And again I had a much bigger question than earlier as how will I get the information on this.
This first made me search what does E-HRM exactly mean? And I found it as-
E-HRM” is typically defining as the use of computer systems, interactive electronic media,
and telecommunication networks to carry out the functions of the human resources
management department. E- HRM managers always strive to provide a seamless integration
of all HRM services with a common goal of employee satisfaction.
This technology-assisted model of HRM is often begun as an efficiency program, but it soon
evolves into a major source of competitive advantage. In addition, while some human
resources management departments utilize a few virtual HRM applications, others strive to
reengineer, automate and integrate nearly all of their HRM functions.
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Keeping the company workflow fully informed about all important HR compliance
issues and corporate events,
Offering a flexible model of HRM that meets the changing needs of an increasingly
diverse and global workforce.
After reading the about E-HRM, E-Performance Management become much easier to
understand. E-Performance Management, a web-based tool, has been designed to make your
performance reviews easier than ever. E-Performance management places effective
performance management where it belongs in the hands of managers. Performance
contracting and appraisal have never been as easier with E-Performance Management. The
goals of the organization are linked to the balanced scorecard elements giving the
organization an overall view of performance with drill down capability to departments, sub
departments and individuals.
It’s very well said that a good performance management system works towards the
improvement of the overall organizational performance by managing the performances of
teams and individuals for ensuring the achievement of the overall organizational ambitions
and goals.
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An effective e- performance management system can play a very crucial role in managing the
performance in an organization by:
Ensuring that the employees understand the importance of their contributions to the
organizational goals and objectives.
Ensuring each employee understands what is expected from them and equally
ascertaining whether the employees possess the required skills and support for
fulfilling such expectations.
Ensuring proper aligning or linking of objectives and facilitating effective
communication throughout the organization.
Facilitating a cordial and a harmonious relationship between an individual employee
and the manager based on trust and empowerment.
Performance management practices can have a positive influence on the job
satisfaction and employee loyalty by:
Regularly providing open and transparent job feedbacks to the employees.
Establishing a clear linkage between performance and compensation
Providing ample learning and development opportunities by representing the
employees in leadership development programmers, etc.
Evaluating performance and distributing incentives and rewards on a fair and equated
basis.
Establishing clear performance objectives by facilitating an open communication and
a joint dialogue.
Recognizing and rewarding good performance in an organization.
Providing maximum opportunities for career growth.
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CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
There is a substantial body of literature since the early 1980s on HRM. Our definition of
HRM is the following based on Bose lie (2014): HRM involves management decisions
related to policies and practices that together shape the employment relationship and are
aimed at achieving certain goals. These goals concern performance goals which have been
defined and measured in multiple ways. Using the Harvard model of HRM, Beer, Bose lie,
and Brewster (2015) bundle these goals into a multidimensional performance construct.
Performance is not only regarded as organizational effectiveness (that reflects financial
performance indicators and productivity measures for instance), but also as creating
employee well-being (reflected in satisfied and healthy employees) and societal well-being.
Demery and Doty (1996) make a distinction between three modes of strategic HRM
theorizing -universalistic (best practices), contingency and configurationally – highlighting
the best practice versus best-fit proposition in HRM research. The best practice approaches
(universalistic) build on the notion of one-size-fits-all in HRM. The best-fit approaches
(contingency) are more sophisticated emphasizing that the internal and external
organizational context affects HRM choices, HRM outcomes and the relationship between
HRM and outcomes. The complexity of public sector organizations, both internally and
externally, requires a best-fit approach in which context matters.
In a literature review of 104 empirical articles on the added value of HRM Bose lie, Dietz,
and Boon (2005) focused on journal articles that used a multiple HRM-style practices
‘operationalization of HRM. In contrast to for example psychological approaches to
employment relationships like OB in which the focus is mainly on single HR practices such
as recruitment, HRM is considered a bundle or system of practices that shape the
employment relationships in and around organizations. A bundle or system of human
resource practices draws on notions of high commitment HR systems, high-performance
work systems and high-involvement work systems existing of coherent and consistent sets of
practices like selective recruitment and selection, teamwork and job design (Box all and
Purcell 2016; Lou 2018). Internal- or horizontal fit suggests that the alignment of individual
HR practices within a bundle or system strengthens organizational performance. The HR
system approaches are generally applied in HRM research in private and public sector
organizations. One of the most popular theories in contemporary HRM research is the AMO
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theory. The underlying idea of the AMO theory is that employees show positive attitudes
(e.g. affective commitment and job satisfaction) and desired behaviors (e.g. organizational
citizenship behavior and excellent service quality) when (Box all and Purcell 2016:
1. They have the Abilities in terms of knowledge, skills and competences to do their job
(through selective recruitment and selection, training and development, and coaching
2. They are Motivated (through performance appraisal and feedback, payment and promotion
3. They have the Opportunity to participate in decision making and the shaping of their own
work (through employee involvement, autonomous teamwork, job rotation, job enrichment
and job crafting).
The HR system or bundle approach is often built on the theoretical foundation of the AMO
theory. Hustled (1995) was one of the first to apply the HRM system approach and AMO
model to HRM and performance research. He constructed HRM bundles of HR practices
(horizontal fit) and studied the so-called vertical alignment of the HRM bundles to the
business strategy and the impact on performance. This vertical fit has been a subject of many
HRM studies over the past decades.
3. Organizational fit between HRM and organizational systems, structure and culture;
4. Environmental fit between HRM and the external institutional contexts) is far more
complicated as suggested by Pause, Guest, and Wright (2013).
Given the highly institutionalized contexts these notions on fit and alignment are even more
relevant for HRM research in public sector contexts. This requires contingency and
configurationally approaches as suggested by Demery and Doty (1996) in combination with
institutional approaches as suggested by Pause (2004).
We decided not to include the concept of leadership in our analysis because we think that
HRM itself does not include leadership, although leadership and management are necessary
to shape HRM (see our HRM definition). A different but related popular concept – people
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management –does incorporate the concept of leadership (see Knees and Leis ink 2018).
People management, however, has only recently been developed in the HRM literature. The
Harvard model is a theoretical framework that includes multiple stakeholders, organizational
context and a multidimensional performance construct (Beer, Bose lie, and Brewster 2015).
The AMO model can be considered a theoretical framework for specifying HRM and the
Harvard model a theoretical framework for the shaping of an HRM value chain and the
definition of performance affected by context and stakeholders involved.
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CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODLOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
This Chapter provides detailed description about how the research has been conducted nature
of the research undertaken, need and significance of the study, objectives of the study sample
size and sampling techniques used. In addition, the chapter describes the research tool used
and how the information gathered was transcribed and analysed, furthermore, it also covers
research scope and limitations.
Human Resource Management focuses on a part of managing people within the employer-
employee relations, and contains the creative aptitude of an organization’s member (Stone,
1995). He proposes the sphere of HRM covers up the achievement, reward, progress, and
inspiration upholding and distinctive areas of concern consist of: HR planning, instruction,
career development, routine, planning employment condition and recompense and prize. In
addition, according to Wright and Ferris, HRM is related to interpreting and understanding
the legal construction and background flexible conditions of employment and employment
associations.
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The applicability of HRM to public sector organizations is clearly recognized. Public sector
organizations need to take into service, build up, and set up payment systems, widen logical
employment policies. On the other hand, the individuality of the public sector with center on
community interest outcomes more willingly than private interests may attach a layer of
density that does not easily accord with HRM as a planned co-worker in completing
organizational competitiveness
Every organization, large or small, uses a variety of capital to make the business work.
Capital includes cash, valuables, or goods used to generate income for a business. For
example, a retail store uses registers and inventory, while a consulting firm may have
proprietary software or buildings. No matter the industry, all companies have one thing in
common: they must have people to make their capital work for them. This will be our focus
throughout the text: generation of revenue through the use of people‘s skills and abilities.
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Human resources are undoubtedly the key resources in an organization, the easiest and the
most difficult to manage! The objectives of the HRM span right from the manpower needs
assessment to management and retention of the same. To this effect Human resource
management is responsible for effective designing and implementation of various policies,
procedures and programs. It is all about developing and managing knowledge, skills,
creativity, aptitude and talent and using them optimally.
Human Resource Management is not just limited to manage and optimally exploit human
intellect. It also focuses on managing physical and emotional capital of employees.
Considering the intricacies involved, the scope of HRM is widening with every passing day.
It covers but is not limited to HR planning, hiring (recruitment and selection), training and
development, payroll management, rewards and recognitions, Industrial relations, grievance
handling, legal procedures etc. In other words, we can say that it’s about developing and
managing harmonious relationships at workplace and striking a balance between
organizational goals and individual goals. The scope of HRM is extensive and far-reaching.
Therefore, it is very difficult to define it concisely. However, we may classify the same under
following heads:
3.6 Type:
Exploratory research
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
b. Secondary:
ii. Published Business Articles, Magazines, Interview, Journals
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
CHAPTER-4
Q2 Gender?
Male 60% 21
Female 40% 14
GENDER
40% Male
60% Female
INTERPRETATION:
From the given data it was observed that the number of males are more than females its
shows that the number of females are 20 and males are 30.It describe that females are less
than males. Because males are 60%and female are 40% according to study.
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Q3 Age Group?
Percent
5%
20-30
10%
31-40
41-50
10%
INTERPRETATION:
From the given data it was observed that the pie chart shows with different ages of the people
working .The highest number is age group of 20-30 and the lowest a group of 41-50.
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Very Satisfied 6 21
Satisfied 10 4
Neutral 10 4
Dis Satisfied 5 6
Communication
5, 16% 6, 20%
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
INTERPRETATION-
From the given data it was observed that highly people are very satisfied with the
communication in their organization and average are satisfied amongst the organization out
of which minimum people are neutral and Dis satisfied with their communications in the
organization.
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Opportunities
10%
20% Yes
No
None of above
70%
INTERPRETATION:
From the given data it was observed that the majority of the employees highly said yes for the
given statement and the few number of employees Denied.
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Yes 80% 28
No 20% 7
Formal Performance
20%
Yes
No
80%
INTERPRETATION:
From the given data it was observed that 80%people agreed with formal performance in their
organization and the lower number of people have a different opinion for formal performance
management.
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Training Programs
25%
Very Often
50% Often
Neutral
25%
INTERPRETATION-
From the given data it was observed that 50% of the people have concur that training
programs are conducted very often in their organization and 25%of people have potently
accepted .
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Asses
10%
20%
10%
Completely agree
Partially Agree
Dis Agree
Unsure
60%
Fig 4.8 Representing Asses Training Programs percentage In the Distribution Sample of Q7
INTERPRETATION-
From the given data it was observed that majority of the employees have partially agreed
whereas 20% of the employees have completely agreed with the changes and impact asses the
post training programs
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Percent
11% 11%
Fully Agree
22% Agree
Neither agree Nor Disagree
Dis agree
56%
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 56 % employees neither agree nor disagree, 10 % of
employee fully agreed
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Potenial Apprasial
7
fully agreed
10.5
Agreed
8.7
Fig 4.10 representing potential appraisal Percentage in the distribution sample of Q10
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 30 % employees fully agreed with the Statement and
25 % neither agreed nor disagreed
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Q11 Organization’s HR executives are fully aware of the business needs and strategies?
Percent
10%
Fully agreed
10% 30%
Agreed
50%
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 30 % employees fully agreed with the Statement and
10 % neither agreed nor disagreed
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Percent
10%
Fully agreed
10%
Agreed
50%
Neither Agreed and Nor
disagreed
30% Disagreed
Fig 4.12 representing the Formal Job analysis percentage in the distribution sample in Q12
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 50 % employees fully agreed with the Statement and
10 % disagreed
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
HR INFORMATION SYSTEM
10%
Fig 4.13 representing the HR Information System percentage in the distribution sample in
Q13
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that Majority of employees agreed and 10 % of
employee disagreed with given statement
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Percent
20%
Strongly Agree
Agree
10% 50%
Disagree
None of above
20%
Fig 4.14 representing the Lower Level of Hierarchy percentage in the distribution sample in
Q14
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that very few employees of the organization disagreed
with statement and 50 % of employees strongly agreed with the statement
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
10%
30%
Agree
20%
Highly Agree
Disagree
Highly Disagree
40%
Fig 4.15 representing the product/process improvement percentage in the distribution sample
in Q15
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that very few employees of the organization disagreed
with statement and 40 % of employees strongly agreed with the statement
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
30%
YES
NO
NONE OF ABOVE
70%
Fig 4.16 Representing Agreement between Employees and Management in the Distribution
Sample in Q16
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that Majority of employees agreed and 30 % of
employee disagreed with given statement
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Q17. The organization has been managing change by integrating the HR issues with the
business strategies and the strategic change process?
HR Issues
10%
YES
NO
90%
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 90 % of employee said yes and 10 % of people
denied for the given statement
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Gender Balance
10%
20% Yes
No
Neutral
70%
Fig 4.18 Representing the Gender Balance in the Distribution Sample in Q18
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 70 % of employee said yes and 20 % of people
denied for the given statement and 10 % are neutral.
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Actions Taken
20%
Yes
No
80%
Fig 4.19 Representing the Action Taken In the Distribution Sample in Q19
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 80 % of employee said yes and 20 % of people
denied for the given statement
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Q20. The organization takes an initiative in rewarding, motivating, and retaining the
talent within the organization.
Percent
10%
20% Yes
No
None Of Above
70%
Fig 4.20 Representing the following Percentage in the Distribution Sample in Q20
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 70 % of employee said yes and 20 % of people
denied for the given statement
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
HRD V/S SD
10%
Agree
30%
Dis Agree
Neutral
70%
Fig 4.21 Representing the HRD V/S SD in the Distribution Sample in Q21
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 70 % of employee said yes and 20 % of people
denied for the given statement
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
22. Do You Feel Like Your Superior Motivates You To Achieve Your Goals?
Motivates
10%
Highly Motivate
30% lessr Motivate
None of above
60%
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 60 % of employee is highly motivated and 30 %
Employee are less motivated.
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
Percent
30%
YES
50% NO
UNSURE
20%
Fig 4.23 Representing the following Percentage in the Distribution Sample in Q23
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 50 % of employee said yes and 20 % of people
denied for the given statement
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
PERCENT
0%
41%
YES
NO
59% UNSURE
Fig 4.24 Representing the following Percentage in the Distribution Sample in Q24
INTERPRETATION:-
From the given data it was observed that 59 % of employee said yes and 41 % of people
denied for the given statement
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
PERCENT
17.10%
EXCELLENT
48.60%
GOOD
AVERAGE
34.30%
Fig 4.25 Representing the following Percentage in the Distribution Sample in Q25
INTERPRETATION:-
According to our Respondents 48.60 % of employees are satisfied with their Job and Average
17.10 % of employees are satisfied with their job in their organization
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
CHAPTER- 5
FINDINGS
• The study was conducted with the help of primary data which was collected from the
respondents with the help of a Questionnaire. The detailed data analysis was made and the
findings were drawn in the tabular format.
• During the study, it was found that 60% of the respondents were male and rest 40% was
female.
• Respondents find the performance appraisal process in their organization to be efficient and
easy where as in few organizations complicated method has been used which results in
inefficient results.
Identifying the requirements, identifying the high potential candidates, Put them through
intentional learning experiences, Select the best, and evaluate the success.
Reward system that recognizes and values contribution, and provides competitive pay and
benefits. A reasonable degree of security for employees was available.
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
CHAPTER - 6
• Positive is always better than negative! Your approach should build your employee's desire
to work hard on their own accord and not with you forcing them into it. Find ways to uplift
and inspire your employees instead of beating at them from behind.
• Behaviors and managing the uncertainty and conflict that can arise as a result. Unless HR is
• involved at the heart of this process to ensure the key people management issues are
addressed, public service reform plans will remain frustrated
•Be careful of pushing too hard or pushing the wrong way. Just as motivation can have a
good effect on your employees, demonization can have severe negative effects. If employees
become too demotivated, they may become actively disengaged and become a bad influence
on other employees.
•To increase job satisfaction make sure the jobs are constructed well and employees find their
jobs meaningful.
• It is recommended that employees and employers are taught about the importance of
Performance appraisal since after the survey conducted we learnt that few of the respondents
did not have an idea about its importance and conduct, it also shows some of the
organizations are not into practicing Performance appraisal.
• The appraisal should be both ways: On how the manager feels about the working of the
employee and also the employees review and feedback on the manager.
• Setting goals in a way that reinforces the employee's ability to plan and implement the steps
necessary to reach the goal.
• Ensure that the workload is allocated based on worker’s capabilities and resources
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
CHAPTER - 7
CONCLUSION
The difficulty besetting the public sector that conducted in NPM acquired in excess of simply
upholding a conventional perspective for bureaucratic achievement. Growing expenses and
the need for financial self-control, a deficit of the public self-confidence in the skill of
administration to be approachable to the society and structural revolution drove management
and public sector managers to look for a fundamentally dissimilar model for working and
organizing the public sector.
The more applicable question associates not to how suitable is the universal force of
improvement that transposes commerce criteria on top of the deliverance of public services,
but what is the appropriate reorganization route given customary public sector conditions and
background. Computation concerning HRM as an answer stage for transformation can then
be helpfully taken on. What is at bet is the equilibrium between challenging principles about
the function and intention of the public sector and the opportunity of improving a workable
human resource model that regards not only the particular disposition of the public service
but also act in responses to the shifting surroundings fashioned by new management
practices.
Technology and innovation are increasingly becoming critical for success of organization.
The benefits of it extend far beyond productivity; the emergence of tools based on the new
information and communication technologies also affects the working methods of business.
As a consequence, numerous changes are taking place within the organization context. The
above lesson discusses the basics of e-HRM and highlights its benefits. E-HRM involves use
of web-based technologies to manage people, perform HR functions (e.g. E-recruitment, e-
selection etc.,) and deliver eservices to employees. The view of e-HRM outlined in this
lesson provides a foundation for understanding the needs and importance of e-HRM in the
present era.
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
CHAPTER - 8
BIBLOGRAPHY
www.humanresources.org
www.hrmguide.net
www.humanresourcesiq.com
www.humanresourcemanagement.co.uk
www.hrmasia.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wikipedia
www.scribd.com
www.investopedia.com
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
CHAPTER - 9
ANNEXURE
Q2 Gender?
a) Male
b) Female
Q3 Age Group?
a) 20-30
b) 31-40
c) 41-50
a) Very Satisfied
b) Satisfied
c) Neutral10
d) Dis Satisfied
a) Yes
b) No
c) None of above
a) Yes
b) No
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
a) Very Often
b) Often
c) Neutral
a) Completely agree
b) Partially Agree
c) Dis Agree
d) Unsure
a) Fully Agree
b) Agree
c) Neither agree Nor Disagree
d) Dis agree
a) fully agreed
b) Agreed
c) Neither Agreed and Nor disagreed
d) Disagreed
Q11 Organization’s HR executives are fully aware of the business needs and strategies?
a) Fully agreed
b) Agreed
c) Neither Agreed and Nor disagreed
d) Disagreed
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
a) Fully agree
b) Agree
c) Neither Agree and Nor disagree
d) Disagree
a) Fully agree
b) Agree
c) Disagree
a) Strongly Agree
b) Agree 2
c) Disagree
d) None of above 20
a) Agree
b) Highly Agree
c) Disagree
d) Highly Disagree
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
a) Yes
b) No
c) None Of Above
Q17. The organization has been managing change by integrating the HR issues with the
business strategies and the strategic change process?
a) Yes
b) No
a) Yes
b) No
c) Neutral
a) Yes
b) No
Q20. The organization takes an initiative in rewarding, motivating, and retaining the
talent within the organization.
a) Yes
b) No
c) None Of Above
a) Agree
b) Dis Agree
c) Neutral
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HRM PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SECTOR
22. Do You Feel Like Your Superior Motivates You To Achieve Your Goals?
a) Highly Motivate
b) less Motivate
c) None of above
a) Yes
b) No
c) Unsure
a) Yes
b) No
c) Unsure
a) Excellent
b) Good
c) Average
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