Human Resource Management in Public Service
Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems
8th Edition
Published on 14. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
536 pages
978-1-0719-1788-6 (ISBN)
Description
Offers provocative and thorough coverage of the complex issues and paradoxes faced by employees and managers in the public sector
Reviews / Votes
The current edition of Human Resource Management in Public Service: Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems is thoroughly revised and updated. Written by world recognized experts in the human resource management (HRM) field, the book permits students opportunities to engage processes and functions of HRM in changing technological, social, and political times. This text is the best summation of expert overviews of HRM in public service development in the USA. -- Professor Eric E. Otenyo * Review * The authors' intentional focus on the current challenges and opportunities in the real world of HR management today is what our students need to successfully navigate the dynamic environment of public service leadership. -- Professor Katrina H. Norvell * Review *More details
Edition
8th Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Thousand Oaks
United States
Publishing group
Sage Publications Inc Ebooks
Target group
College/higher education
Edition type
Revised edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 187 mm
Weight
794 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0719-1788-6 (9781071917886)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition
Evan M. Berman | James S. Bowman | Jonathan P. West
Human Resource Management in Public Service
Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems
Book
09/2021
7th Edition
CQ Press
€181.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Persons
Evan M. Berman is Professor of Public Management at Fundacao Getulio Vargas, EAESP (Sao Paulo, Brazil), specializing in human resource management, public performance, and comparative public administration. Previously, he was Huey McElveen Distinguished Professor at Louisiana State University. Dr. Berman is ranked among the very top scholars in public administration world-wide. He has received the Outstanding Scholarship Award from the American Society for Public Administration (Section on Personnel and Labor Relations) for contributions to research, teaching and service in public sector HRM, and many other awards, including from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), the accrediting body for public administration programs. He has authored 15 books and over 175 publications, in all of the leading journals of the discipline. Dr Berman has chaired ASPA's Section on Personnel and Labor Relations, he is founding editor of ASPA's Book Series in Public Administration and Public Policy, senior editor of Public Performance and Management Review, and a Distinguished Fulbright Scholar. His 2023 book, Performance and Innovation in the Public Sector (with I. Hijal-Moghrabi), won the 2024 ASPA/SPALR Outstanding Book Award. Evan is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and Visiting Professor at Fudan University (Shanghai) and University of Indonesia (Jakarta).
Montgomery R. Van Wart is a professor of public administration at California State University, San Bernardino and former dean of the College of Business and Public Administration. He is also visiting research professor at the National University of -Ireland Galway and honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong. His research areas are administrative leadership, human resource management, training and development, administrative values and ethics, organization behavior, and general management. He has over 100 publications, including 11 books and nine articles in Public Administration Review. His Dynamics of Leadership in Public Service: Theory and Practice (M. E. Sharpe, 2005) was awarded Outstanding Academic Title by Choice. His Leadership in Public Organizations: An Introduction (Routledge, 2017) is in its third edition. He serves on numerous editorial boards and as associate editor of Public Productivity & Management Review. He has received numerous research and teaching awards, including the ASPA Van Riper Award and the CSUSB Outstanding Researcher Award.
Meghna Sabharwal is a distinguished professor in the Public and Nonprofit Management program at The University of Texas at Dallas, where she also serves as Associate Provost for Faculty Success. Dr. Sabharwal's is also Editor in Chief of the Review of Public Personnel Administration, the leading research journal of public sector HRM in the world. Meghna's research expertise lies in public human resource management, with a focus on workforce diversity, equity, inclusion, job satisfaction, performance, and high-skilled migration. She has authored over 85 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, contributing significantly to the field. Her contributions to public sector human resource management have earned her several honors, including the Outstanding Scholarship Award from the American Society for Public Administration's Section on Personnel and Labor Relations. Meghna approaches her work with an awareness of the privileges that her background and social position carries. Creating more inclusive workplaces and learning environments is a guiding value of her work. Meghna is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Montgomery R. Van Wart is a professor of public administration at California State University, San Bernardino and former dean of the College of Business and Public Administration. He is also visiting research professor at the National University of -Ireland Galway and honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong. His research areas are administrative leadership, human resource management, training and development, administrative values and ethics, organization behavior, and general management. He has over 100 publications, including 11 books and nine articles in Public Administration Review. His Dynamics of Leadership in Public Service: Theory and Practice (M. E. Sharpe, 2005) was awarded Outstanding Academic Title by Choice. His Leadership in Public Organizations: An Introduction (Routledge, 2017) is in its third edition. He serves on numerous editorial boards and as associate editor of Public Productivity & Management Review. He has received numerous research and teaching awards, including the ASPA Van Riper Award and the CSUSB Outstanding Researcher Award.
Meghna Sabharwal is a distinguished professor in the Public and Nonprofit Management program at The University of Texas at Dallas, where she also serves as Associate Provost for Faculty Success. Dr. Sabharwal's is also Editor in Chief of the Review of Public Personnel Administration, the leading research journal of public sector HRM in the world. Meghna's research expertise lies in public human resource management, with a focus on workforce diversity, equity, inclusion, job satisfaction, performance, and high-skilled migration. She has authored over 85 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, contributing significantly to the field. Her contributions to public sector human resource management have earned her several honors, including the Outstanding Scholarship Award from the American Society for Public Administration's Section on Personnel and Labor Relations. Meghna approaches her work with an awareness of the privileges that her background and social position carries. Creating more inclusive workplaces and learning environments is a guiding value of her work. Meghna is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Content
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Context and Challenges
Chapter 1: The Public Service Heritage: People, Process, and Purpose
Some Challenges in Getting and Managing the Right People
Some Basic Definitions
The Roles of Human Resource Departments
Broad Themes of HRM
Foundational HRM Legislation
HRM Reforms in Modern Times
Human Resource Management Principles
Ethics and Moral Management
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Note
Exercises
Chapter 2: Legal Rights and Responsibilities: Laws Governing the Workplace
The Foundations of Employment Law
The Employment Relationship
Balancing Employer, Employee, and Societal Interests
Privacy Issues
Pre-Employment Investigations: Truth, Personality, Health, Credit, and Criminal Records
Discrimination
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Part II: Processes and Skills: From Start to Finish
Chapter 3: Recruitment: From Passive Posting to Social Media Networking
Factors in Recruitment: Employer and Applicant Perspectives
Recruitment Steps
Planning and Approval
Position Announcements
Recruitment Strategies
Enhancing Recruitment Prospects: The Seeker's Perspective
Advancing from Job Seeking to Career Development
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 4: Selection: From Civil Service Commissions to Decentralized Decision Making
The Bases and Origin of Selection
Criteria in Selecting Selection Tests
Initial Reviewing and Testing
Interviewing and Reference Checks: Narrowing the Pool
General Considerations for Those Conducting Interviews
Choosing and Negotiation
Post-Offer and Hiring Issues
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 5: Position Management: Judicious Plan or Jigsaw Puzzle?
Three Types of Personnel Strategies
The Origins of Position Classification and Management
Job Design and Job Analysis
Job and Position Descriptions
From Jobs to Job Systems
Curbing, Cutting, and Eliminating Workforce
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 6: Employee Motivation: Possible, Probable, or Impossible?
The Sources of Motivation
Motivation: Pull, Push or Drive?
Motivation: Pull, Push or Drive?
Tools of Motivation
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 7: Compensation: Vital, Visible, and Vicious
Equity and Expectancy Theory
Pay Determination
Philosophy: Lead, Match, or Lag
The Perennial Pay Debate
Labor Market Forces: External Competition
Job Content: Internal Consistency
Individual Considerations: Fairness and Contributions
Longevity Pay
Implications
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 8: Employee-Friendly Policies: Fashionable, Flexible, and Fickle
Workforce and Workplace Trends
Work-Family Programs
Health, Safety, and Wellness Programs
Flexible Work Arrangements
Traditional Benefits: Not-So-Employee-Friendly Trends
Implementation, Assessment, and Evaluation
Avoiding and Coping With Hostility at Work
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 9: Training and Development: Exploring New Frontiers
General Principles of Learning
Training Strategies
Organizational Training and Development
Applications: Workplace Training
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Exercises
Chapter 10: Appraisal: A Process in Search of a Technique
Evolution
Appraisal Systems
Raters
Rating Errors: The Underbelly of Appraisals
Improving the Process
Disciplinary Systems
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 11: Unions and the Government: Protectors, Partners, and Punishers
Background: The Context and Evolution of Employee Relations
Differing Views of Unions
Collective Bargaining: Structures, Strategies, and Skills
Paradoxes and Contradictions
Trends and Variations
Hostility vs. Harmony
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Exercises
Glossary
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Context and Challenges
Chapter 1: The Public Service Heritage: People, Process, and Purpose
Some Challenges in Getting and Managing the Right People
Some Basic Definitions
The Roles of Human Resource Departments
Broad Themes of HRM
Foundational HRM Legislation
HRM Reforms in Modern Times
Human Resource Management Principles
Ethics and Moral Management
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Note
Exercises
Chapter 2: Legal Rights and Responsibilities: Laws Governing the Workplace
The Foundations of Employment Law
The Employment Relationship
Balancing Employer, Employee, and Societal Interests
Privacy Issues
Pre-Employment Investigations: Truth, Personality, Health, Credit, and Criminal Records
Discrimination
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Part II: Processes and Skills: From Start to Finish
Chapter 3: Recruitment: From Passive Posting to Social Media Networking
Factors in Recruitment: Employer and Applicant Perspectives
Recruitment Steps
Planning and Approval
Position Announcements
Recruitment Strategies
Enhancing Recruitment Prospects: The Seeker's Perspective
Advancing from Job Seeking to Career Development
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 4: Selection: From Civil Service Commissions to Decentralized Decision Making
The Bases and Origin of Selection
Criteria in Selecting Selection Tests
Initial Reviewing and Testing
Interviewing and Reference Checks: Narrowing the Pool
General Considerations for Those Conducting Interviews
Choosing and Negotiation
Post-Offer and Hiring Issues
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 5: Position Management: Judicious Plan or Jigsaw Puzzle?
Three Types of Personnel Strategies
The Origins of Position Classification and Management
Job Design and Job Analysis
Job and Position Descriptions
From Jobs to Job Systems
Curbing, Cutting, and Eliminating Workforce
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 6: Employee Motivation: Possible, Probable, or Impossible?
The Sources of Motivation
Motivation: Pull, Push or Drive?
Motivation: Pull, Push or Drive?
Tools of Motivation
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 7: Compensation: Vital, Visible, and Vicious
Equity and Expectancy Theory
Pay Determination
Philosophy: Lead, Match, or Lag
The Perennial Pay Debate
Labor Market Forces: External Competition
Job Content: Internal Consistency
Individual Considerations: Fairness and Contributions
Longevity Pay
Implications
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 8: Employee-Friendly Policies: Fashionable, Flexible, and Fickle
Workforce and Workplace Trends
Work-Family Programs
Health, Safety, and Wellness Programs
Flexible Work Arrangements
Traditional Benefits: Not-So-Employee-Friendly Trends
Implementation, Assessment, and Evaluation
Avoiding and Coping With Hostility at Work
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 9: Training and Development: Exploring New Frontiers
General Principles of Learning
Training Strategies
Organizational Training and Development
Applications: Workplace Training
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Exercises
Chapter 10: Appraisal: A Process in Search of a Technique
Evolution
Appraisal Systems
Raters
Rating Errors: The Underbelly of Appraisals
Improving the Process
Disciplinary Systems
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Notes
Exercises
Chapter 11: Unions and the Government: Protectors, Partners, and Punishers
Background: The Context and Evolution of Employee Relations
Differing Views of Unions
Collective Bargaining: Structures, Strategies, and Skills
Paradoxes and Contradictions
Trends and Variations
Hostility vs. Harmony
Summary and Conclusion
Key Terms
Exercises
Glossary
About the Authors