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

Recognizing the inherent tensions and contradictions that result from managing people in organizations, Human Resource Management in Public Service: Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems offers provocative and thorough coverage of the complex issues of management in the public sector. Continuing the award-winning tradition of previous editions, this Third Edition helps students to understand complex managerial puzzles and covers all of the stages of the employment process, including recruitment, selection, training, legal rights and responsibilities, compensation, and appraisal. Grounded in real public service experiences, the book emphasizes hands-on skill building and problem solving.

New and Continuing Features

• Offers additional practical tools for managers and student job seekers, more international examples, and more examples from hospitals and social services
• Includes new sections on ethics training, motivation, psychological contracts, civil service reform, and workplace violence
• Incorporates unique chapters on family-friendly benefits and HRM issues relating to productivity improvement strategies
• Draws relevant managerial examples and cases from local, state, and federal government
• Balances coverage of big picture topics with the development of hands-on, technical skills
• Encourages active learning through carefully crafted questions at the end of each chapter and a mix of individual, group, and in-class exercises that ensure student mastery of key concepts

Human Resource Management in Public Service: Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems, Third Edition is intended for upper level undergraduate and graduate courses in Human Resource Management in departments of management, public administration, and political science.