Handbook of Human Resources Management in Government
Chapter One
The Changing Role of
the Human Resource Office
Carolyn Ban
Calls for reform of civil service systems and for a redefinition of the role of
public sector human resource offices have been a perennial part of the dialogue
about public management. From before the Civil Service Reform Act
of 1978 through the National Performance Review in the 1990s to the present
Bush administration's management agenda, reformers have argued that human
resource offices should move away from their traditional role, with its focus on
routine processing of personnel transactions and on control and enforcement of
rigid civil service laws (West, 2002). They have been exhorted, rather, to take
on new roles more aligned with the mission of the agency or organization and
more responsive to management's needs. The trend, however, is "toward a
strategic balance between centralized and decentralized structures ... [that is,
toward] a middle ground of strategic balance and sharing" (Ingraham, Joyce,
and Donahue, 2003, p. 82). This chapter will explore the reasons for these calls
for change and the specific critiques of the ... read full excerpt from Handbook of Human Resources Management in Government, 2nd Edition ebook
