5 G Williams J Brathwaite

Professionalizing the HRM Function in the Public Service – A Case Study of Delivering the HRM Module in the UWI Masters in Public Sector Management: 

Professionalizing the HRM Function in the Public Service – A Case Study of Delivering the HRM Module in the UWI Masters in Public Sector Management

Focus of the Presentation: 

Focus of the Presentation Public Service Context Course Design and Programming Course Delivery Evaluation Building Professionalism in the Public Service - Course Learnings to Date

Slide3: 

3 Crown Colony – Pre-Independence Era Post-Independence Period –1962-1979 The 1980s – 1990s Era 2000 & Beyond The Historical Context

The Historical Context(Cont’d): 

4 The Historical Context (Cont’d) Crown Colony to the Pre- Independence Era (drawn from Dr. Anne Marie Bissessar, UWI) The focus was on personnel administration, bureaucratic efficiency and promotion based on social standing. System of confidential reports based on officers conduct, personality and general ability. This was the evaluation method used for granting promotions The system favoured British officers over local officers.

The Historical Context(Cont’d): 

5 The Historical Context (Cont’d) Centralization of policies with respect to selection, recruitment, promotion, transfer and discipline. There was some provision for the training of local officers by means of scholarships tenable mainly at institutions in the United Kingdom.

The Historical Context: 

6 The Historical Context Push factors leading to changing face of civil service prior to independence Political and social unrest in the 1930’s leading to the 1945 Moyne Commission which recommended increased participation of locals in the politics and an improved public administration.

Cont’d: 

7 Cont’d In an effort to gear all its territories for eventual independence and as part the development of an improved public administration, Public Service Commissions were created in Jamaica in 1951, British Guiana 1952 and Trinidad 1959. The basic structure of the Public Service consisted of a Chairman, four or five Part-time Commissioners selected from local senior Civil Servants and members of the society of renown and good repute.

The Historical Context(Cont’d): 

8 The Historical Context (Cont’d) Post Independence Period(1962 -1979) Political / Constitutional Governance – Trinidad and Jamaica gained Independent nation status 1962 and Guyana in 1966 – Self Government – Prime Minister, House of Representatives and Senate. The Civil Service, the Teaching Service, the Prison and the Fire Service Acts and the Statutory Authorities Act were introduced.

The Historical Context(Cont’d): 

9 The Historical Context (Cont’d) Post Independence Period Cont’d. Economic Caribbean Governments concentrated on Social and Economic Development which resulted in phenomenal increases of government expenditure. More decentralization of functions to ministries, departments and agencies.

The Historical Context(Cont’d): 

10 The Historical Context (Cont’d) Post Independence/Republican Period The University of the West Indies becomes the focal point for education and training in public administration. Focus on Public Sector Reform

 Context: 

11 Context PM & IR HRM Adversarial Collaborative Reactive/piecemeal Proactive, strategic future oriented Organization : separate Organization: Integrated Client: Employees Client: Management & Employee employee as a cost employee as an asset Regularity : record keeping facilitating change STAFF SPECIALISTS LINE MANAGERS The Shift from Personnel Management and Industrial Relations to Human Resource Management

The Push to the New HRM: 

12 The Push to the New HRM Criticisms against the Public Service led to the formation of reform commissions to improve efficiency. These included: The Lewis Report 1964 A 1970 Working Group on Streamlining the Public Service The 1975 Administrative Report . The Dumas Report of the 1980s

The Push to the New HRM: 

13 The Push to the New HRM The Focus on Public Sector Reform 1980s – Present The Government of Trinidad and Tobago commitment to PSR, that is, a move to the New Public Management in response to: too costly and inefficient public administration the demands of Structural Adjustment. The creation of the position of a Minister with responsibility for Public Administration in 1992.

The Shift from Public Administration to New Public Management & HRM: 

14 The Shift from Public Administration to New Public Management & HRM Change in Environment Technology Structural Adjustments New Ideology Change in Political Regime Public Administration New Public Management HRM

Characteristics of the New Public Management: 

15 Characteristics of the New Public Management Hood (1991) : The need to reduce the size of government: The shift towards privatization or semi-privatization The Development of Automation The Development impacts as related to the MDG’s

Characteristics of the New Public Management: 

16 Characteristics of the New Public Management Hood (1991) cont’d Globalization Customer Focus Public Accountability and Focus on Results

2000 & Beyond: 

17 2000 & Beyond One of the aims of Vision 2020 is to create Total Quality Public Institutions “Public service personnel must be well-trained, qualified, efficient and courteous individuals. Promotion, compensation and recognition should be based on performance and merit as opposed to seniority or nepotism.

2000 & Beyond: 

18 2000 & Beyond Strengthen the Human Resources in the Public Service Increase the number of training programmes available to public servants. Improve the recruitment and selection process. Move to a system of meritocracy where promotion and rewards are results.

2000 & Beyond: 

19 2000 & Beyond Develop and implement fair-trading and competition laws Execute Existing Strategies and Programmes Finalize and implement the “Performance Management Framework for Ministries” plan drafted by the Office of the Prime Minister.

2000 & Beyond: 

20 2000 & Beyond Restructure and institutionally strengthen the public service- Reform the Service Commissions Implement e-government strategies as outlined in the National ICT Plan 2003-2008 Revise legislation governing the public service, giving particular attention to technology changes Strengthen regulatory institutions MORI Poll findings on how well the public service is working – from the viewpoint of a) the employees, and b) the public (2004 onwards)

Policy Analysis Framework: 

Policy Analysis Framework Strategies Constraints Objectives Policies Consist of Work through Further or impede Permit Evaluation of Public policy framework ….&Management Governments form STRATEGIES, by choosing POLICIES to further their OBJECTIVES, subject to CONSTRAINTS. Adequate MANAGEMENT of the process is important for success.

Cutting Edge Themes: 

Cutting Edge Themes Leadership Performance Management Outsourcing Learning Organizations Strategic Partnering Career Development Pay for Performance E-Government HIV/AIDS Talent Management

NPM Competencies : 

NPM Competencies Competency defined as: An observable and measurable knowledge, skill, ability or personal characteristic assessed in terms of the behaviours required by employees to achieve performance output or outcome needs of the organization’. These may be categorized as: Organizational Functional (Source: Canadian Public Service – RCMP)

NPM Competencies – GORTT Vision 2020: 

NPM Competencies – GORTT Vision 2020 Organizational Competencies/Metrics for Service-centric Public Service - Meeting Client Needs Conscientiousness and Reliability Results-oriented People Skills Team Leadership Teamwork Communication Networking and Relationship Building

Need for New Public Management: 

Need for New Public Management GORTT, Vision 2020 GORTT, Public Sector Reform Program Millinieum Development Goals GORTT signatory to UN Conventions e.g. CEDAW (gender) Koyoto Declaration/Barbados Plan of Action (The environment)

Competencies/Metrics for Service-centric Public Service: 

Competencies/Metrics for Service-centric Public Service Thinking Skills Competencies Critical Thinking Innovativeness Problem Solving Strategic Thinking Decisiveness

Competencies/Metrics for Service-centric Public Service: 

Competencies/Metrics for Service-centric Public Service Focus on Learning Developing Self and Others Flexibility Change Leadership and Development

Competencies/Metrics for Service-centric Public Service: 

Competencies/Metrics for Service-centric Public Service Functional: Ability to manage human resources (knowledge of the Civil Service Act and the workings of Service Commissions; delegated management authority of Permanent Secretaries) Knowledge of the Policy Cycle and Decision Making Policy Making Instruments viz. The Cabinet Note Developing and Securing Approval for a Sector Policy

Competencies/Metrics for Service-centric Public Service: 

Competencies/Metrics for Service-centric Public Service Functional: The Legislative Process (Joint Select Committee of Parliament; Public Accounts Committee etc.) The Budgetary Cycle Procurement Process Records and Information Management Project Management

Competencies/Metrics for Service-centric Public Service: 

Competencies/Metrics for Service-centric Public Service Sector Focus Policing in National Security Knowledge of Public Order Issues Crime Scene Management Investigative Techniques Intelligence Gathering Ability to Prepare and Give Testimony in Court (Source:Canadian Public Service – RCMP)

Course Design & Programming: 

Course Design & Programming Key Courses in Master’s Public Sector Management Program Strategic Planning Research Methods Policy Analysis and Management Comparative Public Administration Leadership Development and Team Issues Organization Behaviour and Development Human Resource Management Management Information Systems Practicum

Course Target Group: 

Course Target Group Participants comprised mostly non-HR middle to senior public officers who are pursuing the Government-funded Masters in Public Sector Management (about 95%)

HRM Course – Instructional Strategies: 

HRM Course – Instructional Strategies Case Studies (reports on HRM research done worldwide) Case Analysis (public management problems) Class Discussions Group Work & Presentations (teaching and learning – no testing or evaluation at this point) Mini- Lectures Panel Discussions & Feedback

Teaching Techniques: 

Teaching Techniques Lecture Class Course Guest Other Discussion Work Presenters Recruitment& Selection 6% 32% 60% 0% 11% Training & Development 10% 6% 60% 20% 5% Performance Management 20% 40% 28% 6% 6% Compensation Administration 10% 10% 5% 75% 4% Career developing 16% 50% 15% 6% 8% Ethics in the Public Service 20% 18% 66% 7% 2% Leadership 8% 37% 42% 6% 5% Diversity Issues 21% 33% 19% 3% 32% Organizational Dev. 50% 30% 2% 9% 2% Strategic Human Resource 20% 28% 5% 55% 23% Management

Case Analysis: 

Case Analysis To understand process by Describing the problems Developing the solutions Communicating the responses To use the specific tools of analysis Frameworks for policy analysis and problem analysis Frameworks for analyzing government action Decision analyses Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis Management tools (HRM) Effectively close gaps through critical deliberations with colleagues

Case Studies: 

Case Studies Evidence of Strategic HRM Linkages in 11 Australian Corporatized Public Sector Organization Decentralization of Recruitment on the Public Service of Thailand Finding A Needle in a Haystack: The Challenge of Recruiting and Retaining Sharp Employees The HRM Effectiveness Audit: A Tool for Managing Human Resource Management

Case Studies: 

Case Studies Alternative Recruitment Strategy – Case Study of Contract Employment in the Public Service of Trinidad and Tobago Development of a Training Policy Conducting Exit Interviews: How Public Service Organizations Can Benefit Assessment of the Organization Safety and Health Legislation (OSHA) for Trinidad and Tobago

Guest Presenters: 

Guest Presenters Mr. Keith Gay (Ministry of Finance): Output budgeting Ms. Belle-Joseph (formerly of the Cabinet Office): Cabinet Note Brig. Peter Joseph (Special Anti- Crime Unit of T & T): National Security Mrs. Nan Ramkissoon (Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business): Compensation Administration Ms. Ingrid Ryan- Ruben (Ministry of Public Administration): Change Management Mr. Ramlakhan for OBD Module (Ministry of Public Utilities and Environment) – Internal Auditing

Student Evaluation: 

Student Evaluation Coursework (40%) Readings – 10 % Case Study – 10% Developing and Analyzing a Public Service Management Case (10%) Group Panel Interview on Group Preparation of Coursework (organization competency focus - team work; commitment; time management; creativity and innovativeness; trust building and conflict handling etc.

Retrospectives on the HRM Module – Student Feedback at Panel Interviews: 

Retrospectives on the HRM Module – Student Feedback at Panel Interviews Group 1: ‘This module presented an opportunity for constant learning…. sharing the summaries from the other groups enabled our group to keep abreast of readings in the course which was quite voluminous ….’ ‘I was able to connect the dots across the various topics….for example, linking the Group 3’s presentation on Strategic HRM to our piece on the Shift from traditional public administration to the New Public Management’

Cont’d: 

Cont’d Group 2: ‘This team based approach to the module really required us to manage time… we soon realized the need to divide labour to do the different assignments and still come together to discuss what each member had done….we had a lot of storming…. real storming …. But it all made me think….I had to reconcile, for example, the various points of views on challenges of implementing the New Public Management in the drive to public sector reform

Cont’d : 

Cont’d Group 3: ‘You get very absorbed in the coursework… the HRM management cases and research case studies … I soon realized that I was at the same time preparing for the final exam which was also a case study… Now I know what you meant when you would say, “you don’t have to study for the exam’….we were able to use the learnings in the coursework for the exam…

Cont’d : 

Cont’d Group 4 ‘ I did my undergraduate programme all by myself… I never liked working in groups…. but to survive in this course… I had to learn teamwork… and learn it fast…!’ Before this module, I used to see HR as a something for the HR people…. I am a programme specialist…. But it has now come to me, as you always say…. Once you managing people, you are a line HR manager….I now appreciate the HR competencies and skills you need to get staff to work productively

Cont’d: 

Cont’d Group 5 ‘Group planning…. Sharing out the work to be done … drawing on each other’s strength…it was all about problem solving together… We had our difficult moments, … there were personality difference…. but I guess we soon understood what performance management in the HR module meant…. clarifying task roles, setting standards, monitoring etc’

Building Professionalism in the Public Service - Issues from the Course: 

Building Professionalism in the Public Service - Issues from the Course Student - Competency assessment Transfer of learning (Bearing in mind the challenge of the ‘Knowing/Doing Gap’ faced by the HR professional Commitment of Public Officers to assume line responsibility for the HR function in their Ministries and Department Assuming the role of advocates or ‘voice’ for the shift from PM & IR to HRM Encourage course graduates to make the shift to becoming HR specialists

Building Professionalism in the Public Service - Issues from the Course: 

Building Professionalism in the Public Service - Issues from the Course GORTT Job Responsibility - HR competencies and service deliverables explicit in the performance contract Reward, Recognition and Compensation – take cognizance of HR competences and deliverables Programme evaluation re alignment of course outcomes with Vision 2020; MDGs etc. Sustained funding

Building Professionalism in the Public Service - Issues from the Course: 

Building Professionalism in the Public Service - Issues from the Course The University Quality Assurance – conducting training needs assessment for the HRM course Course design and scheduling Formative and Terminal Evaluation e.g. should there be a final exam? Periodic programme evaluation so as to have evidence-based course improvement Internship