The temporal, social, and responsiveness dilemmas of public personnel administration

Public personnel administration is confronted by three intertwined dilemmas. Responsiveness to political leadership is essential to a democracy. Yet placing responsibility for personnel administration in the hands of political appointees introduces a transcience that is incompatible with a sustained...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of public administration 1993-01, Vol.16 (7), p.945-967
Main Author: Klay, William Earle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accountability
Human resource management
Political appointments
Political leadership
Public administration
Public relations
Response time
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Summary:Public personnel administration is confronted by three intertwined dilemmas. Responsiveness to political leadership is essential to a democracy. Yet placing responsibility for personnel administration in the hands of political appointees introduces a transcience that is incompatible with a sustained commitment to organizational improvement through applications of the behavioral sciences. Vesting careerists with personnel administration authority is the best way to address the three dilemmas. Doing so will require a rapprochement with political leaders, one that establishes a normative orientation to personnel administration in which responsiveness to policy leadership is asserted along with other essential values associated with public service.
ISSN:0190-0692
1532-4265
DOI:10.1080/01900699308524830