Supervisory Perceptions of the Impact of Public Sector Personnel Practices on the Achievement of Multiple Goals

• Author: Dennis M. Daley,Michael L. Vasu
• Published date: 01 June 2005
• Date: 01 June 2005
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0275074004272846
• Subject Matter: Articles

10.1177/0275074004272846ARPA/June2005Daley,Vasu/PUBLICSECTOR PERSONNEL PRACTICES

SUPERVISORY PERCEPTIONS

OFTHEIMPACTOFPUBLICSECTOR

PERSONNEL PRACTICES ON THE

ACHIEVEMENT OF MULTIPLE GOALS

Putting the Strategic into

Human Resource Management

DENNIS M. DALEY

MICHAEL L. VASU

North Carolina Sate University

Strategic human resource management enhances productivity and the effectiveness of organizations. Research

shows that when organizationsemploy suchpersonnel practices as internal careerladders, formal training systems,

results-oriented performance appraisal, employment security, employee voice and participation, broadly defined

jobs, and performance-basedcompensation, they are more able to achievetheir goals and objectives. Using ordinal

regressionanalyses of data from a survey of North Carolina county social service directors and supervisors, this

studyexamines the extent to which strategic human resourcemanagement is perceived to affectoutcome assessments

(or performance measurements)for welfare reform. Although strategichuman resource management practices are

perceived to be present, with training and employment security having notable impacts, they clearly are not a

predominant feature in North Carolina counties.

Keywords: PLS PROVIDE KEYWORDS

Strategic human resources management (SHRM) practices enhance employee productiv-

ity and the ability of agencies to achieve their mission. Integrating the use of personnel prac-

tices into the strategicplanning process enables an organization to better achieve its goals and

objectives. Productivitygains from the diffusion of technological innovations are now incor-

porated into both public and private sector organizations. Future productivity gains must

focus on how people use these technologies.

This study examines the perception of strategic human resources practices, using Delery

and Doty’s (1996) internal career ladders, formal training systems, results-oriented perfor-

mance appraisal, employment security, employee voice and participation, broadly defined

jobs, and performance-based compensation, held among North Carolina county social ser-

vice directors and supervisors. The study examines the relationships among these SHRM

perceptions and four measures of outcome assessments (on how well welfare reform is

achieving its goals). Hence, it extends Delery and Doty’s focus to the public sector and its

multiple (and not necessarily complementary) goals.

Initial Submission: September 9, 2003

Accepted: October 7, 2004

AMERICAN REVIEW OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Vol.35 No. 2, June 2005 157-167

DOI: 10.1177/0275074004272846

© 2005 Sage Publications

157