Berman, Bowman, West, & Wart, Human Resource Management in Public Service, Sixth Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2020
Study Questions
Chapter 1: The Public Service Heritage: People, Process, and Purpose
1. What are two major schools of thought about the breakdown of government
(according to Ehrenhalt)? (11)
2. What are three insights from the Maria Hernandez example? Is she a good example
of an HR director? What advice would you give her? (12–14)
3. What are some trends that present challenges to government in getting the right
people? (14–18)
4. What are some of the reasons that young people choose public service? (15)
5. What is the core-ring staffing model? What is its purpose? (16)
6. How does traditional personnel administration differ from HRM? (18)
7. When does the term strategic human resource management apply? (18)
8. What does the term civil service cover? (19)
9. Does your organization conform more closely to a traditional public sector system
or to “public service for the 21st century?” In what ways? (19)
10. What five models of HR does the text discuss? (21)
11. HR departments commonly share some functions with other individual and units.
What are some examples of sharing? (21)
12. What are the four reform tides mentioned by Paul Light? (22)
13. What is scientific management? (23)
14. What are its (scientific management) implications for HRM? (23)
15. What is the war on waste? What are its implications for HRM? (23–24)
16. What is the watchful eye? What are its implications for HRM? (24–25)
17. What is liberation management? What are its implications for HRM? (25–26)
18. In what ways does CSRA reflect each of the tides of reform? (26–29)
19. How did the Pendleton Act alter public service? (26–29)
20. How did CSRA of 1978 alter public service? (26–29)
Created the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Merit System Protection
Board. The OPM is the “doing” side of public HRM. The OPM’s director is
appointed/removed by the president and functions as his principal advisor on personnel
matters. The MSB is responsible for adjudications, and employee appeals. The CSRA also
21. What two writers are associated with reinventing government? What is the federal
program implementing it? (29)
22. What were the components of Clinton’s three-part strategy for civil service
reform? (29–30)
Berman, Bowman, West, & Wart, Human Resource Management in Public Service, Sixth Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2020
23. What are the five key areas emphasized in George W. Bush’s plan for reform? (30–
31)
24. The civil service has to try to please at least three major constituents. Who are
they? (32)
25. Compare Germany before and after the Civil Service Reform Law of 1997. How did
the civil servants react? Why? (Exhibit 1.11) (33–34)
26. The recommendations of the Winter Commission (National Commission on the
State and Local Public Service) are remarkably relevant today and continue to be
promoted. What are the major recommendations? (35)
27. What are the key criticisms of reinvention applied to HRM? (37)
28. How does your organization stack up against the values of HRM? (37)
29. What are the four overarching principles that administrators need to be mindful
of? (37–41)
30. How are value conflicts resolved? (41–42)
31. Why are the quotes from FDR and Thomas Jefferson profound? (43)